#writingwithcolor

[writingwithcolor]

Happy New Year 2025 from WWC

Hello everyone,

Merry, cheery holidays! The WWC team and I have been making many silent strides closer to a writingwithcolor.org.

What we've been up to

While the going has been slow, we've made a lot of progress since raising donations from you guys to go towards a .org, which we've secured ever since. With this support and encouragement, we plan to maintain the blog as a permanent resource.

As for progress and use of donations

Times have been busy and oh, so trying, but we're trying harder. Also, donations (and free time) have been going to good use.

For instance, we've:

Cleaned up (Added, removed, renamed, combined) WWC post tagging for clarity and consistency.

Created mirroring pages on new blog (e.g. navigation, stereotypes and tropes navigation, etc.)

Migrated all blog posts to our standalone blog (4000 some posts)

Maintained the URL ($12 a year, Writingwithcolor.org, hidden from view lately as we get closer to launch, although we've had it redirecting to Tumblr only until recently)

Overall building out blog content on the host site ($15.99 a month)

Next steps are to:

Finalize our theme (The fun part)

Finish blog post cleanup on the migrated posts (WIP!).

More actions at a latter date after publishing

Currently, I have been going through each and every post, one-by-one, to:

Edit, update and refine content

Fix broken links

Improve accessibility, particularly on image-heavy posts

A lot of changed in the world since 2014, so we want even our earliest posts to reflect today's standards or at least note if something is olden days or we have a more helpful post or resource since.

Example of a post on the .org. Final theme and colors not applied yet

Soft launch and new hopeful publish date

This is the end stretch before we have an official SOFT LAUNCH!

We're considering it soft since there are just some things we can't easily correct yet or will just make everything take even longer to wait on. We'll continue to cross-link between here and there as we work on getting it all centralized, though.

But to be clear, as intended, we'll continue to post on tumblr as well as long as it sticks around.

Our new prospective publish date is for Spring 2025, in which we can also re-open to questions, release new guides, invite new members, etc. etc.

But who knows - perhaps we will get a chance to answer some questions in between then.

Thank you and let's catch up!

All of your support and patience has been so appreciated. Thank you for sticking around throughout the extended hiatus. Nonetheless, I do hope our robust depository of existing answers, detailed guides, recommendations, reblogs and so on has been helpful with your creative, professional and academic pursuits.

What have you all been up to? What strides have you made in 2024 and what goals do you have for 2025? Have you published any works? We want to hear it all. Share with us on this post!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2025,

~Colette and WWC team

[ghostofpolaris]

I beg of you please also go read up stuff from @writingwithcolor because they do a FANTASTIC job at providing information and resources too. I cannot express how amazing they are! When I tried getting help to make a Korean name for an OC based on my grandmother (the tldr is that she didn't exactly have a "proper" Korean name by today's standards most likely due to the bastardization of Korean names in America when she immigrated after marrying my grandfather), they did their best to help and I am so thankful to them for that.

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?

[adtheartist]

Hey so, I have some concerns about one of my main characters, Damien. More specifically his hair etc. hence I don't want to write anything that's considered bad or anything (forgot the word mb).

He's black and he's got really bright, technically blond, dyed hair. Because of a lost bet yet liked it that he kept re-dying it (his hair is awful texture because of it) and I was wondering if that is somewhat bad..? I really don't know where I'm going with this, I just want to be sure

[kosovo-omelsisi]

Hiiiiii,

I need some research help.

I'm writing a fantasy western novel and one of the characters is meant to be a black lesbian character who presents herself as male(primarily as a disguise to work as a bounty hunter/merc[also character things]).

He/She(they primarily go by he/him) would have a black Georgia accent, I would like to do the character and representation justice and I only moved to the states about three years ago and haven't had the chance to go to the south. I've found plenty resources showcasing white accents from that period but resources for black people are a lot more scarce. So I'm really just asking if anyone could point towards where to look where to look I'd be very grateful.

[mystia09]

Hi!

I am so Glad I found this blog! I want to write a character who originates from Brésil but was born in Canada!

CONTEXT : I'm writing a suspense/horror book set in Québec, Canada (my home town) it's in french (my first language) and this character is the neighbor who is a close friend to the father of one of the main characters. He is the first one he comes to when the protagonist disapears. He saw the girls run into the woods that night. He lives with his wife and they don't have kids. He is a retired doctor. The neighbor is the confident of the parents of the protagonist.

In the story there is an old legend : the woods are haunted, there is an evil spirit that lives in the dog who lures victims to their death by showing them what they désire or someone they lost...

He doesn't beleive in this legend but worries the girls might have been foul play!

I want to know how to bring him to the story without using clichés!

