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[fictionalwonder]

purge of 2002? of 2012? what ARE those?

Oh, how quickly the past is forgotten. 

They are part of the reason A03 is a thing now. Not the whole reason, but part of it. 

The Great Purges of 2002 and 2012 are when ff.net got a wild hair up their ass about THINK OF THE CHILDREN and nuked any fic posted on there that was explicit. Thousands upon thousands of nc-17 smutfics were lost.

It’s what led to the creation of alternate hosting sites for smutty fic…AdultFanfiction was the one I went to…but thousands of fics would never be recovered. 

[fictionalwonder]

i see posts sometimes that say things like “wouldn’t it be cool if ao3 would recommend you fics similar to the one you just read?” or “wouldn’t it be cool if ao3 had a function similar to spotify wrapped that showed you your fic reading habits over the year?” etc. and while on one hand, yes, i can see how these functions might be neat & fun & helpful, i think the fact that ao3 *doesn’t* do any of these typical media website things is actually utterly spectacular

like, i enjoy looking at my spotify wrapped as much as the next person, but when you start to think about that, it is honestly pretty horrifying that spotify collects & stores all this data about its users & can produce it at a moment’s notice.  and netflix is not recommending you shows because it actually cares that you watch something you enjoy.  it’s recommending them because in the digital age, attention is money & every website is fighting for as much of yours as it can get.

the fact that a website hosting as much media as ao3 doesn’t try to analyze or predict or manipulate your content consumption in any way is truly an oasis in a landscape where user data is the most valuable commodity around.  ao3 gives all of the agency to its users & i don’t think we realize just how rare that is.  you go looking for the content you want.  you sort and filter based on your preferences.  you subscribe to the story or author updates you’d like to see.  so on and so forth.  nothing is recommended for you.  no algorithm is trying to maximize the time you spend on the website.  you engage with it completely on your own terms.  and given the way most media websites choose to operate, that is nothing short of a miracle.

[fictionalwonder]

Toastystats: AO3 in 2020

I started doing some analysis of how AO3 has changed in 2020. Then a chronic health issue flared up, and I can’t currently use a computer.  So I’ve posted my existing draft to AO3, and perhaps I’ll add more later when I’m feeling better.  The above are a few highlights.  Click through for explanations of these data visualizations, plus more data!

If you have questions or criticisms, please click through to AO3 or to my original Tumblr post to make sure they haven’t already been addressed; I will update this post as well as AO3 to reflect any major clarifications or edits.  (But I may be slow to edit/respond to comments, because as I said, health stuff is making things hard right now.)

[fictionalwonder]

TOASTYSTATS: GEEKGIRLCON 2017

The above are the first half of the slides I presented at GeekGirlCon (along with some annotations to explain things I only said out loud :) ) – for the second half, read more below the cut.  I’ll also be sharing the slides from the other presenters here, too, as they’re posted!

The gender representation work is part of a longer analysis that I will be posting in full soon!

Beneath the cut are also a few additional slides that I would have presented with a bit more time – several of which address things that came up in the question session.

…And the extra slides:

[fictionalwonder]

Fan fiction’s role as a collective project in popular ethics was ultimately what the 2019 Hugo Award acknowledged: AO3 may have officially earned the honor, but so did every writer who had ever been bold, brave, or foolhardy enough to share their work with the internet.

I wanted to share this really cool article from Shannon Chamberlain at The Atlantic with my fellow fic writers. 

[fictionalwonder]

History lesson and why A03 is so important.

A New History of Fandom Purges

On November 24th, 2018, I posted a list of major deletions of sites or of content on sites that stripped fandom of its history. A bunch of pro-shipper blogs had just been deleted, and people were nervous. I suppose I was thinking “All this has happened before…”

On December 3rd, 2018, Tumblr’s Department of Irony announced the NSFW ban. Thanks for providing this salutary lesson to The Youth and a billion reblogs to me, I guess.

Today, we have AO3 for writing. Audio, images, and video are in as much danger as ever, yet fans attack AO3 every donation drive. For those of you who forget our past…

HERE IS WHAT HISTORY HAS TAUGHT US!

