Writing Resource Archive

An archive of a collection of writing resources I've discovered

[fictionwriterthingss]

So you want to write a deaf/HoH character

Photo © Durgesh Kumar, all rights reserved

Admittedly, this isn’t something I’ve done myself. I’ve never written a deaf or hard of hearing character, but I’ve had people ask in a Discord server I’m in “hey, does anyone have any resources on how to write a character that is deaf or hard of hearing?” and I took the chance to find some resources for them – ones that turned out to be pretty valuable, and that I want to share here. 

I love when people include disabilities in their writing, whether visible or invisible. To me, it makes the characters feel more alive and adds another layer of depth to who they are as a person, even though they’re… not real. Adding that aspect to characters gives something for a group of readers to relate to, and can help them feel seen where they might not be seen otherwise. 

It can be difficult to write about a disability that you yourself have never experienced, and with the fact that you haven’t experienced said disability is something that can lead to stigmas and stereotypes that aren’t necessarily accurate, especially if you’ve only viewed what outside media has shown you, or what you’ve observed in public settings. Research is so important for topics like this, especially to find resources from people who do experience it on a daily basis, whether it’s something that has developed over time, or something that they were born with.

Without further ado, the resources I’ve discovered.

https://www.tfrohock.com/blog/2016/9/12/writing-deaf-characters - this blog by T. Frohock is very to the point. She begins by saying she doesn’t normally write “how-to’s”, but this one is an exception, and works to provide her own experiences, open about the fact she uses a cochlear implant to hear those around her – or not hear, if she chooses to “turn you off” in her “about” on her blog. She gives a short overview of types of hearing loss, and communication, and also recommends reaching out to an audiologist to learn more about the types of hearing loss. She also gives two links to .org websites if you’re looking for sources. She’s also written two companion pieces to this initial post. The first one is for hearing authors, and the second is about sensitivity readers. I’ve linked both of these in this section, so check them out as well if you’d like a more in-depth look at T. Frohock’s advice.

https://www.sfwa.org/2021/03/23/how-to-write-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing-characters/ - this post by Melanie Ashford on the sfwa website gives a good guide on how to approach deaf/hoh characters. Melanie herself is a hard of hearing author, so her advice is profound and solid, as she is a primary source on how to approach writing these characters. She makes a point in her introduction to say she’s been using hearing aids for 4 years (at the time of posting the article in 2021) and reminds the reader that everyone experiences hearing loss differently, and has different feelings about auditory assistance devices, such as the cochlear implants and how many people in the Deaf community believe them to be controversial and unwanted. She references the social stigma surrounding the Deaf community, and also reminds the reader that deaf characters should be just as well rounded as hearing ones. Though her article isn’t in depth, it’s a great guideline to follow.

https://www.tumblr.com/concerningwolves/168567651639/writing-deaf-characters-speech-is-speech - tumblr user concerningwolves posted this in 2017, and with more than 19,000 likes and nearly 14,000 reblogs, it’s a valuable resource for those who want to write HoH characters. Though a tad aggressive, concerningwolves makes it a point to be, well, to the point and separates their post into two separate posts. I’ve yet to find the second one, and honestly, digging through 7 years of blog posts to find the second one is a little overwhelming, but even this one post is a goldmine of do’s and don’t’s for this particular community.

https://deafaq.tumblr.com/post/190549529559/comprehensive-guide-to-writing-deaf-characters - deafaq on tumblr has a comprehensive guide to writing deaf/HoH characters. This blog in itself is not meant to be for writing help, but they had gotten enough questions about it to make this post back in 2020. Compared to concerningwolves’s tumblr post, this one has less than 2,000 likes but is still full of good and valuable information for the reader.

[fictionwriterthingss]

So you want to write a kidfic

Photo © Douglas Fernandes dos Anjos, all rights reserved

Kidfic, by definition, is a story which focuses on a character, and possibly his or her partner(s), raising a child or children. 

What’s so difficult about writing kidfic? Well, nothing, really… if you happen to have children, or spend time around them, such as for babysitting or having a younger sibling, niece, or nephew. For writers without children in their lives, writing kidfic can be a challenge. For the purpose of this post, we’re going to assume that you, the reader, know little to nothing about children – even if you do, just… go with me here. I promise, there’s a method to my madness. 

With kidfic, as I’ve said, there are different challenges to face, including milestones and behaviors. People who have children tend to know what kind of milestones their children should be meeting and when, thanks to parenting books – but as writers, we’re not going to run out and buy the first parenting book we can get our hands on, are we? We don’t have children of our own, and then there’s that expectation from the cashier that hey, maybe you’re expecting a new addition to your family, and you don’t really want to explain to them that you’re not and this is all for research, right?

So to save you some time and money, you turn to Google, and Google can be a great resource. Heck, I use it all the time to find out things I need to, and share it with other people that may benefit from the knowledge that I’ve gained. You know… like this blog, for instance. 

Back in 2021, I wrote my first kidfic, and I gained a ton of knowledge and experience in writing them to where I have quite a few planned now. While I personally don’t plan to have children in the future, as it’s just something I don’t feel I’m suited for or comfortable with, I think it’s such a neat way to explore family dynamics and how they change. So, here are some of my most valued resources from 2021, when I was writing my first kidfic.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html - The CDC was a great resource for me with milestones, as this is a government-regulated site with information gathered and fact-checked via multiple, licensed doctors and pediatricians. The CDC website has milestones for the age of 2 months to 5 years, including when babies start to sit up, crawl, speak, eat solids, when they begin speaking full sentences, begin reading, etc. It’s a plethora of wonderful information that is a highly credible source. I solely used this while writing, because my main character had twin toddlers that were a year and a half at the beginning of the story – and the last time I had dealt with a one and a half year old was when I was 15.

https://thenovelsmithy.com/how-to-write-child-characters/ - The Novel Smithy is another blog, though with its own domain address. The Novel Smithy focuses on how to write realistic characters, and what the problem is when adults try to write a child character. Lewis, the author of the article, highlights the importance of perspective for writing child characters, and offers 5 tips on how to write them realistically. I particularly enjoyed how he displays and uses what he calls “jar diagrams” to show how a child might react in a situation, and the level of tolerance said child might have for a situation.

https://allwritealright.com/a-guide-to-writing-child-characters-authentically/ - All Write Alright is another blog with its own domain address. In this one, Jules, the author of the blog, separates the contents into age groups, with “Think, Speak, Behave” topic headings for each group, beginning with toddlers and ending with characters in their late teens. Jules does a great job of highlighting the importance of individuality, all while generalizing an age group into an easy to comprehend guide on “how to” in writing children and young adults in an authentic way.

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-write-child-characters/ - Helping Writers Become Authors is another one of those blogs with their own domains. Written by author K.M. Weiland, this site is more of a do’s and don’t’s of writing child characters, highlighted with examples of child character tropes throughout history, such as Shirley Temple and Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, and the difference in the way their characters were written. Now, while Weiland’s do’s and don’t’s aren’t a rulebook, it can be a helpful guide in how to or how to not exaggerate a child character’s personality.