Tolkien's Manuscripts

[baragund]

I am working my way throught the HOME series, and there is an odd thing that keeps coming up in CT's commentaries. It is the tendency of JRRT to write a first draft of whatever story he is working on in pencil, erase it, and then write an updated draft over the old in ink. Does anybody have any insight on why he liked to do that?

I find it hard to believe he couldn't afford the paper, but maybe he was too stingy to buy new paper. Was it his way of keeping track of what he was changing?

[Niniel]

Paper price may have had something to do with it, but I think it's quite a convenient way of working. I used to do it with Latin translations, first make them in pencil and then when I was sure I was right ink it over.

[BlackCaptain]

Maybe eraser is a natural white out?:rolleyes:

[33Peregrin]

When I was younger in school and was told to write something in pen, knowing I would make mistakes, would write in pencil, then pen , then erase. I don't know why Tolkien did, maybe it's kind of like typing on the computer where you read what you just wrote and change around a few words or something just to make it sound a little better.

[HLGStrider]

I'm a pencil writer myself. . .

I think it was probably a good way to keep track of what he had written while changing it. He could probably see what he had erased and still work on it. An odd quirk of a genius.

[Starflower]

actually there exists a note that tells how JRRT used to write old school notebooks crammed full of pencilled text and how his wife used to sort them out and write the more finished version in ink.
That is a lovely collaboration, and probably the secret to thei r happy marriage - working together.


Starflower

[Niniel]

From reading the HOME I gathered that she only wrote finished versions early in their marriage, in the 30's. I haven't seen any notice about a version written by JRRT's wife later on. Maybe because he kept changing things all the time and it wasn't worth the trouble of making nice manuscripts.