Charles Bukowski is a 20th-century writer who wrote the novel titled “Post Office.” He also wrote a slew of other novels and poems which got translated into dozen different languages.
I am not familiar with his work but I often see his name mentioned by a lot of writers and commenters online. As a result, I took it upon myself to get to know the author. In my quest to learn more about Charles Bukowski, I came to learn a few more things about writing.
And these are the things that I learned from the author:
- Consistency
- Originality
- Inspiration abounds even in difficulty
- Read
- Experiment
Consistency
According to one article, a new reader need not worry about running out of materials to read from the author. That is despite the author’s death on March 9, 1994.
This is because the author was prolific and consistent in his writing that there was actually a surplus of his work. That even after death, his publisher was still able to posthumously publish his writings because of the abundance of his work.
And so this is one key takeaway for me. As a newbie writer, I want to get to that level of writing. That is, to write on a regular basis. Never mind about being prolific. I know that if I stay consistent, I will write more material content.
Consistency vs Prolific
By definition, prolific means plentiful. So if in one day you write 3 articles with a fifteen hundred-word average, and nothing else for the rest of the month, that is prolific. However, if you write an average of let’s say a thousand-word average each day for 30 days, that is consistency.
In his own words, Bukowski says he writes around 10 to 15 poems all at the same time!
And for over 30 years, Charles Bukowski has written more than a thousand poems, several short story-books, and novels. Now that’s being prolific and consistent.
Since I am nothing like Charles Bukowski, I will have to choose between these traits. And in my humble opinion, it is better to be consistent rather than prolific when it comes to writing.
How to apply consistency in writing
Because it is with consistency that one can improve on one’s craft. By being consistent, one can continue to write, work, or produce something despite setbacks. Consistency will keep one moving forward to reach one’s goals.
For writers, especially beginners like me, the following will certainly help to become consistent:
Write everyday
This is to embody what a writer is. By writing every day, you prove that you ARE a writer. But when you write only when you feel like it or when you feel “inspired” then this attitude is just WANTING to become a writer.
Write NOW
Similar to writing every day, there should be no tomorrow, next week, or next month. Each and every day is the NOW that a writer should be attending to his writing.
Just like Ekhart Tolle said:
Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.
There will always be setbacks
Remember that in life there are setbacks. There are times when your work will get rejected, times when nobody seems to read your article or times when you feel stuck.
These are the times that you should continue writing. Learn from your rejections, work through your negative emotions, and remind yourself that these are part and parcel of writing.
Originality
Charles Bukowski started writing in his 20’s but stopped and went traveling across the country for about 10 years. It was not a grand tour but rather the penniless drifting kind. Where he spent most of it drinking in bars, getting beaten up, and getting jailed.
Inspired by the low-life
It is from this 10-year journey where he draws most of his tales of adventure and ingenuity.
His stories and his poems are from his life experiences or that of the people around him. He wrote about his gritty life and found it hard to talk about “laces and nice things” after a hard day living the life of a common man.
A common man living with low income and spending this meager income on booze and gambling. The author was not an “honorable” man to say the least. He was a drunk and a gambler. But he wasn’t bothered by it.
His writings were from the low-life that he lived. He did not embark on writing about something that he is not. This then distinguished his writings from those of other authors.
How to be original
Originality is not about writing something that has not been written before. Rather it’s on how you write about it. It’s on how you arrange the words that will engage your readers. And it’s on how you use the right words that will resonate with them that matters.
Personal experience
There are probably a lot of materials about your subject or topic already. But telling it from your own perspective, experience, and writing style will certainly add originality to it.
Find your unique writing style
You will be able to find your unique writing style if you are consistent with your writing. So keep writing and improving on your craft. Soon, you will discover how to present ideas in such a way that readers will identify with you.
Economy of words
It’s about using fewer words that will impact readers more. Words thrown into an article will have no meaning if they serve no purpose in making a point.
