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Ernest Hemingway on Writing

by Ernest Hemingway, Larry W. Phillips (Editor)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 754 ratings · 80 reviews

""Throughout Hemingway's career as a writer, he maintained that it was bad luck to talk about writing -- that it takes off 'whatever butterflies have on their wings and the arrangement of hawk's feathers if you show it or talk about it.'"" Despite this belief, by the end of his life he had done just what he intended not to do. In his novels and stories, in letters to edito...more

Paperback, 140 pages

Published 2004 by Scribner (first published 1984)

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Dec 13, 2011 Roxana Saberi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading "A Sun Also Rises," "A Moveable Feast," "The Paris Wife," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls," I have become so enthralled with Ernest Hemingway's writing that I had to get this book. So far, so great. It offers many useful tips for writers.

Here's a good one: "Remember to get the weather into your god damned book--weather is very important." (1932, Hemingway) I need to work on that one.

Here's another one: "You see I'm trying in all my stories to get the feeling of the actual life across-...more

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Jan 13, 2012 J.C. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writing, non-fiction

I have read quite a few books about the art of writing, and what I've observed overtime is that, really, it's best to get advice from those that have done it their whole lives, instead of college professors and other pseudo-intellectuals. Hemingway, or Papa, as some call him, has a lot of opinions and thoughts on writing in here, but not a whole lot of advice. Which is fine, cause after a while you begin to agree with him: that talking about writing ruins the magic of it, ruins the drive. It's b...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Katie Dreyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

For Hemingway fans - this is a must own. For aspiring writers - also, a must have. Full of Hemingway's personal letters, sections from his books... My two favorite letters speak for themselves :

---

In a letter to Malcolm Cowley in 1945 he wrote:

Been working every day and going good. Makes a hell of a dull life too. But it is more fun than anything else. Do you remember how old Ford was always writing how Conrad suffered when he wrote? How it was un metier du chien [a dog's trade:] etc. Do you su...more

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May 16, 2013 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book contains Hemingway's reflections on the nature of the writer and on elements of the writer's life, including specific and helpful advice to writers on the craft of writing, work habits, and discipline. The Hemingway personality comes through in general wisdom, wit, humor, and insight, and in his insistence on the integrity of the writer and of the profession itself.

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May 21, 2013 C.G. Fewston rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some of my favorite quotes taken from Ernest Hemingway on Writing, edited by Larry W. Phillips. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

- - -

QUOTES by HEMINGWAY

In truly good writing no matter how many times you read it you do not know how it is done. That is because there is a mystery in all great writing and that mystery does not dis-sect out. It continues and it is always valid. Each time you re-read you see or learn something new.
To Harvey Breit, 1952
(page 5)

All my life I've looked at words a...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Claudia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-book-challenge-160-books, professional-reading

Continuing my summer obsession with Hemingway...this is a compilation of Hemingway's own words about writing...from interviews, from letters, and from Moveable Feast...One true sentence is there...so are several entries about bad words and how to use them to characterize...

Many entries are from letters to F Scott Fitzgerald...they must have corresponded for years. He was so frustrated with FSF's squandering his talents, and it shows. He rails at FSF to be true to his gift, to write from his hear...more

