How To Fall In Love With Writing

 Full disclosure time.

When I began brainstorming guest post ideas for the West of Sunset virtual book tour, I geeked out with excitement when someone suggested I share my tips for staying motivated about my writing.

It’s is an issue in which I’m all too familiar, so trust me when I say that having the opportunity to discuss and share my experiences and techniques with fellow bards is a real treat for me. Hopefully this post will be entertaining and beneficial for each of you.

As is the standard with any advice I offer, take whatever you can utilize and disregard the rest.

My Writing Process Blog Tour

The Writing Process?

Today I’m participating in My Writing Process Blog Tour which also coincides with my West of Sunset Virtual Book Tour. I share some of my tips and techniques regarding my process.

click here to continue reading…………

 

What I want to see

You know what kind of story I want to see?

I want to see stories about a woman of color enacting theatrical, operatic vengeance on anybody who fucks with her or stands in her way. I want a woman of color with such a lust for power that she makes Frank Underwood look like a slacker. I want a women of color who’s such a slippery, duplicitous, self-serving, magnificent bitch that David Xanatos would be impressed.

And I want the narrative to not punish her for it. That’s right. I want her to get away with doing horrible shit in the name of vengeance, ambition, or some other shit we act like we disapprove of but actually enjoy. I want her life to not be some Aesop about how good always wins or some other trite bullshit we know to be a flat-out fucking lie.

I am so tired of women of color, especially Black women, having to be and noble and selfless. I am so done with stories where women of color are not allowed to have grand flaws and epic passions.

If the Bride from Kill Bill can slice and dice her way through Tokyo to get back at five people who did her wrong and still have people root for her and call her an awesome character (without any of the justifications or qualifications that one would have to do with, say, Regina Mills or Marie Laveau), I want women of color to be able to do the exact same type of shit without the story or the audience constantly reminding us of how badwrongevilhorrible she is.

We throw the term “goddess” around so much when it comes to women of color. So let’s give them the same freedom as true goddesses. Let’s allow them to be everything they can be: kind and cruel, beautiful and horrible, wonderful and terrible.

Fuck this movie: “Lucy” (2014)

Blond-haired, blue-eyed white woman who is stronger, smarter, faster than everybody else? Check.

Nameless, disposable Asians? Check.

Now watch all the white feminists drool over themselves about how she’s a Strong Female Character (TM) and not some white supremacist fantasy.

The Shade Of It All

 

And the Virtual Book Tour of West of Sunset continues.

Today I have the privilege and the pleasure of musing in the dark with my twin, Amaya Radjani.

On her blog, I discuss the shade and microaggressions that writers of color must contend with in their careers and how weathering those storms grooms us for greater opportunities.

Click here to continue reading……………

My Steps To Worldbuilding And Character Creation

 

The Virtual Book Tour for my next novel, West of Sunset, has commenced. And for my first stop? The Once And Future King of Geekdom makes a triumphant return to the kingdom of his most awesome peeps, the Twinjas.

But don’t take my word for it.

“Our Favorite King of Geeks has returned for a very thought provoking Guest Post. One of the things my sister really like about this author is that he makes you see a different perspective on topics you wouldn’t normally worry yourself about based on privilege. Before my sister and I started making ourselves aware of the lack of diversity in media, we’re a little ashamed to admit we knew little about the challenges that are faced in the LGBTQ community. With Dennis’s help, it’s opened our eyes to the injustices of what it means to be LGBTQ and a Person of Color. So to the King who needs no Introduction…….”

click here to continue reading.