When someone as talented as Annie Proulx shares her approach to writing, I (as Archy McNally does on occasion) snap my heels together, stand at attention, and salute smartly.
However, what works for one girl doesn't necessarily work for another. This newspaper article spells out her writing discipline:
Annie Proulx writes literary fiction brilliant enough to win major accolades (Pulitzer, National Book Award, etc.) and accessible enough to win a wide audience. She specializes in short stories, including "Brokeback Mountain," though her masterpiece may be the novel The Shipping News. She didn't begin writing until in her 50s and, as you'll see, she doesn't believe in rushing things.
5 Techniques for Good Craftsmanship
1 Proceed slowly and take care.
2 To ensure that you proceed slowly, write by hand.
3 Write slowly and by hand only about subjects that interest you.
4 Develop craftsmanship through years of wide reading.
5 Rewrite and edit until you achieve the most felicitous phrase/sentence/paragraph/page/story/chapter.
From an article in The Guardian.
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# 1, yes.
# 2, no.
# 3, yes, no, and yes.
# 4, absolutely yes.
# 5, yes, just wish it were that easy.
Paige