1992 - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro forces a zine to be destroyed

1995 - Viacom/Paramount goes after fansites

1995 - Anne Rice gets IWTV fic deleted everywhere

1997 - Fox and Lucasfilm go after fansites

1998 - AOL goes after X-Files fansites

2000 - Warner Brothers goes after Harry Potter fansites

2000 - Anne Rice anne rices again

2001 - Tripod Massacre

2001 - Anne Rice goes after IWTV fic on FFN

2001 - The Bronze shut down as Buffy changes networks

2002 - FFN bans porn

2002 - FFN bans RPF

2003 - Gryffindor Tower implodes

2004 - FFN bans script format

2005 - FFN bans CYOA, Readerfic, 2nd person, Songfic

2005 - Sheezyart bans adult content; y!gallery founded

2005 - Viacom/Paramount goes after fansites again

2006 - Sakura Lemon Archive suddenly closes

2007 - Strikethrough, Boldthrough on Livejournal

2007 - Youtube institutes Content ID, deleting many fanvids

2008 - Slash Cotillion closes, taking much historical m/m with it

2009 - GeoCities shuts down, taking old fannish websites

2009 - Greatestjournal shuts down; RPGs deleted

2009 - Marvel gets scans_daily deleted

2009 - imeem, major vidding hub, closes suddenly

2010 - FFN forums purged for inactivity

2010 - DeviantArt purges adult fanfic

2010 - Literate Union goes after Twilight fandom on FFN

2011 - Delicious destroyed by Yahoo’s incompetence

2011 - China arrests women for writing m/m; destroys danmei.org

2012 - major FFN crackdown on porn

2012 - Megaupload deleted for piracy; also destroys vids, podfic

2013 - Max-Dan-Wiz.com purged of fan-generated content

2014 - Quizilla shuts down

2014 - China purges m/m story websites; arrests female authors

2014 - Blip.tv deletes vids

2014 - Viddler deletes vids

2015 - Journalfen’s servers become fully robust, deleting Fandom Wank

2016 - y!Gallery deleted

2016 - Elfwood goes offline

2016 - Audiofic Archive corrupted; major blow to podfic

2017 - Chinese author jailed after being ratted out over fandom drama

2017 - Parents get queer Warrior Cats fic purged from Wattpad

2018 - Tumblr deletes pro-shipper blogs

2018 - Tumblr announces NSFW ban

2018 - Wattpad deletes accounts/fics without warning

2019 - China purges weibo of m/m; more women jailed

This is only a small taste of the many times that:

Fannish moderators got bored, ran out of money, or had a falling out, deleting a site/list/forum along the way.

Sites got bought out and closed for being unprofitable.

Fandom got hit as governments targeted piracy or political dissidents.

Fans grudge reported each other.

Official forums got deleted when the canon finished.

It’s not always malicious. It’s not always about us. But we lose every time.

Some of these purges hit everyone. Many of them hit m/m content specifically or female gaze-y material in general. This is why antis are dead wrong. This is why anti-fujoshi policies end up being anti-m/m policies. This is why we need clear labeling, not content restrictions.

This is why we need AO3.

And it’s why we need a solution for audio, visuals, and video too.

[fictionalwonder]

“ Good hunting “ New painting, short story about the hunter and the prey, from my Wolfpack series/world. I hope you will like it. work process: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Oy0nEw

[fictionalwonder]

“ 1920 - Polanian rebels “ Young Anna, her brother Janek, and bear Wojtek 🐻 fighting Rusviet invaders during the Great War. Anna and Wojtek, will be playable and one the most important character in the upcoming video game Iron Harvest set in my world of 1920+ :)

work process: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/W2nJg2

[fictionalwonder]

All interviews with Corey Mandell are just full of wisdom and offer so much insight to writers be it script writers or any kind interested in improving story-telling techniques and looking towards making it a career.

[fictionalwonder]

Educational conversation thread worth the read

every time I see more of the ‘ao3 is evil’ crap circulating I think, ‘well, tumblr is evil too and I don’t see you stop using it’

[fictionalwonder]

Fanfic has definitely made me examine my stance about non-censorship because, yes, people write things I find incredibly morally objectionable, things of which I am challenged by their very existence. But being provoked to think about it, to ask questions of oneself and to be challenged is not a bad thing. Neither is it to draw a line of what you are willing to consume for YOURSELF. The greater questions come after we have drawn our own mental self-preservation lines. Can one really dictate what others should read? Can one really know what others get out of a written work? Who is rightfully in the position to police other people's imaginations? Do you think you are in the position to do so? Is it ok until it comes to you when an authority believes in social or moral norms that do not align with your own beliefs? Hopefully going through that exercise in the fanfic realm helps one come to a greater understanding of why they do or do not back freedom of expression, and why so many view censorship as a detrimental force even in the face of ideas they object to.

