Writers on how they write: Colum McCann
The Wall Street Journal has a great article: “How to Write a Great Novel”, reflections by 11 novelists on how they approach writing. I’ll feature one writer per day, highlighting their process with a key excerpt from the article.
Today’s writer is Colum McCann whose books include “The Side of Brightness” and “Zoli.”
When he’s in the middle of a novel, Colum McCann sometimes prints out a chapter or two in large font, staples it together like a book, and takes it to Central Park. He finds a quiet bench and pretends he’s reading a book by someone else.
Other times, when he’s re-reading a bit of dialogue or trying to tweak a character’s voice, he’ll reduce the computer font to eight-point Times New Roman. “It forces me to peer at the words and examine why they’re there,” Mr. McCann wrote in an email message.
Amazing, isn’t it, what writers will do to put their writing through a critical analysis, including to pretend you’re reading a book / screenplay written by someone else — when you’re the one who wrote it.
[Originally posted November 22, 2009]