After reading and analyzing Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in my English True Crime class two weeks ago, I instantly became intrigued by Capote’s method, personality, and motivation that allowed him to craft such a captivating novel. In Cold Blood recreates the true story of the Clutter Family Murders that took place in November of 1959 in Holcomb, Kansas. Capote’s extensive experience as a novelist combined with his techniques in journalism make the reconstructed telling of the Clutter Family Murders seem as though they are simply a product of his own imagination—characters that you know so well that it is only fitting that Capote must have created them.
Truman Capote’s earliest writings are fictional and based on his childhood experiences. However, his unique craftsmanship of In Cold Blood was different from anything that he had ever written before. Capote used a “journalism-101 approach” while composing In Cold Blood. This approach is evident in the notebooks that Capote kept during the information-collecting process of his composition. The notebooks used contain Capote’s questions about the crime, sketches of the Clutter House (crime scene), and interviews with the mother of a young girl of whom baked cherry pies with Nancy Clutter, one of the victims, on her last day of life. Another interesting detail of Capote’s journalistic approach is his traveling partner—Nelle Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Capote stated that Lee “kept [him] company when [he] was out there.” Lee accompanied Capote on various interviews and kept her own collection of notes, which Capote referred to during his writing process.
Truman Capote’s writing process seems to revolve around his superstitious personality. For example, Capote will never begin or end anything on a Friday. He refuses to travel on a plane with two nuns, as he believes it is bad luck. Capote will not put three cigarette butts in the same ashtray. He will not allow yellow roses around him. Lastly, Capote will not call a given person if their phone number “adds up to an unlucky figure.” Other aspects of Capote’s writing process include writing longhand while lying down. Capote has stated that he is “a completely horizontal author.” As the day goes on, Capote often transitions from coffee to alcohol while writing.
Truman Capote’s thinking style regarding In Cold Blood is exemplary of the collecting method. The collecting method, as noted in the mechanisms lecture, was utilized by Steve Jobs while creating the Mac. Collecting focuses on gathering and organizing information already present in the world and using the information to create a unique product. Capote demonstrates his utilization of the collecting method of thinking by combining his creative abilities as a novelist with the material gained through his journalistic approach to craft In Cold Blood.
Thank you for this insight into Truman Capote's writing process and his creation of In Cold Blood. I completely agree with you that his journalistic approach to researching and writing the book makes it seem as though the characters are simply a product of his own imagination. It's impressive how he managed to create such a captivating novel while remaining faithful to the true events that took place. I found it particularly interesting to learn about Capote's superstitious personality and the various quirks he has in his writing process.
ReplyDeleteI love true crime writing, and In Cold Blood has been on my reading list for a very long time. I might even go as far to say that Capote is in the Big-C category. He is one of the first and most impactful writers in the true crime field. Everyone, whether they're a fan of true crime or not, knows his name. His style of writing created a shift in the field, and a shift in the community of readers.
ReplyDeleteI read In Cold Blood in high school and really enjoyed revisiting it via your post. It was a captivating novel despite being sometimes grisly.
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