6 Novelists on Their Writing Instruments of Choice
We all have that friend with a fancy liberal arts degree who always carries a moleskine or, if they’re really serious, a Baron Fig Confidant. It made us wonder if hot shot authors are particular about their tools of creativity, so we questioned six lauded novelists about their favorite writing instruments.
1. Chris Cleave—Gold
One of the judges for the 2014 Desmond Elliott Prize, Cleave certainly doesn’t forget his literary heritage. “I use a machine that I made myself,” Cleave says. “I feel it’s the only way to really be in touch with your voice. I soldered a frame from vintage brass, dropped in the keys from an old portable typewriter (a Halda, the same model Hemingway used) and connected them via contact sensors to a processor that I built myself out of components salvaged from the old air traffic control system at Heathrow Airport. The screen is from a hospital oscilloscope, and I carry the whole set-up in a calfskin tote that used to belong to Marcel Proust. Actually, no—I use a MacBook Air, same as every other writer.”
2. Junot Díaz—Drown
One of The New Yorker’s “Future of American Fiction” picks, as well as a Pulitzer Prize winner for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Díaz captures the trials of poverty, obesity and prejudice with a unique blend of humor and raw honesty. Breaking the mold, Díaz told Paste that he prefers to write on yellow legal pads. “I have towers of these things around,” he says, “and then, of course, I input the finished pages to my Mac.” We bet he’s careful where he sets his coffee.