One might argue that all writers are “weird” in some way. They disregard the status quo and explore the roads not taken—always pushing boundaries and testing their limits.

Along the way, they develop certain habits, beliefs, and practices that may seem eccentric to other people—but it’s often a conscious effort on their part to discover what works best for them.

Weird Habits of Famous Writers

Every writer has battled blank pages and overwhelming ideas at some point. This struggle isn’t limited to newbies; it also affects those who are now at the height of their writing careers.

Creativity is rarely controlled, and the creative process isn’t a perfect science. In forming their own processes, writers often develop habits that help them in their craft. They may look and sound bizarre to outsiders, but what matters most is that they’re effective.

There are many well-documented idiosyncrasies among famous authors. In fact, some of these are a large part of their legends. Below are a few of these writers with curious quirks who may help you discover and embrace your own “weird” habits.

1. Charles Dickens

The author responsible for classics such as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist was known to always sleep while facing north. He would sleep in the exact middle of the bed and check that his hands were equidistant from the edges.

He also always carried a compass when outside so he could always check directions. When sleeping away from home, he’d go as far as rearranging the bed to face north. Apparently, it helped with his insomnia and he believed it improved his creativity and writing.

2. Isabel Allende

The world’s most widely read Spanish-language author began her writing career on January 8, 1981. What started out as a letter to her dying grandfather turned into her critically acclaimed The House of the Spirits.

Ever since then, she starts every new work on that same day, January 8—as a sort of tradition to commemorate her first work’s success. Nowadays, it’s more about having solitude, as people already know not to disturb her during that day.

3. John Steinbeck

The author of Of Mice and Men and East of Eden was very particular about his pencils. He always had two dozen, perfectly sharpened pencils on his desk.

Not only that, but he also had a specific preference for the brand of the pencils and sharpeners he used, how the pencils were sharpened, the hardness of the pencils, and what pencil to use on “soft” and “hard” writing days.

4. Honoré de Balzac

Honoré de Balzac was known for his outlandish work habits. He was especially known for drinking almost 50 cups of coffee a day to keep himself focused on writing, claiming to have once worked for 48 hours with only three hours of rest.

It’s obviously worked—for him at least. With the help of caffeine, he wrote 47 novels, 12 novellas, 18 short stories, and 8 plays before his death.

5. James Joyce

James Joyce, author of Ulysses, preferred writing while lying down on his stomach. He also wore a white coat and used large blue pencils to write.

Much of Finnegan’s Wake was written this way, with Joyce using crayon pieces on cardboard. But this was more of a pragmatic habit: Joyce was nearly blind and the crayons helped him see better.

6. Vladimir Nabokov

The author of Lolita didn’t write on plain paper. Instead, he wrote exclusively on index cards, which he rearranged to form the structures of his works. It’s a process that has since been adopted by screenwriters.

Nabokov went so far as keep some cards underneath his pillow so he can quickly write down any ideas that popped into his head while in bed.

7. Dan Brown

Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, prefers to fight writer’s block by strapping on gravity boots and hanging himself upside down. It’s called inversion therapy, which the author claims helps him write by shifting his entire perspective.

Another habit he has is having an hourglass on his deck. Whenever the sand runs out, he sets aside his manuscript and does exercise.

8. Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, has a very specific writing process: he only uses a ballpoint pen to write and does so only on A4-sized, narrow-lined paper. The paper has to have grey or blue margins and only two holes as opposed to four.

He writes 3 pages (only the front) worth of words every day. When reaching the bottom of the last page, he makes sure to write one more sentence at the top of the next. This way, he never has to start with a blank page the next morning.

Shared Writing Habits

While each writer has a writing process unique to them, there are also many common habits that all writers share. More often than not, we’re not even aware of it.

I’ve always found it odd how I regularly act out scenes or voice out dialogues of the stories that I write. To my surprise, I’m not alone in doing this. When I mentioned it during a meeting, it turns out many in my local writer’s group do the same thing.

It opened up a topic we enthusiastically plumbed. And to our amusement and (sometimes) shame, we discovered a lot of things we did in common.

We’ve all forgotten how to spell a few words no matter how simple they are, so we end up searching Google. I guess writing too long can make words look like weird, incomprehensible scrawls instead.

And sometimes we like imagining conversations between us and our characters. It makes them feel more alive and easier to write.

But the common thing we share that we found the funniest is our internet search histories. We’ve all googled some very strange things that make us look like we’re planning something bad.

Maybe being “weird” is just part of a writer’s arsenal. The strange tricks, habits, and routines we develop certainly don’t hurt our writing process.

What’s a weird thing you do as a writer? Share it in the comments below!

 

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• Constrained Writing: Definition, Examples, and Benefits
• How to Start Writing: 10 Tips to Help You Seize the Day
• Why Is Writing So Hard? 7 Common Obstacles (and What to Do About Them)