The creative process: the strange habits of famous writers

Franz Kafka once said that the poet Ernst Lederer (Ernst Lederer) writes poetry special light blue ink on special paper. Kafka was not surprised and commented on his friend's habit as follows: "Each mage your ceremony. Haydn, for example, composed music only in powdered, for celebrations, wig. Scripture - a kind of spirits a spell. "

With this difficult not to agree. Writers - strange people. At least, judging by their habits. But perhaps it is these oddities helped them in the creative process.

Virginia Woolf

English writer-modernist Virginia Woolf said: "Every woman, if she is going to write, must be the means and their own room." One of the creative tools Wolfe was the color. As Ernst Lederer, she used the colored ink: green, blue, red. Favorite shade - purple.

In addition, the author of "Mrs. Dalloway" preferred to write standing up. At the same time as the table she used a small easel, made to order.

Roald Dahl

Master of paradoxes, the English writer and storyteller Roald Dahl liked to work in solitude. Therefore, in moments of inspiration, he went to a small shed in the backyard of his house, who called his nest. In Dahl's hut stood a curved seat, but there was not a table: he preferred to write with a pencil in a lined yellow pad directly on your lap.

Roald Dahl does not deviate from their habit, even in the cold: so as not to freeze in unheated shed, writer wrap up in a sleeping bag. In addition, a number always had to be a ball made out of chocolate wrappers, which he collected in his childhood. It is symbolic that one of the most famous works of Dahl is also associated with chocolate - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory».

Charles Dickens

The most popular English-language writer in life, whose works are not gathering dust on the shelves and in our days, Charles Dickens had a rather strange habit. He loved morgues. "Some invisible force draws me to the morgue," - Dickens wrote. In whatever city he may come, first rounds of all the morgues. In this chilling the body and soul of the place writer could stay for hours, "admiring" the corpses. The feeling that came over him at such times, he called the appeal disgusting.

Another unusual habit Dickens - drinking a sip of hot water every 50 lines of written text.

Anton Chekhov

The great Russian writer and playwright in nature was very demanding. Once something decided for himself, he never deviated from it. So, he was always very neat and tidy. His room looked like a cell, there is always order reigned.

"The man should be beautiful: the face and clothing, and soul, and mind." Anton Pavlovich carefully watched his appearance. In spite of serious illness, he never allowed himself to welcome guests in a bathrobe. To writing he treated as seriously - Chekhov worked in the leisure suit.

Henry Miller

In 1932, the controversial (at the time) was an American writer Henry Miller created for himself the commandments writers (published in the book "Reflections on Writing"). Among them were such installations: work on one work until the end of it; you can not do - work; writing - in the first place, all the rest - then; but you need to be a man: meet people, to visit different places to drink, if you want.

In this regard, the usual day Miller was the fact that in the mornings and afternoons he wrote (If it was in a good mood, if not - just sort the notes), and in the evening meeting with friends, walking, sometimes painted.

Agatha Christie

Master detective, The author of 78 novels in this genre, translated into more than 100 languages, inventing exciting stories of his books, eating apples and rewashing the dishes. According to her, washing the dishes, "creates" another murder, and apples stimulate the development of the plot.

Another strange habit of Agatha Christie - write anywhere, in any, even the most uncomfortable position. For a long time her home was not a desk. But this did not prevent her from becoming one of the most successful writers in the genre of detective fiction. Churchill jokingly said that Christie earned crimes more than the most successful in the history of the thief.

Alexander Pushkin

"Let's drink, a good friend of my youth, the poor, have a drink with grief; where is the mug? "Pushkin loved lemonade. Especially during operation. It is noteworthy that he drank Alexander mostly at night. "Sometimes at night to write, he is now lemonade at night, and you put" - recalled the poet valet Nikifor Fedorov. At the same time Pushkin loved and black coffee, but apparently emboldened him more lemonade.

An interesting fact: according to the memoirs of Konstantin Danzas, Lyceum Pushkin's friend and the seconds, going to a duel with Dantes, the writer went into the shop and drank a glass of lemonade.

William Wordsworth

English poet was romantic to ends. He believed that nature is the source of "pure passion and fun" bottomless inspiration and support. Of course, if a person is able to understand her heart.

Understanding the nature of Wordsworth was the fact that the chief censor of poetry was his dog. He was the first he read his poem. If a barking dog or snapped, Wordsworth took up his pen again and rewrote the work.

Friedrich Schiller

"The mystery of eternal will, I imagine," - wrote the German poet Friedrich von Schiller. A mystery to his entourage had a habit of Schiller do at his desk, the top drawer which was full of rotten apples. Goethe, the poet's friend, recalled: "One day I went to see Frederick, but he was away somewhere, and his wife asked me to wait in the office. I sat in a chair, leaning on the table, and suddenly felt a sharp wave of nausea. I even went away to the open window to get some fresh air. At first I did not understand the reasons for this strange state, and then realized that business in a pungent odor. Soon he showed his power: in a drawer at the Schiller lay propped dozen apples! I was called to the servants, so they removed the mess, but I was told that apples are put here on purpose, otherwise the owner and can not work. Friedrich is back and it's all confirmed! "

Fedor Dostoevsky

One of the striking features of Fyodor Mikhailovich - interest in people. He loved meet new people, talk to passers-by. At the same time, he always led the dialogue: Dostoevsky interlocutor quizzed about everything and looked him straight in the eye. Thus the writer was collecting material for future books that formed the images of heroes.

When the plan matures, Dostoevsky and locked for a long time work, sometimes forgetting food and sleep. In this case, Fyodor could walk around the room and to pronounce the text aloud. One with him even there was a curious case: he worked on "Crime and Punishment" and the waiter heard behind the door arguments about the old woman and Raskolnikov, the writer refused to serve, explaining what Dostoevsky going to someone kill.