madiquotingdonquixote

[madiquotingdonquixote]

verso books has made books on palestine, mass protests, and student rebellions free to download on their website

[madiquotingdonquixote]

i read CS Lewis’ A Grief Observed one time years ago and i’m still not recovered from it

[madiquotingdonquixote]

I want to write a book called “your character dies in the woods” that details all the pitfalls and dangers of being out on the road & in the wild for people without outdoors/wilderness experience bc I cannot keep reading narratives brush over life threatening conditions like nothing is happening.

I just read a book by one of my favorite authors whose plots are essentially airtight, but the MC was walking on a country road on a cold winter night and she was knocked down and fell into a drainage ditch covered in ice, broke through and got covered in icy mud and water.

Then she had a “miserable” 3 more miles to walk to the inn.

Babes she would not MAKE it to that inn.

[madiquotingdonquixote]

free online james baldwin stories, essays, videos, and other resources

(i believe he currently has no estate or family that can profit from his works, as the last owner of the estate was his landlady who recently died.)

James baldwin online archive with his articles and photo archives.

---NOVELS---

Giovanni's room"When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend's return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened - while Giovanni's life descends into tragedy. This book introduces love's fascinating possibilities and extremities."

Go Tell It On The Mountain"(...)Baldwin's first major work, a semi-autobiographical novel that has established itself as an American classic. With lyrical precision, psychological directness, resonating symbolic power, and a rage that is at once unrelenting and compassionate, Baldwin chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935. Baldwin's rendering of his protagonist's spiritual, sexual, and moral struggle of self-invention opened new possibilities in the American language and in the way Americans understand themselves."

+bonus: film adaptation on youtube. (if you’re a giancarlo esposito fan, you’ll be delighted to see him in an early preacher role)

Another Country and Going to Meet the Man Another country: "James Baldwin's masterly story of desire, hatred and violence opens with the unforgettable character of Rufus Scott, a scavenging Harlem jazz musician adrift in New York. Self-destructive, bad and brilliant, he draws us into a Bohemian underworld pulsing with heat, music and sex, where desperate and dangerous characters betray, love and test each other to the limit." Going to meet the Man: " collection of eight short stories by American writer James Baldwin. The book, dedicated "for Beauford Delaney", covers many topics related to anti-Black racism in American society, as well as African-American–Jewish relations, childhood, the creative process, criminal justice, drug addiction, family relationships, jazz, lynching, sexuality, and white supremacy."

Just Above My Head"Here, in a monumental saga of love and rage, Baldwin goes back to Harlem, to the church of his groundbreaking novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, to the homosexual passion of Giovanni's Room, and to the political fire that enflames his nonfiction work. Here, too, the story of gospel singer Arthur Hall and his family becomes both a journey into another country of the soul and senses--and a living contemporary history of black struggle in this land."

If Beale Street Could Talk"Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche."

also has a film adaptation by moonlight's barry jenkins

Tell Me How Long the Train's been gone At the height of his theatrical career, the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack. As he hovers between life and death, Baldwin shows the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable. For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the intoxicating world of the theater lies a wilderness of desire and loss, shame and rage. An adored older brother vanishes into prison. There are love affairs with a white woman and a younger black man, each of whom will make irresistible claims on Leo's loyalty. 

---ESSAYS---

Baldwin essay collection. Including most famously: notes of a native son, nobody knows my name, the fire next time, no name in the street, the devil finds work- baldwin on film

--DOCUMENTARIES--

Take this hammer, a tour of san Francisco.

Meeting the man

--DEBATES:--

Debate with Malcolm x, 1963 ( on integration, the nation of islam, and other topics. )

Debate with William Buckley, 1965. ( historic debate in america. )

Heavily moderated debate with Malcolm x, Charles Eric Lincoln, and Samuel Schyle 1961. (Primarily Malcolm X's debate on behalf of the nation of islam, with Baldwin giving occassional inputs.)

----

apart from themes obvious in the book's descriptions, a general heads up for themes of incest and sexual assault throughout his works.

[madiquotingdonquixote]

richard siken posted this coloring worksheet today and i think it has some pretty good questions for engaging with poetry. and also deep sea fish :)

[madiquotingdonquixote]

peter heller apples

support this blog

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(tweet 1) (tweet 2) (article)

[madiquotingdonquixote]

okay hey real question: what are good ways to describe fat characters?

