6 Strange Writing Habits

All writers have their rituals, and some of them are pretty strange. Writing a book isn't always easy for whatever reason. I should know! But there are actually super-strange writing habits I had never heard of before. Most of these were part of the routine of a famous writer. So, I thought it would be fun to compile them here. Feel free to comment with your own funny writing rituals.

1. Being on sinking ships:

You read that right. James Joyce once paid for cruise ships to ram into rocks so they would begin to sink, just so the man could get some writing done. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

2. Man in a cage:

The famous, or sometimes even infamous, Virginia Woolf had a very unique way of being a productive writer. She actually wrote next to a man in a cage which would constantly be screaming to be released. She did some of her best work in this strange environment.

3. Coffee, too much coffee:

Many authors swear by coffee. it is not something new, but the circumstances that surrounded the coffee intake of Honoré de Balzac that makes this incredibly strange. Not only did this famous French writer spend almost all of his waking hours following a strict schedule of writing, but these hours included the intake of around 50 cups of coffee a day.

4. Shaving your head:

This Greece statesman hated writing for his public speeches and would avoid it at all cossts. In order to force himself to stay indoors and write, he would shave one entire side of his head so that he did not feel presentable to leave.

5. Dictionary descriptions:

Authors who are blocked or need to achieve word variety often turn to the dictionary for help. However, Anthony Burgess took to using it more often in his writing, specifically when he had to make a long description of something or someone. he would turn to a page in a dictionary and write the whole page of his book using words on that page. It might explain some of his best works, such as A Clockwork orange.

6. Writing naked:

Victor Hugo, who gave us such classics as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Miserables, is known for writing his works in the nude. His reasoning? He often gave himself very tight deadlines, so he would have all his clothing removed from his home so he could not go outside until he was finished.