Thank you for all of this. I’m eagerly awaiting publication of his fifth volume on Lyndon Johnson. (And I’m relieved to read that his draft is submitted.) You’ve inspired me to read “The Power Broker” (although I’m confident it will take me more than five weeks). Now to embarrass myself: My only previous literary nonfiction white whale was Vincent Bugliosi’s “Reclaiming History.” For years I put off reading it because of its topic and enormous size. But that topic and size kept calling to me. Ultimately they overcame my better judgment. The book was so big and so heavy that the only way I could read it was sitting at a table. You’ve inspired me to return to that table for “The Power Broker.” (Not right away. But eventually.) Thank you for that. ✌🏼❤️
I remember hearing about Caro back when I lived in New York. I didn't know about his monastic writing routine. To be honest, I'm less fond these days of trying to emulate older white men who had wildly rigid and disciplined daily writing routines when that may not make sense for all of us. Some of us write better in spurts and chunks – I think the old adage of "write daily at the same desk and the same time and adhering to the same morning routine every single day" is not a one-size-fits-all model. But interesting to hear about the life of such a successful writer nonetheless!
Thank you for all of this. I’m eagerly awaiting publication of his fifth volume on Lyndon Johnson. (And I’m relieved to read that his draft is submitted.) You’ve inspired me to read “The Power Broker” (although I’m confident it will take me more than five weeks). Now to embarrass myself: My only previous literary nonfiction white whale was Vincent Bugliosi’s “Reclaiming History.” For years I put off reading it because of its topic and enormous size. But that topic and size kept calling to me. Ultimately they overcame my better judgment. The book was so big and so heavy that the only way I could read it was sitting at a table. You’ve inspired me to return to that table for “The Power Broker.” (Not right away. But eventually.) Thank you for that. ✌🏼❤️
I remember hearing about Caro back when I lived in New York. I didn't know about his monastic writing routine. To be honest, I'm less fond these days of trying to emulate older white men who had wildly rigid and disciplined daily writing routines when that may not make sense for all of us. Some of us write better in spurts and chunks – I think the old adage of "write daily at the same desk and the same time and adhering to the same morning routine every single day" is not a one-size-fits-all model. But interesting to hear about the life of such a successful writer nonetheless!
Caro heads unite!
This recent piece has Caro saying he’s working on the Medicare part of book 5 … which he’s been saying since at least 2017! I wonder (hope?) that’s just his stock answer. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/rifling-through-archives-legendary-historian-robert-caro-180985956/