#lgbtqwrites

[lgbtqwriting]

Hi! I'm writing a fanfic and one of the main characters is trans, and I'm wondering if it's okay if I write his coming out scene as a sort of "from now on call me <insert name>". And also another thing: the character's pov I'm writing from is sort of set in the future, as in the whole fanfic is just a bunch of memories he remembers, and his friend came out to him a couple years after they met, so he knows his dead name. How should I write those memories before he came out? I don't want to use his birth name and I think it would be confusing if I'd say, for example, "that was the day Matthew told us to call him Matthew from now on". Also, any other tips for writing a trans character would be incredible.

Hope you're having a great day <3

Hey there!

I think having your trans character ask other characters to use his new name is a pretty smooth and efficient way to have him come out.

Here are some other tips for writing trans characters:

Tackling the elephant in the room: deadnames

Writing transmasc nonbinary characters vs. binary trans male characters

Writing transfem characters (pt. 1)

Writing transfem characters (pt. 2)

Writing nonbinary characters - navigating more "obscure" labels (ex. galactian system)

Writing characters with alternating/multiple sets of pronouns

Navigating your trans character's past

Accurately portraying gender dysphoria + trans self-discovery as a cis writer (pt. 1)

Accurately portraying gender dysphoria + trans self-discovery as a cis writer (pt. 2)

Coming out: keeping it casual

Writing queer identities that you don't share with your characters (as a queer person)

Accidental cissexism and unintentional misgendering from well-intentioned characters

How to seamlessly incorporate trans people and nonbinary genders into your sci-fi/fantasy setting (without stealing ideas from nonwhite cultures looking at you eon: the last dragoneye)

The barebones basics of writing genderfluid characters

[i-circe]

A Dearth of Representation, with hopes and dreams.

A Dearth of Representation, with hopes and dreams.

Since completing my debut novel, which is presently in the hands of my publisher at Brainspired Publishing, I have already started work on the second installment of the Mary Dubois Thriller series. Now that I’ve had that first drink of the nectar which pours from the fountain of the Imaginarium in my mind, I understand that it flows freely and is only limited by what I’m willing to write, by what…

[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

[accessible-art]

Could you describe this piece of art, thank you very much? https://www.tumblr.com/lgbtqwriting/719106871619944448

absolutely! posted [ here ]

[defining-trans]

I’m currently writing a fanfic where an anime character cross dresses to avoid being drafted into a war during the 1920s. I wanted to know if there was a way to right a story like this without being transphobic or is it inherently transphobic? I want to make sure not to offend anyone or invalidate their identity and experiences.

I’m not as much of an expert as @lgbtqwriting might be on the subject, but I’d imagine you’ll be fine so long as you avoid throwing slurs around and don’t insinuate that “transgender” is just a fancy word for crossdresser. And perhaps try to avoid writing a scene where people find out and abuse your character, physically or otherwise.

[strayonward]

Untame

Untame yourself

From the wrangling of society

Do not let them break you

In the ways they told you, you should be broken

As they have the ones before you

Create a mess of yourself

Let strands of hair fall out of part

Let your tongue unravel the vocabulary you have been taught

Learn new words

Ones that frighten you

Do not retrace your steps, step off the curb

Move backwards

Miss your stop

Walk into places where you are the stranger

Give yourself a new name 

Be unbreakable 

Become chaos in your wake

Move within yourself 

Do not let them break in your wave

Allowing them to step in

Thinking it is safe

Remind them that there is always an undercurrent 

[aioba1503-sdm]

Reminder to self:

Start working on a story about a space colony. A young man (who is also a doctor) is found in a damaged escape pod. He and the first mate start developing a relationship, but the captain (who is the first mates cousin) gets jealous and frames the doctor for murder with poison. 

[blueflowerprose-blog]

Poetry is...

[elytrafemme]

Hey, I found Cough Syrup a few weeks ago and I'm absolutely in love! I'm new to Tumblr, I was wondering if you could recommend any writer blogs that are willing to give writing advice? I really appreciate it!

hi there! i really appreciate it, means a lot to me :D

iiii don't entirely know? i know that in general there's uhh @/lgbtqwriting which isn't like fandom specific or anything but it exists and can be pretty helpful! i don't really follow a lot of just strictly writing advice blogs though tbh. and it would really depend a lot of my mutuals are writers in this fandom and will probably get you writing advice if you just shot them an ask so i don't really know how to recommend if that makes sense?

uhhh followers if you wanna self promo or chime in here feel free!

[yourbookcouldbegayer]

Hi! I'm writing an aro ace character in a QPR. Any tips?

