FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Aidee Ladnier: “Do you or have you thought of obtaining multiple pen names? Is it hard to keep up with two brands?” Let’s talk about the practical rather than the why – if you have multiple brands/pen names, how do you deal with them? Do you keep them strictly separate? Do you bleed into them a little? Do you have multiple facebook logins? etc… Join the chat
Today I thought it would be interesting to discuss our QUILTBAG literary influences. If you’re a writer, this could be authors who inspire you or have influenced your writing. For readers, why not share some of the authors who introduced you to QUILTBAG fiction and/or who keep you coming back for more?
FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Aidee Ladnier: “Meditation mantras for writers (serious and silly encouraged).” My favorite of all time (ok, so she wasn’t technically a writer) was Eddie’s mantra from Absolutely Fabulous (said in a fast monotone with a bell at the end): “Please, let me make some more money so I can buy Saffron some more books and a car.” *ding* What would yours be? Join the chat
Here’s the big question in writing LGBT fiction; what makes a story “gay?” Gay characters? Gay themes? And how does an author identify a character as gay? This has, I realize, been talked about before. Two obvious ways are number one, the “coming out” story, which as a literary device has been done to death and is somewhat out of fashion right now. Number two; simply have your main character make out/hop in the sack with a same sex character. This sometimes takes the whole thing into the realm of erotica, something I don’t write very well at all. Then … Read more
FOR WRITERS AND READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Angel Martinez: Let’s talk Catfishing – the practice of assuming a fictitious identity in order to pursue relationships with unwitting victims. Sometimes writers pretend to be entirely different people – creating a fictional life solely for the purpose of sales and/or sympathy. Just to be clear, we’re not talking about pen names here, which many writers use for totally legitimate reasons. Instead we’re talking about large scale deceptions – like when a writer pretends to be an abused teenager, or fakes a major illness, or co-opts whole-cloth an identity not … Read more
FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Hank Cannon: Not every character is an expert in their field or good in all situations, but how do you take a character, and capture that fish out of water situation the plot requires without making them unsympathetic by being too clueless? Join the chat
FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Aidee Ladnier: Imposter syndrome is when you accomplish great things but still think that you don’t deserve the accolades – that someone will find out you’re not as great as they think you are or a fraud. It’s basically a mental insecurity issue. I was wondering if other writers (because a lot of writers suffer from this) had any coping mechanisms to deal with it. What are the best ways to combat insecurity and imposter syndrome? Join the chat
