Write What You Want

There's something that happens rather a lot in the publishing community, and it's this tendency toward telling writers to avoid things that have been done "too many times." Common plots and story seeds are labelled as inherently worthless to work with, and the oft-repeated refrain is, "everybody's tired of it."

I have multiple issues with this.

For one, some of my absolute favorite things get swept to the side and called "boring" because they've been "done too many times." I adore portal fantasy. I think plots where someone who seems like a boring nobody is actually secret royalty are still pretty fun. Faerie tale retellings? Love 'em. I could go on. And if I'm not tired of those plots, it's a safe bet that there are plenty of other people out there who aren't, either. So the argument that "nobody likes them anymore" just doesn't hold water.

For two, sure, there are a lot of plots out there that have been written already. But not by you. Not by me. We have not seen every conceivable take on every conceivable idea. Everybody tells a story differently. If I've read one book about vampires, I've read one book about vampires. The vampiric element is only a part of what makes the story, and I want to read all about the unique twists and turns and worldbuilding each new author brings forth. It's fun, it's entertaining, and I like it. No two authors tell the same tale.

For three, there are so many instances where "everybody's tired of it" comes off more as "it's popular, so I hate it." I don't have a lot of patience for that. Especially when these anti-bandwagons tend to heavily target things that are popular with girls and women. If it's not hurting anyone, let people enjoy things.

Trends ebb and flow, but to say that something is ever "dead" is just plain wrong, to me. Every book has a reader, and the only time I will ever look at a trend or a trope and say it's bad and should never be done is if that trend or that trope is rooted in bigotry. No more Nazi romances, for the love of all the gods. No more "noble savages." No more disabled people getting better through the power of love. Portal fantasy, though? Vampires? A portal fantasy with vampires? Hit me with it. I'll keep reading it for as long as people keep writing it.

(No, for real, if anyone has any portal fantasy with vampires, that actually sounds amazing and I want to know about it.)

In short? Write what you want. Write what entertains you. Write the book that you need, that you want, that you find entertaining. Just because some people are tired of it doesn't mean everyone is.

Until next time,
Jenn.

Don't Write Every Day

In the past, I've written about the passive ableism inherent in lots of popular writing advice. Recently on Twitter I posted the following series of tweets:

[Image description: A series of tweets from Twitter user @JennBasel discussing ableist writing advice. The tweets read: 

Stewing on some ideas for a post about how so much creativity advice is passively ableist. Because hoo boy, is it. 

“Write every day or you’re not a real writer!” is advice that’s been super harmful to me personally. I /can’t./ I only have so many spoons. 

“You have to force yourself to put your but [sic] in the chair and write!” is well and good on days I haven’t used all my spoons on basic hygiene. 

Some days I have fewer spoons & have to put them toward eating & getting dressed. I’m not less of a writer for not writing on those days.]

[Image description: A series of tweets from Twitter user @JennBasel discussing ableist writing advice. The tweets read:

I really can’t treat writing like a job most days, because even just existing is hard. “Write when you can,” is the policy I work by.

Today I made a to-do list, took one look at it, and nearly panicked because I KNEW it wasn’t doable. I cut everything that wasn’t vital.

tl;dr, don’t act as if “write every day” or “treat writing like a job” are accessible ways to approach being a writer. They’re not.

This thread brought to you by an autistic writer with severe anxiety and chronic fatigue, among many other things.]

I posted screenshots of these tweets on my Tumblr, and almost immediately started getting comments from fellow disabled writers that made me realize just how necessary this sentiment is. Multiple people across Twitter and Tumblr replied with thanks, and with frustration that this same sentiment isn't more common.

It really upset me. As nice as it is to have strung together words that resonated with people, these words shouldn't be so rare that they strike such a chord.

Too many writer communities get hung up on what it takes to be a "real writer." How much do you have to write? How often? How seriously? With what goals? To what end? All of these questions get debated hotly, and the conclusions that get drawn are almost always variations on, "You have to write every day, with the goal of publication, with the intent on making it a lucrative career."

That's a bunch of crap.

Not only is it dismissive and rude to those who write solely for fun, with no desire to make it a career, it's downright cruel to those of us who have tried our damnedest to meet those standards and failed because they are utterly inaccessible. I have broken myself in pursuit of that "real writer" ideal. It sapped my love of the craft, killed my creativity, and made me absolutely miserable.

"Write every day" is hurting people. It's time to acknowledge that, widely and loudly. I shouldn't be one of the only people saying it.

