trans writers network

Writing network run by a tol gay trans

[returnofthejudai]

hi! i'm not jewish, but i do check this blog to read more about antisemitism and how i can help. i'm a writer, and i really want to include a few jewish characters in my stories, but i have no idea how judaism works. do you guys have any resources/opinions/info that might be helpful to me? i'm just looking to present an undeniably jewish POV, but the story doesn't center on the character being jewish. if this is antisemitic in any way, please inform me!

I’d say for basics of Judaism, myjewishlearning is a good website to read with some easy to read but well constructed articles. If you want to go deeper, I strongly recommend reading “Jewish Literacy” by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. 

As far as writing Jews themselves, I strongly suggest that you do the following…1. Follow Jewish blogs on tumblr, not just Jewish-THEMED blogs, but blogs by actual Jews based on their actual lives. Understand that at our core we are people just like anyone else. We have our specific religion and culture, but we also do things everyone else does. We balance it VERY differently between our communities. 

2. Read books by Jewish authors with Jewish characters. They don’t have to be books ABOUT Judaism. Just books from Jewish voices about Jewish lives. And get a diversity of them. Read books by Jewish men and women. Read books written by Jews from different continents. Read books by those born Jewish and those who have chosen to become Jewish. Learn what is universal and specific about Jewish experience.

3. Follow Jewish news sources and read Jewish journalists.

[smalljewishgirl]

I would also recommend checking out the blog @writingwithcolor where there’s lots of advice on writing Jewish characters, stereotypes to avoid etc (just search the blog), given by Jewish people including the wonderful @shiraglassman

[shiraglassman]

Thank you, @smalljewishgirl. Anon, yes, I strongly recommend you check out the Judaism and Jewish tags on @writingwithcolor as we put a lot of work into answering the very type of questions you might likely have. There’s even one about “What are some basic things about negative tropes you should know before writing Jewish characters.” Plus, I just answered eight questions from the winter backlog so they’ll be posted some time in the next week or so.

@returnofthejudai is right about reading Jewish fiction. Here’s my recs list with a ton of fiction from various genres including graphic novels.

BTW, Anon: “i have no idea how judaism works” and “i’m just looking to present an undeniably jewish POV” are a teeny bit incompatible – creating a believably Jewish character is a good goal, but presenting a Jewish point of view might be a bit difficult, for now. Hope the WWC posts help!

[wiisaakodewinini]

Ominous statement generator

Birth Month:

Jan - The weathered bone

Feb - The stained glass window

Mar - A wolf’s howl

Apr - The fog on the moors

May - The sanctuary of the abandoned cathedral

June - The bloodied locket

July - A scream from within the forest

Aug - The churning sea

Sept - The fire’s last embers

Oct - An old clocktower

Nov - A mountain’s wind

Dec - A saint’s weeping

Color of The Top You’re Wearing*:

Red - smells strongly of flesh and rot.

Orange - is set afire when you look toward it.

Yellow - causes a ringing in your head that grows as you approach it.

Green - offers to make a pact.

Blue - demands a sacrifice.

Violet - causes blood to drip from your eyes.

White - whispers hymns of the old gods gently in your ears.

Grey - hums with grief.

Black - pardons you of your sins.

*if patterned/multicolored, choose the closest base colour, or most prominent.

based off this post

[fremlin]

I published a short story on suicide prevention, and 100% of the profit will be donated to the Trevor Project.

You can find it here. It will be available for purchase in a few days, I think.  It costs $2.99 (the price of a small cup of coffee), and that leaves $2.09 to be donated after the retailers take their share. 

I’m transgender. I’m suicidal and seriously depressed. The Trevor Project was there for me when I thought no one else was. The Trevor Project provided education for me and my family when we needed it most. 

If there hadn’t been someone for me to cry to on the other end of that hotline, I wouldn’t be here right now to live a better life. I want to make sure that my LGBT+ siblings have the option to survive to see that better life for themselves.

I want to make a difference, so I’ve done the one thing I know how to do: write. And if I can make money from my writing, I can donate it to an organization that’s helped me and will help others in a similar situation. 

Plus, I think I’ve written a pretty good story. 

I’d really appreciate it if you all could spread this around. Not only will you be helping an aspiring writer, but you’ll be helping save the precious lives of LGBT+ youth. 

