Category: Writing

Daily Consistency and Writing

Posted on by Henriette

Daily consistency in writing is the best way to finish novels. That’s my experience. Writing two hours every weekday is much better than doing ten hours on Saturday.

Stephen King makes a similar point in On Writing. For aspiring writers, he prescribes four to six hours of reading and writing per day. Six hours is a lot for new writers. It’s a great aim, but I think it might scare some people off before they even try. One can achieve quite a lot in half that time. Two hours of writing and one hour of reading can be very productive, provided you approach the work with focus.

Continue reading “Daily Consistency and Writing”

Bad Writing Mostly Goes Unnoticed—But Not By Rigorous Writers

Posted on by Henriette

A fellow writer once told me that she doesn’t need to be precise in her use of language because she (unlike me) isn’t into the hard sciences (engineering). Her opinion was that because writing is an expression of her thoughts, anything goes.

I’ve encountered this idea many times. The argument is that language belongs to the arts therefore should not be rigorous. Language doesn’t deal with precision like mathematics and engineering. An essay, unlike a math problem, does not have a right answer. This means that we can essentially write what we want.

This is a foolhardy argument. Good writing requires rigorous effort. Much the same kind of effort that one would put into understanding difficult mathematics.

Continue reading “Bad Writing Mostly Goes Unnoticed—But Not By Rigorous Writers”

How To Deal With Criticism | For creatives

Posted on by Henriette

It feels good when we are praised for the work that we do, but I think that most people will admit that this is the exception not the rule. More often than not, someone will strongly dislike the work that we do or the art that we create.

If we don’t experience blatant criticism, subdued negativity takes the form of endless disapproving questions. I always try to answer those with grace but I can’t lie, it does irk me. But I’ve spent years on the path less travelled and I’ve learnt that other people’s opinions (mostly) don’t matter. What matters when it comes to the art that we create is:

1) That we are proud of our own work, and

2) That we listen to the right feedback.

Continue reading “How To Deal With Criticism | For creatives”

Faarland was not about over-thinking

Posted on by Henriette

Back in 2018, I self-published a fantasy story called Faarland. This story is about a faar called Cullford and his journey in uncovering various disturbing facts about the organisation he works for—the Science Ministry. Over the course of his adventures, Cullford has shocking realisations about many ideas he once believed wholeheartedly.

For instance, The Third Truth is “Too much thinking can drive a faar brain insane.”

Without giving too much of the story away, I want to say that the Third Truth was not about over-thinking. Rather, the Truth was used as a mechanism of control. It was used as a way to keep faars from questioning things.

Continue reading “Faarland was not about over-thinking”

Writing a great scene

Posted on by Henriette 1 Comment on Writing a great scene

Sometimes getting into the right state is the first step in writing a great scene.

When I want to write good fiction, I have to be focused, alert and at least somewhat in the mood. I can’t be rushed, or distracted, or angry, or tired. Those states aren’t optimal for great writing.

But anyone who has done extensive fiction writing (or any writing for that matter) knows that focused eagerness is rarely the state that you start off with. It’s the exception, not the rule. But there are a few things one can do to cultivate a better state.

Continue reading “Writing a great scene”

Process over progress

Posted on by Henriette 4 Comments on Process over progress

Robert Greene in Mastery talks about how easy wins or successes can sometimes be a curse rather than a blessing. Greene argues that most things in life do not come easy and if we have the expectation that it should, then that can cripple us. This is because the expectation for things to be easy can cause us to give up too quickly. When I read Mastery years ago I did not fully appreciate that insight, but over the years, I’ve seen that it’s not only true but also beneficial to not expect quick results. In other words, it might be better to expect certain things to take a long time. Your best strategy is to favour process over progress.

Continue reading “Process over progress”

Write something serious

Posted on by Henriette

Someone once asked me why I write science fiction. They wanted to know why I don’t write more serious stuff. Something like literary fiction, they argued. Something, they said, that tells us something about the human condition.

This was years ago and I didn’t have a good answer back then. I write stories that make me feel excited. It’s always been like that for me, especially novel-length stories. There has to be something enthralling and magical to the story or idea to counterbalance the countless hours, months, years I spend writing it. The way I like to think about it is that some stories have chosen me.

But there’s something else I want to add here. Something that’s more important. It’s this: Stories, no matter the genre, can always tell us something about ourselves.

Continue reading “Write something serious”

Delivery device

Posted on by Henriette 1 Comment on Delivery device

A pizza isn’t just about the cheese. But it’s not just about the base either. You have to have quality cheese and a good base to make the slice palatable. The base cannot merely be a delivery device for the cheese and the toppings. The base has to have its own characteristics—soft in the middle with a little crunch on the outside. Salty, with a hint of sweet, maybe.

In the same way, a science-fiction story cannot just be about the idea.

Continue reading “Delivery device”