I see a lot of 'have more fat characters' and I'm Here For It but as someone who is skinny and in a world where most existing literature makes characters fat only as a joke or an indication of some variety of moral badness, I'm not really sure how to describe them in a way that's not objectifying or insulting. like, I've grown up on poetic descriptions of thin characters ('long slim fingers' and 'willow figure' etc etc) but I haven't read flattering descriptions of fat characters and I don't know where to start. I've seen a lot of 'how to describe poc' or 'how to describe disabled characters' or whatever and I've seen art ref posts for drawing fat characters, but no posts about how to write them well. so. open call for advice or for examples you've found and like??

[madiquotingdonquixote]

[madiquotingdonquixote]

the asian american writers’ workshop just published 16 love poems by poets of palestinian heritage that were featured in the anthology we call to the eye & the night edited by hala alyan & zeina hashem beck

[madiquotingdonquixote]

Limerick Template

There once was a [PERSON] from [PLACE] Whose [BODY PART] was [SPECIAL CASE] When [EVENT] would occur It would cause [HIM OR HER] To [BREAK A LAW OF TIME AND SPACE]

[madiquotingdonquixote]

If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...

Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?

Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?

Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?

Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?

Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?

[madiquotingdonquixote]

WWC - General Topics

A collection of WWC posts that deal with more general writing advice, character creation and diversity topics applicable to most marginalized people, particularly People of Color and some more specific ethnic and religious groups.

Tools

Writing Research and Google Search Tips

WWC Research & Resources Guides (Compilation)

Character of Color Research Tracking Chart (Google Sheet)

Writing Characters of Color: The Generals

On White Authors “Getting it Right”

The Do’s of Writing People of Color

Writing POC with Little Experience

Properly Coded: Creating Characters of Color 

On “Overthinking” Writing Characters of Color

On White Writers Writing Characters of Color (I, II, III)

Researching PoC + Supporting Writers of Color

Description 

Words for Skin Tone

Words to Describe Hair

Describing Asian Eyes

Describing Wide Noses

Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing

Describing PoC and Avoiding Caricatures

Featured Description Guides (Compilation)

Diversity & Representation

To Write (or not write) with Diversity

So You Want To Save The World From Bad Representation 

Diversity vs. Exploiting Cultures

Diversifying a Predominately-White Cast

On “Diversity Quotas”

On Excluding Diversity Out of Fear

Different Heritage POV’s in a Story

Including Realistic Diversity Naturally

White-Dominant Rural Areas and Diversity

White Privilege, Publishing, and Diversity Quotas

Writing: Making Efforts in Diversity

Characters - Creation & Culture

More on Assigning Race after Writing

Tradition and Culture vs. Stereotype

Showing Culture Writing Advice

Character Creation: Culture or Character first?

Character Design and Assigning Race and Ethnicity

Characters’ Races Added Last During Development 

Determining your Characters’ Race and/or Ethnicity 

Stereotyped vs Nuanced & Audience Perception

Writing Powerful Women of Multiple Races

Characters - Cultural Disconnect & Erasure

A Discussion on Culture and Erasure

Western Neutral Characters

‘Whitewashed’ Character of Color?

“Culturing” Culturally-disengaged PoC

Characters of Color with “No Culture”

Mixed Race + Disconnect from Culture

Reconnecting to Culture After Assimilation Attempts

Fantasy & Coding

Defining Coding (& Islam-coded Fantasy)

Denoting Race in Fantasy Setting

Fairy Tale Retellings with POC

Fairies of Color & Cultural Fairy Concepts

Fantasy Races Based off of People of Color

Naming People and Places, Avoiding Explicit Coding

Racially-coding Aliens

Real Religions in a Fantasy World

Religion in Fiction & Fantasy

South Asian-Coded Fantasy Caste System

Whitewashing in a Fantasy Setting

Including Racism in Fantasy

World-building: A Fantasy World without Racism

Representing PoC in Fantasy When Their Country/Continent Doesn’t Exist

Race Allegories / Symbolic Racism

Avoiding Racism Allegories

Blue eyed people enslaved in story

Half Human as Allegory for Mixed Race Struggles

Avoiding Half-Human Allegory for the “Mixed Race Experience”

Eye Color Discrimination as Racism: Story Concept

Racism, Micro-Aggressions & Slurs

Everyday Racism, Friendship and White Allies

Incorporating Micro-Aggressions in Writing

Racist Characters + Including Racism in Stories Not “About” Racism

The Pitfalls of Racist Character Redemption Arcs

PoC Educating White Privileged Friend (Context: Black Characters)

