1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.
2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.”
3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
4. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
5. When you can’t create, you can work.
6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.
7. Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
8. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.
9. Discard the Program when you feel like it–but go back to it next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.
10. Forget the book you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.
Henry Miller on Writing, 161. From The Lotus Notebooks.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
Professor Zero, I’ve added this to
The Top Ten Things Every Writer Should Know.
Professor Zero, love your blog. I’m excited you picked this one up from mine. The whole book (Henry Miller on Writing) is excellent – definitely worth reading.
Geoffrey – O, excellent! 🙂
Natasha – I must read the whole book. Your blog is great, too, and/but it is one of those that doesn’t let me comment on it. The letters you are supposed to type to prove you are a human being are invisible!
P.S. I got almost 400 hits today, twice as many as usual. Is it because search engines think “Henry Miller” means pornography?
I like this post 🙂 Well, I like the whole blog. But especially this post. Thank you for being original in an unoriginal world.
And thank you for your comment, rborelli1980! 🙂
I think you are right about the Henry Miller/ porn connection…May i suggest your next post: Anaïs Nin
Prof. Zero, I had no idea I don’t exist.:) Maybe I will have to find my old Natasha Rosen email address and confirm something or another.
Thanks for letting me know.
Natasha
It is we the commenters who are supposed to prove ourselves real, Natasha!
Geoffrey, you’re quite right – Nin post coming up!
Great post as usual, Prof. Z! I think you mentioned “work with pleasure only” another time. It’s a great mantra.
And it is great to be reminded of it now … thank you, Undine!
He left out “Fucke with abandon and then get your dicke washed and powdered”.
🙂