jandkwriting

[jandkwriting]

11 Fantastic Siblings in Books

11 Literary Siblings to Celebrate National Brothers and Sisters Day. Mr. Darcy and Georgiana, the Pevensies children. Who else made the list?

Bringing you book siblings! National Brothers and Sisters Day, observed on May 2, is a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters. This special day provides an opportunity to reflect on the memories shared and appreciate the relationships that only siblings can have. Fiction has captured some fantastic sibling interactions from wild antics to heartwarming moments. We have ten to share…

View On WordPress

#Books #siblings

[jandkwriting]

Don't Fear Criticism

Creating homosexual characters can feel like planting an active grenade in the middle of your story. You start to fear bad reception of your work - even before you start!

But really, there is no need to worry. The fact that you're concerned only proves that you care.

You probably won't get it the first time.

You probably will get some criticism.

Only remember that it's perfectly normal to make mistakes. After you punch out your draft, have beta readers who are part of the community and incorporate their feedback.

No Diversity Shopping

Yes, diversity is important, but it's no checklist where you need to list all possible sexual orientations and have at least one character for each.

First of all, it would be quite impossible.

Second, that is likely to make all of them underdeveloped and stereotypical.

Check if you really need the character in your plot.

If they turn out to be homosexual, let them run their own course and shape their path. If your story's theme is related to the character's sexuality, think about the message you want to convey.

Quality over quantity, always.

Go Beyond Sexuality

Your characters exist, and they happen to be homosexual, not the other way around. This doesn't mean that it won't be an important, or that you should downplay their sexuality.

Strike a balance by showing readers their hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, relationships with their family and friends, etc. The more holistic they are, readers are going to be convinced that you have an actual character, not a scarecrow holding up the #diversity tag.

How do their sexuality play into their broader narrative?

Develop a Backstory

Every homosexual character must have thought about their orientation and identity, with a process of how they came to recognize their sexuality.

Whether you're character is a confused teenage girl, or a middle-aged gentleman with a stable relationship, think about what brought them here.

Backstories don't have to be tragic. They can have supportive parents and find escapism in online communities who accept them for who they are.

There isn't just one "gay life". Get creative.

Normalization is Important

Sometimes, your story world will not accept homosexual people as normal. That's okay!

However, there is a difference between other character treating them unfairly and you as an author normalizing homophobia in your narrative.

Word choice and tone would play a key role.

When a likeable character is homophobic, avoid normalizing it by making it a flaw. Show that your conservative medieval village is narrow-minded when they treat them as outcasts.

Homophobes may not necessarily be the evil guys.

It's enough to state (clearly) that it's wrong.

Make Use of Tropes

Stereotypes aren't just an issue with gay characters, but when used successfully, have created wonderful retellings and spinoffs that are refreshing.

You can purposefully overplay stereotypes to show how silly they are. Deconstructing stereotypes can add humor to your narrative.

You can also use them to explore the expectations that readers have for those kinds of characters. The Gay Best Friend might be a trope, but you can get them to go deeper than the typical sidekick to realize their true potential as a cast member.

Religion and Homosexuality

In the real world, religion and homosexuality are often presented on far opposites of politics, and that makes me sad. Homosexual characters are free to be religious, find peace, support and mindfulness through any religion of their choice.

Vise versa, deeply religious characters can have wonderful relationships with homosexual characters.

It all comes down to how your characters interpret religion and homosexuality in light of those religious values. Though I'm an atheist, I believe all religions have the ability to embrace diversity at their core.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[jandkwriting]

Unveiling the Magic: Unicorns and Dragons

Do you have a favorite mythical creature? Today, J&K talk about the enduring fascination with mythical creatures and some of our favorites. From myths passed down orally, to stories written down as a blending of myth and facts like Homer’s Odyssey (hello Cyclops and sirens), to the purely fantastical books created by fantasy authors, magical creatures have fascinated humans from the dawn of time…

View On WordPress

#Books #dragons #fantastical creatures #fantasy #legends #mythical creatures #unicorns

[jandkwriting]

If our novel had a stats card like video game characters or a D&D character sheet.

