While looking for info about whether Dan Brown had any interesting rejection stories (I didn’t find any), I came across this interview by Claire White about Dan Brown’s first book, Digital Fortress.
Brown said it took 18 months to write this debut title, which was published in 1998. He said the toughest part about writing it was was believing in the story even when things were going badly…“forcing myself to spend 5-8 hours a day on the manuscript even when I wasn’t positive I could make it work. I did make it work, and I’m glad I stuck with it. I estimate I wrote over 1000 pages to end up with this 350 page novel. “
Other Dan Brown quotes from interviews and articles (see sources at the bottom of this page):
“For me, writing is a discipline, much like playing a musical instrument; it requires constant practice and honing of skills. For this reason, I write seven days a week. So, my routine begins at around 4:00 AM every morning, when there are no distractions.”
Why start at 4 a.m.? Dan Brown:
“Otherwise I feel like I’m missing my most productive hours. I keep an hourglass on my desk and every hour I stop to do push-ups, sit-ups and stretches.”
From another interview:
In addition to starting early, I keep an antique hour glass on my desk and every hour break briefly to do pushups, sit-ups, and some quick stretches. I find this helps keep the blood (and ideas) flowing. I’m also a big fan of gravity boots. Hanging upside down seems to help me solve plot challenges by shifting my entire perspective. Okay, I guess all this does sound a little strange.
Want to find out about how other authors write? Visit Author Writing Habits.
Sources:
Bookreporter.com interview with Dan Brown
Telegraph article
Writer’s Write interview with Dan Brown
Wall Street Journal article on Dan Brown
BookBrowse interview