There is a social quest to homogenise our opinions and reactions to everything from art to people but I don't think that homogenisation ultimately serves a healthy society. Suppression of intellectual or creative thought cannot serve a person or community that believes in freedom of mind. It does not support a society that sees imagination, innovation and progress as complimentary forces. In my time perusing A03 so often I have passed a story summary or list of tags and asked, "Why would you write that?" But the fact is I don't know and no one is obligated to explain it to me because I have 100% of the power to not read it. I have the power to pass on by. What I see as trash may be another person’s treasure and may serve another person’s imagination just as the reverse is true. There is no way for me to know what connections can be made for them and what purpose it may serve.

Why do I write or imagine whatever I do? I cannot mould my imagination to fit someone else’s morality box. I can cannot conform my interests to someone else's in any sustainable way. As a society we have agreed on what laws to follow, to what behaviours we will sanction but not to what we are allowed to think, and we are allowed to write what we think down. Surprisingly it needs to be repeated, thinking about something is not the same thing as doing it. Our world could not function if that was the case. Writing something in fiction is not the same thing as advocating for something in the real world. Fiction is a place to explore a heightened sense of emotion, another reality or another point of view whether it be magnificent or horrendous. You are drawn to mentally explore what you want to explore and it is no more or less explainable than why you may dream the way you do. Does someone advocate for a dream police? Is someone suggesting we ban the sharing of nightmares? If you write it down have you crossed a line?

The question I have when folks make these pro-censorship statements about all the objectionable things they find in fanfic is how are they living in the larger media landscape, a place where such properties as Dexter, Hannibal, You etc… exist? How do they exist knowing a horror movie is released every week depicting horrendous things, many of which provide no moral resolution but simply are an exploration of the darker side of our imaginations. Some of it is just produced for shits and giggles because we do not live in a society that has to intellectually justify entertainment. Its justification is only measured by its rate of consumption. If something has some type of moral statement how do we know everyone gets it the same way we do? There are so many movies or tv shows that I personally find objectionable that I never watch and they have a much further reach than any fanfic. These often have huge amounts of monetary funding behind them and are attracting big profit; however, many of these same antis would find it unsavoury if I threw the same amount of vitriol onto those that they pour onto fanfic writers with a handful of subscribers. Is fanfic just a low hanging fruit where writers there are easier to bully than a large corporation?

I spend no time consuming things in art I find objectionable. They are not for me and let them live or die by the hunger of those willing to support them. If you think it's damaging the solution is to offer another narrative not simply suppress the ones you don't like no matter how objectionable you might find them. You can critique the ideas and build a whole career around it but in a society that values freedom of thought and expression you cannot censor them, regardless of how little value you think they may have. Put energy and thoughts to the things you do find value in. Feel gratitude that you are able to do so freely as not everyone in the world can, and feel gratitude you are not subjected to someone else’s ideas of right and wrong thoughts. The power to govern your own imagination is in your hands. Let others have the same power in theirs.

You really don't get it, do you? The stuff that those people ship is disgusting! It shouldn't be allowed by anyone with any morals!

*sigh*  Look.  “Shipping does not equal morality”.  Policing someone’s interests in fiction and trying to make sure that fiction is “moral” is just going back to the censorship codes of the mid-20th century.  We’ve been there, and it’s not a good place.  

Furthermore, what someone ships is no indication of their morals, and your disgust response does not dictate universal morals.  And quite simply I will say this: Reylo from Star Wars is my NoTP.  I personally find the ship horrific and disgusting, to the point of having a strong and negative visceral reaction to the ship.  I have the Reylo tag blacklisted and if I read Star Wars fanfic anymore, I wouldn’t read anything with it.  

Meanwhile, one of my best friends in fandom ships Reylo.  That’s their right to do so, and I quietly encourage them to write their Reylo fics and read Reylo content to spite the haters.  I don’t read that stuff, but I don’t tell them that they’re a horrific person for having that ship, or having any of the other villain ships that they ship.  (If anything, they’re one of the loveliest people I know).  

Meanwhile, just for making posts talking about the greater sociological patterns of antis, I have been called a pedophile over a dozen times and been told to kill myself repeatedly.  

