Rowan Cross

24 | he/they | 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Author and chronic gay romance enjoyer. Working on my first book. In the meantime please enjoy my book and writing centric blog!

[creatingblackcharacters]

I'm gonna say this, and it's gonna spark a defensive reaction within some of you, but I need you to listen to me and let it sit for a moment before I explain further. It is not a personal stain against your morality.

From both my experience reading works by white writers, and my experience running this blog, I have come to the conclusion that many white writers are too used to relying on Whiteness being understood as the default experience of both your characters and your readers, and it makes you weaker writers with weaker technique overall.

[creatingblackcharacters]

One thought I find myself having often is "well, what do you do for your white characters?" I've grown to understand... Many of you don't 😅 you don't actually understand or apply character design techniques because it is Assumed™ that the reader understands- that the reader has the white gaze. It doesn't need to be Said that your character is white, and will do familiar white things. It is Assumed™ that white characters fall under the Magicking It Away rules automatically, while Black characters have to have reality applied to them first. You don't actually have to... Well, write.

The brilliant Toni Morrison explained this in an interview of hers (here's another; watch her doc!!!) that there's this assumption that one's readers are white. So when she would purposefully- and there's a difference!- write stories for the Black gaze, that certain things didn't have to be explained because we Understood, it would get frustrating for white readers. They felt left out, unappealed to, hurt.

And yet, that's standard fare- and everyone's not writing such specific stories like Toni! To be "fair", we did understand y'all. We had to. But those same techniques, both in writing and in media consumption, I believe are atrophied from white viewers ("I don't watch this because I don't relate!" Or projection of ones own identity into Black characters to be "relatable") because it's not Socially Required for you to apply them.

It's why I'm always telling y'all to study Black creations about Black people. Writing is a craft, and a craft has to be honed!! You have to practice!! I had a whole lesson on this and I feel like everyone glossed over it lmao. I promise it'll make your writing of EVERY character better overall. 🙏🏾

[rainintheevening]

Okay, we got a new one, boys.

[pangur-and-grim]

it’s interesting how upset some people have gotten over negative things like homophobia and fatphobia being present in my writing. unfortunately I’ve had a life where those have been huge, shaping factors, and I like to talk about it. I was deeply anorexic for a number of years, and have had friendships and familial relationships deteriorate because of my queerness. being able to say “hey, this exists and it really, really sucks, now watch the fatphobic person get punched by a dragon” is kinda just what works for me, personally. I have a lot of feelings with nowhere else to put them, so my writing is always going to cater to my own catharsis.

[pangur-and-grim]

[pangur-and-grim]

I also want to push back against the idea that you can depict negative things like bigotry, so long as you also depict it being punished. there’s no Hays Code, and your story shouldn't have to be a children's fable with a moral lesson.

there's another book I've written that draws a lot from my own life (including verbatim conversations), and in it, not all the people with -isms get punished. some go on to live happy fulfilled lives, unaware of the damage they've sown, because that's often how it goes in real life. you're aware of the damage because you're inside the main character's head, and can you see how they've been affected, but that's it. no bigots getting punched by dragons this time. just one person learning how to live in a flawed society.

[jfkadultcircumcision]

historical aus i really think we should consider more in fandom:

construction of the hoover dam

arctic expedition

moby dick

prohibition but they’re not bootleggers or anything just regular people and it’s prohibition

labor organizers during the early 20th century

that part of the 70s where people were just hijacking planes and defecting to cuba all the time

[sing-you-fools]

me: this is a background character who's in one scene, has two lines, and is completely irrelevant to the rest of the story. i am going to stop obsessing over what to name him and use the random name generator on behindthename.com. i am going to accept the first thing it gives me and move the fuck on.

behindthename.com:

[makingqueerhistory]

How to Write Erotica

Rachel Kramer Bussel

Listen to Audiobook

Learn the ropes of erotic writing from the renowned erotica maven herself, Rachel Kramer Bussel!

Have you had intimate fantasies or simmering plotlines you’ve wanted to write but weren’t sure how or where to start? Let renowned erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel show you how to turn those fragments into fully fleshed out erotic stories, novellas and novels. In this indispensable nonfiction craft guide, Bussel takes her 20+ years of experience in the genre and walks writers through the ins and outs of erotic writing. Whether you want to see your work on the shelves of bookstores, pen sexy stories or letters for a partner or simply explore your creativity, How to Write Erotica will put you on the path to becoming the next Anaïs Nin! Having taught erotic writing workshops at universities, conferences and sex toy stores across the world and online, Bussel knows how to make even those who blush at the word “sex” feel comfortable putting pen to paper. Her easy-to-follow method to penning erotica is broken down utilizing helpful tactics that include:

Practical examples from her own writing process

Erotica excerpts

Interviews with over a dozen successful erotica authors

Numerous writing tips and prompts

Aspiring erotic authors of all genders will learn everything they need to know about gaining inspiration from their everyday surroundings, breaking into publishing, promoting their work and making a name for themselves. From pseudonyms to BDSM, overcoming writer’s block and crafting sultry, believable characters, Bussel’s advice will have you seeing erotic possibilities everywhere. You don’t need an advanced degree, previous writing experience or sexual experience to write good erotica. All you need is a keen imagination and a willingness to follow your lusty mind wherever it takes you.

