kiarapereirawriter

[kiarapereirawriter]

I think a lot of what makes fanfiction so magical is writers taking the time to explore tiny elements that were imagined into existence in the source material and then abandoned. It's the deep dive into that t-shirt, the forgotten gift, the nickname, the spare key, the anger they swallowed down, the trauma they supressed, the love they denied, the story that wasn't mainstream enough to make it. It's the little things getting their moment to shine and I fucking love that and I will fight for it always.

[kiarapereirawriter]

Well!

So first, let's clear a common misconception: no, President Abraham Lincoln did not love Black people nor see them as human equals. At best he was centrist about it (though, even his implication that 'exceptional' Black men ought to vote got him assassinated).

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do, it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union...I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."

The "freeing of slaves" after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was meant to kneecap the economic and military powers of the seceded South. Lettuce stop making a white savior figure out of Lincoln, or thinking that my people's shackles were unchained via anything other than desperate war strategy and extreme violence. Think on that, for a moment.

That being said!

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

Consider going through the Smithsonian website to learn about Juneteenth! Recognize why it's an actual day of freedom, versus July 4th and the independence of a select few.

[kiarapereirawriter]

How do I avoid making white saviors out of a Black woman's rescuers turned found family?

Anon asked: 

One of my Black MCs for the first “season” becomes stranded in a mostly white portion of the world, and is taken in by a shady white family.  The entire community is somewhat shady and uncomfortable but she’s injured and doesn’t really have a choice.  She does end up legitimately bonding with two of the white family, who later flee the community with her when monster/fantasy stuff starts happening that puts them all in danger.  By the end of the season she’s reunited with her wife, another MC, who is Black and is with her for the rest of the story (I think, still storyboarding).   However her and the other two white people have formed a very close, family like bond by the end of the season, and refuse to be separated from each other.  Although they all help each other in different ways, I’m worried it’ll be like she “owes” the white people in her life, and that they are her saviors.  I hope to remedy this by making it clear the white characters are flawed and have sometimes put her in danger due to blind spots, and also that while they love each other, they don’t necessarily “like” each other.  However it seems like no matter what I do, it’s a thin line between friends and white saviors given they do have to give her medical care.  Is there a way to make this distinction clearer?

From what you’ve described, the established relationship between the Black main character and her found (white) family seems to be pretty equitable. Although white people have literally saved her, it doesn’t come across as them being her White Saviors on its own. 

It can actually be refreshing to have a Black woman character being in need of help sometimes instead of always doing the saving. As with all things, there is a need for balance, and you seem to be quite aware of that.

If you’re worried, add BIPOC characters of color

You say she is stranded in a mostly white portion of the world, so that there may be some People of Color around, right?. Might there be other community members that she has that help her, even at least initially, so it isn’t only white people that have taken her in, give her medical attention and care.

For example, you say she is injured. Perhaps they bring her to a doctor or skilled medic who is not white. As for creating bonds, maybe there is another non-white person that she befriends or that mentors her. I think even adding one of these elements is helpful.

What if some of the chosen family members were BIPOC? Perhaps through a marriage, a cousin, re-marriage? And not just family members that they also saved and took in.

Although they all help each other in different ways, I’m worried it’ll be like she “owes” the white people in her life, and that they are her saviors.  I hope to remedy this by making it clear the white characters are flawed and have sometimes put her in danger due to blind spots, and also that while they love each other, they don’t necessarily “like” each other.

What you’ve described here is why I feel as if you have got a handle of things! She does not sound like she is worshipping the ground of her found white family members just because they saved her. It’s okay for her to be grateful and even thank them for their help in whatever way makes sense to her, but they should still stand on equal ground.

Example of a balanced scenario in which a character is rescued but gives back

The below situation involves all Black characters, but it may still help.

I recently read a story where the Black FMC, named Rielle, who lost her memory and was in a new world, was saved by a Black couple. From there, many town folks rallied around her and made her feel welcome and at home in their town.

For instance, they gave her:

Immediate medical attention and saved her from the danger they found her in

Emotional and mental support and friendship as she processed her reality

Food, shelter, clothing, etc.

In return, Rielle ends up working for one of the helpful townspeople, who takes on a protective grandmother-y role. Rielle also protects them by giving herself up to authorities that would otherwise do the people harm, showing loyalty and alliance to her found family. There is even a "return" in that loyalty as they absolutely did wish to let her go and even did her best to hide her and prevent it from happening in the first place, at risk to themselves.

