He Committed Suicide at 62 But His Word of Advice Can Improve Your Writing
By: Yousuf Rafi
Tags: Content, Writing Life, Writing Tips, Famous People, Ernest Hemingway

He Committed Suicide at 62 But His Word of Advice Can Improve Your Writing

Ernest Hemingway’s not-so-popular advice that can help every writer improve their craft of writing.

If Ernest Hemingway walked on this earth today, he would have been 117 years old. Can you think how many more excellent books he might have written by now? Well. His death might be tragic. I mean, committing Suicide on 62nd birthday is not cool at all. While his absence can be felt profoundly, we can continue his legacy about following his writing advice.

1. Write for the cause, not for the applause.

Writing is a personal act. You can always share your work with friends and family, but keep in mind that all of the endless hours of crafting your blog post might not get acknowledged.

What Hemingway meant is that there will not be a cheer leading squad at your desk when you finish that post. As a writer, you must train your mind to love the process. Your motivation is to complete the write-up because of the hope it’ll give to people.

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2. Just sit down and bleed

Writing is not just a personal evader; it’s a powerhouse of emotional stories.

Hemingway is trying to teach us to pour your soul into the writing. If you are sad, show it. If you are happy, your writing must give that impression.

If your writing is not creating discomfort for people, you’re not doing it right. Take stories, experiences, and what you have learned from your day and write them down. Convert them into stories.

3. Observe. Write. Simplify.

If you’ve read any of Hemingway’s work, you might realize that there is no flowery or long-winded tone. He was a journalist who molded his work to be concise and sharp. He followed a no-nonsense approach to writing.

Mostly, novice writers assume that writing difficult vocabulary will make them a famous writer. Sorry to disappoint guys. Keep your tone simple. One idea per line and get to the point fast using simple vocabulary.

4. Write drunk; edit sober.

A perfect metaphor for serious writers. When you’re drunk, you lose that regular and careless attitude about what people think about you. Now, I am not advocating that you drink before you write. What Hemingway means is to write your first draft without any fear.

For now, you are just putting ideas on paper. There might be a lot of junk that you notice, but don’t worry about it for now. But when you start editing, this is the time to tighten up the grip.

Polish your writing with powerful words, short sentences, and make it simple.

5. Write When You’re Hurt.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve written my best pieces when I was hurt. Hemingway did the same. There was a lot of pain in Hemingway’s life, and instead of cursing anyone, he used that pain to write some amazing stuff.

When you write anything with transparent emotions, there is a greater chance that people will relate to it and feel whatever you were feeling.

Besides, touching the heart of people, while writing out the hurt, it’ll heal you.

6. We Are Always Learning.

I am sure all of you must have felt the pressure of being The Best Writer. It feels like a rat race. Everyone is competing with someone, and successful writers might send pangs of jealousy onto your soul. This creates doubt for you, and then a war starts within ourselves, because we are not good enough.

If Hemingway thought that he was not a master, then how can we think of becoming one. As a writer, there is no stopping. Each writer’s voice and style is unique. So, instead of competing with other writers, observe your writing and try to be a better version than yesterday.

7. Write for fun or don’t write at all.

Writing should bring a sense of joy or liberation. If you find that writing is boring, this means that you need a break. Take a break and do something that you love. Gather around stories from nature. Take inspiration from other writers.

Whenever you feel the pressure of not enjoying what you’re writing, give time to get back into the zone.

8. Mistakes Indicate That You’re Trying.

Hemingway confessed that “There have been times when I felt truly embarrassed about my work.” This indicates that even Hemingway felt a failure at some point in his career.

Every writer grows with time. If you pick a write-up from your past, you might think that it’s rubbish. Because now you’ve evolved into something better. Each failure, rejection, teaches us something.

Every story will not be an award-winning story. So, if your story comes back to you with all red markings, don’t be afraid to correct it and try again. Just don’t quit too soon.

9. Write Every day.

Writing a 2,000-word article one day might not create an impact. But writing a 500-word article for two years every day might improve your writing significantly. It’s not about writing a world-class masterpiece every day — the goal is to get in the habit of writing something every day. Because when you start writing something, it gives you more space to experiment with new things. You’ll know what to change and which part created the most impact.

Change the intro, change the ending, and add an element of storytelling in your every write-up.

Get it in your head, writing every day will not just make you a better writer; it will make you luckier, too.

Closing thoughts.

They say if you want to succeed at something, look for people who are already successful and follow them. Ernest Hemingway is an excellent source of inspiration for every writer. Even if you haven’t heard of his name, Google him and read his work right now.

When you read right, you’ll be able to write well. One more closing piece of advice I would love to give is to make your writing as simple as possible. Everyone can write complicated, but it takes a mind of a genius to simplify things.