(Affiliate links above)

[moonshinemagpie]

Everyone: Please please please don't write your books in Google Docs. Frankly don't use Google Drive for personal stuff.

Their terms of service say they take down stuff like content related to terrorism and trafficking, but this Google Sheet was literally a list of movies I'd watched this year and books I'd read.

[moonshinemagpie]

Holy smokes, guys. It's way worse than I thought. Google actually took away access to every single file of fiction writing I'd made on that account. BUT I backed it all up on Scrivener yesterday by coincidence. So I haven't lost my work, but I could have just lost the 12,000 words I've written this month after a year of really intense writer's block. I honestly don't know what that would have done to my psyche.

Please be careful out there, folks! <3

[aerialworms]

That is awful! If you're looking for a gdocs-like replacement, Ellipsus @ellipsus-writes is a queer friendly, anti-AI equivalent with online syncing and sharing - I've been using it for almost a year now as a replacement for gdocs and absolutely love it.

I do still back up all my work to local storage on LibreOffice too though, thank goodness you backed up to Scrivener OP!

[the-bar-sinister]

That's it, I'm done. I'm downloading all my gdocs and not using it any more.

[youvereachedthevoid]

👀 Lamb, Stag & Wolf is officially out in the world!

You can find the ebook on itchio & both the ebook & paperback through most preferred retailers (most = no ebook on amazon)!

***

Sanctimonious, hypocritical, manipulative—Shelby Blackwood is a priest of the worst sort. To keep his secluded little village peaceful, he’s learned to carefully balance preaching of faith and fear. Ives Thatcher, the reclusive woodsman at the edge of the forest, has neither; the villagers are not pleased. But converting Thatcher proves to be easier said than done when Shelby discovers there is something far more unnatural about him than his pagan ways, and Shelby can’t help himself from being tempted by the large man’s power and allure. Worse still, there’s a newcomer in town, and her curiosity and defiant personality may not just jeopardize Shelby’s secret, but the sanctity of the very system he’s worked to maintain.

Available now at your favorite digital store!

Lamb, Stag & Wolf by Airic Fenn

Lamb, Stag & Wolf by Airic Fenn

A priest. A woodsman. A secluded mountain village.

[makingqueerhistory]

I talk a lot about using your local library, and as a person with a fantastic local library, I am privileged in that push. Unfortunately, it has become apparent in the new year that the budget for audiobooks has shifted. Whether due to inflation, changes in funding, or something else, my local library has not been buying as many audiobooks, which affects me as an audiobook reader deeply.

The secondary service I rely on after the library is, without a doubt, Libro.fm. So, if you want to help me get access to more books, and also enjoy an audiobook service I genuinely believe in, check out my referral link. If you use it, I get credits, which I use to expand my digital library when the library rejects my suggestions.

Here is my referral link:

Buy audiobooks & support local bookstores

Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through local bookstores.

[pangur-and-grim]

I’ve gone insane and started writing a cliche fantasy novel

[pangur-and-grim]

[pangur-and-grim]

it’s three years later, ‘Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die’ is in the copyediting phase and will be published next February, and I am PLEASED TO REPORT that both these lines are still in it

[memorizingthedigitsofpi]

a scene can start wherever you want it to

writing isn't real life. You don't need to set up a character walking into a room or two characters greeting each other and talking about the weather or what-have-you in order to lead into the conversation you actually want them to have. just start at the conversation.

hell, start in the middle of the conversation. you could even start at the end and then have one of them leave and the other one left behind to reflect back on what just happened.

writing gets easier when you open yourself up to writing the parts that are interesting, to starting where it's easy instead of where you think you should start.

if it ends up not working? that's okay. you tried it, and sometimes just getting something out of your head is a necessary first step to getting the words right

[what-even-is-thiss]

I hate I when I get an idea for a novel. Like oh no here starts the slow sad slip n’ slide to dissapointment again.

[what-even-is-thiss]

You ever been 30,000 words and hundreds of research hours into a project when you realize hey wait a minute. I don’t like this. This is bad.

[fassina]

Ok adding to this though that even though it is extremely relatable, this is a KNOWN thing with professional writing. 10k is often referred to as "having a pot boiling" or "having a stew" - it's the point where you often see an idea coming together and it's exciting! But THEN... 30k-50k is the point where that fun has to start coming together. In theatre, it's usually week 3 of a 5 week rehearsal period where you have to stop talking about the play and really get it all up on its feet and cohesive. In art, it's committing to what are going to be the final visible layers of colour and texture, in sculpture the moment where you're truly at the point of no return with carving out the shape.

