William Faulkner On Writing
Be a better writer using the below 10 tips.
When a person starts approaching the dream of being a writer, he is often confused about many things. A thousand questions arise in his mind about what to do, where to start, how to start, and so on. Usually, it is appropriate to consult somebody who has already been through the experience in such a situation. After all, what’s better than learning from the professionals. The best is to learn from ‘The best.’
William Faulkner, certainly one of the best writers to have existed ever, left behind his approaches for the new talent to learn from. He is one of those writers anyone could fall in love with. The way he wrote his books left every reader in awe. As an obvious recommendation, every aspiring writer should go through his pieces of advice at least once.
Who was William Faulkner?
A brief introduction of William Faulker is enough to establish that he is one of the best writers born in the States. Born and brought up in Mississippi, his primary fame arose from his novels and short stories set in a fictionalized version of the place. He was one of the most popular writers in the 1920s. He won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949, which made him one of his kind in Mississippi.
His works A Fable and The Reivers won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. His novels The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom! were included in the lists of best English-language books of the 20th century.
William Faulkner’s advice on writing
Attitude towards writing
Faulkner recommended that a writer should be an amateur. It means that we should be writing not to earn money but for our pleasure. It is the secret ingredient of being the best in the game. At the end of the book, we should feel like we have given it all instead of gloating over it while promising ourselves to be better at the next one.
How to write
Faulkner strongly believed that a writer should learn how to write on his own. He said that there are no such guidelines on how to excel at writing. When somebody begins writing, he eventually learns how to correct his mistakes and how to get better. Therefore, a writer should be self-dependent, at least for the technique of writing.
The mindset while starting a novel
William Faulkner believed that before writing any book, the writer has to realize the character in his mind. Unless the writer believes that the surface is actual, there is no way that the character on paper will connect to people.
As Faulkner said:
You’ve got to know the character. You’ve got to believe in him. You’ve got to feel that he is alive… After that, the business of putting him down on paper is mechanical.
The writer has to believe and know the character and then choose various actions according to the character’s personality. Most of the work is done in mind; what remains is the mechanical task of jolting it down on paper which happens automatically when the writer feels the character.
Qualities in a good novelist
Faulkner advised that a writer should never be satisfied. He should always believe that the work he has done is 99 percent of his capabilities, and there is a scope of 1 percent improvement. Instead of focussing on doing the subsequent work better than the last one, the aim should be better than ourselves.
You may also read: 7 writing tips from Ernest Hemingway
When to be done in a day
Faulkner believed that a writer should stop when it is going well for him. When a writer pauses at a point where his mind knows what to do next, the inflow of ideas keeps the writer going the following day, and the cycle goes on. Otherwise, there is a huge possibility that a writer could tire out himself that could lead to inconsistency and even stagnation. This is something that not only Faulkner but other top writers like Ernest Hemmingway have said too.
Faulkner’s take on failure
He believed that every good writer out there is a failed one. His definition of a failed writer was somebody who did not meet his dreams. Everyone dreams of perfection, and until a writer believes that he has not achieved it, it is a healthy situation. However, the day he starts thinking that he has realized his dream of being perfect, there would be nothing remaining for him.
A writer’s needs
The only environment the artist needs is whatever peace, whatever solitude, and whatever pleasure he can get at not too high a cost.
Faulkner felt that a good writer could be taken down by nothing but death. A good writer can come out of any situation as bad as it could get. The actual needs of a writer are a pen and a paper.
You may also read: 13 Foundational Steps to Write a Book by Jerry B. Jenkins
The essential toolkit of a writer
According to William Faulkner, the three things in a writer’s toolkit are experience, observation, and imagination. Moreover, even if one of them lacks, the other two can ultimately make up for it.
The best training for writing
Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad; see how they do it.
William Faulkner’s advice was to read as much as we can. This is very similar to how an artist begins with observing. Observation is what tells us the quality of work done.
Getting a second job for livelihood
William Faulkner also believed that we should have a second job in our life. The second job is to pay our bills and get us the things and luxuries we want in our lives. By doing that, we won’t be depending on writing for our expenses. That would make writing a pleasurable job. Anyone who worries about not having enough time to get a job is wrong. A true writer always has enough time to write.
Being a writer versus be writing
Don’t be a writer but instead be writing. Being a writer means being stagnant. The act of writing shows movement, activity, life.
Faulkner took writing as so much more than just being a writer. He wanted activity and energy in his life, and that is what he advises others.
Previously published at PrasantaBanerjee.com
About the Author: Prasanta is a storyteller in the pursuit of happiness and peace. He is a content marketer specializing in SEO and outreach. He has worked with clients from all around the world including Spain, England, the USA, Ireland, and India.
His motto is to be free both financially and mentally and not being bound by place or time. Traveling the world is one of his goals much like publishing a novel. He loves cars and is a die-hard Arsenal FC fan.
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