#sciencefantasy #trialsoftheinnermost #lgbtqbooks #epicfantasy #adult fantasy #scifibooks #multiplepov #bookish #dnd character #dnd character sheet #character stats #worldbuilding #acerepresentation #indie books #spice level

[jandkwriting]

Would play a cozy game based on this aesthetic alone.

A good breakfast

#cozy #breakfast #hobbits

[jandkwriting]

Spoiler-free review of the last book J finished: My Heart Is Human, by Reese Hogan. See why it’s vaulted to the top of his read books of 2024. http://jonathanandkristina.com/book-review-my-heart-is-human/

#book reviews #transgender #trans character #scifibooks #book review

[jandkwriting]

So a free tool called GLAZE has been developed that allows artists to cloak their artwork so it can't be mimicked by AI art tools.

AI art bros are big mad about it.

[jandkwriting]

K’s first solo novella will go on preorder around June. Follow this link and then you’ll get all the updates around when the campaign is coming out.

TAVERN TALE is a sapphic romantasy novella inspired by RPG side quests, has cozy elements like Legends and Lattes, and multiple gods and goddesses like Paladin’s Grace.

https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/4a9cda05-a049-4f2e-a281-6b6bd1c3e8a2/landing

#sapphic fantasy #wlw romance #romantasy #dnd campaign #rpgs #side quests #fantasy novella #tavern tale #lgbtqbooks #fantasy adventure #cozy fantasy #autumn books

[jandkwriting]

Good books can make you homesick for places you have never been.

[jandkwriting]

Author Highlight - AJ Super

What does AJ Super’s Seven Stars Saga have to do with our love of Battlestar Galactica, Dark Matter, and unique landscapes in SFF? Check out our interview!

Welcome to another Author Highlight, a series where we feature authors like ourselves. You’ll find author interviews, tips, stories, poetry, and more. We aim to entertain, promote, and inspire. Other interviews can be found here. AJ Super AJ Super (she/her/they/them) is the author of the Seven Stars Saga, a trilogy published by Aethon Books and Blackstone Audio. Writing full time, they devour…

View On WordPress

#author highlight #author interview #Battlestar #Books #indie authors #scifi

[jandkwriting]

Last week for our storygraph giveaway. TRIALS OF THE INNERMOST blends fantasy and sci-fi. A good fit for those seeking a thought-provoking and immersive adventure that explores themes of found family, overcoming bias, and the power of cooperation in a post-apocalyptic world with a unique magic system. https://app.thestorygraph.com/giveaways/c4eb2f1b-37ae-4d6a-83b6-3b76c16b436b

#sciencefantasy #trialsoftheinnermost #lgbtqbooks #epicfantasy #totibook #adult fantasy #multiplepov #storygraph #book giveaway #scifibooks #bookish #support indie creators #indie authors #coauthors

[jandkwriting]

Sherlock Holmes and the Unexpected Exposé

Everyone gives Sherlock Holmes a hard time about being mean about Watson's writing, but honestly imagine you told your roommate "sure, you can write up an account of my work for the newspaper," thinking it would be like, about the murder, but then he publishes it and it's 90% about you, as a person, and it's a huge hit and now everyone in London knows that you hoard newspapers and do cocoaine when you're depressed. Because I think you'd be little miffed too.

[jandkwriting]

Everyone gives Sherlock Holmes a hard time about being mean about Watson's writing, but honestly imagine you told your roommate "sure, you can write up an account of my work for the newspaper," thinking it would be like, about the murder, but then he publishes it and it's 90% about you, as a person, and it's a huge hit and now everyone in London knows that you hoard newspapers and do cocoaine when you're depressed. Because I think you'd be little miffed too.

[jandkwriting]

Sometimes self-care is, actually, NOT getting onto the computer and little treats and watching youtube videos. Sometimes those things are self-care, but sometimes they're also avoidant behaviors.

Sometimes self care is waking up and just. Fucking getting in the car. And driving to the bank. And the store. And buying the cat litter. And changing the cat boxes you've been avoiding because your brains been stuck in a hole. And picking up the trash you've been piling up. And getting a load into the wash. And mowing the lawn before the village council sends you a formal complaint and potential-fines warning.

