Henry Miller's thoughts on writing books

By Dennis Mellersh

The author Henry Miller wrote a lot about the creative process and writing in his various works. In  the book, Henry Miller on Writing, there is an extensive compilation of Miller’s thinking on writing edited  by Thomas H. Moore, using selections from the published and unpublished works of Henry Miller.

The book is divided into four sections with a number of sub-chapters in each section. The four main sections are:
The Literary Writer
Finding His Own Voice
The Author at Work, and;
Writing and Obscenity

Miller’s style in his novels is often described as autobiographical fiction, and it is not surprising therefor that his novels include observations on his overall creative process and the art of writing. The book features selections from some of Millers famous works such as Tropic of Capricorn, Sexus, Nexus, Plexus, and Tropic of Cancer as well as his non-fiction writing.

One of the sections, in the chapter The Author at Work, shows Miller’s work schedule for 1932-1933, which is comprised of numerous pages on what Miller is planning. It includes detailed notes on: Commandments (principles guiding his writing efforts), Daily Program, Major Program, Minor Program, Painting Program (Miller was also an artist), and Agenda.

This section on how he worked shows that Miller faced the same difficulties as most writers do – he had to put effort into disciplining himself to do the hard work of putting words on paper.

Here are a few of Miller’s guiding principles from his Commandments:
Work on one thing at a time until finished
Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is at hand
Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time
Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing
Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

In the Daily Program he describes his plans for afternoons: Work on section at hand, following plan of section scrupulously. No intrusions, no diversions. Write to finish one section at a time, for good and all.
Consisting of 216 pages, the paperback version of Henry Miller on Writing that I am quoting from was published by New Directions Publishing Corporation in 1964. Henry Miller on Writing is available at amazon.com, as is an book he wrote entitled, The Books in my Life.

The reviews of these books on amazon.com are generally highly favourable and provide good insights into the contents of these books and why the reviewers found reading them beneficial.