A love for craft.
Honing House was started by me, Daniel J. Cecil. An American living in The Netherlands, I chose the name Honing House for its dual meaning when translated between English and Dutch.
In English, “honing” is the act of refining or perfecting something over time, which reminded me of the dedication and patience necessary to become a great writer.
In Dutch, “honing” means honey. Naturally, honey evokes thoughts of sweetness and warmth, but also the hive and the community that thrives there. I felt honey represented exactly what I’m trying to create at Honing House — a buzz around literature and how it’s created.
A little about me. I’ve worked as a professional writer for over 13 years as both artist and copywriter. My work has appeared in numerous publications including The Rumpus, The Heavy Feather Review, The LA Review of Books, Barrelhouse, the Plant, and The Stranger, among others. My first novel was recently long-listed for the Dzanc Fiction Prize, and my work has been nominated for a Pushcart and received the support of several residencies.
I came to teaching through my own studies of fiction. Interested in developing my skills, I went to graduate school for a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle. There, as part of my studies and funding, I was given an opportunity to teach fiction. Over five years of teaching, both during and beyond my studies, I worked with hundreds of students, helping them find their footing while writing their first stories, but also helping more advanced students refine their voice.
What I found as a teacher was a calling, but also a state of being. I think empathy is at the heart of great fiction, and it leads the way I approach teaching it. Anyone can learn to write well if given the support they need, but offering dogmatic rules for composition stifles the natural creativity that being true to oneself brings. That’s why my pedagogy is based on conversation, active listening, and collaboration, so that both I and my student can come to an understanding about the best approaches towards developing their work, and finding the direction they were destined to go.
I started Honing House to create a learning space where that kind of creative freedom and empathetic encouragement can thrive, and to further build on the incredible literary community here in Amsterdam (and globally). In addition to Honing House, I teach travel writing at Emerson University at their Limburg campus here in the Netherlands.
Literature helps make the world a better place. Let’s work on this great writing project together.