[megamindfandombookclub]

writingwithcolor is an awesome resource and helped me in regards to writing poc in one of my fics!

Anonymous asked: How do you describe the black skin of a mythical creature without confusing it with a description of people of color and sounding racist? I'm writing a fictional demon with literal black skin and white hair and I don't want to do it if it will hurt or offend anyone.

(Ask edited for length)

This one is outside my scope as a white lady, so I would suggest spending some time on the tumblr blog @writingwithcolor (https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com) as they have absolutely tackled this subject in the past (describing mythical creatures with black skin versus describing the skin of a human), and their knowledge will guide you through the important nuances of both portraying and describing this character in a way that won't come across as offensive or harmful.

Happy writing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

LEARN MORE about WQA

VISIT MY Master List of Top Posts

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[seveneyesoup]

episode was. fine. not sure why they set things up like the family ruby has is what matters and then also make a big deal out of her biological family. weird decision there but the stuff w coincidence and language and knots and rope. speaking my language there. definitely an approach to timeless child we’ll see how it shakes out tbh. also sideeying rtd a little bit over rubys mom. she’s only been in one episode and she’s shown to be not Necessarily a caring mother etc but still much closer to the mammy archetype than i would like

[tatarstani]

the fact that @/writingwithcolor is to this day still considered a good resource that i see people recommending is insane. the racist blog. youre recommending people the racist blog

[whumptober]

Resources for Writing Sensitive Topics

As always, when writing about sensitive topics/injuries/illnesses, we encourage everyone to research and tag works appropriately. This is to ensure that the whump community can remain a safe space for everyone, as well as assist writers in creating well-informed works that avoid offending people and stereotyping, romanticising, or sensationalising hard topics.

We have also added some additional links that may be useful when creating characters.

Below are some links to resources we and others found useful - we'd like to thank the wonderful members of our community for helping us with finding great resources.

Blogs/Tumblr Posts:

@cripplecharacters - A whole blog dedicated to helping people write disabled characters.

^ A Guide to Writing Disabled Characters

@writingwithcolor - A whole blog dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity.

^ Stereotypes and Tropes Navigation

@creatingblackcharacters - Creating Black Characters *with intent!

Resources for Writing Injuries (Tumblr Masterpost)

Resources for Writing Sketchy Topics (Tumblr Masterpost - please note that a couple of links are broken due to the post being 7 years old, but many are still working!)

A guide to designing, drawing or writing characters who use mobility aids (Tumblr post)

Writing A Blind or Visually Impaired Character (Tumblr Post)

Independent Websites

Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: Characters with Mental Health Issues (WritersHelpingWriters)

How Do I Depict a Disabled Character Respectfully? (Fay Onyx, Mythcreants blog)

Respectfully Depicting a Character Adapting to a Disability (Fay Onyx, Mythcreants blog)

Writing Deaf Characters (T. Frohock, author.)

How to Write Deaf or Hard of Hearing Characters (Melanie Ashford, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association)

How to Write a Blind or Vision Impaired Character (AllWriteAlright)

If anyone has any additional sources, feel free to share them in the reblogs/replies!

POST CONTRIBUTERS - Thank you!

@psychologeek - Thank you for sharing some of the primary resources with us, it helped us a great deal :)

@tabletop-whump

[shaimaahadaid]

Ilana and Adam need you💔

My friends, it is difficult for anyone living outside to imagine the extent of the suffering that has become beyond the capacity of our bodies to bear. It has exhausted and destroyed our souls in a harsher way than before. I know that all of you are trying for us, and this is something in the midst of darkness that we see as a light of hope. My message today and tomorrow as a mother fighting for her children is to save them from this nightmare💔🥹

My child and a piece of my soul, Ilana, my daughter, is now looking for a safe shelter. She sleeps in the street because we cannot afford to buy a tent because our tent was bombed. Now we are without a place, without food. I wonder what is fair for these children, not just my child and son, but all the children in the Gaza Strip. The situation has reached us that my daughter is sleeping in the street on an empty bag of flour, without food. My heart burns for what is happening in my family. My husband goes to the aid every day, risking his life every day in order to get something, but they launch bombs and fire, and he gets nothing. I hope you will convey my message now. My family and I need to convey my message and the message of my children: we want to live.🙏

@queeranarchism @quartzwax @quinquangularist @quantecosealmondopuoifare @queerbar @qattdraws @wilwheaton @writingwithcolor @wheeloffortune-design @wayneradiotv @weirdmarioenemies @weebisexual @wearejapanese @wrightfamily @writers-potion @wretched-mog @wizarduniversity @wolfythewitch @wonderavian @wormsical @waddledab @watermelon-but-awesome @walnut-kitto @wlwmothman @wlopwangling @wcifsareclosed @everythingfox @everydaylouie @elierlick @enchantedbook @eternal-fractal @eriochromatic @eruditegeek @error-core-animations @ethanfundraising @eurasianwrens @eightdoctor @episodechooseyourstory @earthyumgiggles @escaramelo @edyer-art @eggplant-crusader @egberts @ehlockscreens @electricpurrs @ezras-starry-bridges @expressionmemeschallenge @eccentric-enby-entity @evilvillain123456789 @endorphinmachine @em

[creatingblackcharacters]

Could you share what you heard about /writingwithcolor that makes you leery of them?

