A collection of brief descriptions of the various rituals of writers, artists and musicians. They are all so different and yet so fascinating.
How I discovered it
No idea
How the book changed me
In spite of the huge variety of daily rituals, a couple lessons stood out for me: You can vary your ritual depending on your taste and situation, but you must have one.
And secondly, walking (especially in nature) and talking to others are guaranteed ways to spark creativity. Make them part of your daily routine.
Haruki Murakami starts work at 4am, and works for 5 or 6 hours straight. He also happens to run marathons.
Toni Morrison wrote prolifically while working 8-5 and lecturing in a university. She did this by sacrificing her social life
Joyce Carol Oates wrote more than 50 novels, 36 collections of short stories, poetry drama and essays by having a regular daily schedule: 8:00 to 1pm, then 4pm till 7pm.
William James struggled to get into the habit, but wrote about how important regular habits are to creative work.
W. B. Yeats worked regularly at least 2hrs a day, and included walks in the woods and fishing in his daily routine. He also read for at least 2hrs a day in addition to his writing.
Wallace Stevens woke at 6:00 and read for 2 hours. He was super punctual. Then we went to work. He walked there and back and also walked on his lunch break, using the time to compose his poetry on teh back of envelopes that he always carried.
Frank Lloyd Wright never seemed to work, but he did his work early in the morning, and much of that inside his head.
The prolific P G Wodehouse wrote more than 90 books in his career
I learned about the unusual photography habit of William Gass
Twyla Tharp dancer, choreographer, writer: She deliberately limits her social life in order to create
Maira Kalman clears her studio of any kind of distraction so she can focus.