Ada Herman

Writer, translator, PR professional
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Academic writer, Children's writer, Crime writer, Ghostwriter, Independent / self-published author, Literary editor, Nature writer, Non-fiction writer, Novelist, Short fiction writer, Translator, Travel writer
Available for:
Collaboration, Editing, Festivals and other events, Ghostwriting, Judging, Lecturing and teaching, Live readings and performances, Media, Mentoring, Proofreading, Public speaking, Reader reports, Residencies, School visits, Translation, Workshops

My writing navigates the emotional terrains of identity, place, trauma, and belonging, in a cerebral yet sensual tone that is at times lyrical, at times realistic and rebellious – but always authentic. 

This is my manifesto, my writer’s decalogue:

I write stories you can live in. Writing, for me, is an architecture of emotion and thought. Let us explore that edifice.
I write to articulate the world – constantly deconstructing and reconstructing to arrive at the essence of what it is to be human.
I write to create beauty. To enrich the reader’s experience. Writing needs to enchant, mesmerize, and allow us to partake of each other.
I strive to create immersive texts that are as akin to ‘texture’ (i.e. embodied experience) as possible.
I play with expectations and turn them on their head. By proving my narrative unreliable, I make you wonder about the nature of reality, frames of perception and stories in general.
I aim for catharsis, not pedagogy. Seduction; not didacticism. Art is not a thesis, nor is it a dissertation. Questions are better than answers.
I probe the dark corners of the human psyche. I honor the complex psychologies of my characters, the messiness and liminality of the human condition.
Writing is shamanism and invocation, exorcism and trance. Nevertheless, I remain fully aware that the fiction writer is at best a dream-weaver. At worst, (s)he’s a serial liar trying to get to the truth. I keep that in mind whenever I’m tempted to proclaim mine in ALL CAPS.
I write about what moves me and do so in a cinematic way. I play with form and style but stay true to my voice. Less is more.
I write at the intersection of commercial and literary fiction. Not theory, in which literature smugly references itself, but accessible texts about life as I encounter it; about what life feels like.