Three Quick Tips from Hemingway That Will Make You a Better Writer
By: Guy D. Mccardle
Tags: Genius, Learning, Hemingway, Writing Tips, Writing

The master at work. Image from The Daily Beast

Three Quick Tips from Hemingway That Will Make You a Better Writer

Advice from one of the most influential authors of the 20th century

My father always said, “If you are going to take the time to learn something, you might as well learn it from the best.” Makes sense to me. Therefore, I’ve poured countless hours into studying the work of arguably the greatest writer of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway. Papa, as he was known to his friends.

The year was 1934. It was springtime in Key West, Florida, and it was already sticky hot. A twenty-two-year-old aspiring writer by the name of Arnold Samuelson had just hitchhiked all the way from Minnesota in hopes of meeting his idol, a man named Ernest Hemingway.

Samuelson had no prearranged meeting with the great author, but he did have hope and a burning ambition to become a better writer. He had picked Hemingway to be his mentor, completely unbeknownst to him.

He arrived, without forwarning, at Hemingway’s home, a Spanish Colonial structure located at 907 Whitehead Street and knocked on the door. As luck would have it, Papa was home.

Samuelson begged his idol for a few minutes of his time. Much to his surprise and delight, Hemingway invited him into his home and spent considerable time talking to him. He even read a few samples of Samuelson’s work.

Hemingway was not impressed by the young man’s writing, but he was impressed by his ambition and dedication. During their conversation, Papa mentioned that he was about to head out to sea in his boat, Pilar. He invited his new pupil along to join his crew.

During their time at sea, Samuelson had the rare opportunity to ask questions of Hemingway in a relaxed, informal manner. In keeping with Hemingway’s reputation, it would be safe to say that drinks were involved.

The following year, Hemingway wrote an article for Esquire magazine. In it, he shared some of the advice that he had offered to the young Samuelson. We are fortunate to benefit from this sage advice. It is as applicable today as it was in 1934.

Stop writing while you’re still doing well

Samuelson asked Hemingway flat out, “How much time should I spend writing each day?” I’m sure we can all relate to this question. As a writer, you don’t want to bang away until you start to babble.

Hemingway didn’t answer with a specific amount of time or number of words, he said,

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.

We are advised not to write until we start to grow stale and run out of ideas. If we do that, our work will suffer and it can affect the continuity of our story.

Block out negative thoughts

Hemingway was advocating mindfulness before mindfulness was a thing. During their talk, Samuelson expressed doubts that he could finish a book-length project.

Hemingway proceeded to tell him how writers can stop worrying and maintain their creative process.

This is what he told Samuelson:

Once you are into the novel it is as cowardly to worry about whether you can go on to the next day as to worry about having to go into inevitable action. You have to go on. So there is no sense to worry… As soon as you start to think about it stop it. Think about something else. You have to learn that to write a novel. The hard part about a novel is to finish it.

I take this to mean that one should quit worrying about writing and just write. Sometimes we don’t feel like it. Too bad, just put your head down and keep barreling forward, you can always edit it later.

That brings me to what is, in my opinion, the best insight into great writing that I have ever received.

Hemingway reminds us:

“The first draft of anything is shit.”

Image courtesy of ryanholiday.net

He also said to “write drunk and edit sober”. The important message here is that getting the words down on paper is just the beginning of the process. Writing without editing would be like a sculptor roughly carving a form out of stone and calling it a finished product.

Putting words to paper is just the beginning. Anyone can do that. The art comes in honing them into something memorable and moving.

Practice empathy

Be sensitive to the feelings of others. Learn to see the world through their eyes. Hemingway taught Samuelson the importance of empathy in a writer. He had these words to offer on the topic:

Then get in somebody elseʼs head for a change. If I bawl you out try to figure out what Iʼm thinking about as well as how you feel about it. If Carlos curses Juan think what both their sides of it are. Donʼt just think who is right…As a man you know who is right and who is wrong… As a writer you should not judge. You should understand…Listen now. When people talk listen completely. Donʼt be thinking what youʼre going to say. Most people never listen.

When you practice empathy, you are forced to consider the motivation of others. Having empathy takes the “I” out of your writing and puts the emphasis on the reader and what they want. Unless you are writing a journal meant only for yourself, this is important.

Arnold Samuelson never did go on to write professionally. His trip to Key West and the time he spent with Ernest Hemingway, however, was not in vain. Because of his youthful ambition, we get to share in a behind the scenes glimpse of a genius at work.

For that, we owe him a debt of gratitude.