Well, outside of my own personal issues with some of the advice about writing Black characters- which is not to say that that advice couldn't be valuable, just not what I'd agree with- what really concerned me was this.

It just 😅 once I told myself that the equivalent to saying "does your Korean character eat kimchi often" would be "does your Black character eat chicken often", I got a little leery of that advice bc I don't know if that's something you should just... Say 😅

[cripplecharacters]

do you happen to know of any tumblrs that do what you do, but for other... types(?) of people? i'm struggling to find an active LGBT writing guide blog specifically at the moment but it'd be nice to have a masterlist of any blog of this variety, since tumblr's search is remissfully unhelpful..! tysm

Hi lovely asker!

So there used to be a whole lot of blogs that were labeled "Scriptx" blogs and of course others too. Good thing is a lot of them were archived! So while they're not open for new questions you can still use the search and use the information provided to other asks they answered. So I'm gonna tag the other active blogs or the ones that are just on hiatus and then I'm gonna link all the archived ones!

Active:

@yourbookcouldbegayer

@scriptlgbt

@fuckyeahasexual

@writingquestionsanswered

@scriptmedic

@blindbeta

@askablindperson

@writingwithcolor

@creatingblackcharacters

@howtofightwrite

@script-a-world

@scriptstructure

Not active/Archived:

scriptservicedogs-blog

actuallyservicedogs

scriptshrink

scripttorture

scriptveterinarian

scriptautistic

asexualadvice

scripttraumasurvivors

scriptpharmacist-blog

scriptpolitics

scriptpublishingindustry

scriptfirefighter

writenavy

scriptwitchcraft

scripthacker

scriptcriminaljustice

scriptgenetics

scriptflorist

scriptlawyer-blog

scriptastronomer

scriptchemist

scriptmyth

scriptspoonie

scriptkink

scriptequestrian-blog

scriptsocialwork

scriptbrainscientist

fantasticallyfactualforensics

scriptaccountant

scriptballerina

scripthistory

scriptlibrarian

scripteconomist

scripteducator

scriptlinguist-blog

I briefly scrolled through a few of these that I personally wasn't aware of but I can't vet and scroll through each and every individual blog in its entirety because well it would take a very very long time. Also of the active blogs some don't have their ask box open and/or some are on small hiatus'. Please be respectful of that, pretty please, everyone puts in a lot of time and effort and yeah.

~ Mod Virus 🌸

[esraafamilys-2002]

Gaza is burning.........💔😭

link gofundme.......🍉🇵🇸

PayPal link....😭

Verified........

@90-ghost

@kermitthegod @silenceismychoir @cauli-flawa @endoplasmian @yongmy-blog @long-suffering-little-spoon @occhiofino @roguesrevenge @callmedrkhan @midnigtartist @hamstrbaxtr @pure-failure @6e-n-d6 @transparentstrawberrysoul @project-catgirlpillar @little-miss-drama-queen @toyotacorrola @random-multi-fandom @cauli-flawa @cervidaecorpse @transgender @fandomhopper98 @mysuperlexy43vr-aka-weirdo @jahnu18 @izzy-bizzie @faggotanachronism @mapsofnonexistentplaces @these-veins-are-borrowed @nousername78934628 @antiauteur @sizzlingjudgebanditpaper @sizzlingjudgebanditpaper @bravesalamander @writingwithcolor @sbqnmb @webtoonscreenshots @coffepandas @beas- @fefeman @finnicksbf @from-the-rivrr-to-the-sea @faggotanachronism @ikeuwons @sanaimissyou @strugglingqueer @the-bastards-of-the-barrel @spock-in-awe @squidchu @ultravioletbread

[strawhatsoviet]

the more i think about it the funnier blogs like writingwithcolor actually are. imagine thinking that it's your position as a yank that in fact makes you the authority on every single group of people in the world who are not descended from europeans

[heywriters]

Hey so I am sort of new, or more like re-introducing myself after so long a way I may as well be a new person, to writing side of tumblr. Do you have an recommendations on people or tags that be cool to follow?

