The Writing Habit

by David Huddle

Facing the blank page of the empty computer screen requires an unswerving belief in possibility, a steadfast assurance that something can and will come out of nothing. In The Writing Habit, David Huddle demystifies the writing task and shows that what may seem like alchemy is in reality a the work itself, not magic, unlocks the writer's potential. "A real writing life is not something you do merely for a day or a month or a year," Huddle asserts. "For a writer, the one truly valuable possession is the ongoing work--the writing habit, which may take some getting used to, but which soon becomes so natural as to be almost inevitable." Drawing from his own experience as a teacher and writer of poetry, fiction, and essays, Huddle explores the questions all writers--from novice to Why write in the first place? How can writers fashion their lives to accommodate that all-important habit? What are some ways to deal with failure? What roles do memory, reality, and inspiration play in the creative process? How can prose best be crafted, characters brought alive, universal truths revealed from the bits and pieces of everyday life?

Genres: Writing, Essays

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

David Huddle (Born 11 July 1942) is an American multi-genre writer. His poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in Esquire, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Story, The Autumn House Anthology of Poetry, and The Best American Short Stories. His work has also been included in anthologies of writing about the Vietnam War.

Reviews

[Cathy Day]

When I was a young writer, I wanted to read books that would teach me the secret to good writing, good stories, getting published. Now that I am not a young writer, I realize that a book like this--about how to live your life as a writer--is just as important. Huddle is generous and humane and very, very wise.

[Lynne Favreau · Rating 3 out of 5]

All interesting essays offering insights in to the writer life that I found helpful in understanding not only the writing itself but the world a writer inhabits.

[Katie McCandless · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, albeit dated, collection of essays about writing. Huddle's essays are very accessible, and I get the sense that he's a wonderfully generous teacher. Although he's quick to point out his own privilege and limited ability to confer advice (as every writer must find their own way), this is very much a "how to write like I write and like what I like" kind of book.

I have no idea how this book found itself on my shelf, but I'm glad to have it. This is the third or fourth time I've read through it over the years, and every time I do, I feel slightly more encouraged.

[Cooper Fitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most accurate book about writing I’ve read. He goes into the nitty gritty of the reality of writing. The basic fact of the need to write. As I accept my writerly self more, I know that the truth is if I don’t write almost every day I find myself depressed. Most people think you’re writing about them, but really every truth is just the start and the writing manipulates it so far that it no longer has basis in fact.

[Danny Aldham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can imagine a Klondike miner calling out with joy at finding a big nugget of gold. For a writer this book is such a nugget.
I am working on a re-write of a larger project and it is hard. Hours spent thinking about word combinations, structures, plot points and metaphors and all the issues any re-write entails. It is hard and long and sometimes exhausting. So this book was a gift.
The Writing Habit gives a writer hints and tips, thoughts and processes, and most importanly to me, it gave me energy. It helped light the fire and get the wheels going again. On the weekend I finished reading Huddle’s book I completed more writing and re-writing than I had in a month.
The timing was perfect. The advice was specific and timely. It provided a shot in the arm when I needed it.
The only other book I have found that also helped in this way was ‘A Passion for Narrative’ by Jack Hodgins. The two books will be on my shelf forever.
The Writing Habit talks especially about that, how to make writing an integral, or THE integral part of your life. Not since I read Dorothea Brande’s ‘On Becoming a Writer’ have I seen such real world helpful advice. You must write, everyday, and you must make time for thinking and reading and working on your craft.
This is a wonderful book and one I will read again in the near future. And it also points to some source material that I am already trying to find, things like JD Salingers ‘For Esme with Love and Squalor’ or anything by Eudora Welty.
My one knock on the book is that it underates the importance of Story. If the story doesn’t engage the reader you are wasting your time. I think.
Highly recommended.
Danny Aldham