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Jun 07, 2012 David Lentz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone who writes would do well to read this short volume and understand the methods by which Hemingway achieves power, clarity and the trademark rough lyrical beauty of his work. He projected his entire being into his work by seeking simply to write one true sentence after another. If the writing didn't click, then he would re-read and edit after the sentence at which the writing ceased to be true. He was the master of monosyllabic words opting always for clarity and superior realism based up...more Everyone who writes would do well to read this short volume and understand the methods by which Hemingway achieves power, clarity and the trademark rough lyrical beauty of his work. He projected his entire being into his work by seeking simply to write one true sentence after another. If the writing didn't click, then he would re-read and edit after the sentence at which the writing ceased to be true. He was the master of monosyllabic words opting always for clarity and superior realism based upon first-hand experience. He totally immersed himself in living and was highly critical of authors of his day who were academic rather than more existential in their approach. That is, he believed in living life fully and then reporting on the direct experience of his total, passionate immersion in life. He engaged in active, physical pursuits and travelled worldwide in search of vibrant experience that he could translate into compelling narratives. It's intriguing to read his evolution as a writer in his letters like this one in 1927 to Maxwell Perkins: "My own experience with the literary life has not as yet included receiving royalties – but I hope by keeping down advances to some day have this take place.” He is always pithy and scant of syntax and believed in ruthless editing sometimes by tossing out tens of thousands of words at a time. "The secret is that it is poetry written into prose and it is the hardest of all things to do." I especially like his letters to F. Scott Fitzgerald: "The good parts of a book may be only something the writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may the wreck of his whole damn life -- and one is as good as the other." He has great respect for Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Faulkner, e.e. cummings, Mann, Fielding, Twain, Turgenev and Dostoyevsky and of the last he wrote: "Dostoyevsky was was made by being sent to Siberia. Writers are forged in injustice as a sword is forged." His best advice is to write about what you know. He advises always to finish writing when it is going well, to leave writing for the day at a high point and refresh the well so you'll be eager to pick up the writing tomorrow. He claimed that all American writing comes from "Huckleberry Finn." If you love to write, then I encourage you to read this profound and pithy little book by Hemingway on writing.(less)

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Apr 19, 2009 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is actually a collection of snippets gathered from EH's novels, letters and interviews, by Larry Phillips, whoever he is. There. That's sufficiently muddled to give you a good idea of what exactly my opinion is worth.
I'm going to have to confess that I've tried and tried to like Hemingway, but I just don't.
Having said that, some of the things he says about writing seem true and occasionally helpful to keep in mind (especially if you're a writer during the 20's, 30's and 40's).
I still don...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Michael de Percy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-reviewed

Phillips puts together a collection of quotes from Hemingway's work and also from a number of letters and interviews. I am not sure Hemingway would have been happy about this book, although Mr Hemingway's fourth wife Mary Welsh Hemingway gave the editor (Phillips) permission to use the various quotes from Hemingway's major works. Phillips' major contribution is putting together Hemingway's thoughts on writing in one convenient place. Other than that, it smacks of someone getting to publish a boo...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Louis K. Lowy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Advise and words of wisdom from one of the literary masters, culled together from his letters, interviews and correspondence. Hemingway dispenses gems such as his warning that the most essential gift a good writer can have (regarding his own work) is a built in, shockproof, shit detector. He has practical advise regarding slang "...never use slang except in Dialogue and then only when unavoidable. Because all slang goes sour in a short time. I only use swear words that have lasted at least a tho...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: on-writing

I felt like a voyeur reading this book. Hemingway expressly stated that he did not want anyone to publish his letters, yet here we have a collection of Hemingways' thoughts on writing as collected in his novels and correspondences. There was even a section where the letters were to his publisher, stating that he did not want his letters published; so the editor of this book is highly aware of the wishes, yet for some reason we have this book. I'm glad I got to know Hemingway a bit better, but I...more

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Oct 11, 2009 T.j. rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a re-read for me.

Although I have always enjoyed Hemingway, his style of writing is dated. In his era, his style was short, curt, and to the point. In today's fictional writing world, his work would be discarded. Today, the publishing world seems to want long, drawn out narrative, where more is better; this is in complete opposition to what Hemingway sought — and was exceptional at doing. Still, I think he was, and still is, one of the most influential writers this world has ever seen.

Thi...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Hayfa Qahtani rated it 4 of 5 stars