Another great act of returned care is when she uses her healing powers to save a townsperson who was injured. In all this, she isn't just there existing to be saved the whole time. She is vulnerable at times, but also has agency.

(Book i'm referencing: "The General's Healer" by L.S. Bethel. This is a spin-off book, but I highly recommended her series "The King's Seer" in general!)

---

The fact that your characters are all flawed but love each other, and there is give and take, makes all the difference. 

~Mod Colette

[kiarapereirawriter]

how to convey arabic language in a specific dialect is being spoken without lengthy descriptions of how words/specific letters are pronounced?

Anonymous asks:

I believe my question revolves around linguistics, but please correct me if there’s something I didn’t take into account. I’m an Egyptian girl who speaks Arabic (the Egyptian dialect specifically), and I am currently writing an urban fantasy set in modern day Egypt. Naturally, the characters would be speaking Egyptian arabic (i even have a scene where my character converses with a tourist and struggles to speak to them ‘in english’)  But as the story is written in english, I found this is really hard to convey, especially with the entirely different alphabet, and the words that simply cannot be transcribed (sometimes in definition, and sometimes in letters that don’t have an equivalent). What would be a good way to send the message that these characters are by no means speaking English (unless stated) without having to hold the reader's hand through lengthy descriptions of how a word is pronounced at every corner?

Hi Anon! This is a tough spot. I’m no expert, just a mod and fellow writer trying to support your fantastic ask. Any bilingual readers, especially other Arabic speakers, feel free to chime in.

1- Disclose they’re speaking Arabic, even though you’re writing in English:

Example A: “Hey, Noor! Wait up,” he said in Arabic. 

Example B: “Habibti, I haven’t seen you in a while,” she reminded me. It was true - I had missed the lilt of her Darija-Moroccan dialect-so different from the Mesri, the Egyptian twang, that rolled off my tongue.

2- Consider using Arabic semantic structure or phrases and idioms used mostly in Arabic.

Example A: She reddened with embarrassment. // They whitened at the sight of it. ((English would probably say she ‘turned red’ rather than reddened, or ‘paled’ rather than whitened. Since Arabic has this natural and fun ability to let color be a verb, which English can but doesn't have naturally - make use of it! It will read differently in English because it’s an Arabic construct. Use other examples like this that you’d know better than me.))

Example B: Consider using “May the Gods smite her house!,” instead of the classic English ‘Fuck You.’ Or use “On my eyes” rather than ‘min ayooni’ or its English translation of ‘of course.’ Since Arabic language is beautifully expressive, you could lean into that when you can rather than using common English alternatives.

 Example C: Consider interspersing Arabic transliterations of common words/phrases like; habibti/habibi; yani; mashallah casually through the story.  

3- When speaking with English speakers, consider using informal text/chat speak (Arabizi?) to communicate the Arabic, since it’s already transliterated to the Roman alphabet. [disclaimer - I am atrocious at this, and will be surprised if anyone can read it… but for science!]: 

Example A: Instead of (انت طالب بالجامعة) or “are you a student?” it becomes; 

“Ente 6albeh bel jam3a?” I asked, staring at the textbook in his arms. 

He looked at me confused. “I don't understand,” he said. “I can’t speak Arabic.” 

“Wain 3m tedrus? Where do you… y3ni… where do you study?” I tried again in slow, awkward English.

These examples may or may not work for you. It’s important to remember that there’s no single "right" way to do this, but it’s mostly about finding a balance that reads well, and feels good to you. Subtle cues like sentence structure, idioms, the occasional untranslated word, and natural context can help to show the language shift. Good luck and happy writing!

~ Melanie 🌻  

P.S. Mod Meir suggests checking out the book When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb, which handles this issue well. There's a lot of "He said in English" or "He repeated it in Yiddish for the old woman's benefit" or "It took him a moment to realize he had spoken in English" (( Thanks Sacha! @kuttithvangu ))

[kiarapereirawriter]

I love when you’re reading multiple fics by the same author and you start to spot all the phrases and adjectives they like to use

[kiarapereirawriter]

Fey Sayings

In my book-iverse, "fey" refers to most otherworldly creatures, but you'll mainly find on the page fairies, elves, kobolds, shadow folk, and some yokai.

