The “how” of the writer’s craft is a curious backdrop to the work itself. And whether it’s booze, pretzels or train rides, a few of the authors at this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival reveal what gets their mojo risin’—literally speaking, of course.
Jonathan Lethem
“I used to have a lucky sweater a long time ago—I wrote 3 or 4 of my novels in it. But it fell to tatters, and I left my superstitions behind at that point. It was just a green, Mister Rogers cardigan; very suburban looking. I think maybe it was my disguise in a way.”
Kate Christensen
“All of my pre-writing habits are grandmotherly. Literally: I picked them all up from my grandmother. I open the file of whatever novel I’m writing and stare at it in consternation. Then I turn on NPR, put three teabags into the carafe of my coffeemaker, fire it up and shuffle a deck of cards. For about an hour, I drink tea, play Solitaire (Vegas-style) and listen to all those lobotomized voices. Something about this triumvirate causes me to become agitated and itchy and irritated, which in turn causes me to get to work.”
Josh Kilmer-Purcell
“I do most of my writing on the train actually. Being on a train feels old-fashioned, like another place. I feel out of my element. In my first book, there was a lot of drinking and I was in the Hamptons. I would drink an entire bottle of wine and write about being drunk. The following morning, 75 percent of it was pure crap, but the 25 percent I probably wouldn’t have been able to come up with if I was sober.”
Nathaniel Rich
“I work late at night, usually after Mets games, just at my kitchen table, next to bottles of condiments and heads of garlic. I drink a lot of Limeade.”
Jonathan Lethem
“I used to have a lucky sweater a long time ago—I wrote 3 or 4 of my novels in it. But it fell to tatters, and I left my superstitions behind at that point. It was just a green, Mister Rogers cardigan; very suburban looking. I think maybe it was my disguise in a way.”
Kate Christensen
“All of my pre-writing habits are grandmotherly. Literally: I picked them all up from my grandmother. I open the file of whatever novel I’m writing and stare at it in consternation. Then I turn on NPR, put three teabags into the carafe of my coffeemaker, fire it up and shuffle a deck of cards. For about an hour, I drink tea, play Solitaire (Vegas-style) and listen to all those lobotomized voices. Something about this triumvirate causes me to become agitated and itchy and irritated, which in turn causes me to get to work.”
Josh Kilmer-Purcell
“I do most of my writing on the train actually. Being on a train feels old-fashioned, like another place. I feel out of my element. In my first book, there was a lot of drinking and I was in the Hamptons. I would drink an entire bottle of wine and write about being drunk. The following morning, 75 percent of it was pure crap, but the 25 percent I probably wouldn’t have been able to come up with if I was sober.”
Nathaniel Rich
“I work late at night, usually after Mets games, just at my kitchen table, next to bottles of condiments and heads of garlic. I drink a lot of Limeade.”
