Reading time: About 2 minutes
Halina St. James endorses the quote, “There’s no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.”
Halina St. James is a former international TV News journalist from Canada, whose assignments included Iraq during the first Gulf War, the Romanian Revolution, and three Olympic Games. When she retired from journalism, she became a presentation skills coach and professional speaker.
Halina relied heavily on her journalistic skills when researching material for her book, The Golden Daughter, published by House of Anansi. Halina lives with her husband on a peaceful island in Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada. There are more details about Halina and the book on her website.
I was excited to talk to Halina about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
About four hours, every day of the week. I don’t write when I’m travelling.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
Saying a sentence or thought out loud before I write it. Then, I write it down exactly the way I said it. I find my dialogue is more authentic and everything else easier to understand if I do it this way.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Thinking I have to do all my chores before I write. It’s an excuse that prevents me from just writing. I’ve learned that the laundry can wait, the salad dressing can be made later, and emails don’t need to be answered immediately. Writing comes first.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
I have a reality check! I think of my contract with my publisher and my deadline with my editor and get down to it. Even if I only squeezed out a few hundred words, at least I have written.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
“The terrible thing about being a writer is that you don’t decide to become one, you discover that you are one.” ~ James Baldwin. I never thought I would be a writer. I found out I was one by writing my memoirs.
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
I love editing and rewriting. I believe in the quote “There’s no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.” Each time you rewrite, each time your editors give you feedback, your writing only gets better and better.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non-) in the last five years?
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towels. Jennie’s Boy by Wayne Johnston. The Innocents by Michael Crummey.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg — for inspiration and writing tips. And, Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness — about vampires and witches: chocolate for the mind.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
Many new writers believe, secretly or otherwise, that their first piece of writing is perfect. Sorry, but everyone writes a shitty first draft. Step away from your work for a day or two or longer, then reread objectively. Better still, have a trusted person read it if you don’t have an editor. If you have the luxury of time, spend it on editing and rewriting.