While world-building the different homelands of the fey, I wanted to come up with different expressions and idioms that would be commonly said. Here's what I have so far:

Lucky duck = You're a golden spirit / You have a golden spirit

Are you mad? = Did you drink hemlock? / Did you mix your seeds and weeds?

He/She is stupid = He/She smokes daisies

Complaining about nothing = Gathering/Harvesting air

Making things harder for yourself = Flying through water/mud

As clear as mud = As clear as mud (no changes)

Lower your defenses / Bury the hatchet = Shed your thorns

Needle in a haystack = Dew in a river / Dust in the air / Shadow in the night

You’re making a big deal over nothing = You’re harvesting/feasting on seedlings

Going in circles = Digging into a rock

Diamond in the rough = Bloom among the brier

[kiarapereirawriter]

Misc. Inspo: Hanami Pond

I draw inspiration from various things and places. Sometimes, I find it in slimes. No really. I found this adorable slime shop last year that makes delicious slimes (but please don't eat lol), and the videos showing off the different textures and smells made my imagination spin like a roulette wheel, grounding me into various moments and scenes.

Like this one!

"Hanami Pond" is from their Cherry Blossom Festival collection, and once I saw the color, I knew I had to get it. The color matches one of the fairy characters in my WIP, and the smell (Japanese peach, white tea, and sage) brings me to the Haven, a Japanese-style village, where the main character, Nicholas, grew up.

I know the original Nutcracker ballet had Chinese dancers for the tea snack, but 1) I know Japanese better than I do Chinese, and 2) there's a reason one of the characters has a Japanese background. Kenzo Dross studied many forms of magic, including a practice from his home country, the book-universe's version of Onmyodo.

[kiarapereirawriter]

WHOA

[kiarapereirawriter]

Writing Source: Color Thesaurus

Because I use lots of colors in my stories, I need a color thesaurus so I don't keep using the same word over and over. I'm sure there are other sites out there, but this is my go-to for when I need a color synonym. There are only so many times I can use "gold/golden" in the same chapter, so having words like "butterscotch" or "daffodil" are immensely helpful.

(The regular dictionary/thesaurus doesn't help at all. No creative aspect.)

[kiarapereirawriter]

Music Inspo

My current novel WIP is inspired by The Nutcracker and Coppelia, two very famous ballets. There's also influence from The Nightmare Before Christmas, so lots of musical inspiration while I write. Of course, I listen to other music while writing/editing, but these three are the biggest influences of the book.

So, here's a song from each of those three sources and how they helped me with the story :)

1. Drosselmeyer's Arrival - Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker

Naturally, every Nutcracker adaptation needs a Drosselmeyer, and this song helped me flesh out his character:

-mysterious

-powerful

-secretive

-formidable

And that rising energy at the end provided the right amount of tension for the scene where he really shows off his power.

Of course, it's not his most powerful. Saving that for the ending. ;)

2. Dance of the Chinese Doll - Delibes, Coppelia

I always knew the toys in the book would come to life, a la Nutcracker style. And just like Swanhilda and her friends, they would be lively and curious about this new place. This melody captures the innocent joy that the toys would feel. Plus, there are actual toys that dance during this part of the ballet, so that's always fun to watch :)

3. Finale - Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas

Okay, so the whole soundtrack gave me ideas for the characters. I wanted the romantic relationship to be like Jack and Sally's: they both deeply care for each other, but it takes a while for them to end up together. However, I didn't want to make the male MC oblivious to the female MC's affections, nor did I want him to take the entire story to realize he liked her back. And since I'm ace, I chose to make him demiromantic asexual. She accepts him as he is (yay, healthy communication!) and the two get together around the middle :)

And yes, I want their "finally together" moment to be as cute and heartwarming as the scene in the movie.

[kiarapereirawriter]

A couple of weeks ago, I found the WIPSnips community on Blue Sky. Each day, you share a snippet of your work with the word of the day (or a synonym if the word itself doesn't appear in your work). Today's word was "dear," and I had two perfect snippets for it!

The first one (linked directly) does mention domestic abuse, specifically between cousins. The second one is posted below that snippet, and it's a letter from the main character to his godfather.

[kiarapereirawriter]

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

This is my space for sharing my writerly journey, from books I've read, to stories I've written. Let's grow together into better storytellers!