Can you say "quirky"? These authors demonstrated it
Great authors tend to possess a wild imagination and a unique perspective of the world. As a result, they're usually kind of quirky. Whether it's a strange habit, a bizarre writing ritual, or an unconventional mannerism, there are many ways to define an author's eccentricities. Here are just a few:
Mark Twain. Twain was an avid cat lover -- he had 19 at one point -- and said he preferred cats to humans.
Virginia Woolf. (Pictured above) Invented the standing desk. But that's not the quirky part. She also owned a pet monkey named Mitz. And at an early age, she told a music teacher that the meaning of Christmas was to celebrate the Crucifiction.
Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. Had a crippling fear of crowds, perhaps due to an embarrassing interaction on stage with President Theodore Roosevelt during a Boy Scouts award ceremony. The ordeal made him reluctant to give interviews or make appearances in front of an audience.
Lord Byron. When he was told he couldn't keep a dog in his dorm room at Cambridge, he brought a bear instead. Byron even tried to enroll the bear in classes. He later had a menagerie at his estate, where he decorated rooms with coffins and used human skulls as goblets.
Demosthenes. Tried to correct a speech impediment by speaking with pebbles in his mouth, shouting into storms, and speaking while running. He also perfected his posture by hanging a sword near his shoulder. When he unconsciously rose his shoulder, the sword would jab him, prompting him to lower it again.
James Joyce. Eye problems caused him to wear a patch and write on large sheets of paper or cardboard with crayons.
Charles Dickens. Dickens is thought to have had obsessive compulsive disorder. His writing space had to be just right, he combed his hair hundreds of times a day, and he was a neat freak, keeping his home spotless and the furniture in very specific locations. He also touched certain objects three times for luck.
Victor Hugo. His solution for writer's block was to take off his clothes, have his servants lock them away, and sit naked in a room to write, not coming out until he was finished. It is said he wrote "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in a few months, wearing only a long, gray shawl.
Truman Capote. Capote was superstitious, never beginning or ending a piece on a Friday, never staying in a hotel room that included the number 13, and never leaving more than three cigarette butts in an ash tray.
Source: Laura's Books and Blogs (HTTPS://LAURABOOKSANDBLOGS.COM/AUTHOR/ADMIN/)