Like its hard and annoying to do because it sucks. It sucks so much. But if I don't start working on this pile of bullshit I've let build up because it stinks and i was stuck in deer-in-headlights mode, I risk letting it turn into fuckery. I do not have the patience for fuckery that I once - foolishly! - thought I had.

[jandkwriting]

K’s first solo novella releases later this year. TAVERN TALE. A little bit cozy, a little bit side quest, a whole bunch RPG inspired. The publisher does crowd funding - check out their past two successful years. A bit about how Space Wizard funds their projects. And a placeholder for when the kickstarter launches. Consider supporting this indie publisher and their authors.

#sciencefantasy #lgbtqbooks #epicfantasy #adult fantasy #scifibooks #indie books #indie publishing #small press #queer books #kickstarter

[jandkwriting]

Author Highlight and Character Interview - Tyler Edwards

Today's author guest is fantasy author Tyler Edwards with a character interview from his book Shadows of the Dark Realm. And look, there's dragons!

Welcome to another Author Highlight, a series where we feature authors like ourselves. You’ll find author interviews, tips, stories, poetry and more. We aim to entertain, promote, and inspire. Other interviews can be found here. Tyler Edwards Joining us in our post today is Tyler Edwards, author of Shadows of the Dark Realm releasing January 31st! Tyler is taking over our blog today with an…

View On WordPress

#author highlight #author interview #Books #fantasy books #indie authors #new release

[jandkwriting]

I think the Hunger Games series sits in a similar literary position to The Lord of the Rings, as a piece of literature (by a Catholic author) that sparked a whole new subgenre and then gets blamed for flaws that exist in the copycat books and aren’t actually part of the original.

Like, despite what parodies might say, Katniss is nowhere near the stereotypical “unqualified teenager chosen to lead a rebellion for no good reason”.  The entire point is that she’s not leading the rebellion. She’s a traumatized teenager who has emotional reactions to the horrors in her society, and is constantly being reined in by more experienced adults who have to tell her, “No, this is not how you fight the government, you are going to get people killed.” She’s not the upstart teenager showing the brainless adults what to do–she’s a teenager being manipulated by smarter and more experienced adults. She has no power in the rebellion except as a useful piece of propaganda, and the entire trilogy is her straining against that role. It’s much more realistic and far more nuanced than anyone who dismisses it as “stereotypical YA dystopian” gives it credit for.

And the misconceptions don’t end there. The Hunger Games has no “stereotypical YA love triangle”–yes, there are two potential love interests, but the romance is so not the point. There’s a war going on! Katniss has more important things to worry about than boys! The romance was never about her choosing between two hot boys–it’s about choosing between two diametrically opposed worldviews. Will she choose anger and war, or compassion and peace? Of course a trilogy filled with the horrors of war ends with her marriage to the peace-loving Peeta. Unlike some of the YA dystopian copycats, the romance here is part of the message, not just something to pacify readers who expect “hot love triangles” in their YA. 

The worldbuilding in the Hunger Games trilogy is simplistic and not realistic, but unlike some of her imitators, Collins does this because she has something to say, not because she’s cobbling together a grim and gritty dystopia that’s “similar to the Hunger Games”. The worldbuilding has an allegorical function, kept simple so we can see beyond it to what Collins is really saying–and it’s nothing so comforting as “we need to fight the evil people who are ruining society”. The Capitol’s not just the powerful, greedy bad guys–the Capitol is us, First World America, living in luxury while we ignore the problems of the rest of the world, and thinking of other nations largely in terms of what resources we can get from them. This simplistic world is a sparsely set stage that lets us explore the larger themes about exploitation and war and the horrors people will commit for the sake of their bread and circuses, meant to make us think deeper about what separates a hero from a villain.

There’s a reason these books became a literary phenomenon. There’s a reason that dozens upon dozens of authors attempted to imitate them. But these imitators can’t capture that same genius, largely because they’re trying to imitate the trappings of another book, and failing to capture the larger and more meaningful message underneath. Make a copy of a copy of a copy, and you’ll wind up with something far removed from the original masterpiece. But we shouldn’t make the mistake of blaming those flaws on the original work.