On “Normalizing” Protagonists of Color: Writing Stories Where Racism Isn’t in the Plot 

Racial Slurs & Offensive Terms

Slur use in stories

Racial Slurs and Webcomics

Portraying Racist Characters without Racial Slurs 

Offensive Terminology and Historical Accuracy 

Stereotypes & Tropes

Stereotypes & Tropes Navigation 

Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception

Useful Non-WWC Posts

When Diversity Is Bad by tropesaretools

Diversity Exists in the Real World by shiraglassman

How to Write WOC and MOC if you are White by kaylapocalypse

“I feel pressured to be inclusive in my writing!” by nimblesnotebook

On White Fear & Creating Diverse Transformative Works by saathi1013

Villains / Anti-heroes 

Villains of Color

Family of Villains (Black)

Predominately White Villains

PoC Villains, Anti-Villains and Anti-Heroes

PoC in Crime Families & Black/Native Boss

Writing Flawed Black Characters is Okay

Dark and Light-skinned Characters, Black Villain and Avoiding Colorism

Worldbuilding

Black & White Symbolism: a look at that trope

Homogenization, Cultural Appropriation

How To Blend Cultures (Without Making Impossible Mixes)

Research:Large to Small Scale, Avoiding Homogenizing East Asian Cultures, & Paralleling Regions Appropriately

White Saviors, White  - POC Interactions

Interracial Relationships: Romantic | Writing Interracial Friendships

How to Avoid Glorifying White Characters

Handling a White Female Savior in story

White Character Adopts Black Child in Apocalypse

White Villainous Cult Leader Uses Fascism to “Correct” Colonialism

How to write bigoted villains without coming off as a bigot yourself

Infantilization of white characters (At PoC’s expense)

Solving World Hunger: Changing Skin to Fantasy Color to Avoid the White Savior

Writing About Your Own Culture (Ownvoices)

Misrepresenting Your Own Culture

Why Insiders Can Write Their Experience

Writing Authentic Black Characters (as a Black writer)

Representing yourself in stories when “yourself” isn’t white

Braving Diversity: How to Write Yourself (and others) out of your Story

Building a Community for Fellow Sci-Fi/Fantasy [Black] Writers of Color 

Writing Authentically From Your Own Experiences When They Don’t Match Stereotypes 

Writing Sensitive & Controversial Topics

White Authors and Topics to Avoid/Tread Carefully

Do I Need Permission to Write About Marginalized People?

Writing a Genocide to which you have No Personal Connection

On Outsider-Written Stories About Issues Of Another Group

Writing About Diverse Cops (Cops of Color,  LGBTQA+)

Outsider-Written Stories, Issues of other Groups, Speculative Situation

Writing about Prejudice between People of Color

Reclaiming negative, dehumanizing stereotypes outside the group

Representing yourself when “yourself” isn’t white

Why do you need to tell this story right now? (Muslim monster focus)

Writing About PoC Trials and Tribulations

When Am I Writing an Identity Story?

To Write or Not to Write: Tackling The “Struggle Novel” as an outsider

–WWC

[madiquotingdonquixote]

i like irish poetry. i like knowing a man called tadhg ó ruaic, fl. 1684, lost a game of cards to a girl called blánaid on purpose because he wanted her to top him

[madiquotingdonquixote]

please go read in the jaws of st camillus by my good friend stevie @sneckoil it's fantastic. especially if you're a fan of homoerotic middle aged guys and also reptiles

[madiquotingdonquixote]

from haymarket books:

Publishing books on the struggle for justice in Palestine has been a central part of Haymarket’s mission since we published our first book, The Struggle for Palestine, in 2001. Now as ever, we recognize the root cause and ongoing perpetrator of violence in Palestine to be Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid, and we stand in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for freedom.

We also believe that books, as tools for education, analysis, combatting misinformation, and inspiration, have a vital role to play in the global Palestine solidarity movement. In that spirit, we’ve made three crucial books free to download:

boycott, divest, sanction by omar barghouti

light in gaza edited by jehad abusalim et al

palestine: a socialist introduction edited by sumaya awad and brian bean

[madiquotingdonquixote]

Disabled by Wilfred Owen in Benediction (2021) dir. Terence Davies