خلال حياته كان ارنست همنغواي يرفض تماماً الحديث عن الكتابة ويرى في ذلك نوعاً من الحظّ السيء.
ما لم يعرفه همنغواي هو أنه وخلال كتابته، ومراسلاته، ولقاءاته المعدودة مع الصحافة كان يترك اشارات ونصائح للكتاب المبتدئين وكلّ الكتاب. هذه الآثار جُمعت في الكتاب الذي انهيت قراءته، مرئياته وتأملاته وبعض المقاطع من حوارات شخصياته في أعماله، التي تعبر بطريقة أو بأخرى عن الكتابة.
هذه الاقتباسات الخفيفة ذكية، ساخرة و جادة في نفس الوقت.
قُسّم الكتاب إلى 13 فصلاً لكل منها ثيمه تحمل بداخلها مقاطع مع شروحات مختصرة...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Laura Cowan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely awesome, except for the part where they excerpt Hemingway giving his executors express directions never to publish his letters--which these are. What the heck is wrong with the publisher that they would violate his wishes AND show everyone what they did? They even put in a foreword quoting Hemingway as saying that talking about writing is bad luck and he doesn't like to do it. Inspiring, helpful to writers on a technical level, and a window into a no-nonsense creative mind, but it mak...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Jay F rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature-united-states

Hemingway lived to write. His eventual failing as a writer—his inability to actually write—is one of the several reasons that led to his suicide in 1961. What he did write for the most part and for much of his life was superior and often innovative seen even from the perspective of the twenty-first century. It was not merely that Hemingway was a gifted writer but he also had a profound impact on a generation of writers who cut their teeth in imitation of or in reaction to his works.

In spite of t...more Hemingway lived to write. His eventual failing as a writer—his inability to actually write—is one of the several reasons that led to his suicide in 1961. What he did write for the most part and for much of his life was superior and often innovative seen even from the perspective of the twenty-first century. It was not merely that Hemingway was a gifted writer but he also had a profound impact on a generation of writers who cut their teeth in imitation of or in reaction to his works.

In spite of that impact, Hemingway was not often open to discussing the mechanics of his art. In an effort to correct that apparent deficiency, Larry Phillips, the editor of On Writing, collected from Hemingway’s writings—from his novels, letters, and interviews—fragments where, over the years, Hemingway did broach what might be viewed as his theories of art in general and his own ideas about writing in particular. There are chapters that collect Hemmingway’s thoughts and counsels about a variety of topics related to his wiring and to the creative process. Among them:

What Writing Is and Does
The Qualities of a Writer
The Pain and Pleasures of Writing
What to Write About
Advice to Writers
Working Habits
Knowing What to Leave Out
Obscenity
Titles
Politics
The Writer’s Life

The thin volume, given its objective, does have some value. Although the fragments reveal little about the Hemingway style that is not spelled out in his major novels, published letters and secondary studies, it does collect in one place some of what is scattered. Phillips includes for example, his 1949 note to Charles Scribner: “A writer, of course, has to make up stories for them to be rounded and not flat like photographs. But he makes them up put of what he knows.” [p.21] And he also includes the section in “Death in the Afternoon” where he talks about the “Iceberg Theory”:

If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. [p.177]

But is seems to me that the greatest utility of the volume is that it continues to milk the Hemingway name, raising additional money for Hemingway’s heirs, publisher and managers.
(less)

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Jun 30, 2010 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I loaned out my copy during grad school so finally ordered and just re-read my replacement copy. Despite the intermittent bluster, his advice seems about as fresh and indispensible as it gets, and honors the mystery of the creative effort that pours into all serious writing.

Hemingway worked about as hard as one can at the craft, never attended to college. I'll wonder aloud if reading this and a few other key books on writing might help as much as spending 40K on an MFA program?

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Apr 21, 2013 Graham Tennyson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some great quotes here. As with most of us, ol' Hem contradicts himself over the years. But, nonetheless, and notwithstanding the fact that one can never entirely believe what an artist says about his own work, Hemingway is always interesting. Much of this material is drawn from A Moveable Feast and Green Hills so fans will know the quotes but the extracts from his various letters were new to me and fascinating - I guess I need to investigate these now.

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Mar 04, 2012 Elaine Balliet rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a good book and I recommend it to anyone who is a writer, and/or who loves or is intrigued by Hemingway. As a result of reading this book, I almost feel like I personally know the deceased writer. The content is excerpts from Hemingway's letters over the years to his aquaintances and friends, which provided a good insight into Hemingway's thought process, and why he wrote and did what he did. At 160 pages, it is an easy read over a couple of afternoons.

Elaine.

