William Barclary on Writing
July 24th 2011 03:00
The capacity of great writers to work is an extraordinary thing. It was said of Southey that 'he was never happy unless he was reading or writing a book.'
Perhaps the supreme example of a writer's industry was that of Anthony Trollope.
Trollope was an inspector with the Post Office, first in Ireland and then in England. His work made it necessary for him to be travelling constantly every day. He devised a certain kind of writing pad which he could hold upon his knee, and by far the greater part of his early novels was written during journeys in railway trains.
On one occasion he had to go on postal business to Egypt. He describes the voyage, and how not even its difficulties were allowed to interfere with his prescribed output. 'As I journeyed across France to Marseilles, and made thence a terribly rough voyage to Alexandria, I wrote my allotted number of pages every day. On this occasion more than one I left my paper on the cabin table, rushing away to be sick in the privacy of my state room. It was February, and the weather was miserable; but still I did my work.'
This second quotation gives Barclay's methods in some detail.
From Every Day with William Barclay (September 16)
I have had a letter from 'Raymond.' He asks me how I get my work done. it is going to make me sound very conceited to do it, but I shall try to give you the answer.
I think that, generally speaking, there are three rules that I want to mention - though I'm sure I have mentioned these on other occasions.
My first rule is Begin Early.
Raymond is a Methodist, so it is easy to remind him that John Wesley preached forty-two thousand sermons in fifty-three years, that he averaged four thousand five hundred miles per year in travel, and that he wrote or edited four hundred and fifty books.
John always got up at 4.30 am. I can't claim to emulate that. But, though my classes don't normally begin till 11.30 am, I always leave home at 8 am, getting to my desk at the University by 8.30 am.
Without these three morning hours, I can honestly say that I would not get any work done at all. So in my experience, start early.
My second rule is Keep Going.
One of the greatest time-wasters, I find, is the habit we have of saying: 'I've only got twenty-five minutes. It's not worth starting.' But I find it is always worth starting.
To return to John Wesley, he did most of his reading on horseback.
It is amazing how much you can get done in the odd quarter-hour or half-hour. There is not unit of time that cannot be used.
My third rule is Keep to Schedule.
I have no use for the idea of waiting for inspiration. If I waited for inspiration, this book would never have been written. But when I was a minister in a parish, I don't think I ever wrote a sermon after Thursday morning.
Beverley Nichols tells of a conversation he had with Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill asked him how long it took to write 'Prelude.' Nichols said that it was written in spasms over five months.
Churchill asked if he did not write regularly. Nichols said he had to wait for the right mood.
'Nonsense,' said Churchill. 'You should go to your room at 9 am each day and say, "I'm going to write for four hours."'
'Suppose you can't,' said Nichols.
Churchill replied, 'You've got to get over that. If you sit waiting for inspiration, you'll wait till you are an old man.'
He went on: 'Writing is like any other job…like marching an army… If you sit down and wait till the weather is suitable, you won't get very far with your troops. Kick yourself, irritate yourself, but write. It's the only way.'
It is!
So that roughly is how I get it done, Raymond.
William Barclay was a theologian, a Bible scholar, a University professor and a good deal more. A man of fairly inexhaustible energy...
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