Write in the way that's best for you. Write what you can, when you can. If all you can manage is once every blue moon, you're not somehow "not a writer." You still write. You still have that desire to tell stories and have fun with it. Arbitrary quotas mean nothing, especially when they're imposed by other people.

I'm making this post not necessarily to elaborate on what I said in my tweets, but to keep boosting the message: You aren't less of a writer because you can't write every day. You aren't less of a writer because you can't or don't want to treat writing like a job. You aren't less of a writer because you don't write as much or as often as some other writers do. You don't have to meet someone else's arbitrary standards.

Write in the way that is best for you.

Until next time,
Jenn.

(If you enjoyed this post, please consider supporting me on Patreon or Ko-Fi. Thanks!)

Self-Publishing and Taking Things Into My Own Hands

I never thought I'd be interested in self-publishing, and yet here we are. There's still an agent out there with my full manuscript, but unless they respond soon and want to talk, I think self-publishing is where I really ought to go.

When I first started writing with the goal of publication, the publishing industry was still very set against self-published authors. "Self-publishing is for quitters and the people who can't hack it in the 'real' publishing industry," was the general sentiment. While that is still around, it's not as widely accepted as fact as it used to be.

Ebook publishing had made self-publishing a lot more accessible and profitable, and some truly amazing communities have sprung up around it. Folks who aren't in it for the money and just want to share their stories have put together amazing resources for those who want to do the same.

The traditional publishing industry is a slow-moving, slow-changing behemoth. It's what works for a lot of people, and it's put out a lot of quality content. But it's not the only way to do things.

I'm a queer, disabled, broke twentysomething who just wants to write stories about people like me and hopefully make somebody's day a little brighter. And the fact of the matter is that people like me also tend to be broke. I want the power to say, hey, I'm putting my book on sale for .99 this week, so the people who need it can actually access it. I want to be able to say, hey, you can't afford even that much, but you seem like you'd really enjoy my work, so here's a free copy.

I want the power to say, hey, this style of writing isn't popular with agents or editors, but I think it's fun and I want to try it. I want the power to choose my titles and my covers, and have my hands in every part of the process.

It's going to be a lot of work, but I think it will be better for me in the end. I don't want to have a huge following, and I don't care if I don't make a cent. I just want to know that my stories are getting read by people who need them and enjoy them.

I'm not completely closing the door on traditional publishing, but for now...for now, let's see how well I can do on my own. It'll be a challenge, and it'll be a lot of work, but since deciding to give it a try I feel much more enthusiastic and excited about sitting down and writing. That's something I haven't felt in a long time.

It feels like I've put power back into my own hands after an eternity of stagnation. And that's nice.

Until next time,
Jenn.

The Obligatory Intro Post

Hello everyone! I'm back on Blogger!

My writer life has been all over the place over the past couple of years, and I recently sat down to figure out what direction I actually want to take it. For now, I'm going to be taking a break from novel-length fiction to focus on short stories and getting involved in online writer communities again. I still have several novels on the backburner that I will absolutely be returning to, but for now I could use a break.

If you already know me, you know that I'm a self-described queer neurodivergent mess. My pronouns are they/them/their. I am always looking for positive fictional representation of all things queer and autistic. I love tales of fantasy and adventure--books, video games, film, you name it. I grew up on Harry Potter and went on to devour things like A Song of Ice and Fire. Give me a sweeping fantasy with a strong political bent and a seasoning of court intrigue and I'm there.

I'm getting back into blogging and various other social media to make connections with other writers. I got my start in the Twitter publishing community, and I miss all the friends I made. I'd love to be a part of that again, so don't hesitate to hit me up on whatever social media platform we share. You can find my links on the "Links & Contact" page up there in the header. Please don't email me unless it's absolutely necessary, though--I will probably forget to respond. Emails are for review requests and business.

If you're unfamiliar with my writing, I hope you'll stick around to read some of it! I'll be uploading weekly(ish) short stories on my Medium page, as well as sharing updates to my ongoing Skyrim fanfiction on Archive of our Own. Links to both of those are on the links page as well.

Lastly, if you do read my writing and want to kick a little cash my way, you can find me on Patreon! There are small rewards for those who back me, including critiques of your own personal writing by yours truly. You don't have to give me money in order to read my stories, but Patrons do get access to some exclusive content. Check it out if you can. My day job is baking, and that doesn't cover all the bills. Every dollar is much appreciated. You can find a link to my Patreon on the sidebar or on the links page.

Welcome to the blog, everyone--I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Feel free to let me know what you'd like me to talk about, because I am always open to suggestions.

Until next time,
Jenn.