Great question. I'm actually working on a MA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University, and I'll graduate in June. My thesis is a horror novel approx 80,000. In the space of 18 months, I completed two drafts. I started my second revision (third draft) last night.
Did the transition from coder to novelist come as a result of laborious study and training(professional/self), or did you employ some other strategy?
Writing is less about studying and more about practicing. You can read all the books you want, but the fact is that reading a book about writing is not going make you a better writing. It's not like learning how to code where you can develop your skills by studying a book. I found my best textbooks are current popular novels. Study those, not the how-to books. That's like studying the sample code, seeing how something actually works as opposed to having it described to you.
I have only one book to suggest: On Writing, by <PERSON>.
Only writing will make you a better writer. Write something. 873
Revise it. Share it. Accept any feedback with open arms. It'll suck, it always does the first time, so write something else. And then something else.
If you can, find a local writer's workshop. If you can't find a local one, then check online next. I strongly suggest finding an in-person group, as you'll get a lot more out of person-to-person interaction than in getting comments through email.
What characteristics of the coder mind-set lend themselves to writing fiction well, and which ones are a hindrance?
If you list out the characteristics (don't assume we all share the same list), then I can comment on them.
Are there any habits or "mind hacks" that you can recommend for getting the coder mind in shape to do serious fiction writing?
The only habit to develop is to sit and write every day. Start small. Take a page from The Pomodoro Technique. I use Focus Booster and work in 25 minute stretches with 5 minute breaks between. I write about 90 minutes every night. 487