To be the best, you have to learn from the best. And if “how to be a good writer?” question pops in your head our creative writing tips are exactly for you. Though we would like to start with little history and tell you how the true master of the pen, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, become the man we know today.
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald more popularly known as F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most celebrated American writers of the 20th cent. He is best remembered for his four novels, ‘The Great Gatsby’-being the most notable amongst these, a string of novellas, and short stories. He was born to Mollie McQuillan and Edward Fitzgerald on the 24th of September, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
His father Edward was an urbane and cultured gentleman who didn’t have a very successful career. However, his mother who was somewhat eccentric and wore the pants in the relationship was very possessive about her only offspring. Edward never grew tired of reiterating to his son that it was Francis Scott Key, his grandfather who had written a poem ‘Defense of Fort M’Henry’ whose lines became the national anthem of USA-‘The Star Spangled Banner’.
Nevertheless, it was Fitzgerald’s maternal forefathers who were more successful and it was the large grocery store established by them that sustained the family during the hard times. Edward who was employed with Proctor & Gamble got the pink slip in 1908 and it fell upon Mollie, Fitzgerald’s mother who had inherited the wealth of her less aristocratic predecessors, to maintain the upper-middle class lifestyle they had got so used to. So, it was quite understandable that Scott. F Fitzgerald’s early life was not a bed of roses and the hardships that he and his family had to go through impacted his writings.
Going through his literary creations, one comes to know about his apprehensions about the financial adversities as well as his anxieties regarding the sort of literary career he’d practice. As far as his literary career was concerned, he himself was more interested in penning short stories that’d be ultimately published in the Saturday Evening Post. However, from the perspective of literary accomplishments, he considered his novels to be of a higher stature.
Fitzgerald received his formal education in a Catholic preparatory school in New Jersey-the Newman School. While studying in the school, he was greatly influenced by Father Sigourney Fay who later on became the inspiration for a fictional character-Monsignor Darcy-portrayed in ‘This Side of Paradise’ – Fitzgerald’s debut novel. Father Fay played a pivotal role during the author’s schooling years encouraging him to develop an early interest in literature. He also revealed to Fitzgerald a unique feature of Christian Catholicism that he’d always endeavor to emphasize in his novels and short stories.
Fitzgerald spent a total of five years in The Princeton University from 1913-1917 and these were the formative years that witnessed the author churning out book reviews, poems, and short stories for the Nassau Literary Magazine. He also penned humorous pieces for the Princeton Tiger and had compiled lyrics for ‘Triangle Club’ productions. He developed a bond of friendship with Edmund Wilson who was a budding writer and critic and John Peale Bishop who was to make his mark as a poet.
These camaraderies which lasted a lifetime also left an imprint on his literary opuses. He honed his literary skills by catching up on the writings of well-known contemporary writers including the likes of G.B. Shaw, H.G. Wells, and Oscar Wilde. His literary and social engagements took up most of his time in the academia and the abysmal grades he got made him ineligible to earn a graduate degree in 1916. He took readmission in 1917 but could not complete his graduation owing to his country joining the Allies in WWI.
Although Fitzgerald had sent in his application to join the US Army in 1917, he was never commissioned for serving overseas. It was during his stationing at Camp Sheridan, close to Montgomery in Alabama that he developed a strong liking for a judge’s daughter-Zelda Sayre-who behaved in an unconventional manner. He was absolutely smitten with Zelda and despite being penniless pursued her with relentless drive.
Since Fitzgerald could not convince her that he’d be able to support her financially post marriage, she called off the engagement. Fitzgerald however was not shaken by this unforeseen development and was at his prolific best continuing to write short stories for the Saturday Evening Post. It was also during this time that he completed writing ‘This Side of Paradise’-his first novel which was later to be filmed.
Eventually Fitzgerald was reconciled with Zelda and they gradually married in 1920 in New York. The couple spent a peripatetic life in the years that were to follow as they moved from New York to Westport in Connecticut and to Great Neck in Long Island, Europe. Both Fitzgerald and Zelda soon became the proud parents of a daughter while they stayed in St Paul. The couple lived life on the fast lane, were given to heavily partying and drinking, and never owned a home as they put up in high-end hotels and rented expansive estates.
Their lifestyles closely resembled the standard of living of characters that Fitzgerald portrayed in his narratives. They were the cynosure of those who comprised the cream of the society and their lives perfectly epitomized the life of a typically high-flying socialite. Fitzgerald borrowed heavily from the editor at Scribner’s and his literary agent, Harold Ober to maintain his extravagant lifestyle.
However, he soon found himself mired in debt as the proceeds from his short stories were just not enough to sustain the couple’s profligate living. Apart from the debut novel, no other large work of fiction could fetch the returns he may have expected. On top of that, Fitzgerald took to drinking heavily as he was greatly distressed by his wife’s mental illness which later developed into schizophrenia. Fitzgerald really struggled to foot the bills of her recurring hospital stays and their marriage suffered a strain due to Zelda’s brief relationship with an aviator.
Although Fitzgerald benefited the most from the sales of ‘This Side of Paradise’, critics were quick to point out that his writing was quite immature. It was ‘The Great Gatsby’ that brought him literary fame. ‘Tender is the Night’ is one novel is believed to be an edited version of a novel (Save Me the Waltz) authored by his wife. He could not complete his last novel, ‘The Love of the Last Tycoon’ as he succumbed to his third and ultimate heart attack on a chilly December night in 1940.
Discussing the tips that Scott Fitzgerald has provided, we can summarize them as below:
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I just recently discovered Fitzgerald, but Great Gatsby is an outstanding book and helped me a lot in terms of writing and even blogging.