Tag: Writing

A Colorless Class

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wMKQsJczC/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=467dfa13-f877-46d8-979e-4e0b1e929d8a

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“The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop – How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom” by Felicia Rose Chavez. 

“White Fragility – Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by DiAngelo Robin.

“Eloquent Rage – A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower” by Cooper, Brittney C.

“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race” by Beverly Tatum.

Any book by Rick Riordan.

And thousands more. 

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starting a conversation.

There are a million things I can talk about literature-wise that are important to this conversation. The ‘conversation’ in question is about how classrooms/schools/anything predominantly made up of white people mistreat and mishandle situations concerning any other race. I write about characters of color, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because it needs to be talked about. It’s because I see beauty in other cultures. That’s it. It’s because I want a little kid to read about a character in my stories, and I want them to relate. I want them to be able to see themselves in this piece instead of a “Y/N with blue eyes and blond hair.” I want to stop reading about people like that because it was all I read. I want people to challenge themselves.

one of your favorite authors, even…

A prime example of a white AND published author doing this correctly is the author of the Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan. Annabeth Chase (the main love interest) has light-tanned skin, blond curly hair, and stormy grey eyes. Now, you would start to think, “Is that not just a Y/N trope that you previously described?” It is. Guess what, though? In the entirety of the series, he also includes BIPOC. Bianca Di Angelo, Nico Di Angelo, Charles Beckendorf, Ethan Nakamura, Grover Underwood, Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Carter Kane, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, AND MORE. So yes, while the main love interest for that may be a Y/N sort of fantasy, BIPOC characters also get just as much love and appreciation from this author. Later in the Magnus Chase series, Rick introduces a love interest named Alex Fierro. Alex is a Mexican, genderfluid, and formerly homeless teenager. Rick is none of those things, and yet many fans relate to and love Alex dearly.

fear is no excuse

If someone is afraid of misrepresenting a culture or group of people, all they have to do is do their own research and reach out for help. There are BIPOC editors who will help with that EXACT thing. Nobody will walk through every sentence with someone while editing,  hoping it will help with the representation of BIPOC because they shouldn’t have to. It isn’t their job to do that.

final message

When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was be like Rick Riordan. I wanted to create worlds full of color for all people to enjoy. Even if only five people read my work, I hope they feel represented. Even better, if one hundred people read my work and feel represented well!

BIPOC deserve the recognition they have never been given.

NaNoHellNo

Hey gals. >.< I’m back. 

This month is NaNoWriMo which loosely translates to National Novel Writing Month. I did not know this was a thing until a couple weeks ago, and so far I’m not still not sure if I wanted to.

It has definitely been a challenge to say the least. To me, the most rigorous part is finding the willpower, the passion, the drive, if you will, to want to write towards your word count. When one day you may not meet it, it just makes you feel the inferior gloom that there are pros doing it times 100% that you’re giving. It is humiliating!

I do have to keep in mind one word I used however. Pro. There is a reason they have the title of pro and I do not. It still hurts tho… 🙁

Well, if I’m being honest and 100% with you, and I take pride in saying I almost always am here, 

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I’m behind. There I said it. Teach, if you’re reading this and I know you’ll have to, I just radded myself out. Like there was a solid week maybe that I did not even get CLOSE to my word counts so now I’m behind a good….thousand. >o<

I know, I know. Put me in the medieval locks and have the village laugh and point at me. At least give me my phone while I’m in shambles though because I found a stupidly obvious solution to my problem. 

My phone! Every single time I would try and write it would be my phone that distracted me away from making my writer’s wet dream of finishing my word count come true. So what did I do that made me find hope? Well there I was on a long car ride, and the buzzing conversations had died out by this point. So, I started writing on my phone instead of my laptop.

That seems blatantly obvious to do, but I never thought of it. Not only can I type faster on my phone, so I can crunch more words in before my attention span runs out, but also I am no longer having my phone be the distraction because I’m already on it. Genius!

I went and type type typed and met my word count of the day in only like 15-20 minutes? Then, I realized. If I wrote just another, how much farther could I get? Is all hope not lost and buried so deep down into the Mariana Trench? 

Well, let me put on my scuba gear and find out cause this month still ain’t over kiddos! I feel empowered and ready to take on this challenge and actually enjoy NaNoWriMo. No longer, NaNoHellNo. 

Keep dreaming, be free, be happy. ♥