In the sequence of reading books by writers about writing1 I recently reread the book, “Novelist as a Vocation” by Haruki Murakami. He is one of my favorite writers, and I was fascinated to understand his writing process.
This is not the first book where he explains his thoughts about his writing process, his other book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” had some brief moments on the topic.
This post is a simple recollection of quotes(taken out from 2 chapters of this book) with commentary related to me. These quotes gave me perspective and hopefully some readers and my future self will be able to enjoy them too.
Chapter: A completely Personal and Physical Occupation
On the physical nature of writing
For example—and this is based on my own case—writing a novel means sitting alone in my study for over a year (sometimes two or even three years), diligently writing away. I get up early and focus solely on writing for five to six hours every single day. Thinking that hard and long about things, your brain gets overheated (with my scalp literally getting hot at times), so after that I need to give my head a rest. That’s why I spend my afternoons napping, enjoying music, reading innocuous books. That kind of life, though, gets you out of shape physically, so every day I spend about an hour outdoors exercising. That sets me up for the next day’s work. Day after day, without exception, I repeat this cycle.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (pp. 113-114). Random House. Kindle Edition.
I’m a very patient type of person, I think, when it comes to that kind of process. Still, at times I do get fed up with it and hate it. But as I work away, persevering day after day—like a bricklayer carefully laying one brick on top of another—I reach a certain point where I get the definite feeling that when all is said and done, a writer is exactly what I am. And I accept that feeling as something good, something to be celebrated. The slogan of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) in the US is “One day at a time,” and that’s exactly what this is like. Maintaining a set rhythm, steadily hauling in one day after the other and sending them on their way. Silently continue to do this and at a certain point something happens inside you. But it takes time to reach this point. And until then you have to be very patient. One day is just one day. You can’t take care of two or three days’ worth all at once.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (pp. 114-115). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On importance of a Day’s work
Note: This is my core problem, I try to do a lot of work in a short span on time and this in turn exhausts me.
One day is just one day. You can’t take care of two or three days’ worth all at once.
On building Stamina
Note: Work Exhaustion is a problem that I have face too many times in my life. Murakami suggests to work on once stamina which means doing work on ones body.
As I’ve written novels every day, I’ve slowly come to feel this and understand this. Your mind has to be as tough as possible, and in order to maintain that mental toughness over the long term, it’s essential to increase and sustain the receptacle that is physical strength.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 121). Random House. Kindle Edition.
HAVE BUT ONE ANSWER, and a very simple one: you have to become physically fit. You need to become robust and physically strong. And make your body your ally.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 115). Random House. Kindle Edition.
If you’re not like them, however, if you’re not (sad to say) a rare genius, and you wish to, gradually, over time, raise the level of the (more or less limited) talent you do have, and make it into something powerful, I believe my theory might be of some value. You toughen up your will as much as you can. And at the same time you equip and maintain the headquarters of that will, your body, to be as healthy as possible, as sturdy as possible, so it doesn’t, as much as possible, hinder you—and this will link up with an overall balanced, enhanced quality of your life. My basic idea is that as long as you don’t mind putting in honest effort, the quality of the work you produce will also naturally be improved. (To repeat, this theory does not apply to genius artists.)
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 128). Random House. Kindle Edition.
And what you need to faithfully, sincerely verbalize this is a quiet ability to focus, a staying power that doesn’t get discouraged, and a consciousness that is, up to a point, firm and systematic. And what you need to consistently maintain these qualities is physical strength. This might be seen as a boring, literally prosaic conclusion, but that’s my fundamental way of thinking as a novelist. Whether I’m criticized, praised, have rotten tomatoes thrown at me, or beautiful flowers tossed my way, that’s the only way I know how to write—and to live.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 125). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On how Murakami maintains his daily routine of running
Note: That is yet again a beautiful idea. Doing something for “No matter what, this is something I have to do in my Life.” Doing just for the sake of doing is an excellent reason for doing anything.
Still, not grasping what it all means, I persist in my daily running routine. Thirty years is a long time. To continue one habit that long requires a great deal of effort. How have I been able to do it? It’s because I feel like the act of running represents, concretely and succinctly, some of the things I have to do in this life. I have that sort of general, yet very strong, sense. So even on days when I think I’m not feeling so great and don’t feel like running, I tell myself, “No matter what, this is something I have to do in my life,” and I go out and run without really ascribing a logical reason for it. That sentence has become a kind of mantra for me: No matter what, this is something I have to do in my life.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 119). Random House. Kindle Edition.
Chapter: Making time your ally: On writing a novel
On projects that take a long time to complete
When I set out to write a novel that is likely to possess special meaning to me—in other words, a comprehensive, potentially trans-formative work—I need free access to a vast, unlimited space. Once I am sure that space exists and that I have stockpiled enough energy to fill it, I open the spigots full blast, so to speak, and settle in for the long haul. Nothing can surpass the fullness I experience then. It is a special feeling, one I get only when I am launching a long novel.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (pp. 92-93). Random House. Kindle Edition.
Since a novel is a long-term project requiring an inordinate amount of energy, creating this solid base is absolutely crucial. If I screw that up, my strength may give out partway through.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 93). Random House. Kindle Edition.