[redportrait]

poet ask meme

a. what other poets style do you emulate the most?

b. do you write with too much imagery or too little?

c. write four poems in one day or go three weeks without writing anything?

d. do you have your poetry organized or are you more likely to write half a stanza on a one dollar bill and then spend it by accident?

e. bird imagery or ocean imagery?

f. what was the last poem that you loved?

g. do you write about people or landscapes?

h. dreams or real events?

i. who do you write for?

j. what is the worst thing about your writing? what is the best?

k. what’s the best line you’ve ever written?

l. how much do you edit a piece before you consider it complete?

m. how long does it take you to write a poem?

n. ghosts or angels?

o. god or sunlight?

p. soft or harsh?

q. safety or happiness?

r. how long have you been writing?

s. who is your favourite poet? you have to pick just one.

t. what is your favourite line of poetry?

u. would you be okay with never being well known?

v. slow or frantic?

w. what colour is your poetry?

x. who, if anyone, do you send your new poems to?

y. is your poetry light or dark?

z. write a couplet (a short poem with just two lines) about pulse points.

[virgoprivilege]

hey just a wee thing if you’re an aspiring creator of historical fiction like moi

if you’ve ever sat down to write your story and thought ‘ok but what is the historical backdrop for these characters on this particular month, or this day, in this country, in this city’

the british newspaper archive [link] has literally millions of archived newspaper pages going all the way back to the 1700s

so if you’re like me and thinking ‘ok but what was going on in edinburgh in may 1914??’ this archive has got you covered, pal

[heroes-get-made-deactivated2022]

Some ideas for bad things that are white/light:

lightning, very hot fire

snow storms, ice, frost on crops

some types of fungus/mold

corpses, ghosts, bones, a diseased person

clothing, skin tone, hair, etc. of a bad person

fur, teeth, eyes of an attacking animal/monster

bleached out deserts, dead trees, lifeless places

poison

Some ideas for good things that are black/dark:

rich earth/soil

chocolate, truffles, wine, cooked meat

friendly animals/pets/creatures

a character’s favorite vehicle, technology, coat, etc.

a pleasant night

hair, skin tone, clothing, etc. of a good person

undisturbed water of a lake

the case/container of something important

valued wood, furniture, art

velvet

Think to burn, to infect, to bleach vs. to enrich, to protect, to be of substance.

[noseforahtwo]

*slams reblog like the fist of an angry god*

the politics of light and dark are everywhere in our vocabulary…psa to writers: subvert this, reveal whiteness and lightness as sometimes artificial and violent, and darkness as healing, the unknown as natural

[attractthecrows]

“The truth finds more comfort in the dark”

[legit-writing-tips]

Slang Resources

Since I had an earlier ask about slang, I thought I’d pull together a few resources:

Historical Dictionary of American Slang - allows you to search by year

Slang Terms for Sex (And Related F*ckery) - Bow chicka wah wah

Medieval Slang Terms and Terminology - PDF File (Use these sparingly)

Shakespearean Slang and Sexual Language

Elizabethan Slang and Terminology

Victorian Slang Terms - Again, use sparingly

1700s UK Slang Terminology

Military Slang (Revolutionary War Era)

Slang From Colonial America

Civil War Era Slang

1920s Slang

Great Depression Era Slang

1940s Slang

1950s Slang

1960s Slang

1970s Slang

1980s Slang

1990s Slang

[illuminosity]

writing ask game

made for novels, but can be used for fanfiction or other types of writing!

describe the plot in 1 sentence.

pick one sight, smell, sound, feel, and taste to describe the aesthetic of your novel.

which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

what’s the time period and location in which the novel takes place?

is this a standalone or a part in a series?

are there any former titles you’ve considered but discarded?

how many times does the word ____ appear in the novel?

what’s the first line that comes up when you search _____?

what’s the first line of your novel?

what’s a line of dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

who are your character faceclaims?

sort your characters into harry potter houses!

which character’s name do you like the most?

describe each character’s daily outfit.

do any characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

pick a color to represent each character.

pick a font to represent each character.

which character most fits a character trope? which trope?

which character is the best writer? worst?

which character is the best liar? worst?

which character swears the most? least?

which character has the best handwriting? worst?

which character is most like you? least like you?

which character would you most like to be?

[taitalagi]

here’s a list of books that have lgbtqa main characters that weren’t killed for shock value :)))) (bc we’ve all been disappointed enough this year)

