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Why I Will Likely Never Write Another Novel

December 4, 2023

Fiction, Writing

creativity, fiction, imagination, literature, short story, writing

Note: Ain’t life funny? Not a month later, I simply needed to start writing another novel! Read all about this new novel, The Storytelling Cat.

Whenever someone says “always”, “never”, or “everyone”, be very suspicious. I am too of my own utterance. Never write another novel? Never say never again! However, at this point in time, and with enough experience behind me, I do feel that way: I will likely never write another novel in the foreseeable future.

Why I feel that way might be a useful thought direction to you as well, especially if you’re a writer, but also if you’re simply someone interested in what art and expression mean in today’s world. More still, what forms creative writing takes and why I feel a novel is currently not among my favorite such forms.

digital painting, or the reason why I will likely never write another novel
Here’s one of the reasons why I may “never” write another novel: I’ve begun painting, which feels like a more direct, more idea-based form of art, compared to a novel which is a sustained, in-depth exploration
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Writing Violet Evergarden Style

November 6, 2023

Experiencing, Writing

creativity, experiencing, fiction, literature, writing

Violet Evergarden is a character in the eponymous Japanese light novel series – and subsequently anime. But what does “writing Violet Evergarden style” mean, and why should we care?

Well, as I’ve said before, finding connections in fiction is crucial for creating a cohesive, conceptually solid narrative. But there’s more: Finding connections in general leads to more knowledge, more productive imagination, more surprising paths.

To blow my own trumpet, one of the best compliments I was ever given in my academic life – in the official report accompanying my MA grading no less – was that I have “an uncanny ability in finding connections”.

And so, writing Violet Evergarden style – writing the way a character in a young adult anime writes – might sound like an odd thing to base a writing advice post on – probably not as odd, though, as pairing narrative diversions with a scantily dressed comic heroine. In any case, there are very, very important lessons here.

writing Violet Evergarden style – a typewriter against the sunset
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Ember’s Disappearing Clothes: Unnecessary Diversions in Fiction

October 30, 2023

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

aesthetics, art, creativity, fiction, literature, writing

I’m sure this is one of those post titles I really need to explain. I mean, “unnecessary diversions in fiction” gives you at least some idea what the post will be about, but who the heck is Ember? And what do her disappearing clothes have to do with all this?

Ember is a character in the comic series Storm, drawn by Don Lawrence. In the non-English-speaking world she’s also known as Redhair, from the original Dutch “Roodhaar”. Storm was among my favorite childhood comics – together with Donald Duck. Don Lawrence was an incredible artist, and to me his work still is the reference point for realistic, affectively impactful art.

As a child, I only had the first ten or so Storm books – there have been something like thirty-plus in total, together with some spinoffs. I recently decided to search the net for the books I hadn’t read, and I did find them. It was a nostalgic trip – nostalgia is a trap – but I couldn’t help but notice something interesting: The more the stories progressed, the less… covered Ember became.

diversions in fiction, Ember's disappearing clothes
At first, Ember was dressed in rather ordinary clothes. But after a few books, her style became more and more revealing. By the end of the series (bottom left), there is very little left to imagination (scanned images from original drawings by Don Lawrence).
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