Bukowski’s Unconventional Writing Routine Will Make You A Better Storyteller

And less pretentious too.

Charles Bukowski’s writing routine wasn’t pretentious.

Because Bukowski’s routine reflected himself. He grew up with an abusive father, acne that pitted his face, and not a penny to his name. Until he was 49 years old.

That’s when he published his debut novel, The Post Office.

As a Digital Writer, I wanted to learn more about the writer himself.

I remember reading Ham On Rye in one sitting. And as I read it, I admired the honesty behind the words on the page. There was a certain realness to his no-nonsense style. It was as if he was speaking to me as a friend. There was no fluff.

Bukowski hid nothing from the reader.

And it’s this honesty that will change your writing.

How many times have you second guessed your writing? Or wondered if your writing is even good enough when it gets flooded by the influx of people posting their own writings? A real, and all too relatable experience.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

What did Bukowski’s writing routine look like?

Cole Shafer wrote a wonderful post on Bukowski.

It talks about his personal experience with reading Bukowski. And then gives more detail about the writer, his backstory and what led to him being asked about a writing routine. And his response was Bukowski-esque.

Because Bukowski was brutally honest.

Here’s what Bukowski said about his writing routine:

I never type in the morning. I don’t get up in the morning.

I drink at night. I try to stay in bed until twelve o’clock, that’s noon. Usually, if I have to get up earlier, I don’t feel good all day.

I look, if it says twelve, then I get up and my day begins. I eat something, and then I usually run right up to the race track after I wake up.

I bet the horses, then I come back and Linda cooks something and we talk awhile, we eat, and we have a few drinks, and then I go upstairs with a couple of bottles and I type — starting around nine-thirty and going until one-thirty, to, two-thirty at night. And that’s it.

I love the intimate look behind the curtain.

Bukowski shows a completely unconventional take on writing. Whereas most writers, Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, have strict, discipled schedules, Bukowski did the opposite. He was nothing he wasn’t.

Bukowski was honest about himself.

Writing is fun.

Bukowski wrote daily. And he wrote daily because he loved writing, which is something so simple, we can overlook it. Instead, we focus on how to be inefficient efficiently. We think getting the perfect routine will make us better.

We will only get better if we enjoy what we’re doing.

Conclusion

Be honest with yourself.

Stop slaving over a single piece for hours. You know what you want to say; you know how to say it, and you don’t need to over analyze the piece until it’s a shell of what it was. Be genuine.

Be honest with your writing.

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