* = adult or new adult lit

the engelsfors trilogy by sara elfgren and mats strandberg (the lgbtqa witches trilogy we all deserve)

more than this by patrick ness

the foxhole court by nora sakavic*

everything leads to you by nina lacour

the rest of us just live here by patrick ness

proxy by alex london

fan art by sarah tregay

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of universe by benjamin alire saenz

the mortal instruments by cassandra clare

unspoken by sarah rees brennan

the turn of the story by sarah rees brennan

i’ll give you the sun by jandy nelson

carry on by rainbow rowell

the darkest part of the forest by holly black

how to repair a mechanical heart by j.c lillis

simon vs the homosapiens agenda by becky albertalli

far from you by tess sharpe (lesbian character dies before the book which sets the plot in motion, bi mc)

captive prince by cs pacat*

know not why by hannah johnson*

the gods of gotham by lyndsay faye*

him by elle kennedy and sarina bowen*

the understatement of the year by sarina bowen*

the nightrunner series by lynn flewelling*

[foxxway]

 the scorpion rules by erin bow

the abyss surrounds us by emily skrutskie

willful machines by tim floreen

clancy of the undertow by christopher currie

we are the ants by shaun hutchinson ( mc’s boyfriend died before the book starts so it’s not all happiness but it’s worth it)

tell me again how a crush should feel by sara farizan

grasshopper jungle by andrew smith

what we left behind by robin talley*

the flywheel by erin gough

ash by malinda lo

huntress by malinda lo

adaptation by malinda lo

lies we tell ourselves by robin talley

two boys kissing by david levithan

ask the passengers by a.s. king

the miseducation of cameron post by emily m. danforth

boy meets boy by david levithan

beauty queens by libba bray (multiple POVs, 2+ are lgbt)

more happy than not by adam silvera (no one dies but beware the not-so-happy ending. it’s not a bad ending, just not a very happy one either)

just thought i’d add some…

[halfwayspokenheart]

not many but i can’t recommend them enough

radio silence by alice oseman

the abyss surrounds us by emily skrutskie

[existentiallyqueers-deactivated]

fingersmith by sarah waters*

afterworlds by scott westerfeld

the heroes of olympus by rick riordan

silhouette of a sparrow by molly beth griffin

otherbound by corrine duyvis

the shadow campaigns by django wexler* (okay i’m about a third of the way through book three and neither of the main lesbians have died yet and i’m keeping my fingers crossed with this one because it’s been GREAT so far but even then it still has two books left to go)

[prokopetz]

Instead of saying [common, perfectly serviceable word] when you write, why not try one of the following synonyms?

[wildly differing connotation]

[five syllables where one will do]

[tonally dissonant formalism]

[misunderstood medical term]

[word that hasn’t been in regular use since the 1700s]

[actual typo]

[shakespork]

Hemingway is a writing checker that is absolutely brilliant.

checks all spellings for you

checks if you’re over-using adverbs

picks out over-complicated sentences

suggests replacements for over-complicated phrases

picks out the passive voice

tells you how readable your text is (Grades/College level/etc)

calculates reading time

USE IT. USE IT FOR YOUR FANFICS. USE IT FOR YOUR PAPERS. IT WILL SAVE. YOUR. LIFE.

[youngbadmanbrown-deactivated201]

!?!?!?

[prinxely-archive]

[theclonewriter-blog]

“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.

[onewordtest]

“Unless you are following the dialogue with an action and not a dialogue tag.” He took a deep breath and sat back down after making the clarifying statement. 

[joehywheelah]

“However,” she added, shifting in her seat, “it’s appropriate to use a comma if there’s action in the middle of a sentence.”

[tenoko1]

“True.” She glanced at the others. “You can also end with a period if you include an action between two separate statements.”

[cj-amused]

Things I didn’t know

[prismatic-bell]

“And–” she waved a pen as though to underline her statement–“if you’re interrupting a sentence with an action, you need to type two hyphens to make an en-dash.”

[jawnwats-deactivated20160713]

You guys have no idea how many students in my advanced fiction workshop didn’t know any of this when writing their stories.

[avilonaflammory]

This is the most enlightening post ever

[angry-eevee]

when people defend the “Cis white guy is default” thing like “He’s meant to be an everyman we can all relate to and project on!” kindly remind them the largest ethnic group in the WORLD is Han Chinese and the highest gender percentage fluctuates so if you want an ACTUAL  “default” you want a 40 year old chinese person whose gender changes from year to year.  

[galren]

#give us the middle-aged gender fluid Chinese protagonist that we can all relate to and project on (via @mr-and-mr-pavus)

[watermusical]

mango

Prompt:

A station wagon A house with a leaky roof A half knit baby blanket A mango

Remember when we were in the 7th grade and we wanted to travel the world?

When now was as distant a fantasy as the stories tucked deep into our minds, When bits of string coiled into a promise might has well have been an unbreakable vow? They called us fruit because we were always in a bunch– I was sour and she was bitter and you were sweet and ever-ripe. We argued, said we’d never grow into these names, but they were so sure that they knew better. And you know what? They were right.

