#29 Build momentum by writing like Ernest Hemingway
Close your writing for the day with an unfinished sentence.
If you’ve dabbled in writing and spent a bit of time reading what famous authors have to say on the topic, you’ll have likely encountered this quote from Ernest Hemingway on his daily writing routine:
“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it. I always worked until I had something done, and I always stopped when I knew what was going to happen next. That way I could be sure of going on the next day.” — Ernest Hemingway
The takeaway is Hemingway used to call it a day on his writing in the middle of sentences.
The practice ensured an easier start to his writing routine the following day because he already knew what needed to be done right off the bat: finish the last sentence from the day before.
The hardest part of creative writing is knowing where to start, that terrifying stage where we create something from nothing, so he removed the unknown – almost tricking himself into momentum.
Hemingway’s closing ritual not only guaranteed a needed win early the next day but also meant his subconscious worked away on the words while he went about his daily life in between stints at his writing desk.
By leaving the sentence open-ended, he would think about how to finish it when he stepped away from the desk, keeping up some momentum from his endeavours that day.
What a beautiful way to embrace the ebb and flow of creativity, hey?
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Benjamin Craske
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