Write.

the use of gendered language, whether in law or in company guidelines, has been used as an excuse to exclude trans people from various kinds of reproductive healthcare. there have been stories of abortion providers pointing to the use of “pregnant women” in all clinic literature to justify not giving trans men assistance. there are issues where “women’s health clinics” will refuse to accept referrals for anyone who doesn’t have “F” on their records, which of course includes many trans women. there are in turn stories of trans women being unable to access “male” prostrate cancer screening.

language in this sort of capacity needs to be as factual and neutral and carefully constructed to avoid loopholes as possible. at this stage in my life, as a non-woman capable of pregnancy, i don’t really CARE anymore if you talk casually about pregnancy as something that happens to women. but i DO care if the medical system writes out some guidelines that, in only acknowledging pregnant women as a possibility, open me up to the possibility of being denied care by transphobes who can claim they’re just following the rules.

it’s for reasons like this that some people don’t get their gender markers changed, but that in itself creates dangerous situations when their marker doesn’t match their presented gender - I’ve heard horror stories of people getting arrested after being pulled over by a cop who thought they were lying about their identity.

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2XGbCzZ

by lalaleska

“What would…what would that look like?” Yuri asks in a small voice. Otabek’s skin on their cheek feels impossibly soft. He cradles their face, and his eyes are so open and honest, and it tears Yuri’s heart into one million Otabek-shaped pieces.

Otabek runs his thumbs across their cheeks, the smallest smile gracing his features.

“Let me show you.”

Or, Yuri learns a little more about love. Epilogue to “Petals for Armor.” Can sort of be read as a stand-alone.

Words: 3851, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Petals for Armor

Fandoms: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Otabek Altin, Yuri Plisetsky

Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky

Additional Tags: Character Study, Yuri Plisetsky Needs a Hug, Fluff and Smut, Non-Binary Yuri Plisetsky, Blowjobs, Anal Fingering, Yuri Plisetsky Swears, Yuri uses he/they pronouns

If you’re planning on publishing traditionally, chances are you keep a sharp eye on your word count. Literary agents and publishing houses are on the hunt for the best quality stories that they can print for the cheapest price (using the least paper and ink), so you have a higher chance of gaining representation if you can crank your novel out in the least words possible.

However, filler words and phrases aren’t only the enemies of aspiring traditional authors; every writer—fanfic, novelist, journalist, you name it!—should try to eliminate filler from their stories to assure more concise and high-quality writing. Oftentimes, filler contributes nothing but clutter, and without it, your narrative can flow smoother and in a more sophisticated manner.

But how do you know what’s filler and what’s not? Here are some tips on how to Ctrl+F and kick this narrative botox to the curb!

I compiled these lists with the help of Infusionmedia, BDR Publishing, and ResetEra !

Filler Words

1. Just

A writer’s worst enemy, and the bane of my manuscripts’ existences. Eliminating all the ‘just’s can cut down your word count by hundreds.

2. “That” as a conjunction

It’s an unnecessary addition to a sentence, which will be more streamlined without it.

Example: “He said that he wouldn’t do it again.”

Revised: “He said he wouldn’t do it again.”

3. “Now” as an adverb

“Now” is essential if you’re talking about the past and present, but when you’re using it to draw attention to a particular statement or point.

Example: “Now, I didn’t think it’d get so out of hand.”

Revised: “I didn’t think it’d get so out of hand.”

4. Redundant adverbs

These adverbs serve no purpose because the verbs they’re describing already imply the way the action is performed.

Whispering softly

Yelling loudly

Crying sadly

Laughing happily

5. “Telling” words

These words are redundant, especially when using first person, because in describing an event, we can already assume that the characters are experiencing it.

Seeing/saw

Feeling/felt

Hearing/heard

Smelling/smelled

6. “Clarifying” words used to portray definiteness or indefiniteness

Although these are meant to help out the readers get their bearings on a situation, all they do is come across as wishy-washy! Be concise and sure of yourself!

About

Absolutely

Accordingly

Actually

Almost

Basically

Certainly

Clearly

Completely

Entirely

Even

Exactly

Fairly

Highly

Hopefully

Literally

Maybe

Only

Often

Oftentimes

Perhaps

Possibly

Probably

Quite

Rather

Really

Reasonably

Relatively

Seem

Seriously

Simply

Slightly

Some

Somehow

Sometimes

Totally

Very

Filler Phrases

1.“Let out (vocal noise)”

Use the verb instead!

Example: “He let out a sigh.”

Revised: “He sighed.”

2. Using passive voice

Passive voice inflates your word count by including various “to be” verbs into the prose. Passive voice involves actions happening to a subject rather than the subject performing an action, and as a result isn’t as riveting to the reader as active voice; even if it wasn’t a matter of word count, you’d still want to get rid of it anyway!

Still don’t know what I’m talking about? Check out this article from Grammarly.

