Writers on how they write: Junot Diaz

The Wall Street Journal had a great article a few weeks back: “How to Write a Great Novel”, reflections by novelists on how they approach writing. Since the article is subscription only, I’m featuring one writer per day here, highlighting their process with a key excerpt from the article.

Today’s writer is Junot Diaz, whose published short stories include “Drown” and “The Sun, the Moon, the Stars.”

“I think 90% of my ideas evaporate because I have a terrible memory and because I seem to be committed to not scribble anything down,” says Junot Díaz. “As soon as I write it down, my mind rejects it.”

He often listens to orchestral movie soundtracks as he writes, because he’s easily distracted by lyrics. When he needs to seal himself off from the world, he retreats into the bathroom and sits on the edge of the tub. “It drove my ex crazy,” he says. “She would always know I was going to write because I would grab a notebook and run into the bathroom.”

We’ve discussed listening to music while writing. Generally I prefer total silence, but there are times when I’ll listen to the soundtrack from The Shawshank Redemption, the fantastic score by Thomas Newman. How about you? What’s your favorite music to write by?

[Originally posted November 19, 2009]

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