Yep, sure do!

@writingquestionsanswered

@fixyourwritinghabits

@keepcalmandwritefiction

@wordsnstuff

@writingwithcolor

@theliteraryarchitect

@thewritinghole

@the960writers

@bookishdiplodocus

@thewritersspotblog

@questionprompts

@writtentelepathy

@the-write-type

@elumish

@insanitysilver

@howtofightwrite

@jstor (below blogs are inactive/on hiatus but good references)

@scriptshrink

@scriptmedic

@scriptcriminaljustice

I also have a side blog to this one @hey-writers for writer promos and the occasional posted fiction or poetry. I don't update it often, but it is there if you want to peruse other writeblrs.

Followed tags are touch and go as people will "tag spam" things that aren't relevant, but check these out anyway!

#writers on tumblr

#writeblr

#writing

#creative writing

Make use of the "Latest" and "Top" categories when checking tags.

Welcome back!

[writingquestionsanswered]

hiya! for writers who are complete beginners, kinda sorta maybe write at a high school level, can't describe to save their lives, have overall bad flow (as in they can't decide what little moments scenes to think up and even write, if they do, they're no good), have been told countless times to write daily and just read more but that doesn't cover the basics or foundations of creative writing, not like they can learn from a book bc they're a hands on learner anyway and p.s they're super broke so can't afford writing classes and no library near them offers free ones ---- aka me :( --- do you have any advice? lol i feel kinda doomed and that maybe writing isn't for me, but I don't wanna get my hopes down!! with the right tools, it's possible.

Free Resources for Learning How to Write

I want to start with addressing why you've been told so often "to write daily and read more" as a way to learn how to write. It's very difficult to learn and excel at a craft if you have no experience with said craft. You can read all the information in the world about how to forge a sword, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to pick up a hunk of metal and be able to forge a beautiful sword. You need to spend a lot of time watching other people forge swords, and spend a lot of time actually practicing each step yourself if you want to get good at it. Writing works the same way. Reading lets you experience what fiction should be, writing lets you practice each step for yourself.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways to read fiction for free. You can borrow books from friends, family members, and members of your community. You can check out books and e-books from your local library if you have one. You can look for Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood. There's also a lot of legally free fiction available online. Project Gutenberg, Planet E-Book, Bartleby, Literature.org, Classic Literature, Classic Short Stories, Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, Library of Short Stories, Levar Burton Reads, and sites like Kobo, Amazon, and Audible often offer freebies of both e-books and audio books.

Other free ways to learn how to write:

1 - Follow bloggers and vloggers and authors on social media who talk about the craft of writing. Some of my favorites are: Joanna Penn/The Creative Penn, K.M. Weiland, Liselle Sambury, Abbie Emmons, Hannah Lee Kidder, Brittany Wang, Alyssa Matesic, Bethany Atazadah, Lindsay Puckett, Alexa Donne, Shaelin Writes, Ellen Brock, The Writing Gals, and Sincerely, Vee.

2 - Follow writing craft blogs here on tumblr: (some suggestions) @writingwithcolor, @howtofightwrite, @heywriters, @cripplecharacters, @lgbtqwriting, @fixyourwritinghabits, @wordsnstuff, @yourbookcouldbegayer, @lizard-is-writing

3 - Watch writing craft videos on YouTube: If there's something specific you want to learn about, say, "how to structure a scene," type it into YouTube and many different videos will pop up that walk you through how to structure a scene. Just look for one that strikes you as appealing!

4 - Look for free writing resources online: many authors (especially indie authors and writing gurus/coaches like Joanna Penn, K.M. Weiland, Bethany Atazadeh, Brittany Wang, and Abbie Emmons) offer free writing resources on their web sites or by signing up for their newsletters. Often you'll see writers participating in free online writing summits/workshops which you can sign up for and either watch the videos live or via video playback that is offered for a short period of time (like 24 hours.)

5 - Do a Google Search: believe it or not, there's not a single thing you could want to learn about writing that you can't find for free on Google. If you want to learn how to improve your grammar, go to Google, type in "tips for improving grammar" and you will get a million articles that will tell you how to do just that. Want to learn how to improve your story's flow? Google "how to improve story flow" and you'll have your answer. You can even search for free worksheets, guides, and workbooks on just about anything you want. "Free character development worksheet" brought back a ton of nice looking free worksheets. "Free worldbuilding workbook" brought up several free workbooks and worksheets to help you with worldbuilding. Everything you could want to know is out there.

And, bonus: you can always read through the posts in my WQA master list to get help with a wide variety of craft and writer-related issues.

Happy learning! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here