Example: “The boy was bitten by the dog on his arm.”

Revised: “The dog bit the boy on his arm.”

3. Describing the wrong noun

Many writers will be as specific as possible about what “thing” is affected by the event they’re describing, when it’s much simpler to take a step back and write about something more general.

Example: “The level of water rose.”

Revised: “The water rose.”

4. Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are the combination of two or three words from different grammatical categories—a verb and an adverb or a preposition—to form a single action. Usually, these phrasal verbs can be replaced by a single-word verb.

“Ask for” can be replaced with “request”

“Bring down” can be replaced with “reduce”

“Come across” can be replaced with “find”

Etc.

5. Clarifying phrases

Same reason as clarifying words. Get to the point!

A bit

A little

A lot

In a sense

Kind of

Sort of

6. Remember your contractions!

Even if your story takes place in olden times, I can guarantee that if you never use any contractions ever, your story’s gonna be a clunky mess. But sometimes you’re in the moment, consumed by the poetic power of the muses, and forget that this isn’t a soap opera; so make sure you check that you’ve been using your contractions!

It is, it was, it would, she is, would not, should not, is not, does not etc.

7. Inflated phrases

These phrases can be replaced with more concise words.

Along the lines of (shorten to: like)

As a matter of fact (in fact)

As to whether (whether)

At all times (always)

At the present (now or currently)

At this point in time (now or currently)

Be able to/would(n’t) be able to (could or couldn’t)

Because of the fact that (because)

By means of (by)

Due to the fact that (because)

Even though (though or although)

For the purpose of (for)

For the reason that (because)

Have the ability to (could)

In light of the fact that (because)

In order to (to)

In regards to (on or about)

In spite of the fact that (though or although)

In the event that (if)

In the nature of (like)

In the neighborhood of (about)

On the occasion of (when)

On one/two separate occasions (Once/twice)

The/A majority of (most)

There is no doubt that (No doubt)

Wasn(n’t) capable of (could or couldn’t)

Please realize that these are not set rules and that these are suggestions.

I personally disagree with many of these suggestions. You’re writing a story, not an academic paper. While OP and similar writing guides have good intentions, it can also be frustrating and demeaning to others, especially those whose first language isn’t English.It also has an aspect of elitism.

 Yes, some of these tips may improve your writing, but not totally—the writer’s diction matters. I see similar tip sheets, and again, it comes across as mechanical in some instances and awkward in others. Your writing is not necessarily better because it’s more concise just as lengthy overly descriptive writing is not necessarily better. Go with what YOU feel is best. If you feel comfortable sharing your work with others, check to see if the reader can understand your writing. If multiple people can’t, then perhaps your work can be revised. For every piece of advice I see here, I personally know of professionals who would disagree. 

I understand the issues regarding publishing because this is something academics deal with constantly. While there are some similarities to academic publishing, publishing fictional work is still a different ball game with its own rules.

I’m also very tired of hearing the passive voice vs. active voice argument. Let me tell you - most people don’t care. Outside of some teachers teaching grammar or professors in colleges, most don’t care. Your writing isn’t a failure because you used passive voice. I was always treated this way, and I don’t want anyone else to feel the same. I have had to read hours of academic books and journals, and they ALL have passive voice. Every fictional book has passive voice—lots of it. 

Similarly, some of these tips, especially the inflated phrases, actually come across as more “juvenile writing,” which may also lead to criticism. There is no pleasing everyone, and there is no “winning.” Additionally, every publisher has different policies, so some may be more strict than others regarding stylistic choices. 

TLDR: If something in these guides helps you, wonderful! However, don’t feel ashamed if you chose not to write this way or if you struggle. You still matter as a writer, and your work is still just as valid.

None of these tips are bad or incorrect; some of them I follow strictly in my own writing! They help you accomplish a very clean, straightforward style, which is great if that is what you want to achieve. Writing is an art, not a science. No writing “rules” or advice should ever be taken as gospel. These posts are great for academic writing, as well as helping you notice things you may do repeatedly and helping you make informed, deliberate choices in your writing.

For example: You may want to use the passive voice depending on what you want to emphasize in the sentence. “Meryl Strep stole my casserole” is active voice, and the focus is on the stolen casserole. But, if you want to emphasize that it was Meryl friggin’ Strep who did it, the passive voice (”My casserole was stolen by Meryl Strep”) might be totally appropriate.

Before you go through your writing making all of these changes listed above, there are so many things to consider: audience, genre, style, tone, dialogue vs. narration, character voice, etc. Do you want your writing to sound like a medieval fantasy epic or a gritty noir detective story? When you make these choices, you can then make deliberate decisions about your writing that supports the kind of writing you want to do.

TL;DR: Love the lists, but hate when they’re interpreted as “must do” instead of “can do”.