So use words sparingly in such a way that they will express your thoughts or ideas in a concise manner.
Inspiration abounds even in difficulty
Inspiration can come from anywhere, including one’s difficult past.
Charles Bukowski had a difficult childhood and adolescence because of his father, who beat him and his mother up out of frustration. His early adult life was nothing different. Despite these hardships, he kept writing.
The difficulties did not stop him from, in his own words, “banging” on his typewriter. As a matter of fact, these difficulties served as an inspiration to his writing.
So, whenever you find yourself uninspired and experiencing difficulties, know that these should not stop you from writing.
How to find inspiration
Every difficult situation presents an opportunity for inspiration.
Learning
When we overcome difficult situations, there are always lessons learned. Be inspired by these lessons. Find these learnings and incorporate them into your writing.
This too shall pass
Nothing in this life is permanent. Know that whatever difficulties you are going through, will not last forever. Keep your goals in mind because they will serve as a guide and motivation for you to continue writing.
All in the proper perspective
We may find our problems or difficulties as insurmountable. But another person may have a different view about it.
This is not to trivialize whatever difficulties you are facing, but a view from someone else’s perspective may help give you the inspiration you might need to continue writing.
Read
Aside from having lived a prolific and consistent life writing, Bukowski was also a prolific reader.
In one of his many interviews, he mentioned that “between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four I must have read a whole library.”
Then too, most successful people recommend that a person should read continuously in order to succeed.
What do you get from reading
So what do you get from reading that it is the most advised activity for success?
Learning
In order to develop, we must continue learning. And reading books, articles, and other written materials is one of the best ways to keep learning.
As you continue to expand your knowledge, your writing will also improve.
Ideas
With constant reading, your mind is presented with various ideas from the materials that you read. Ideas that will inspire you to write as well.
So read a wide variety of books, materials, and genres, even the ones that you are not familiar with or interested in. There may still be some learning and ideas to gain from them.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to feel what other people are going through. And with reading, you can develop or improve on this ability and apply it in your writing.
Having the ability to empathize will allow you to write the appropriate words to convey feelings, reactions, or emotions to your readers.
Experiment
In his early years of writing, Charles Bukowski was into short stories. But, after the 10-year journey that brought him back to Los Angeles and writing, his focus shifted to poetry. He then went on to write novels as well.
And in one stanza of his poem, Reinvent Your Life, he says:
Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,
change your tone and shape so often that they can never categorize you.
From here, we can learn that we should also try to experiment with our writing every once in a while.
So while our writing should be a reflection of who we are, we should not limit ourselves to a single writing style.
Why the need to experiment
While consistency is good to maintain, it can sometimes become tedious. And when things become tedious, we tend to get bored and uninspired.
Experimenting will help shake things up and encourage fresh ideas and inspiration. Also, experimenting with our writing is one way of discovering ourselves.
How to experiment
So with this purpose in mind, let us now delve into how we could change things up.
Experiment with genres
If you started writing fiction and have become good at it, try your hands at non-fiction. Or if you are coming from non-fiction, try poetry.
This experiment will certainly make you feel like a beginner all over again. It will give you a new motivation to try and hone your craft in the new genre you chose. And it’s possible you’ll end up enjoying it or even excelling at it.
Write about things you don’t know
This experiment will undoubtedly improve your research skills and open your mind to new possibilities and ideas.
Off the beaten path
Do not confine your writing to a single category. Experiment with all the writing styles, even those that are unpopular.
Just like Charles Bukowski who, according to his publisher, is not a mainstream author and never had mainstream readers.
In summary
To summarize, Charles Bukowski as a person is not worth emulating. But as a writer, his body of work is something that should be aspired for and learn from.
What do you think about these learnings from Charles Bukowski? Please share them in the comments below.
Outside links:
How to stay inspired and focused
12 Reasons reading widely is so important for writers
How to Find Your Writing Style: 8 Tips for Developing Voice and Tone
How to experiment with your writing