Masters Of Their Craft: Michael Crichton
We all have our ways of doing things, some work better than others. While one approach may work great for some people, they can be completely incompatible for others. Some like to do their work bit by bit, others much prefer to burn the midnight oil with the dread of a deadline only days away—while not recommended, we’ve all done this at some point in our lives. Some learn from it, others are doomed to repeat their mistakes.
It’s always a great idea to look at how different people approach a single problem. More often than not, there’s always more than one way to solve the problems we face in life, whether they’re assignments, job applications, or doing the Christmas shopping (again, leaving this one late is not recommended).
Sadly, Michael Crichton is no longer with us, having lost a battle with cancer in 2008, but his influence is still huge today. He’s even still in the book sales charts today—Eruption, a new thriller that James Patterson finished based on Crichton’s old unfinished manuscript and extensive research notes.
Crichton The Meticulous Multitasking Mastermind
Crichton did his research – and lots of it. He was a clever man, graduating from Harvard before enrolling in medical school, and it was here where his intellect and scientific passion began his journey as a writer. His stories would always spring up from his extensive looks into science and medicine, as he often used his imagination to merge the two.
Often he’d research alongside an idea as it simmered away in his head. When Crichton got an idea, he’d write that snippet down and store it away. He used cue cards, small enough to keep in his pocket. Every time a bit of a certain story would come to him, he’d write it down and throw it in a shoebox. He’d keep at it until the ideas stopped coming and only then would he upend the box and start arranging them into a plot. Once he had that, he could start.
This was a lengthy process. In answering fan questions, Crichton once spilled the beans on just how long some of his stories took to get finished because of his drawn-out method: Sphere was twenty years and Jurassic Park was eight. It’s safe to say they certainly were worth the wait.
Crichton was a master of multitasking, working on his writing projects simultaneously. While writing one story, at least two more would be simmering away. He was that good at it, in 1994 he became the only person (to date) to have a number one in the bookseller charts (Disclosure), on TV (ER) and in the cinema (Jurassic Park). So if you have an active mind, maybe his way of doing things is more your style.
How Does This Help You?
Remember, do your research. While he had the resources to speak to experts and even do some of his own on-hand investigations, you can still use your local library on top of the wealth of resources online. Get yourself some cue cards or Post-It notes. Keep them to hand, for note taking and for any ideas, and have a safe place to store them. For essays, they have plenty of uses: from key points and quotes to ideas and potential sources to use. They can be organised into a structure that will help with the flow of the essays.
For those looking to be creative, they can be used to jot down character traits, plot points, potential twists, or even snippets of dialogue or scenes that pop up. Again, once you’re ready they can help build the spine of a pretty solid story. Divide and conquer. Make yourself a schedule to tackle multiple assignments, allowing you to switch between them to keep your mind fresh. For instance, if you hit a roadblock in one essay, spend time working on another. This helps prevent burnout and keeps your ideas flowing.
Regardless of the kind of writing project you’re looking to undertake, by taking a tip or two from one of the greats, you can bring out the best in yourself. Once you’re ready, you’ll have all the information you need, and the proper scaffolding to build the perfect piece of writing—whatever that may be.
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Image: Jon Chase photo/Harvard News Office
Dan Grabowski is an Amazon best-selling author and has taught in the classroom at primary level previously.
