Exploring the process for naming trans characters, including how to handle deadnames, who some people change their names, and what the meaning behind my own name is!
Category: writing
In Your Face: An Extremely Shallow Dive into the Marketing of Trans Books
How we classify identity in books, how SEO makes trans books easy to find (but also ends up "shoving identity in the readers' faces"), and how pressures to meet the needs of broad audiences can impact representation in books. AKA: Far too long a post for such a surface level exploration of the marketing of transgender books.
Don’t Kill Your Trans Characters #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
A thorough explanation as to why you should not kill your trans characters, along with the EXTREMELY few caveat-filled instances where it is moderately acceptable.
Transphobic Villains and Redemption Arcs #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
The ins and outs of transphobic villains, as well as how to (and if you should) redeem them.
The Model Minority #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
An exploration of what the Model Minority trope is and why perfection isn't always a good thing.
What to Do When Your Writing is Called Transphobic #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
A look into what to do if and when someone says your work is transphobic, or a brief guide to apologies, reparations, and self-improvement.
Human vs. Non-Human #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
A brief breakdown of the relationship between trans representation and non-human species in speculative fiction, and why it's not necessarily a good thing to have your non-human characters be transgender.
Defining 5 Big Terms, from Representation to Stigma #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop
How to navigate some of the big terms surrounding depictions of marginalized individuals: Visibility, Representation, Appropriation, Fetishization, and Stigma.
Self-Acceptance and Struggle
How (not) to write a plot that follows a character's journey towards self-acceptance; or, more accurately, how to avoid the struggle narrative.
Identifying Terms vs. Fluidity
How to approach LGBTQIA+ identities in your characters; or, more specifically, how to balance between set identifying terms and the fluidity of queer theory.
