Write drunk, edit sober.

I wrote drunk, and edited sober; Here’s what I want to share with you..

There's a quote that is often attributed to Hemingway: “Write drunk, edit sober.” You'll see them around everywhere. A lot of writers follow this and hit the keyboard with a glass, to find their inspiration.

I saw my two selves -

One, with endless possibility, that could create anything my mind conjured. The inspirations are everywhere. And the other, which was great at tearing down all the bullshit, and finding the essence of what’s efficient. What’s practical. What’s actually good. And that side often doesn’t like what it sees of the other.

You have to sit down and do the work. Maybe just put down a few ideas or directions you want to take the matter in. You need to stretch yourself, say things you normally wouldn’t say, let your mind talk the way it wants - which becomes easier when “drunk”, and yes, go a little nuts.

The next morning you wake up, don’t undo the good work you’ve put down. “Edit sober” means to copyedit with a critical eye. Only clean up your work, remove errors, and fix typos. Then you are ready to send it out into the world.

Drink in moderation, and write to excess. It’s cheaper, easier, and you don’t feel like hell in the morning.

While Ernest may have been quite the boozer, the one thing he never did was write while he had been drinking. In fact, he never started drinking until the afternoon. Regardless of his schedule, he was usually at his typewriter by 6 or 7 am, and would work straight until lunchtime, often standing up. He wouldn’t let anything interfere with his writing, including a hangover. After lunch, he would write letters, edit some past work, and then hit the bottle around 3:00. He may have ended up drinking all night, but he was right back at the typewriter the next morning.

Thank you for reading :)