Id like to preface this post by saying, neopronouns objectively don’t ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY hurt trans people. However, the culture and nuance surrounding them hurts trans people as well as neurodivergient/disabled people and non native English speakers.

How they harm the trans community: 

We already have gender neutral pronouns. They and them. Neopronouns are unnecessary things for micro-genders and mogai identities. identities that have not been proven to exist unlike transmen and transwomen’s identities. No, college theory papers do not count as scientific evidence for the “gender spectrum” in the brain. I don’t care if it makes you happy to be called “catself” just don’t call yourself trans because of it. Calling yourself transgender because you use neopronouns is bad for everyone because, you’re appropriating a medical condition (GD), often spreading the harmful rhetoric that dysphoria is not needed to be transgender, and you’re making the community look less credible because choosing to use neopronouns makes it seem as though you choose to be trans. 

the idea of xenogenders is just transphobic and mocking in general. it follows the “gender is a social construct” that gender critical people also follow, and completely detaches gender from sex (when they should be intrinsically linked).

What makes it possible to be transgender is that we have clearly defined what is and is not masculine and feminine, for better or for worse; and though we know the walls between what makes something “male” or “female” is slowly crumbling (which is a good thing), the euphoria of transition is being acknowledged as one or the other. Gender non-conformity is simply sitting on the wall (or trying to pull it down!). All this makes sense. You present as a male, a female, a mix of the two or a rejection of either.  Neopronouns act as if there is something wrong with being “male” or “female”, or that being gender non-conforming isn’t enough. It is selfish—not using a slur is common courtesy, but there is no clearly defined construct that is being offended when “xe” goes on a rant on Tumblr. They are personally offended that society refuses to make a special place for their “gender” that they’ve assembled from playing a particular video game too much, or watching one anime on repeat for years at a time. They will never be pleased because as long as their pronouns reflect an imaginary psychosexual construct, there will be new imaginary goalposts for how and why they need to be treated by others.

Neopronouns are harmful because society at large sees that and believes most trans people are that way and condone the use of neopronouns.

How they are harmful towards non-native english speakers: 

those who use neopronouns have to be unaware of the absolute linguistic nightmare their “pronouns” are. Sentences become super hard to understand with informal neopronouns. Pronouns are supposed to make it as easy to refer to people as possible. They’re intended to be extremely vague. Not literal nicknames. That just makes pronouns useless ESPECIALLY the people who request that you use multiple of their “pronouns” and change it up. The subject of the sentence is unintelligible when that happens. 

English is already difficult (i’m a native English speaker), but adding more unnecessary vocabulary makes it even worse.

Neopronouns are ableist: 

I have ADHD as well as anxiety and depression and they make it REALLY difficult for me to remember basic things. Trying to remember a group of peoples neopronouns is unnecessarily stressful and it physically causes me pain because I’m worried I’m going to get called transphobic by these people for not using their “pronouns”

neopronouns are viewed as valid, is because “neurodivergent/autistic people have a difficult time understanding gender,” and neopronouns make it easier. A lot of autistic people say that this implies they’re not able of comprehending gender and gender identity as well as neurotypical people. 

Objectively speaking: 

First of all, not everyone likes they/them. I personally do not. I am not a they, and I’m ok with being called a they only if I know the person is a total stranger to me.

Second, neopronouns aren’t even inherently gender neutral. They denote people’s individual relationships with gender. Some of the pronouns possible for me are ke/kim, they’re not gender neutral, they are male pronouns.

Third, you do not need to have gender dysphoria to be trans. And this is a medical fact. Gender dysphoria is defined as a strong distress about your sex characteristics or social roles related to gender. If you have mild or occasional discomfort, you’re not dysphoric. Source:

Fourth, xe pronouns in particular are older than you are, likely older than your parents are, older than public video games, and older than most popular fandoms (except Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, and a few others). They’re not more “imaginary” than any other word that came after them. They describe human feelings, and they have been doing so for half a century.

Fifth, the trans community majorly does support nonbinary people and neopronouns. Tumblr isn’t the real world. And it’s good that they do, because the goal of the trans community shouldn’t be to fit in the cisheteronormative society as soon as possible, but to give trans people a chance to live and evolve.

Sixth, you as a native speaker shouldn’t speak over non native speakers. We do not need such “protection”, as pronouns aren’t the hardest part of learning a language.

Seventh, most users of neopronouns are understanding of difficulties. If people don’t want to call me ke/kim, they can use she/her or it/its. Or use my name. I will be ok with helping out someone who struggles, I just won’t form my entire identity around other people’s comfort.

Eighth, it is not incorrect to say that neopronouns are widespread among neurodivergent people. And it’s not an offense to us, because gender isn’t something you can objectively understand - there is no right way to view gender, there is only the most popular way and variations. And the only ones who find it offensive are transmeds and other exclusionists.

What a strange duck pond

Francoise Sagan

(via

thewritershandbook