Note: Perhaps this is the correct way to work on any long project. Long projects require persistent time, effort and energy. Without planning ahead the journey will bring disappointment and frustration.
Practical Tips on Taking long-term projects
Clean the desk
My stance is that I will work on nothing but the novel until it is completed, so I need to prepare. If I happen to be writing a series of essays, for example, I have to break it off, at least for the time being. Unless something really extraordinary comes along, all new projects are turned down.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 93). Random House. Kindle Edition.
Develop a constant cadence of work and try to reach that cadence consistently
WHEN WRITING A NOVEL, my rule is to produce roughly ten Japanese manuscript pages (the equivalent of sixteen hundred English words) every day. This works out to about two and a half pages on my computer, but I base my calculations on the old system out of habit. On days where I want to write more, I still stop after ten pages; when I don’t feel like writing, I force myself to somehow fulfill my quota. Why do I do it this way? Because it is especially important to maintain a steady pace when tackling a big project. That can’t work if you write a lot one day and nothing at all the next. So I punch in, write my ten pages, and then punch out, as if I’m working on a time card.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 95). Random House. Kindle Edition.
More than being artists, novelists should think of themselves as “free”—“free” meaning that we are able to do what we like, when we like, in a way we like without worrying about how the world sees us. This is far better than wearing the stiff and formal robes of the artist.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 96). Random House. Kindle Edition.
When writing keep yourself on an even keel. Get the work done and leave. Do not overthink and Do not overdo.
Isak Dinesen once said, “I write a little every day, without hope and without despair.” I write my ten pages the same way. Cool and detached. “Without hope and without despair” says it perfectly. I wake early each morning, brew a fresh pot of coffee, and work for four or five hours straight. Ten pages a day means three hundred pages a month. That works out to eighteen hundred pages in six months.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 96). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On the importance of rewrites
What this story shows is that, no matter what you have written, it can be made better. We may feel that what we have turned out is excellent, even perfect, but the fact remains there is always room for improvement. That’s why I strive to set aside my pride and self-regard when rewriting, and cool the passions generated by the creative process. I have to be careful not to cool them too much, though, since that would make rewriting impossible. I also have to prepare myself to handle the comments that come from my outside readers. Though their criticisms may hurt, I still must somehow find the patience to listen to what they are saying. By contrast, I don’t take criticisms that come out after a novel is published all that seriously. If I worried too much about that stuff, I couldn’t go on! When the writing process is still underway, however, I have to be able to incorporate criticisms and suggestions in as humble and open-minded a way as possible. This is and has always been my firm belief.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 102). Random House. Kindle Edition.
Note: Time for a rewrite, the most dreaded time of the process. The first draft that has been created is created whilst being in emotion, in love being with the work that you have done. The rework is more rational. You have raised a daughter and you have the actual view of what she can do or can not do. Your job at this moment is to make her do what she was born to do.
First, though, I take a short break (it depends on the situation, but usually about one week) before undertaking the first rewrite. Then I start at the beginning and plow straight through to the end. At this stage, I make sweeping changes, leaving nothing untouched. No matter how long the novel is, or how complex its structure, I will have composed it without any fixed outline, not knowing how it will unfold or end, letting things take their course and improvising as I go along.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 97). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On resting in between
The time spent working on a long novel is important, to be sure, but time spent doing nothing is no less so.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 98). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On changing the work on someone else’s suggestion
Whether I agree or disagree with their comments, I rewrite every scene they have found fault with. From start to finish. In those cases where I find myself rejecting their comments, I may take the scene in an entirely different direction. Whichever course I have followed, once I have sat down and rewritten a given section I almost always find it much improved. It seems that when a reader has a problem, there is usually something that needs fixing, whether or not it corresponds to their suggestions. In short, the flow of their reading has been blocked. It is my job, then, to eliminate that blockage, to unclog the pipe, as it were. How to do that is up to me, the author. Even if I feel “That section was perfectly written—there’s no need to change anything,” I still head back to my desk and work it out. After all, the idea that anything can be “perfectly written” is a clear fallacy.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (pp. 100-101). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On taking control of your situation
Note: The below is an exceptional comment.
In my opinion, using your willpower to control time is what makes it your ally. You mustn’t let it go on controlling you. That just makes you passive. “Time and tide wait for no man,” they say, so if time isn’t going to wait for you, you have no choice but to take it to heart and actively construct your schedule on that principle. In other words, assume command of the situation and stop being passive!
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (pp. 108-109). Random House. Kindle Edition.
On doing the work to the best of your ability
Raymond Carver wrote the following in a 1982 essay he wrote for The New York Times, “A Story-Teller’s Shoptalk”: “It would have been better if I’d taken the time.” I was dumbfounded when I heard a novelist friend say this. I still am, if I think about it, which I don’t. It’s none of my business. But if the writing can’t be made as good as it is within us to make it, then why do it? In the end, it’s all we have, the only thing we can take into the grave. I wanted to say to my friend, for heaven’s sake go do something else. There have to be easier and maybe more honest ways to try and earn a living. Or else just do it to the best of your abilities, your talents, and then don’t justify or make excuses. Don’t complain, don’t explain.
Murakami, Haruki. Novelist as a Vocation: An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author (p. 108). Random House. Kindle Edition.