Reading time: About 2 minutes
Charmaine Li says she likes to tell herself that she needs to write for only five minutes. Often, she ends up writing for longer than that, but the idea that she MUST write for only five minutes helps to persuade her to sit down…
Charmaine Li grew up in Vancouver, the unceded Coast Salish territories. Her first novel Crash Landing won the 2024 Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award in Young People’s Literature. Shorter works by Charmaine can be found in The Tyee, ZORA, Plenitude Magazine, and more.
I was excited to talk to Charmaine about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
It depends. I’m a freelance writer currently, so it depends on what tasks I’ve been assigned on any particular week. With regard to creative writing, I’m taking a wee break from that right now after Crash Landing. I’d say two to three hours per day on average.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
I make the act of writing as physically enjoyable as possible. This means a comfortable chair adjusted to my height, a mechanical keyboard that’s satisfying to touch, good music (I find jazz perfect for writing), coffee, and something sweet to nibble on.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Worry. Anxiety. I must feel a certain level of wellness to be productive. This means I make sure I’m well fed, well slept, and don’t have any outstanding urgent chores.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
I tell myself I only have to do it for five minutes. Often, I end up writing for more than five minutes once I get into the flow. But sometimes I can only manage five minutes, and I tell myself that that’s okay.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
No particular saying comes to mind, but I often remind myself that only I can tell my story. Therefore, no one is as qualified to write my current work than I am.
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
Absolutely the exploration stage. I love the feeling of everything being possible. You’re not worried about logistics, plot holes, word counts, or anything like that yet. You’re just brainstorming what’s possible and anything goes!
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran. I can’t get enough of sassy, feisty, self-reliant female characters who are also realistically insecure at times.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
I recently picked up Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edited by Joshua Whitehead. I find futurism from non-Western worldviews refreshing.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
Most writing doesn’t happen when you’re sitting down and typing (at least for me). My best ideas and turns of phrase have occurred while I was walking to the toilet, taking the bus, or chopping vegetables. I don’t think writing can be “forced.”
