9 Writing Techniques Hemingway Used to Become a LEGEND

Timeline
0:00 Intro
0:20 3 Things Every Writer Needs
2:15 Pick Your Subject
4:40 The One Way to Start Writing
6:05 The Essential Way to Write Characters
8:31 Start Observing Details
10:20 Simplicity
11:42 Write with your body, not your mind
13:06 Leave Things Out
15:43 How to Revise

[Oxanashi]

When I was watching this I already knew I will be rewatching multiple times. This is priceless. Thank you.

[robertrotenberg]

As a novelist and a writing teachers, congrats. Some good tips here. I started reading Hemingway in high school. But the one thing you miss is HARD WORK. Despite his many personal issues and demons, he tied himself to that chair every damn morning and worked. (Actually he liked to write standing up as I do.) I make my students rewrite their first paragraph five time, I comment on it, five time again, then make them take their five favourite books and write out BY HAND the first paragraph and tell me why they work, then make them do another five. Someone recently asked me "how do I write a book?" and I said "Five words. Do you have a ...chair?" One of my students recently got a two book deal in five countries with a major publisher. Only after four years of hard work. Every word counts.

[MerakiManifest]

I’ve watched this video numerous times since beginning my career as a writer last year and I’m pleased to share my first novel, “Crossing the Divide”, was accepted for publication by both publishing houses I submitted my manuscript to. Having just paid the publishing costs last night it will be printed and on the shelves this June!

[theNanneth]

Thank you for compiling his best advice! Hemingway's response and suggestion to his friend wondering why he made him cry so much in his book is priceless!

[adriang]

You know, that advice about leaving something before you revise it, is so true. Even when you think it's perfect, wait a while. Write something else, read a bunch or go on a holiday then come back. Fresh eyes see every fault. Well mostly. Or they aren't fresh enough.

I was at a night with Raymond E Feist and he said give your characters some weird quirk, and the reference was a character who liked to eat raw onions as if they were apples.

[percyclark]

Thank you. You have encouraged this very new writer.

[tullochgorum]

Revising, I think, is the key takeaway here. My main focus is poetry, and one survey found that like Hemingway, most of the best poets will revise a piece literally dozens of times before publication. They set themselves the highest standards, and simply don't give up till they are satisfied. One of the key differentiators between the best poets and the rest of us is that they simply work harder at their craft.

And they are also open to editorial criticism. I have a relative who was hosting Nobel winner Seamus Heaney before a reading of his newest work. She is a critic, so he said to her "I'm not sure about this one - there's something not quite right here". She read it and replied "I see the problem - this isn't one poem, it's two." Heaney was humble enough to respond "Of course! You're right!" and he edited it there and then.

[yesspazsmith]

I kept waiting for my favorite Hemingway quote (thought it might pop up in #7): "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

[vinci]

I cannot understate how useful this video was. I'm in the middle of writing my book and even though today was a great writing session, I saw so many mistakes in my writing that just made me question this whole thing. Your video and with it these tips truly resonated with me. Some doubts I had transformed into strengths and perspectives I didn't have before. Thank you so much.

[scottjackson]

Well, I guess I’m screwed right out of the gate: I had a happy childhood.

[KH-hnnu]

Writing with your body! Huge insight. Going to put that and the iceberg to use on these drafts

[Venejan]

This is excellent. I've heard many of these points elsewhere over the year, but it's priceless having them all in one handy video.

[ChrisDawson-yp]

This information is really helpful. Thank you for providing this information - I intend to use it.

[davidronin]

You've performed a VERY valuable service here, what with ;your staggering research. THANK YOU.

[Berzerker]

You are absolutely amazing. So smart and smooth. Thanks again!!!

[anacebotari]

Thank you for the video.
I actually was really hooked up when I first read the interview with Ernest Hemingway, The Art of Fiction No. 21. Which really inspired me to continue my work. I like his style, being a journalist, showed how effective he was with words. But overall as a writer and as an artist I think is best to find your own style and most of all feel comfortable writing about the subject.
One personal anecdote, when I was writing about a character, especially when the dialogue kicked in, I said to myself “ Well I will never say that, it’s so rude” and then a thought run through me as a response :“Of course you won’t because it’s not you it’s someone else”. And then it hit me how interesting the brain works, I created a character with certain traits and lifestyle and I dive really deep that I disconnect from my personal beliefs and values and create something new. It’ s fun 😁. Writing is really fun.

[AdamWilliams-updx]

Just quickly, Dostoevsky was sent to a work camp under the Tzar, not under the Soviets as the video suggests.

[grumpyhannibal]

I love your videos! Very helpful and inspiring. And also I really appreciate how you deliver your advice. If I just hear advice (no matter how well it is said) it doesn't stick fully with me. You have just the right way of combining what you say with showing notes, quotes etc. Makes it way easier and more effective for me to follow and really take it all in. Thanks for your awesome work!

[lowspark]

Entertaining, practical, and somehow reassuring. Patricia Highsmith's book on writing is also no nonsense.

[lauraroberts]

47 endings! Now I feel better about changing one sentence a mere 15 times! 😊