(These tips are meant for fiction books, especially fantasy. so if you’re writing nonfiction a decent amount of these won’t apply to you. Sorry!)
Find your writing voice.
one of the biggest issues I find in things written by beginners is a lack of emotional connection with the narration. Sure the story can be great, but without personality, without looks into the characters minds, without little quips here and there, it really isn’t all that interesting. Something that really helped me to realize this was a book called the tragical tale of birdie bloom. It’s a kids book but it honestly has such a good narrator (and storyline tbh) that you can look past the little kiddy-ness. I recommend you check the book out if you’re looking for some inspiration. I will be making a post about how to develop your writing and character voices soon so if you want some extra help with that, stay tuned!
2. Get to know your characters.
I know that you all probably already know this, but characters are one of, if not the most important part of a book. Readers don’t want to read about a flat, boring character who just feels like a vessel for the horrifying amount of trauma you add to your story. They want to read about people that feel real, people with flaws and feelings and hobbies and backstories. When I wanted to develop my characters I started going through the drafts, the plot outlines, everything and seeing what the characters did, said, felt. Then I took their basic backstory and started lining things up. Like if a character decided to get into a fight with another character, I would see what had happened to them that might have caused this. Maybe they had been abused as a child and thought that any disagreement meant they had to fight for their life. Maybe this person reminded them of a former enemy. After you start to figure out what connects the characters to the big plot points, you can then start to develop subtle things. You could start writing something, realize this situation would have triggered a character, and then drop subtle hints towards them feeling uncomfortable. Go nuts with it, after all you can never over-analyze a character.
3. Describe things uniquely.
Descriptions are what help us to understand what’s going on in a scene. They can tell us about the tasty drink a character is enjoying, the slick dress that someone is wearing or the way a characters muscles tense when a certain someone enters the room. But sometimes descriptions a fall a bit flat and that can ruin the experience for the reader. Something I always try to remember is to try and come up with new words describe something, for example; “her eyes were a beautiful shade of brown.” Is a very basic and over used description, instead you could try; “her eyes sparkled as she sat across from me, gleaming a rich chocolate shade as the light from the candles reflected off of them”. This is a much stronger sentence as it gives both environment hits and a description of the eyes, all while staying away from overused terms. I often see this theme in stories written by beginners, things being described in a very straight forward manner. And of course this is ok once in a while, especially if this isn’t a very important topic, but it still sounds better when you branch away from that basic sentence structure. I always like to use descriptive sentences to push things forward. Here is another example; “she was wearing a fluffy green dress with lots of lace. She walked over to the door and opened it.” Vs “the lacy trim of her green dress dragged on the floor as she walked towards the door. She smiled wide as she held it open, inviting her guests into the building.” Making strong sentences is very important, so please toy around with different words, structures, etc, until the sentence fits the type of book you’re trying to write.
4. Make trauma realistic.
Yes, even if you’re writing a fantasy book, characters experiences have to be realistic. Something that always gets on my nerves is when writers come up with a good idea for some trauma, so they just give to a character, even when it doesn’t suit them at all. if you are going to give a character trauma you need to explain it, set it up so it actually fits into their character arc, then have the character actually be affected by it. They can’t just randomly be like “I got shot by a dude.” And that’s it if there is no way that character could have gotten shot given their life experiences. Also if you want a character to be relatively unaffected after an extremely traumatic event you have to plan it out so that they have a specific and consistent trauma response that makes them not react shortly after an event like that. Characters are supposed to be like people, and no two people react to trauma the same way, so you do have some leeway if necessary, but people also don’t just stay the same after something horrible happens, they are affected by it and that has to be accurately portrayed. This does get easier the more you get to know the characters though, as soon you will know how they react to things and how to plan trauma that suits them.
5. Make a plot outline.
I cannot stress this enough, make a plot outline. Making a plot outline literally saved my book, and they are really easy to make! I recommend you download a spreadsheet app like XL spreadsheets or Apple numbers but you could even use google docs if you want. You want to put in all the chapters and then give each chapter at least six spots to write scenes. Add a spot for adding the main event of the chapter/a summery of what you have to write. This will help you to understand what you have to write for that chapter and how it fits into the next chapter. After that you start to fill all the scene boxes in with your plot information. Having a plot outline is great as it can be super vague and messy, but still hold all your ideas. It also helps to prevent unnecessary rewrites later, as you can just edit the plot outline before you start writing the first draft. You can even make a plot outline after you’ve started writing your book. That’s what I did and I promise, it still is very helpful. (Example of a plot outline below.)