Although I have written a QPR, I’ve never been in one or really interacted with one myself, so I also asked @lgbtqwriting to help out with this one:

—

No two queer/quasi-platonic relationships are alike. Some look like friendships from the outside, others look like relationships. A relationship is defined by the people who are in it. For some people, kissing is an inherently romantic act. For others, not. There's not really a way you can write QPRs "wrong", but I'd suggest making it very clear that this relationship is not based on any romantic attraction, so there will likely be fewer sappy moments and not very much flusteredness or taking action on impulse.

—

Something I’d like to add, just from writing myself, is that there’s a focus on commitment. Form how I understand it, that’s where the strength of it comes from over just a friendship, that there’s a sense of commitment to each other, that their relationship will last and even if a member of it choses to pursue relationships outside of thee qpr in a romantic or sexual sense, they’re more temporary and feeding. My characters in a qpr don’t call it that as they’re in a time period where that term doesn’t exist, but are very close, call each other best friends and think of each other as the closest friend they’ve ever had, but also planned on living together, getting a house together, adopting and raising kids together if they could get away with it. 

-Mod Emma

(Anyone else who has thoughts feel free to add!)

[authorjcalamy]

The New Project

Harold/Kumar x Hobbes/Shaw #AmWriting #RomanticComedy #LGBTQWrites #RoadTrip #WriteWithFriends #LGBTQuarantine

Moving on. I sent my manuscript to an editor and then closed everything and walked away. Let’s go on a trip instead.

The new WIP: A road trip romantic comedy with the usual crime boss drama in the background. It’s cowritten with my critique partner, Lee. It will be about 60K and we are planning on submitting it to Carina Adores.

Tropes: Road Trip,

#LGBTQuarantine Project and as part of

[saintastaeroth]

I've started my new 1980s LGBT Fantasy Romance on Wattpad if you are Intrested! (Someone told me it was like a romantic Good Omens so I think that's a good sign 😂) #fantasy #lgbtfiction #lgbt #LGBTQwrites

"Immortals, Eden, and Pomegranates" on #Wattpad https://my.w.tt/vcnJp7aCN2

[i-circe]

In plain Sight, a queer trans woman author!

In plain Sight, a queer trans woman author!

The Space Between, oil on canvas, 36in. x 48in. Creating and being unapologetic about being a queer and atheist woman of trans origin is, as with other outsider identities, can be challenging at times, but ultimately, liberating, especially as I age. I choose to be visible, not to shy away from being seen. It’s just the way I am. In some milieu’s, I might be perceived as a throwback of the…

[writingquestionsanswered]

WQA Ask Policies

Content Warning: The policies below mention words and situations that may be upsetting. Please continue with caution.

WQA will not answer the following questions:

■ how to portray: abuse of any kind, domestic violence, toxic relationships, bullying, self harm or self harm ideation, suicide or suicide ideation, violence or violence ideation, killing or killing ideation

■ how to write: particular emotions or emotional responses (lots of info available online for this), how to write a particular type of novel (like a cozy mystery or a mafia novel... I'm not an expert in how to write all types of novels, and there's lots of info online for how to write different types of novels.)

■ general/broad/vague questions: for example - "How do you edit?" "How do you write a villain?" or "I'm struggling to find readers. Help?"

■ requests for: dialogue, prompts, story ideas, how to fix your story, what choice to make, names, titles, etc.

■ follow-up clarifications for asks that haven't been answered yet.

■ using AI (Chat GPT, AI art, etc.)

■ how to portray characters of diversities that aren't mine. Instead, please see the following pages: — cripplecharacters.tumblr.com for characters with disabilities — @lgbtqwriting for LGBTQA+ characters — @yourbookcouldbegayer for LGBTQA+ characters — Abuse Victims masterlist via Clevergirlhelps — writingwithcolor.tumblr.com for racial, ethnic, religious diversity

If you're not sure whether or not your question runs afoul of any of the above guidelines, it's okay to ask just in case. ♥

[writingquestionsanswered]

The last time rainbowwriting posted anything was June 2023-- do you know any other blogs that can help with queer writing? tysm

Ooo, thanks for the heads up! I'll add these to the post: @yourbookcouldbegayer @lgbtqwriting

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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

[i-circe]

Queer writer writing!

I am the type of person who tends to think a lot about what I’m doing, in this case, how and why I write. I guess the form I prefer is novel writing, but it’s certainly not anything traditional. Although I function within society’s ideological limits, I bring something different to the table, something queer.As I write my thriller, I understand that even if I am not the first queer author to…