by Writing Workshops Staff
3 weeks ago
John Steinbeck, one of America's most celebrated authors, knew the daunting challenge of filling hundreds of blank pages with words that would resonate with readers for generations.
Yet, despite his success, Steinbeck never shied away from acknowledging the struggles inherent in the writing process. In his wisdom, he distilled these struggles into six guiding principles—rules that have since become cherished advice for writers seeking to conquer the blank page.
Whether you're wrestling with your first novel or simply trying to put pen to paper, Steinbeck's rules offer a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to writing that keeps both creativity and sanity intact.
Now let me give you the benefit of my experience in facing 400 pages of blank stock-the appalling stuff that must be filled. I know that no one really wants the benefit of anyone's experience which is probably why it is so freely offered. But the following are some of the things I have had to do to keep from going nuts.
1. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.
2. Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with fow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
3. Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theatre, it doesn't exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person--a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
4. If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it--bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn't belong there.
5. Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you, dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.
6. If you are using dialogue--say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was an American author and Nobel Prize laureate, celebrated for his poignant depictions of working-class life in America. Born in Salinas, California, Steinbeck's upbringing in the agricultural region of the Salinas Valley profoundly influenced his work, infusing it with themes of social justice, human struggle, and the American spirit. He gained widespread acclaim with his novels "Of Mice and Men" (1937) and "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939), the latter earning him a Pulitzer Prize. Steinbeck's keen observations of economic disparity and his empathetic portrayal of characters on society's margins cemented his legacy as one of the most important voices in American literature. His works continue to resonate for their exploration of humanity's capacity for both hope and despair.