It usually feels really bad. Because this is the point it becomes real craft. It's so, so difficult to really be able to identify if it's truly not going to be anything or you're just in the hardest part of the process, and really the only way to know is to... write through it. Write it badly. Or, if you really can't, put it in a drawer and come back to it after a few months of breathing space. Remember, you can fix so much in the edit, but you can't fix nothing!

(I say, fully looking at my latest draft of my book and considering throwing it in the bin. But my editor said exactly this to me, so I'm passing it along.)

[tjalexandernyc]

this is 100% true. I've written 6 complete novels at this point and every single time around the 40k mark I feel lost in the woods. Nothing seems to be working. I feel awful; I can't sleep. I keep going even though I'm convinced I'm going to fail. And then... It's like leaving a tunnel and getting back out in the sunshine. Stuff starts coalescing. Things that weren't working have obvious fixes. I "can write" again, except I was writing the whole time. It just felt hopeless in the moment. It's not. You just gotta get out of the woods.

[ariaste]

Ah yes the Slough of Desponds. Professional author with 13 books, and this is normal for me as well. (Checking for tension issues usually helps!)

[sainamoonshine]

Lmao I literally wrote a whole blog post abt it once.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/writing-advice-1-82451675

Writing Advice #1: The 90% project completion Dark Night of the Soul | Marie Blanchet

Get more from Marie Blanchet on Patreon

[weepynymph]

Do not write fanfiction. One second you're normal and the next you're downloading a calendar from 2004 and tearing your hair out over what specific date every event in your fic happens

[galadriel1010]

Sometimes you find yourself checking the full moon dates for 1928 and complaining that the moon had no sense of drama because you wanted a full moon and it was barely a waxing crescent on that date.

[clusterbuck]

someone on twitter is trying to claim that use of an em-dash is an indication of AI-generated writing because it’s “relatively rare” for actual humans to use it. skill issue

[exhuastedpigeon]

I can admit this is a little out of hand, but I promise AI didn't write my 150k fic 😂

[fuctacles]

Reblog if you're a human that uses em-dashes

[alexandraisyes]

I am extremely inconsistent with my dash useage in my writing I fear. Sometimes I have - one. Sometimes I have -- two. And sometimes I have --- three. I do not know the grammar rules about dashes I just put them where I think they go.

[dragoncxv360]

Actually I can answer the grammar aspect of this :D

So, this - is an n dash

This — (or --, two n dashes) is an m dash

N dashes can be used when hyphenating two (or more) words, for example, William-James. They can also be used for like a list of things. Oh! And they also can be used in dialogue when someone is stuttering. Almost forgot that one.

M dashes on the other hand are used in usually two instances that I can think of, abrupt stops in sentences, or in place of commas to add a tangent mid sentence.

So you might have a character talking or thinking and they get interupted or have a sudden realization, so you'd structure it like this:

“I'll come wi—” Solar started but Ruin cut him off with a scathing look.

And you can use it to tack on stuff to a sentence rather than creating a new one, like this:

He usually slept alone, preferring to not disturb his partners with his fitful sleep cycles—especially with how he’d woken up in fight mode more than once, accidentally punching Solar in the face before realizing where he was.

But yeah, that's a lesson in grammar lol, 'cause I love using m dashes and I actually really enjoy learning about grammer, even though you can pry comma splices out of my cold dead hands XD.

Also idk how to do m dashes on a computer but on my phone at least, I just press and hold the dash button and it pops up with three options: ‐ – and —

[sabertoothwalrus]

you can do em dashes (and other special characters, and emojis) on a windows computer by pressing windows + . on your keyboard! I believe the mac equivalent is control + command + spacebar but I cannot confirm.

[ryderdire]

I fucking love repetitive lines that change meaning over a piece of writing yes slay

[andillwriteyouatragedy]

only one more month until my next book, LABYRINTHINE SELF, is released on february 21st, 2025!

and i might explode from excitement in the next thirty-one days, to be honest 💥

[memecucker]

if you’re white and wanna write a poc character and feel awkward about it i implore you to ignore any twitblr stuff treating it as a massive ethical burden and instead come in more with the same mindset you’d have if you wanted to write about idk firefighters but didn’t know anything about firefighters so you do... research. Like fuck off with the weird kinda creepy calls for spiritual introspection you’re not writing about god damn space aliens you’re writing about humans and if you think you need more perspective of different life experiences just read?

[mala-taste]

If I were writing about firefighters I'd also, in addition to just reading about them, take advantage of Our Blessed Internet to ask actual firefighters about how shit works. I'd do the same for a minority I'm not a part of.

I remember when there was this LiveJournal community where you could just ask about anything you needed for your novel - medicine, professions, vehicles, how things function in country X - and people who knew something about that would answer.

We need to bring this back.

[mala-taste]

And apparently just this summer they DID bring it back - it's called Little Details and it's on Dreamwidth!!!!

[alexseanchai]

[crazy-pages]

Remember, a world where everyone stays in their own boxes and only writes about their own narrow demographic is straight up a goal for racists. If you ever find yourself attempting anti-racism so hard you've looped back to "functionally the same thing racists want", stop, take stock, and ask yourself where things went wrong.