I literally would rather be friends with a person who ships my NoTP and is an awesome person than try to cultivate a friendship with judgmental assholes who claim that they have the moral high ground (and then it turns out that they’ve claimed it because it is a great place to try to shoot people from).  

[fictionalwonder]

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this breakdown is not necessarily one of the ways I would have given for its appeal to me but it's definitely a valid one. I can see this being very relevant to many people. It also touches upon the concepts of turning monsters into allies and transformation of "passionate" energies from adversarial to supportive. While the trope can be an easy one to milk for rising tensions in a story, and I encourage folks to broaden out from simplistic renderings of this, it does serve a lot of compelling stories and relationship dynamics.

do folks genuinely not understand the appeal of the "enemies to lovers" trope, as it shows up over and over in fantasy & adventure fiction? really?

obviously it's cool if you don't personally like the trope. we're all different. but i'm seeing an increase in posts asking "what is wrong with people who ship this dynamic??" like it's so far out and strange, we can't possibly conceive of why people would like this. like... really?? enemies to lovers??? literally one of the oldest tropes in existence?? in the poppin-fresh year of our lord 2020, fandom is genuinely confused about this?

(disclaimer: i am, very specifically, talking about enemies to lovers, as it presents in fantasy and adventure fiction. when people use the word "abuse" to describe the dynamic between characters from opposing armies who like... fight each other on horseback with magical swords, i question their grasp of narrative, not to mention their motives.)

like, picture it: someone who opposed you, coming to your side. someone who clashed against you, becoming someone who never would again. someone who is in the end overcome by your power, your character, your strength, your wit, whatever: overcome by the very force of you. someone who chooses to fall at your feet and take up your cause as their own, to wield their own significant power against your enemies.

and... someone you don't have to always be so fucking good for. someone who has heard you scream unprintable curses on the battlefield. someone who has undoubtedly seen rage and fear and desperation in your eyes. someone you've probably also hurt. someone who wouldn't blink if you put an arrow in a real enemy's back and might in fact hide the body for you. someone you know will be as strong at your back in a fight as you'll be at theirs; partly because, well, you've both lived through each other.

and as a woman, boy do i personally get the appeal of this trope (as a general concept, even when specific ships don't resonate w/ me). like we live in a world where men think it's "weird" that their girlfriend swears or farts; not shaving is a cardinal sin. women's humanity is disgusting to so many men and even to so many fellow women. women's righteous anger is laughed at, our legitimate fears are routinely dismissed and belittled. if we're not nice, if we're not sweet, if we're not doormats, we're discarded; if we are any of those things, we're looked down on, we're targeted, we're blamed.

and people can't understand at all why we might be drawn to stories where the very forces that oppose us, are so transformed by us, so drawn to us for everything that we are, that they literally leave their old selves behind in the dust to join us and devote themselves entirely to our victory?

inconceivable, i guess.

(second disclaimer: no, this trope is obviously not appealing to all women, what the fuck is appealing to all women, besides pizza?)

and furthermore, since nobody asked me.... the idea that we have to "protect" women from enemies-to-lovers stories, when those exact stories can offer some of us a cathartic brand of fantasy.... whew, fandom. stay infantalizing us i guess.

[fictionalwonder]

Good explanation of what is defined as canon. Actors will think any number of ways post work on a role and that could change daily or track with the franchise trends. It literally does not matter because their opinion is not canon. Unless we see it in the show, film or novel from official rights holders, it’s no more accurate than your own head-canon.

"Let’s not forget that Tyler H and the actress playing Braeden both have said, long after the show ended, that they imagined the two characters to still be together even now" How could this be said long after the show ended when the interview where Tandy said this was in the first month of 2016 TW was still ongoing. Also, this contradicts with what TH says since he knew Tandy was back on the show. Since Supernova he either says he knows nothing about those two or that Bae broke Derek's heart

I’m a fan of Teen Wolf for two years now so I pretty much started to watch it when it had ended. I’ve bingewatched on Youtube videos and Tumbrl posts so I apologize, I thought they both had said in interviews and on Twitter that in their imagination, Derek and Braeden were still a couple. And that it was said after TW ended. But since I can’t really prove anything right now, I’ll take your word for it. I don’t think it adds anything to the discussion though, to find out when it was said. The point is, when Derek was out of the show, the actors imagined the two being together still and with that Braeden and Derek no longer together had nothing to do with racism. 

[fictionalwonder]

Do NOT come for A03!

