#writing representation

^^^^ THIS BIT OF YOUR MOST RECENT POST!!!! I run into this problem alllll the time, in fic and published fiction both, but never knew exactly how to put it into words. You articulated it PERFECTLY!!

This might be a strange qualm, but I've found that a lot of authors who try to tackle the casual racism/sexism/homophobia in sports spaces don't actually know the,,, I suppose 'cadence' is the best word for it, of the kinds of things that are being said. Like, everyone is peripherally aware of 'locker room talk', but when I see it written about in a fictional context, I can immediately tell if the author has ever actually HEARD it, ya know?

Like, sometimes I read certain insults and how the author frames them and it comes off very 'ha ha I am the Evil Goon' but also,,, ugh I dunno how to explain this, but it feels like an almost 'too woke' insult?? If that makes sense?? Like the type of vernacular being thrown around to insult gay people is like,,, "well, a casually bigoted person wouldn't even know the specificity of this insult",,, does that make sense??

There's a phenomenal author on ao3 (GoldStarGrl) who actually DOES do lockerroom talk really, really well, and there's a passage from one of their fics (Good Like That) that I think summarizes the core of casual bigotry/'lockerroom talk' in sports dominated by men really effectively:

Dutch laughs. There’s no real heat behind it. He’s just being a dick, throws it away like they do faggot, spic, retard. Words that couldn't possibly bother guys like them, because it was impossible any of them actually applied, like being called a toaster.

I dunno exactly where I'm going with this, but I just think it's so interesting reading about what some authors THINK would be 'insulting lockerroom talk' versus the kind of things that are actually being said.

I'm realising I gave this ask like zero context lol. This came about cause I've been reading a lot of hollanov fanfic and I noticed this stumbling block when some authors attempted to tackle the angstier side of things.

No worries. You've come to the right place, or at least, a right place. I got a degree in fiction and so these are the kinds of discussions I'm used to having and enjoying having with people. I actually don't get to talk about the actual craft of writing in fandom spaces very often so it's nice.

I have no doubt most authors are getting that wrong. There's also the added complication of gender here. Even if Reid knew what "locker room talk" was like in women's lockers it would be a very different thing from what it's like in men's lockers. It's also, by virtue of this very thing, going to be basically impossible for an author to research. Most things you know nothing about as a writer you can research, but if you're a woman you can't research a men's locker room. You definitely can't research a pro hockey team's locker room.

The only other thing you can do besides your own research is interview people who do have firsthand experience, and again, that's going to be difficult here. Reid doesn't exactly have any pro hockey players in her contacts I'm guessing.

So for once, I don't blame Reid or any other authors who don't nail this - it's a near impossible thing to write accurately unless you've lived it.

I also know exactly what you mean by it being "too woke." Writers make this mistake a lot. They give a level of awareness to the villainy/antagonism of a character that the character wouldn't logically be aware of, because they aren't trying to be and don't know they're being a villain/antagonist. With something like homophobia, they forget that the character they're trying to make homophobic doesn't view homophobia the way they do, and so their character's homophobia ends up sounding weirdly like they're being homophobic to set an example of what homophobia is like.

This I kind of do blame Reid for, but it is such a common issue in writing that she's hardly alone.

There's also the issue here of writers generally not being good at portraying bigotry they haven't experienced. Fans seem to be under the unanimous impression that Reid is bi - but I haven't been able to find a single official source that confirms it, or any interviews from her or anything she wrote or said herself that she actually is bi. Obviously, if she's straight, that's making it all the more unsurprising she's not nailing this. But even if she actually is bi, it has the same complication as before - how bi women experience queerphobia is different than how gay men experience it, and she's not going to be experiencing it the way a gay man does.

In any case, none of what you've said here surprises me at all.

I really appreciate the example you gave from that fic. I will have to check it out. That person does sound like they have a much better grasp on how to convey these sorts of things.