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Nov 13, 2010 Indu rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: add-to-libr

An interesting insight into the writing life of Ernest Hemingway, through his own words as condensed from snippets of his various books and letters. In his resounding words, we read of his craft, his take on the privacy of the individual,the life of writing and more. The book was also a source of many interesting and relevant thoughts on the craft of writing.

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Jun 06, 2010 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-writing

Great, wonderful book. This isn't anything but a collection of wisdoms from Hemingway, but if you're interested in how he looked at writing (and if you want to write yourself) this is a goldmine not to be underestimated. Highly recommended.

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Jan 08, 2011 Meteb Hamid is currently reading it

This is a collection of quotes ( sometimes lengthy) that Hemingway stated (in interviews) or wrote in his letters or books about "Writing". Collected by L.Phillips. A very intriguing read.

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Apr 15, 2013 Thing Two rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Thing Two by: Shayan

Shelves: books-for-writers

An absolutely brilliant collection of excerpts from Hemingway's letters, by-lines, and writing categorized to give the reader an understanding of his beliefs and understandings about writing and writers. This is one I'll keep on my shelf to re-read when I need a boost.

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Jan 07, 2012 Trevor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Delightful little book, provided you don't take it too seriously. It's a compendium of excerpts about writing from Hemingway's published works over the whole of his career.

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Oct 15, 2012 Makeda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-my-education, books-i-own

This was a pretty good book for an aspiring writer. It is loaded with tons of writing tips, techniques, and methods. It also allows us into the mind of a writer.

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Dec 26, 2011 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: quotations, nonfiction, ernest-hemingway, borrowed

Wisdom from one of the masters. I read so much in this book of quotations that resonated with me as a reader and a writer. I'll keep a lot of Hemingway's advice in the back of my mind as I write.

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Mar 25, 2013 Crystal Lynn Kamm rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book, but I was particularly bothered by the quotes of Hemingway where he said "DO NOT PUBLISH my private letters..." when they have clearly been published. Hmm.

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Apr 01, 2011 Kelley Ross rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: misc

I am, honestly, not a huge Hemingway fan. However... I did find this little book of quotes and writing advice to be helpful and entertaining.

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Feb 06, 2010 Paul Barbagallo is currently reading it

As an old friend says, who recommended Ernest Hemingway on Writing, "this book is meant to be consumed slowly, deliberately, like sipping cognac."

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Jul 11, 2010 Mary Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful collection of quotes and excerpts from Hemingway's interviews and letters. Inspirational and highly entertaining.

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Feb 18, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brilliant. Inspiring. Altered my outlook.
'Any writer worth a damn wouldn't be teaching writing in a writer's college.'

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About Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short story collec...more Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short story collections and two non-fiction works. Three novels, four collections of short stories and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. Many of these are considered classics of American literature.

Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school he reported for a few months for The Kansas City Star, before leaving for the Italian front to enlist with the World War I ambulance drivers. In 1918, he was seriously wounded and returned home. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his novel A Farewell to Arms. In 1922, he married Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives. The couple moved to Paris, where he worked as a foreign correspondent, and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the 1920s "Lost Generation" expatriate community. The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway's first novel, was published in 1926.

After his 1927 divorce from Hadley Richardson, Hemingway married Pauline Pfeiffer. They divorced after he returned from Spanish Civil War where he had acted as a journalist, and after which he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940. They separated when he met Mary Welsh in London during World War II; during which he was present at the Normandy Landings and liberation of Paris.

Shortly after the publication of The Old Man and the Sea in 1952, Hemingway went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in two plane crashes that left him in pain or ill-health for much of the rest of his life. Hemingway had permanent residences in Key West, Florida, and Cuba during the 1930s and 1940s, but in 1959 he moved from Cuba to Ketchum, Idaho, where he committed suicide in the summer of 1961.(less)

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Quotes from On Writing

“Mice: What is the best early training for a writer?

Y.C.: An unhappy childhood.” — 16 people liked it

“بعد الانتهاء من كتاب أشعر بأنني مستنزف عاطفياً.
إذا لم يحدث معك ذلك، لن تتمكن من نقل المشاعر لقارئك.” — 15 people liked it

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