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Practice your writing by typing out classic literature. This method not only enhances your understanding of rhythm, structure, and nuances but also connects you deeply with the timeless flow of literary history.This is a BETA version.

Type the words from the book. We gave you 4 words to start with.

Mrs. Dalloway

by Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway is a novel by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1925. It is a modernist novel that follows a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a society hostess in post-World War I England. The novel explores themes of time, memory, and the human psyche.

Read more about Virginia Woolf
Mrs. Dalloway
day in corruption, lies, chatter. This he had preserved. Death was
defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate; people feeling the
impossibility of reaching the centre which, mystically, evaded them;
closeness drew apart; rapture faded, one was alone. There was an
embrace in death.

But this young man who had killed himself--had he plunged holding his
treasure? “If it were now to die, ’twere now to be most happy,” she had
said to herself once, coming down in white.

Or there were the poets and thinkers. Suppose he had had that passion,
and had gone to Sir William Bradshaw, a great doctor yet to her
obscurely evil, without sex or lust, extremely polite to women, but
capable of some indescribable outrage--forcing your soul, that was
it--if this young man had gone to him, and Sir William had impressed
him, like that, with his power, might he not then have said (indeed she
felt it now), Life is made intolerable; they make life intolerable, men
like that?

Then (she had felt it only this morning) there was the terror; the
overwhelming incapacity, ones parents giving it into ones hands, this
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Why Type a Masterpiece?

Typing out classical literature is not just an exercise in patience; it's a deeply immersive way to understand the rhythm, structure, and nuances of great writing. By manually reproducing the works of renowned authors, you engage with the text on a level that reading alone cannot offer. This method allows you to feel the flow of sentences, the choice of words, and the intricate construction of paragraphs that make these works timeless.

Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words.

– Virginia Woolf

literati is a unique platform where writers can select from a vast collection of public domain classics to type out. This practice is akin to a musician playing pieces by the masters to internalize the elements of composition and performance. Just as the musician learns the subtleties of each note and chord, the writer learns the power of each word and sentence.

Prose is like hair; it shines with combing.

– Gustave Flaubert

Engaging directly with masterpieces allows writers to absorb the rhythm of the text, the ebb and flow of its pacing, and the beauty of its imagery. It cultivates an appreciation for the craft of writing and provides invaluable lessons in how to construct compelling narratives, develop characters, and evoke emotions in readers. Happy typing!

The only truth is music.

– Jack Kerouac

More on this topic:

"Imitate then innovate", an article by David Perell