ERNEST HEMINGWAY | the-words-said

Writing Like Ernest

The Statistics

Writing Period: February 11
Words: 3,368
From the Hemingway Editor:
- Adverbs Used: 3
- Phrases with Passive Voice: 6
- Sentences Labeled Hard/Very Hard to Read: 0

Words/Hour: 449.1 (~7.5 hours)
Words/Day: 3,368 (1 day, 2 writing sessions)
Cups of Coffee Consumed: ~3
Alcoholic Beverages a Non-Factor

The Writer: Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

— American novelist, short story writer, and journalist

— Born in Oak Park, Illinois

Quote-worthy: [In interview with George Plimpton] “The fact that I am interrupting serious work to answer these questions proves that I am so stupid that I should be penalized severely. I will be. Don’t worry.”

Famous Works

The Sun Also Rises (1926)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)
The Old Man and the Sea (1951)
many others

Writing Style

Short sentences
No adverbs
Limited use of passive voice

Writing Routine

Begin writing at first light and carry on until noon (or until the day’s work feels to be of sufficient substance)
Stand while writing with typewriter/laptop at chest height
Always re-read previous writing, editing as you go; once the story is long enough, re-read only the previous two or three chapters each day, but continue to re-read the entire work once or twice a week

Writing Advice

Write the truest sentence you know
Always stop at a point where you know what will happen next so that you can continue the next day without being stuck
Do not think about the story when not writing
Always re-read what you’ve written so far
Do no describe emotions, make them
Be brief and use a pencil
Whenever you’re inclined to write the word “very” use the word “damn” instead; your editor will cross it out and the writing will appear as it should

Sources

The Reflection

I was unable to follow all of Hemingway’s procedures and tips, mostly because of other time commitments and what have you. I used the online Hemingway Editor to write this portion of the novella, which kept me from including adverbs and passive voice (as much as possible). It also made sure the sentences were brief in structure, which I oftentimes have trouble adhering to. I realize there are no specific guidelines on sentence length and structure, but I am unlike Hemingway in the way I enjoy articulating things and so I had to change up my normal approach.

In accordance with his actual writing routine, I did, in fact, stand the entire time I wrote this portion and I re-read what I had previously written before continuing. I could not bring myself to arise at the hour of dawn, but I did write early in the morning on Thursday, February 11 from around 12:15 until 3:15 AM. I followed some of his advice to the letter: I always stopped when I knew what was going to happen next (granted I only had two writing sessions with the Hemingway method); I put “damn” (and struck it out) in places where I was inclined to write “very” (which was not many); I wrote sentences that were true, even including the real name of a person in my life (though I know that is not exactly what is meant).

I did not use a pencil (sorry Ernest), and I could not refrain from thinking about the story when I wasn’t writing it. It has literally been on my mind all the live-long day, because I am excited about continuing. As for making emotions rather than describing them, I can only hope I achieved this; it would better be left to another’s judgement.

Overall, I found this method to be conducive to the writing process. How much standing while writing had to do with that, I know not. I think, moving forward, I will be watching my usage of adverbs. They do seem to be unnecessary most of the time. A writer should be able to convey how an action is taken without having to say in what way it was taken. The way it was taken should be conveyed through prior characterization or other context.

As a last aside, I enjoyed how Ernest responded to his interviewer from The Paris Review. He was honest, and brutally so; if he didn’t like a question or thought it was stupid, he would say so.

(Part I)