(Bass)Klarinette/tarogato吹き編集者。ヘンデルやテレマン笛, ジャズ翻訳して唄ったり(2018/9)Japanese KLEZMER clarinet player. Also play recorders,guitars/kemuri/ArvoPärt/Brüggen/PacoDeLucia
ディスコクラシックスHave Some Fun収録盤を意外と買う機会がなかったが店頭でかかっていてやっぱりちゃんと聞こうと近年プレスのCDを買ったらB.T.エクスプレスはNYっ子でBrooklyn Tracking Expressの略と知ることができた。ハブサムファン>>>名産品食えない (HAVE SOME FUN) https://t.co/Soha43M5ER
Japanese author Haruki Murakami has a bizarre writing practice.
He writes each book in English (his second language) before translating the draft to Japanese.
When asked why he does this, Murakami says:
“Every language has its unique rhythm, its own essence. By translating my own work, I get to experience the story from two different perspectives.”
He goes on to say,
“Every line, every paragraph, I approach with the sensibility of both a writer and a translator. It allows me to bring out depth and layers I hadn’t seen in the first draft.”
Takeaway 1:
The modern world has an obsession with efficiency. We sacrifice thought, care, and craft at the altar of efficiency. There’s infinitely more writing and ‘content’ today than ever before, but how much of it really pulls you in and makes you think?
In Novelist as a Vocation, Murakami says, “One opposite of imagination is ‘efficiency.’”
Translating a book to another language as a second draft may be the least efficient process for getting words on paper. But if you’ve read Murakami, you can feel the thought he puts into each word.
Takeaway 2:
Write and edit in a different medium.
Murakami takes this to the extreme – different languages.
But even if you don’t speak two languages you can do this. I often write on my laptop and edit on my phone. You’ll notice nuances you wouldn’t if you stayed on the same medium.
Neil Gaiman does something similar. He handwrites the first drafts of his books before doing the second on a computer.
Takeaway 3:
Every writer or artist has odd habits that might not work for anyone else.
Branson Sanderson writes best at 1am. Murakami drafts in his second language. Stephen King doesn’t use outlines.
There’s no way to know if these things are right for you than to sit down and try them. Do what works for you.
***
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” – Murakami
I hope you enjoyed that. Follow @nathanbaugh27 for more writing and ideas like this.