Alright, changing it up a bit with my book stuff but this one hit home with me. The author draws very interesting parallels between stories in the Quran and her experiences as a gay muslim woman that are very interesting. And if you think you can’t be muslim and gay, or wear a hijab and be gay, or even tackle muslim culture and queerness in one, then you’re bound to be pleasantly proved wrong with this one.
✨Thank you Alice for handling this scene with such thought and care. It’s implied but not explicit, keeping it “Heartstopper” style ya know? Apparently some people are shocked and or upset at today’s update but you could tell it was coming.✨
It has a dozen fiction stories with ace characters all over the spectrum and in so many genres. Im talking ghost stories, supernatural, drama, sci-fi, you name it. I've literally cried three times while reading it I feel so seen
This is the representation ace people need. In every category. We need full length novels dedicated to the ace experience because this would've SAVED me as a kid.
An experiment in letter writing, meant to evoke the distinctly sweet homoerotisicm of Victorian and Edwardian literature. Follow the correspondence of two professors, in the months before one of them makes a decision he'll never be able to take back.
A visual novel with a cute mechanic: Slide the letters back and forth across the screen, to experience the time the letter is written, and when it is read
Sex and Body Positive Trans and Nonbinary Non-Fiction Books
Buy books from trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming authors! Here's a list of some non-fiction that I've really enjoyed. This is NOT extensive, it is just scratching the surface of what's out there.
Be sure to follow me for updates on my own books and a regular dose of non-binary gender euphoria! [18+ Only, I'm a sex blogger and pleasure informed queer sexuality writer.]
NOTE: All links are to Amazon CA. Most of these are available at other retailers though, so, if it looks interesting please be sure to look it up at your preferred place to buy books!
Ashley, Florence. Gender/Fucking: The Pleasures and Politics of Living in a Gendered Body. CLASH Books, 2024.
Coyote, Ivan. Rebent Sinner. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2022.
Dale, Laura Kate, Ed. Gender Euphoria: Stories of Joy from Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex Writers. Unbound, 2022.
Grimm, Bruce Owens, Miguel M. Morales and Tiff Joshua TJ Ferentini, editors. Fat & Queer: An Anthology of Queer and Trans Bodies and Lives. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021.
Kobabe, Maia. Gender Queer: A Memoir. Oni Press, 2019.
Lore, Nillin. How Do I Sexy? A Guide for Trans and Nonbinary Queers. Thornapple Press, 2024.
Lorenz, Theo. The Trans Self-Care Workbook: A Coloring Book and Journal for Trans and Non-Binary People. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020.
Mx. Sly. Transland: Consent, Kink, and Pleasure. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2023.
Oaks-Monger, Tash. All the Things They Said We Couldn't Have: Stories of Trans Joy. Jessica Kinglsey Publishers, 2023.
Raines, Jamie. The T in LGBT: Everything You Need to Know About Being Trans. Vermilion, 2024.
Silver, Orlando. I Write the Body: Queer & Trans Kink, Desire, and Defiance. Kith Books & silvertongue PUBLISHING, 2023.
Sparks, Kelvin. Trans Sex: A Guide for Adults. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2022.
Tobia, Jacob. Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2019.
Vaid-Menon, Alok. Beyond the Gender Binary. Pocket CHANGE Collective, 2020.
Violet, Mia. Yes, You Are Trans Enough: My Transition from Self-Loathing to Self-Love. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019.
Some of you are familiar with my work already through itch.io or this blog, but I want to say that my book, So Sang the Riverman—a story which tells of the primordial world's destruction after the spirit of life, Fervor, makes off with the heart in Decay's grave—is now available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. If you have a soft spot for gay romance and "indulgent" prose, have yourself a look, and if you do decide to buy a copy, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my work!
There's a huge pressure for queer authors to out themselves & use their identity to market their book.
