You're Going to Love These Quirks of 10 Famous Writers

Some of them were truly inspired and gifted.

Photo by Gaman Alice on Unsplash

I love to read. I have since I picked up my first Nancy Drew Mystery as a young child. 

I know my mother read to me — fairy tales mostly. But it was the reading I did on my own that I most remember.

Now I enjoy writing. Since January 2021, I've been writing on Medium and this blog and having fun learning, reading other writers, and keeping all my senses on high alert for new ideas about what to write next.

I also have become intrigued with authors I admire and some whom I've not yet read their work.

I love digging around to see what else is fascinating about them.  

I've written about writers who were severe drinkers — alcoholics for the most part. See my article Check Out These 8 Famous Writers Who Sadly Were Alcoholics published on Medium on March 12, 2022.

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Now I'm curious about the odd quirks and idiosyncrasies of famous authors. 

Here are several exceptional ones:

Gertrude Stein — Lively, bustling Paris streets enlightened Ms.Stein rather than distracting her. She found inspiration no matter where she was — in a cafe or at the local market. She would take out her notebook and write wherever the idea hit.

William Faulkner — This author loved his whiskey and indulging in it while writing was common. He was proud of this habit and is quoted as saying: "And I thought then, if that was the life it took to be a writer, that was the life for me."

Anthony Burgess — had an interesting way of dealing with tedious or repetitious tasks. He would open a dictionary to a random page and use words that appeared to complete the piece he was currently working on. He did this while writing "A Clockwork Orange."

Truman Capote — This author was an extremely superstitious man with weird practices. Truman would never begin or end a piece of work on a Friday. A chronic smoker, he would never permit more than two butts in the ashtray at one time, placing the excess in his pocket. He also would not stay in a hotel room if the room number or the phone number added up to 13.

Dan Brown — Dan says the best cure for writer's block is hanging upside down wearing gravity boots. He insisted this practice helped calm him and enabled him to concentrate on writing. Every hour he would pause his work and do stretches, push-ups, and sit-ups.

James Joyce — Ulysses and other memorable works were written by Mr. Joyce while he was lying down on his stomach, using large blue pencils and wearing a white coat. He had poor eyesight, the pencils allowed him to see his writing, and the white coat reflected more light on the page.

Edgar Allan Poe — Mr. Poe loved his pets and considered his cat, Catterina, his guardian. She would sit on his lap while he wrote. Oddly, according to rumor, the cat died two weeks after Mr. Poe's passing.

Virginia Woolf — Ms. Woolf believed the best way to write was standing at a desk built just for that — allowing one to write while on her feet. It was three and a half feet high with a tilted top. She spent two and a half hours each morning writing. Legend has it that Ms. Woolf wrote this way because her sister Vanessa Bell, the painter, stood painting and didn't want to be outdone by her sister.

Lewis Carroll — Mr. Carroll also preferred writing at a standing desk ala Virginia Woolf. He had a preference for the color purple for his ink. He used this ink as a mathematics teacher at Oxford and continued using it for his writing.

Agatha Christie — Ms. Christie loved munching on apples while she soaked in the bathtub conjuring up plots for her mysteries. Her mother was against allowing Agatha to learn to read. At age 8, Agatha taught herself.

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Wouldn't you love to have a time machine and look back at the fascinating lives of these outstanding writers?

I'd also love to get into their heads to see how they mustered up the ideas, characters, and plots.

Their idiosyncrasies make them even more captivating.

I find it engrossing to see what routines and neuroses creatives employ in their lives, proving that whatever works for you is what you need to do. There's no need to follow a routine that "seems" right if it isn't suitable for you, whether you're a writer, a painter, a plumber, or a heart surgeon.