FYI. This has nothing to do with particular languages but with the art & craft
of writing in any language. Thought it might be of interest here. DZO
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Chronicle of Higher Education
>From the issue dated June 3, 2005
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Importance of Writing Daily
To the Editor:
Jay Parini's observation that regular, daily writing is highly effective is
consistent with the observations of a number of well-known writers ("The
Considerable Satisfaction of 2 Pages a Day," The Chronicle Review, April 8).
In addition to John Updike's goal of two pages a day, cited and adopted by
Parini, a number of writers set daily goals for themselves, ranging from modest
goals to more ambitious ones. Some goals were in terms of pages (Morris West,
one page; Ray Bradbury, four pages; Kate DiCamillo, two pages), some in terms
of words (Joseph Wambaugh, 1,000 words; Arthur Haley, 600 words), some pages or
words (Stephen King, 10 pages or 2,000 words), and some in terms of time.
Irving Wallace tells us that "most successful writers invest their work with
professionalism. From Balzac, who worked six to twelve hours a day, and
Flaubert, seven hours a day, and Conrad, eight hours a day, to Maugham, who
worked four hours a day, and Aldous Huxley, five hours a day, and Hemingway,
six hours a day, these authors were uniformly industrious."
According to Wallace, Victor Hugo had a unique method for regimenting his
writing: "While the story may be apocryphal -- I should like to believe it is
not -- it is said that Victor Hugo sometimes forced himself to work regularly
by confining himself to his study. To do this, he had his valet take away every
stitch of his clothing, and ordered this servant not to return his attire until
the hour when he expected to be through with his writing."
Parini notes that huge amounts of time are not necessary; one need not put in
six to 12 hours a day to get results. What is crucial is writing regularly: "A
little work every day adds up."
Anthony Trollope expressed a similar view: "A small daily task, if it be really
daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules." So did Woody Allen: "If
you work only three to four hours per day, you become quite productive. It's
the steadiness that counts."
The champion of regular daily writing is Robert Boice, who conducted a series of
studies showing that scholars who write modest amounts regularly were far more
productive and successful than those who "binge" -- that is, wait until they
have large blocks of time for writing. Boice reviews his research and presents
the rationale for daily regular writing in How Writers Journey to Comfort and
Fluency.
One of the major reasons regular daily writing works, Boice argues, is that
writing itself stimulates thinking. He is not alone in this view. Peter Elbow,
in Writing Without Teachers, concluded that in writing, "meaning is not what
you start out with but what you end up with." Madeleine L'Engle, among others,
agrees: "Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it."
Stephen Krashen
(600 words a day)
Professor Emeritus of Education
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
http://chronicle.com
Section: The Chronicle Review
Volume 51, Issue 39, Page B17
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