Draft No.4 by John McPhee

#29 : My current favourite book on writing.

A pile of hardcover books elevates the look of my hand assembled IKEA bookshelf in my living room. I have read some of them, I have added some for future me to read, and some just lay there as trophies - because what better way to show off my intelligence than to have unread books on display? But one book in particular that has made it to my favourites list is about an inch thick covered with a white jacket. Printed on the front in old typewriter font is the name of the book “Draft No. 4 by John McPhee”.

The first time I heard about this book was on the Tim Ferriss’ podcast. Tim talked about how John McPhee shaped the way he writes and how McPhee’s lectures at Princeton built a solid foundation of Tim’s writing career.

Many creators look for inspiration in the generations that came before them. The creator of the Star Wars franchise, George Lukas looked upto Joseph Cambell’s teachings. His Hero’s Journey was based on Campbell’s teachings in his book: The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I was on the lookout for my Joseph Campbell to Imitate then Innovate. So when Tim Ferris recommended Draft No. 4, I bought it.

Learning from the teachers of the teachers is like going to the source of the river itself.

John McPhee resonated with me because he has written essays about his travels and the people he has met. It was part of his job while working for the New Yorker magazine. I enjoy writing about similar topics but those essays turn out as a chronological listing of of events and reading them later feels like eating food with no salt.

But John’s style of writing is engaging and even though he has written long form essays, it can hold my attention. He has written about Oranges, his trip thought the Alaskan wilderness, profile essays for the magazine, and many more topics. In Draft No. 4, he reveals the thought process that went into writing his essays, his struggles, and ofcourse, lessons for the reader.

Reading though the book, I could relate to how he keeps his essays interesting by adding his thoughts and vivid descriptions. He adds his touch to the chronicles. That transforms his writing into going from boring to interesting.

And although I have read the book, there is still a lot more value that I can extract from the book. I need to give it a couple more reads. I have merely scratched the surface. I have taken a few notes here and there, but I am far from putting it into practice. Reading the book is start of the writing journey. No amount of theory is going to improve my writing, unless I put that theory into practice. After all, you can’t steer a parked car.

But John has given me a path that travel writing doesn’t have to be boring. I finlly have a writer to look up to. That is why Draft No.4 has a special spot in my pile of books.