[fictionalwonder]

Writing with Color: Description Guide - Words for Skin Tone

We discussed the issues describing People of Color by means of food in Part I of this guide, which brought rise to even more questions, mostly along the lines of “So, if food’s not an option, what can I use?” Well, I was just getting to that!

This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined, keeping in mind the questions we’ve received on this topic.

So let’s get to it.

S T A N D A R D  D E S C R I P T I O N

B a s i c  C o l o r s

Pictured above: Black, Brown, Beige, White, Pink.

“She had brown skin.”

This is a perfectly fine description that, while not providing the most detail, works well and will never become cliché.

Describing characters’ skin as simply brown or beige works on its own, though it’s not particularly telling just from the range in brown alone.

C o m p l e x  C o l o r s

These are more rarely used words that actually “mean” their color. Some of these have multiple meanings, so you’ll want to look into those to determine what other associations a word might have.

Pictured above: Umber, Sepia, Ochre, Russet, Terra-cotta, Gold, Tawny, Taupe, Khaki, Fawn.

Complex colors work well alone, though often pair well with a basic color in regards to narrowing down shade/tone.

For example: Golden brown, russet brown, tawny beige…

As some of these are on the “rare” side, sliding in a definition of the word within the sentence itself may help readers who are unfamiliar with the term visualize the color without seeking a dictionary.

“He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown.”

Comparisons to familiar colors or visuals are also helpful:

“His skin was an ochre color, much like the mellow-brown light that bathed the forest.”

M o d i f i e r s 

Modifiers, often adjectives, make partial changes to a word.The following words are descriptors in reference to skin tone.

D a r k - D e e p - R i c h - C o o l

W a r m - M e d i u m - T a n

F a i r - L i g h t - P a l e

Rich Black, Dark brown, Warm beige, Pale pink…

If you’re looking to get more specific than “brown,” modifiers narrow down shade further.

Keep in mind that these modifiers are not exactly colors.

As an already brown-skinned person, I get tan from a lot of sun and resultingly become a darker, deeper brown. I turn a pale, more yellow-brown in the winter.

While best used in combination with a color, I suppose words like “tan” “fair” and “light” do work alone; just note that tan is less likely to be taken for “naturally tan” and much more likely a tanned White person.

Calling someone “dark” as description on its own is offensive to some and also ambiguous. (See: Describing Skin as Dark)

U n d e r t o n e s

Undertones are the colors beneath the skin, seeing as skin isn’t just one even color but has more subdued tones within the dominating palette.

Mentioning the undertones within a character’s skin is an even more precise way to denote skin tone.

As shown, there’s a difference between say, brown skin with warm orange-red undertones (Kelly Rowland) and brown skin with cool, jewel undertones (Rutina Wesley).

“A dazzling smile revealed the bronze glow at her cheeks.”

“He always looked as if he’d ran a mile, a constant tinge of pink under his tawny skin.”

Standard Description Passage

“Farah’s skin, always fawn, had burned and freckled under the summer’s sun. Even at the cusp of autumn, an uneven tan clung to her skin like burrs. So unlike the smooth, red-brown ochre of her mother, which the sun had richened to a blessing.”

-From my story “Where Summer Ends” featured in Strange Little Girls

Here the state of skin also gives insight on character.

Note my use of “fawn” in regards to multiple meaning and association. While fawn is a color, it’s also a small, timid deer, which describes this very traumatized character of mine perfectly.

Though I use standard descriptions of skin tone more in my writing, at the same time I’m no stranger to creative descriptions, and do enjoy the occasional artsy detail of a character.

C R E A T I V E  D E S C R I P T I O N

Whether compared to night-cast rivers or day’s first light…I actually enjoy seeing Characters of Colors dressed in artful detail.

I’ve read loads of descriptions in my day of white characters and their “smooth rose-tinged ivory skin”, while the PoC, if there, are reduced to something from a candy bowl or a Starbucks drink, so to actually read of PoC described in lavish detail can be somewhat of a treat.

Still, be mindful when you get creative with your character descriptions. Too many frills can become purple-prose-like, so do what feels right for your writing when and where. Not every character or scene warrants a creative description, either. Especially if they’re not even a secondary character.

Using a combination of color descriptions from standard to creative is probably a better method than straight creative. But again, do what’s good for your tale.

