Between stimulus & response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. — Viktor E. Frankl
Japanese author Haruki Murakami has a wonderfully bizarre writing practice.
He writes each book in English (his second language) before translating the second draft to Japanese.
When asked why, 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 often 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 English. 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.
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“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” – Murakami