We were half knit dreams tangled with each other and the headphones in our backpacks, Dropped stitches triangulated into a future that could-have-been. We were children, so anything we made was tossed aside as a fantasy All our shoes were baby shoes–never worn because they were too busy being disassembled for parts

We were constructionist–we took what was given to us nodded politely and plotted our revenge. You were always the biggest dreamer with the loudest screams in the pack, Saying crazy things you’d grow up to be in an age when we couldn’t think past seventeen Giving us a metric: If she was to dream for the stars day in and day out, We’d have to at least gaze into them once in awhile. And you know what? You were right.

And one day you sat us down and you said, Once we graduate, let’s rent out an old station wagon and travel the world. And let’s shed our skin in each new town and find ourselves within the costumes we wear. Let’s give the world something to talk about. Let’s give them something to live for.

And the next day you left with your family. Nonsense and missteps dripped from your shoulders You left for a land immortalized in drudgery and boredom. And we all forgot about the day before, when the heavens were not a limit But merely a metric for how far we’d gone. And a baby shoe became a baby shoe. And a leaky roof became a leaky roof, Instead of a start of an adventure.

None of us knew how to drive but we knew we would eventually. (I still don’t. You learned immediately, as if this was a prophecy you needed to fulfill). And above all, despite everything, through what we couldn’t possibly comprehend, We knew the following: We would grow to an age we then considered Adult. And we would still be a bunch. And we would still dream to the sky. And we would still long, deep within ourselves, for the same silly things we longed for in the 7th grade, when the now we live today was as far away as Dorothy’s Oz When the you we knew were as close as Kansas.

(And you know what? We were right.)

[watermusical]

A Study in Synesthesia

1

There is irony here. It’s implicit, in this attempt to evaluate what is inherently intimate, What may not be interpreted by an incomer At least, not interpreted well. Pale shimmers of syllables seen solely by one; A brilliant idea, or ill-conceived inanity?

2

Quixotic. God, I want it, but it’s quelled. Amidst fearful fidgets, persnickety pizzazz Quintessential, yes, but juxtaposed. Against hoards of disentangled dissidents. Frippery and fop, freewheeling, fun. Different. Frankly, I’m flummoxed. By how perfectly poised, yet predisposed to disregard are my peers. By how skittish, shrinking, shy am I.

3

Sordid scandals of silk and surmise Sacrilegious sacrifice for a sumptuous surprise Serenity? In this economy? Superstition parts for sensation, Stepping on cracks to satisfy the impulse. In summary, my seraglio is in the summery. Up on scaffoldings, in the sun, A pastiche of sex and self-esteem, Dangling snake-limbs for the sense, the stimulation. A panchaea of superfluous satisfaction.

4

Metagenesis: the blooming backlash of the faint of heart Hesitation in flora to devote to a doctrine, Magnifying (magnificently!) by means of generational flipping and flopping. How gloriously the most gentle of germs dedicates genome to doubt, Dividing and multiplying parthenogenetically on Mondays, and from gametes to growth by Friday.

5

Abracadabra! Restrained alliteration makes way for rhetorical rambunctiousness. Unravel the riddle, and what do we uncover? That the act isn’t yet up. We revel in ambiguity, the rabble in uncertainty, As the ragtag rapscallions we Resurrect antediluvian arts for your amusement. Appreciate it yet? Rather rest by rivers, riparian rippling? Or adopt with us the absurd?

6

Your lachrymose limbs, broken and lacking, Occupy worlds invisible, in which licentious bacteria breathe. Bioluminescence blooms in our veins, Lives of vivacity and vigor live within our bones. Our blood once lured beasts obsolete, Orchestrated opulence in vessels of power. Our molecules occurred at the beginning of the world, And will leave only at its last word.

7

This nacreous kind of violence– Tantalizing treacle turning noxious on the tongue Never to be noticed, not truly, not in time Till chamberlains turn to a torrid cacophony of venom. It is kismet for those to turn to cinders, Once verbalized complaints are created, But temper is tricky, and conduct, all too commonplace To take note of these contrived corpses.

8

Effervescent Understanding Understanding, uncommon, unassuming An erstwhile umbrella, under which you may harbour, Under which you may rest. An effervescent doze. Anon, a fortress, for the meek for a week. Protected from misanthropes until the end. Understanding. Efflorescence.

9

An instance of wake within lethargy Iridescence on the edges of life, isolated not from life or limb entirely. Weaving, waving, etching imagination onto sentience, illumination onto the veil An invented impression interrupted by lucidity Lucidity injected with a wistful wish

0

Zigzagging betwixt void and zenyth Words omitted to the zenzizenzizenzic Zealots implore:

[themidwifeisin]

#transdayofrememberance #holdingyouinthelight #sendingyoulove

Illustration by @crown-of-crows-art

[blahwriterblahogjdis]

a piece i wrote today