N A T U R AL  S E T T I N G S - S K Y

Pictured above: Harvest Moon -Twilight, Fall/Autumn Leaves, Clay, Desert/Sahara, Sunlight - Sunrise - Sunset - Afterglow - Dawn- Day- Daybreak, Field - Prairie - Wheat, Mountain/Cliff, Beach/Sand/Straw/Hay.

Now before you run off to compare your heroine’s skin to the harvest moon or a cliff side, think about the associations to your words.

When I think cliff, I think of jagged, perilous, rough. I hear sand and picture grainy, yet smooth. Calm. mellow.

So consider your character and what you see fit to compare them to.

Also consider whose perspective you’re describing them from. Someone describing a person they revere or admire may have a more pleasant, loftier description than someone who can’t stand the person.

“Her face was like the fire-gold glow of dawn, lifting my gaze, drawing me in.”

“She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny.”

Even creative descriptions tend to draw help from your standard words.

F L O W E R S

Pictured above: Calla lilies, Western Coneflower, Hazel Fay, Hibiscus, Freesia, Rose

It was a bit difficult to find flowers to my liking that didn’t have a 20 character name or wasn’t called something like “chocolate silk” so these are the finalists. 

You’ll definitely want to avoid purple-prose here.

Also be aware of flowers that most might’ve never heard of. Roses are easy, as most know the look and coloring(s) of this plant. But Western coneflowers? Calla lilies? Maybe not so much.

“He entered the cottage in a huff, cheeks a blushing brown like the flowers Nana planted right under my window. Hazel Fay she called them, was it?”

A S S O R T E D  P L A N T S &  N A T U R E

Pictured above: Cattails, Seashell, Driftwood, Pinecone, Acorn, Amber

These ones are kinda odd. Perhaps because I’ve never seen these in comparison to skin tone, With the exception of amber.

At least they’re common enough that most may have an idea what you’re talking about at the mention of “pinecone.“ 

I suggest reading out your sentences aloud to get a better feel of how it’ll sounds.

“Auburn hair swept past pointed ears, set around a face like an acorn both in shape and shade.”

I pictured some tree-dwelling being or person from a fantasy world in this example, which makes the comparison more appropriate.

I don’t suggest using a comparison just “cuz you can” but actually being thoughtful about what you’re comparing your character to and how it applies to your character and/or setting.

W O O D

Pictured above: Mahogany, Walnut, Chestnut, Golden Oak, Ash

Wood can be an iffy description for skin tone. Not only due to several of them having “foody” terminology within their names, but again, associations.

Some people would prefer not to compare/be compared to wood at all, so get opinions, try it aloud, and make sure it’s appropriate to the character if you do use it.

“The old warlock’s skin was a deep shade of mahogany, his stare serious and firm as it held mine.”

M E T A L S

Pictured above: Platinum, Copper, Brass, Gold, Bronze

Copper skin, brass-colored skin, golden skin…

I’ve even heard variations of these used before by comparison to an object of the same properties/coloring, such as penny for copper.

These also work well with modifiers.

“The dress of fine white silks popped against the deep bronze of her skin.”

G E M S T O N E S - M I N E R A LS

Pictured above: Onyx, Obsidian, Sard, Topaz, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Rutile, Pyrite, Citrine, Gypsum

These are trickier to use. As with some complex colors, the writer will have to get us to understand what most of these look like.

If you use these, or any more rare description, consider if it actually “fits” the book or scene.

Even if you’re able to get us to picture what “rutile” looks like, why are you using this description as opposed to something else? Have that answer for yourself.

“His skin reminded her of the topaz ring her father wore at his finger, a gleaming stone of brown, mellow facades.” 

P H Y S I C A L  D E S C R I P T I ON

Physical character description can be more than skin tone.

Show us hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands…body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.

Describing features also helps indicate race, especially if your character has some traits common within the race they are, such as afro hair to a Black character.

How comprehensive you decide to get is up to you. I wouldn’t overdo it and get specific to every mole and birthmark. Noting defining characteristics is good, though, like slightly spaced front teeth, curls that stay flopping in their face, hands freckled with sunspots…

G E N E R A L  T I P S

Indicate Race Early: I suggest indicators of race be made at the earliest convenience within the writing, with more hints threaded throughout here and there.

Get Creative On Your Own: Obviously, I couldn’t cover every proper color or comparison in which has been “approved” to use for your characters’ skin color, so it’s up to you to use discretion when seeking other ways and shades to describe skin tone.

