Writing ProcessDr. Seuss was a very private man in terms of giving interviews on his writing practices. He often worked long hours, putting in at least 8 hours in his office even if they were unproductive. He would doodle, and use his pencils down to the nubs. Short, used up pencils could be seen strewn around his office. If something went wrong in his planning he would often use the accident to write a story. Dr. Seuss liked to solve problems with his stories and though his work was often chaotic, it was also reflective.
One practice that Seuss would use was putting up pictures of characters in random order, writing comments on them, and then rearranging them into a plot. For his breaks he enjoyed taking walks and swimming and he also calmed himself by watercolor painting. During Thanksgiving one year he entertained his guests (particularly the children present) by walking on stilts. This later influenced the book The King’s Stilts (1939). Dr. Seuss was adamant about his work. He once argued over the phone about one word used in his story. This argument lasted for two days. He admitted that he usually wrote about 200 lines for every 4 that he used. "For a 60-page book, I'll probably write 500 pages." ("Dr. Seuss's Green-Eggs-and-Ham World," by Judith Frutig, The Christian Science Monitor, May 12, 1978) |
Advice“People that write endings first don’t do great work.”
Stand for something, or a lot of things. Laugh at your misfortunes and when things go wrong, tell yourself that you can do better. Winnow Out and Write Tight Keep it Alive Learn by Yourself Exaggerate! Do Better! |
Citizen, T. O. (2010). Dr. seuss's creative jeusses. Retrieved froM
http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=d3ac45e8-9deb-4434-9101-97364dc1ba8b
Nordquist, Richard. ""We Can Do Better": Dr. Seuss on Writing." About.com Grammar and Composition. N.p., 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php>.
http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=d3ac45e8-9deb-4434-9101-97364dc1ba8b
Nordquist, Richard. ""We Can Do Better": Dr. Seuss on Writing." About.com Grammar and Composition. N.p., 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php>.