We’re almost at the end of 2021, a year of confusing changes and choices (What are the rules for everything opening back up? Where am I OK going? Whom do I feel comfortable seeing? Where do I feel comfortable not wearing a mask? What is my “new normal”? Why are…
So, I like romances, but I also don’t like romances. I looove romances that take place during other kinds of stories–hook me up with a mystery, or SFF, or, best of all, an SFF mystery (!!!), and I will go to the mat for my favourite ship. Said favourite ships…
I’m hesitant to use the #OwnVoices tag even when I’m writing characters whose identities and experiences overlap with my own. It’s not because I’m unsure who I am–I know that I’m Jewish, bi, grey-ace, GNC, etc. It’s because I’m not sure I’m enough of those things to count. Looking at…
We often phrase the “Golden Rule” as though it’s simple: do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. Or, according to Rabbi Hillel, what is hateful to you, don’t do to your fellow. Or, love your neighbour as yourself. All of these are slightly different takes on the…
Here is something weird my brain does: I love fictional genius characters, especially ones whose sense of self-worth is tied up in their intelligence and whose story arc is partially about the messy process of untangling the two. I love Charlotte Holmes, Harrowhark Nonagesimus*, Gregory House, and all the rest.…
A lot of the best stuff in my life this quarter has been specific to my location and situation. Pandemic-related restrictions have been loosened in my area, and I’m fortunate that the people I’m close to have access to vaccines. But I didn’t want to fill this entry with the…
When I’m not concentrating on what I’m doing, I’m thinking about stories. Sometimes, I’m thinking of my own characters and situations. Sometimes, I’m thinking of other people’s. The pattern is always the same: I start off really excited about these personalities and that situation. Without any effort, I’m enthralled by…
(Missed Part I? It’s here.) Would this still be my blog if I didn’t ramble on about Sherlock Holmes adaptations? Probably not. As in the previous entry, I’m reading a bunch of Sherlock Holmes adaptations/re-imaginings/subversions that change the gender of the Holmes/detective character. Here are my thoughts on the second…
In therapy, I’ve been struggling to accept that no matter how hard I try, sometimes I’m going to hurt other people–and that sometimes, I can’t or won’t try my hardest, because no one can all the time. I’ve internalized somehow, and reinforced through some of the discourse I consume, that…
I can’t speak for every writer, but for me, at least, when I’m working on a manuscript, the mention of another work that shares some of the key elements of my story gives me super mixed feelings. On one hand, I’m writing this story because, damn, I love those elements!…