So many calls for books/events ask for ownvoices books, but what they're really asking for is books by openly out authors.
Please ask for books with queer MCs instead!🙏🌈❤️
Ownvoices was meant to be about uplifting marginalized voices, but this isn't what we're doing anymore: we're prying into authors' personal lives just to make sure we're reading/featuring a book with 'good rep'. This needs to stop, it's so harmful.
This can't be the standard.
Since when did we start caring about rep in fictional books more than the real people behind those books?
If we want to uplift marginalized voices, those voices shouldn't have to owe us anything in exchange, not their history, not their identity.
Authors shouldn't have to out themselves for us to read their books, let's make this a safe space for everyone.❤️🌈
If you liked Camp Damascus, try Hell Followed With Us
and vice versa!
There's a lot to love in both Camp Damascus by @drchucktingle and Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White. As horror novels about queer youth with, shall we say, complicated relationships with religion, they have a lot in common - if you liked one you very well may like the other. Let's take a closer look.
Characters:
Both books feature queer, autistic youth fighting back. The characters are trying to survive in a world created for them by abusive adults and religious institutions that hold power over them.
In Camp Damascus we follow Rose (autistic, lesbian). In Hell Followed With Us we follow Benji (neurodivergent, trans) and Nick (autistic, gay).
Genre:
Both books are horror, but with two distinct flavors. Camp Damascus has more of a creepy factor, while Hell Followed With Us leans more toward gore. In Camp there is some mystery to the evil, but in Hell the evil has a name, a face, an address - and a to-do list.
Both books deal with Christian cults and the horrors of indoctrination. They deal with the characters' complicated relationships to Christianity as an institution and God as a concept. They also both quote Christian scripture heavily.
Vibes:
While both books are horror, they do feel very different, largely because the primary emotion that drives each story is different. In Camp Damascus, it's love. In Hell Followed With Us, it's rage. You'll certainly find both emotions in certain quantities in either novel, but what they primarily put forward distinctly changes the vibe of both books.
-
So there you have it! Two fantastic reads in close thematic conversation with each other - but still quite distinct. If either sounds good to you, do yourself a favor and check out both today!
“A quietly fantastical wonderland of creatures, queerness, and possibility.” — Max Franciscovich @goose-books, author of Night Shift
The debut collection returns in a special fifth anniversary edition, repackaged with three new short stories, a new cover, and additional bonus content!
A vampire is forced into a compromising situation; a father fears his child's growing plant collection; the undead go to high school; a butcher contemplates whether or not she can be loved. In a captivating debut, yves. opens the door to our world, slightly askew—where the crows work for witches and telephone booths serve as secret channels for prophecy; where a diverse cast of monsters and humans alike are forced to contend with what the world believes is right.
Thank you to everyone who made my weird uncategorizable "Lemony Snicket meets Carmen Maria Machado" speculative fiction an instant bestseller! If you’ve ever felt like a monster, this book is for you.
PRESS: KZSC interview | Santa Cruz Sentinel interview
EXCERPTED SHORT STORIES
BUY NOW!
signed paperback | paperback & ebook (amazon) | ebook (itch.io)
& at all major retailers!
Thank you so much for reading this post about my book. I hope you will share it, and this image of my beautiful black cat, Andy, widely. To queer weird fiction and indie pub! To you, Dear Reader, with love.
With November here, here are bi books out in November!
Let me know if I missed any bi books out in November.
Books listed:
The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q by Felicia Davin
The Santa Pageant by Lillian Barry
I'm A Princess That Ran Away To A Magical World by Terry Bartley
Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black
Abbott: 1979 by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivela (Artist)
Outdrawn by Deanna Grey
Violet Moon by Mel E. Lemon
Hummingbird: Part Two by Frances M. Thompson
Vicarious by Chloe Spencer
Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske @freyamarske
Until the Blood Runs Dry by MC Johnson
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat
Ride with Me by Jenna Jarvis
We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull
Allure by CEON
Delay of Game by Ari Baran
Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert
One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny
To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn
Come Out, Come Out by Alexia Onyx
💖Make sure to check TWs for all books if necessary.
💖Preorders help the authors greatly, so make sure to preorder any book(s) that catch your interest.
💖Here is the goodreads list of these books