3 Things We Can Learn from Hemingway’s Writing Process
Finish a work by Orwell or Tolstoy, Twain or Joyce, and you may feel like a mere man among gods.
But thanks to the Hemingway Library Edition of A Farewell to Arms, we find it is possible to see through the monuments and marble statues and busts of our literary idols, until all that’s left is — in fact — the man.
So here’s three things we can learn from a behind-the-scenes perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s craft.
1. Economy
Yes, it’s well-known Hemingway’s style was spare and straightforward, characteristics picked up from a career as a journalist.
However, it’s one thing to hear that and another to see it. That’s exactly what the appendices of this edition provide: valuable demonstration.
“The ambulance stopped and they lifted out the stretcher. The jolt at the moment of ̶l̶i̶f̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ moving made a ̶s̶i̶c̶k̶e̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶a̶i̶n̶ feeling ̶;̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ of dropping in an elevator except that ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ it was pain.”
The unedited version of this passage would’ve been 35 words. The edited version, 30. And actually it could’ve been made even shorter, something like, “…The movement made a feeling as of dropping in an elevator except that it was pain.” In any case, this scene — the opening of chapter thirteen — is very different in the book. A lot better too.
The point is that if you cut an average of a dozen words per page across 300 pages, that’s approximately 3600 words. That’s roughly over half-a-dozen pages of redundant or otherwise unnecessary words. This is just one of several ways to trim down your writing.
2. Handwriting
This edition also features photographs of Hemingway’s manuscript, both typed and longhand. These give us some insight into Hemingway’s train-of-thought. They show us that even when Hemingway wrote with a pencil, he did not erase. And even the typewriter would force one to leave errors.
“They carried the stretcher into the hospital and set it down. From the door of the ambulance to the door of the hospital the Lieutenant ̶p̶a̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ was in the street. It was early morning and they were watering the street and ̶t̶h̶e̶ he saw the market place and an open wine shop…”
It’s reasonable to assume that Hemingway did not cross-out ‘passed’ or ‘the’ after completing the passage. These were removed in real-time and we can only imagine what paths were sealed off in his mind before ever reaching the page.
One invaluable thing about seeing our own mistakes is being able to follow our own train-of-thought. Your readers can see this as well, helping them help you. Or, who knows, maybe that material discarded to the floor can be used for some other purpose later on. It can be hard to resist using that little rubber eraser; I know it is for me as a chronic sufferer of perfectionism. I also can’t resist the convenience of the computer where I’m able to easily edit and revise as I go. So I always write a first draft with a pen until I am ready to transfer it to the digital space.
“If you write with a pencil you get three different sights at it to see if the reader is getting what you want him to. First when you read it over; then when it is typed you get another chance to improve it, and again in the proof. Writing it first in pencil gives you one-third more chance to improve it. That is .333 which is a damned good average for a hitter. It also keeps it fluid longer so you can better it easier.”
3. Rewrite
“The first draft of anything is shit.” Hemingway wasn’t excluding himself when he said that.
Again, it’s likely old news for many of you that Hemingway said he rewrote the ending to A Farewell to Arms thirty-nine times. What many of you probably aren’t aware of is that this Hemingway Library Edition includes all those other endings so you can read them yourself.
First read the book though, even if you’ve read it in the past, before moving onto the appendices. With the story fresh in your mind it will be easier to compare the rough drafts to the finished product. You’ll be able to decide for yourself why many of the alternative endings would not have been satisfying.
I’m sure many of us have read Hemingway’s quotes on writing countless times. We’ve gone through plenty of top ten lists on the internet that treat them like commandments. Yet, every parent knows that kids don’t learn by simply being told something. In the same way, it would not be enough if a coach or teacher did not demonstrate the lesson for the students. The appendices of this edition help us better understand some of Hemingway’s writing advice by showing it in practice.
Hemingway filled two pages with other possible titles, and I myself am glad he didn’t pick any of them (“Knowledge Increaseth Sorrow”… “The Carnal Education”… “I have committed Fornication but that was In Another Country and Besides the wench is dead.”) The story isn’t just about the backdrop of the First World War in Italy, but the relationship superimposed on it, and I believe “A Farewell to Arms” captures that brilliantly.
You have to be willing to rewrite the beginning, the ending, all the scenes in between, and even the title as many times as it takes for you to feel you got it right.
So, next time you read a classic from a great author, do not fall to your knees in worship. Respect them, admire their prowess, but do not forget all the words they scribbled out that we may never know of, and how long they agonized and rewrote. Do not forget that they were once like you. Do not put them up on an unreachable pedestal.
In the future I hope to see more books like this one that light the path to achieve such greatness.
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