1. The Unique Writing Posture: Hemingway Writing Standing Up
From the very start of his writing career, Ernest Hemingway developed an unusual habit—he wrote while standing. Unlike most writers who sit at a desk, he chose to stand as he worked. He would wear a pair of specially made large loafers and stand on a worn-out antelope-hide mat. This mat, frayed and rough around the edges, was an indispensable part of his writing setup.
He placed his typewriter and reading board right in front of his chest for optimal sight. Whenever he started a new project, Hemingway always began by writing with a pencil on thin typing paper secured on the reading board. On the left side of the typewriter, he kept a clipboard holding sheets labeled “pending payment” that he could easily pull when needed. While writing, his left arm rested on the reading board, his palm holding down the paper. Over time, his handwriting grew larger and even childlike, with punctuation often missing, very few capital letters, and periods replaced by “×” marks. After finishing a page, he’d flip it and clip it onto another board on the right.
Hemingway only switched from handwriting to typing in two cases: when his writing flowed smoothly and fast, or when writing simpler content such as dialogue. He insisted on handwriting first drafts, believing it helped him think more deeply, while typing was mainly for organizing and speeding up the process.
He also used a large hard cardboard “progress chart” hung on the wall just beneath a mounted antelope head, tracking his daily word count clearly. His daily output was highly variable, sometimes as low as 450 words, sometimes over 1,250. After high-output days, he often rewarded himself with leisurely fishing trips in the Gulf Stream without guilt.
2. Morning: His Source of Inspiration
Hemingway preferred to begin writing at the first light of dawn. The environment was quiet and free from interruptions, the air crisp and cool. He felt cold initially but warmed and became invigorated as he wrote.
He usually started by reading what he had written the day before to clarify the story’s direction, then continued writing. He would keep going until he entered a state of creative flow, fully aware of what came next, then he would stop. That moment of stopping was both empty and satisfying, like just having shared an intimate love. The waiting afterward was long and agonizing, until inspiration struck again the next day to continue.
His writing sessions typically began at 6 a.m. and lasted until noon, or ended early once his goals were met. This strict time discipline was a key to his prolific output.
3. Meticulous Revisions: At Least Four Drafts
Hemingway was extremely rigorous about editing. Every day he reviewed and refined the text he had just written. After finishing a work, it would undergo at least four thorough rounds of revision. Even after others typed and printed the manuscript, he kept revising until he was satisfied.
For example, the ending of A Farewell to Arms was rewritten thirty-nine times before he deemed it perfect.
4. Observation and the Iceberg Theory: Depth Hidden Beneath the Surface
Hemingway believed that if a writer stopped observing the world, creation would cease. He did not advocate forced observation but naturally stored everything seen, heard, and felt deep in his mind. He emphasized following the “Iceberg Theory” in writing—show only one-seventh of the iceberg above water, with the rest hidden below.
He held that omitting details invisible to readers but fully known by the author made the work richer and more authentic. If writers left out key details because they didn’t understand them, stories would have holes. The Old Man and the Sea could easily have been over a thousand pages long, detailing every aspect of fishing village life, birth, education, marriage, and more—but Hemingway chose to focus only on the core narrative.
Interestingly, he thought people in love wrote best, as emotions were most vivid and nuanced.
5. A Kingdom of Books: Mountains of Reading Material
Books filled Hemingway’s life. In a spacious corner of his living room stood a nearly two-meter-high bookshelf packed with magazines and newspapers from the US, London, and Paris. Books were scattered haphazardly across windowsills, desks, and extended into two adjoining rooms.
One room was a 9-by-6-meter library, with floor-to-ceiling shelves so heavily loaded they bent under the weight. Another was his cramped bedroom study, filled with letters from different periods—answered, unread, and even secret documents. A giant lion’s skin with an open mouth held some letters and envelopes, called his “urgent inbox.”
The entire villa contained astonishing numbers of books: nearly 400 in his wife Mary’s bedroom (including about 20 cookbooks); over 500 in the main living room, mostly novels, history, and music; 300+ French historical and literary books in the “Venice room”; nearly 2,000 in the library, categorized by history, military, autobiography, geography, natural history, etc.; 900 books in his bedroom—military manuals, Spanish language texts, history, geography, and sports journals.
Additionally, the tower housed 400 volumes, including foreign editions of his works; a small guesthouse contained another 700. These valuable collections were later confiscated by Castro’s regime, with only some paintings and personal items taken by his wife.
6. Discipline and Moderation: Hemingway’s Lifestyle
Despite his reputation as a “super drinker,” Hemingway’s drinking was actually very controlled. While writing, he rarely drank except for one or two glasses of red wine with meals to avoid intoxication affecting his work.
He habitually woke before dawn and usually finished his day’s writing by 10 or 11 a.m. While many were just starting their day, he was already enjoying leisure.
7. Behind Every Work, There Was a Woman
Hemingway revealed that The Old Man and the Sea was written during his bout with sepsis, completed within a few weeks. He said he wrote it for a lady who feared he wouldn’t live long. He wanted this work to show her his resilience and vitality.
In fact, almost every one of his works was inspired or influenced by a significant woman impacting his creativity and life path.
8. Miscellaneous Thoughts on Writing and Life
Hemingway once admitted that if he could choose another career, he would be a painter because he loved expressing himself in another form.
He also said if he had known then what he knew now, he’d write under a pen name. He disliked fame and public attention, preferring to quietly write, hunt, fish, and live anonymously. Fame brought him more trouble and pressure.
Once a fierce debater with strong opinions on everything, he learned to stay silent and listen unless someone was lying. He believed those who truly understood a subject didn’t need to speak much, while those who didn’t often sounded ridiculous.
Asked how to maximize life’s effectiveness, his cryptic answer was: “Don’t seek out stimulation; let it come to you.”
If you haven’t read Hemingway’s works yet, I highly recommend setting aside some time. This literary master’s works are powerful and authentic, worth savoring repeatedly.