Skin Color May Not Be Enough: Describing skin tone isn’t always enough to indicate someone’s ethnicity. As timeless cases with readers equating brown to “dark white” or something, more indicators of race may be needed.

Describe White characters and PoC Alike: You should describe the race and/or skin tone of your white characters just as you do your Characters of Color. If you don’t, you risk implying that White is the default human being and PoC are the “Other”).

PSA: Don’t use “Colored.” Based on some asks we’ve received using this word, I’d like to say that unless you or your character is a racist grandmama from the 1960s, do not call People of Color “colored” please. 

Not Sure Where to Start? You really can’t go wrong using basic colors for your skin descriptions. It’s actually what many people prefer and works best for most writing. Personally, I tend to describe my characters using a combo of basic colors + modifiers, with mentions of undertones at times. I do like to veer into more creative descriptions on occasion.

Want some alternatives to “skin” or “skin color”? Try: Appearance, blend, blush, cast, coloring, complexion, flush, glow, hue, overtone, palette, pigmentation, rinse, shade, sheen, spectrum, tinge, tint, tone, undertone, value, wash.

Skin Tone Resources

List of Color Names

The Color Thesaurus

Things that are Brown (blog)

Skin Undertone & Color Matching

Tips and Words on Describing Skin

Photos: Undertones Described (Modifiers included)

Online Thesaurus (try colors, such as “red” & “brown”)

Don’t Call me Pastries: Creative Skin Tones w/ pics 3 2 1

Writing & Description Guides

WWC Featured Description Posts

WWC Guide: Words to Describe Hair

Writing with Color: Description & Skin Color Tags

7 Offensive Mistakes Well-intentioned Writers Make

I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this guide, but if you have a question regarding describing skin color that hasn’t been answered within part I or II of this guide, or have more questions after reading this post, feel free to ask!

~ Mod Colette

[fictionalwonder]

Hi! I have to write a thesis for uni and Im thinking about writing it about fanfiction. Do you or your followers maybe know about some sources of knowledge about fanfiction, its roots, cultural impact etc? I thought I'll ask since you and your followers seem to be very knowledgable about fandom culture :) thanks in advance, even if you cant help me :)

If you’re looking for academic sources, the Organization for Transformative Works (the parent org of AO3) runs a peer-reviewed academic journal. You’ll probably find lots of good sourcing there.

For more anecdotal information and links to fic source material, blog posts, zines, fanart, etc try Fanlore (another OTW project). It’s a wiki of fan history and culture. 

That’s a start, but let’s see what the blog has to share :)

[fictionalwonder]

Pre-Editing Checklist

Do you get overwhelmed before editing your story? A lot of writers jump right into editing their first draft with no preparation, which can lead to paralysis and a bad case of editor’s block. It’s important to pre-game and prepare yourself for the job ahead by taking a break, reviewing possible paths forward, and making a plan that feels manageable.

This pre-editing checklist is one of the many bonus materials from my eBook The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, which includes an entire section on “Getting Ready to Self-Edit.” Hope it helps!

Pre-Editing Checklist

✓ Take a break. After you’ve finished your first draft, take time away from your manuscript before you begin your self-edit.

✓ Make time and space. Figure out when, where, and how you’ll make time to do your self-edit.

✓ Choose an editing method. Will you edit your manuscript beginning-to-end? Start with the easy stuff? The hard stuff? Will you print out your manuscript or edit on the computer?

✓ Gather your materials. Get whatever you’ll need to do your self-edit. That could include your outline, scene notes, pens, highlighters, index cards, etc.

✓ Revisit your vision. Reconnect with your original vision for your story. Why did you write it, and what do you hope readers will take away from reading it?

✓ Read your draft. You can read it all at once, then take notes, or you can take notes while reading it. Be sure to make a time and place you won’t be interrupted.

✓ Take notes. Notice what’s working, what isn’t, where you strayed from your outline, underdeveloped or overwritten parts, confusing parts, and any other observations you have about your story.

✓ Review your notes. First, condense your notes. Then organize them into big, medium, and small problems that need to be fixed.

✓ Make a plan. Now that you have more information about what changes need to be made, you might need to revise your choice of editing methods from earlier. When in doubt, just plan your next move and then go from there.

How about you? How do you prepare for your revision process? Anything you’d add to this list?

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The Literary Architect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler. For more writing help, check out my Free Resource Library or get The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. xoxo