I’ve been doing research and as a white person, I wanted it to be as accurate and respectful as possible, so I thought I’d come on here and ask some actual Mexican people about things like traditions you have and some things that people either get wrong or don’t come up on an average google search.

I see it very often in fanfics that want to focus and dive deep into characters struggles, but instead it makes them so ooc, so dull and one-dimentional personification of wikipedia article about disorder they're supposed have. Its even worse, when authors completely disregards character's gender/social background/individual circumstances, which sometimes results like teenage girl abused by her parents manifesting ptsd symptomps in the same way as vietnam war veteran from 90s movie or something like that

I see you're open to beta and sensitivity reads! I'm not quite ready for that yet but the second book in my paranormal fantasy duology has a recurring role that's actually a vampire who's visually impaired with albinism! (and queer but that's not explicitly stated or relevant)

I did some research and tried to avoid harmful stereotypes as much as possible, but I was wondering if you had any quick pointers of what I should absolutely avoid? Or vice versa, something you'd really like to see.

Hello, hi! I really enjoyed what I saw on your blog when I first rejoined the tumblr writing community. I’m excited to see more of your work.

First of all, thank you for asking! And thank you also for researching albinism and the harmful stereotypes we unfortunately encounter in media. If I can help bring about more positive, realistic representation of albinism and the spectrum of visual impairment in fiction by acting as a source of advice— well, honestly, I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me this since I started writing. Maybe even before that, really. My childhood was marred by not-great fictional examples of my disability, and those few that exist were used by others as faulty measurements of comparison. Baby Luna would've loved to see someone like herself in books and films who wasn’t a villain or a sympathy-inducer in one of those “disability inspiration” movies.

Speaking of, this brings me to my list of what I’d like to see— and not ever see again— in media. This list’s advice may or may not be relevant, depending on the vampire lore you’re using and the specifics of your— for lack of a better phrase—mythical humanoid world-building. If you'd prefer to share specific bits of relevant info privately— just in case my notes here aren't helpful or specific enough— please feel welcome to pop by in my private messages.

1. Demon comparisons are not well received by the albinism community. I’d love less “omg, red eyes? must be a demon!” energy aimed at us. If that’s a vampire trait in your story’s world, or otherwise plot-necessary, I'd probably support it if the character with albinism bites back with some sass or a teasing threat. The amount of times I’ve had religious weirdos and children freak out on me in public is in the double digits. I'm known to be pretty feisty in response to negative comments, and most of the people with albinism I've met either react with tolerant “in good faith” education or dry humor.

2. Albinism comes with some co-morbid conditions. For example, nystagmus— a condition many people with albinism possess— is rarely represented in media, and therefore not understood by the general population. I’d love to see it casually touched upon in a book or film. Some other related conditions and experiences include extreme photophobia, skin cancer, strabismus, poor vision, astigmatism, squinting, eye fatigue and migraines, and more I'm probably forgetting to mention.

3. Please, please, if you can help it, don't give the world another villain or evil henchman with albinism. I'm begging writers and filmmakers to stop. I can go into detail as to why this is detrimental to the albinism community if requested, but I'm trying to keep this post brief.

4. Not all blind people wear sunglasses, and those who do don't wear them 24/7. I personally only wear mine outside and if I've been under fluorescent lights for more than a few hours. Bright lights physically hurt after awhile. The whole “blind people always wear sunglasses” trope was popularized so that blind characters could be easily recognized as blind in tv and film.

5. We’re clumsy and confused a good portion of the time. Visual impairments plus possible depth perception issues and questionable ability to perceive light do not make for the most graceful of humans. We bump into stationary objects, stumble over uneven or unpredictable surfaces, fail to notice people right in front of us, and fumble with items we can't perceive. If I had a dollar for every time I've taken a doorknob into the hip, knocked over clear glasses, fallen into the street from the pavement, walked by my own mother in a store whilst searching for her, and almost gotten into the wrong car… I'd be able to actually afford to exist under capitalism, wow