I think the most difficult part is portraying the character accurately. Research will never be enough for me to know what it is like being trans. All I can do is be as respectful as I can and make the best character I can.
Thank you for your advice. I learnt a lot. I have considered writing a story with a transgender protag, but really want to make them a fully realised character who has their own life and has positives and negatives in their life. The points on how if someone isn't able to transition in the story as they may put others first would likely have a deeply negative impact on the character and their life, as well as why those who behave in unaccepting ways need to be shown to be doing the wrong thing in a story as their acts can deeply harm a transgender individual was very enlightening to learn from.
Glad to have found this channel, even just this first video is already a huge help. I'm just starting a new fantasy story and one of the main protagonists is a trans man. It's the first time I've attempted to write a trans character so I really want to make sure I do everything possible to be respectful. So thank you, I look forward to watching the rest of your videos :D In regards to your question, I think the hardest part of writing a character so different from me is making them feel real. I will always research as much as I can to ensure I have my information right, I will try to speak to people who have the experiences I am trying to capture and of course I put as much empathy and imagination as I can. However that will never guarantee that I can breath life into that character in a way that resonates with people. At the end of the day I will never truly understand what it is like to live as anyone other than myself. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop putting in the effort to try and write more diverse characters because diversity is one of the things that makes stories so incredible to read and write.
Thanks for the awesome comment. I always like thoughtful responses. :) I have a soft spot for fantasy novels with a trans male lead. Fantasy is a great opportunity to build a better world and with my background (public administration) it's always interesting to hear what kind of world people can come up with. I even have a video in the makings specifically about transfriendly world building in fantasy and science fiction. I haven't put out new material in over a year, but I'll get to it eventually. I like the way you think about writing characters outside your comfort zone. There's one tip I would like to give you in this regard: focus on what makes you similar. Yes, a transgender character is different from a cisgender character, but they're both human and can have a million traits in common. A transgender character comes to live in the same way any other character comes to life: through feeling authentic. A nice trick is to give them a character trait that you know how to write well, and put some of the focus on that. Do you, by any chance, feel like sharing some specifics of your story here? I'm always curious about any works with transgender characters. :)
Thanks for making this video. I think it's a really important topic. I think it's important for cis writers to get feedback from more than one person because everyone experiences being trans differently. Personally I don't like the "born in the wrong body" or "male brain in a female body" narrative because it doesn't feel right for me. I'm nonbinary transmasc and I don't really think about my brain or personality in a gendered way. I also don't wish I was born cis. I like my body, I just want to make some changes. I think that's why I'd personally advise a cis writer to not try to tackle what it feels like to be trans. Like, please DO include trans characters, just don't try to explain how they feel about being trans because you're gonna miss the mark a lot. To be honest, I think trans people have oversimplified trying to explain that to cis people. The "born in the wrong body" narrative only scratches the surface and isn't always how people feel about themselves or their transition.
There is no right way to be trans so everybody does it their way. I absolutely agree. I also don't like the 'wrong body' narrative. I don't hate my body, it's strong and it takes me anywhere I want to go, but it doesn't always feel like my body. It also runs much deeper than simply not liking your body and the 'wrong body' narrative feeds into the believe that it's not important or pressing to help transgender people. Anway, thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed.
Let me start by saying that I haven't seen 'Altered Carbon', so I don't know how a topic like gender dysphoria would be handled in universe, if it's addressed at all. That being said, I personally don't like this solution. It's a form of erasure to me. In a world where you can just hop to the next body gender dysphoria becomes trivial, much like any other physical disability. It also pays no attention to that a likeness to your family can be a source of identity. Although many transgender people might jump at the chance to be cisgender I would think twice about accepting another body and I would absolutely prefer a modification of the body I have. I want to point out that this is a personal preference. I look a lot like my father (more so every day now that I'm transitioning) and the bond I feel with my father's family is important to me. I feel like I'd be giving that up in part if I would just switch bodies.
@@christopherdrost3764 I feel I should clarify that everyone hops bodies. Well, rich people do. People hire the bodies of convicts to put their dead ancestors inside so that they can visit for the holidays. It's massively a dystopian society - rich people pay others to fight until the "sleeve" is broken, for example. (Sleeves = bodies). But on the other hand, you can choose to be whoever you want - you can clone your own body, hop into someone else's, try out genetic modifications. It's an incredibly interesting concept and it's explored really well through the MC of the book, who is against the essential immortality that being rich can bring you. It doesn't have any explicit trans rep that I can think of, though.
I think it is an interesting story but not suitable for trans representation at this point. Dystopian stories show the worst in humanity and I think that works very well here. A transgender character could be an interesting addition to the story, especially if the character is really conflicted about what they are doing. When handled well it could make for a good character, but I doubt it would be positive representation. It actually makes me think on how much easier it would be if there was more representation all together. If you have enough to choose from (like white, straight men) it's okay that a few of them are bad people. The problem arises when all of them are bad people.
Number two sounds really odd to me, I had no idea people might actually write that. As noble as any sacrifice is for someone you love, you're not doing them any favours by repressing who you are and not doing what will make you happy. Imagine being that child, and grow up knowing that your parent did that *for you.* Children might have a difficult time understanding it at first, but I think most of them would accept it and love their parent for who they are as they get older. All in all a very interesting video, I learned a lot!
I absolutely agree, you wouldn't want to be that kid. I can't imagine how guilty I would feel if someone would do that for me. I'm not a fan of grand gestures anyway. Kids aren't hard to tell at all. My experiences are actually very good with telling kids. My brothers teenagers both are very accepting. My niece (almost 13) is my biggest alley in the family. She constantly corrects anyone who calls me by my birth name or uses the wrong pronoun, also when I'm not there and her brother recently outgrew me and gave his old clothes to me, so I didn't have to buy everything new. I'm actually wearing his old clothes in some of my videos. And small kids are by far the easiest. This is how it went down with my cousin's four-year-old: him: "So you used to be a girl?" me: "I looked like a girl, yes." him: "And now you're a boy?" me: "I'm a boy, yes." him: ... "and your name is now Chris?" me: "Yes, my name is Chris." him: "okay!" And the rest of the car ride we talked about how awesome bouncy castles are, which we agreed, are the best. (also, my comments seem to disappear so I hope this one sticks)
@@christopherdrost3764 Indeed, you're right about the kids thing. Reading your comment, I was remembered that whenever I've encountered a somewhat similar situation, it hasn't been a difficult conversation, like when I explained to my then 6-year-old sister why my gay friend wasn't my boyfriend, she understood it pretty fast and it was no big deal. I'm reminded by how this sort of thing relates to people's views of religion, race, politics or any sensitive/personal topic - the children will adopt the viewpoint of their role models, i.e. their parents. If you teach them to be accepting, and that whatever thing you're explaining to them is totally ok, they will grow up to become accepting people. If you teach them the opposite, they will be the opposite. It really makes you think about the power you hold as an adult in regards to children, and that whenever we have the chance to influence them in a good and progressive way, we should take it. :)
This was such a great video! Thank you so much for this series! As far as your question, about writing characters who are different from me -- I think the difficult part is using what I learned from research in an accurate way. Sometimes conducting the research itself is difficult. For example, one of my WIPs is a magical girl story that involves an international tournament. So all of my characters come from different nations and are of various ethnicities. So the time spent on that WIP was 80% research, 15% worldbuilding, and 5% actually writing. 😅
That's a great attitude towards conducting writing research. I feel like a lot of writers treat their research like they're writing an essay for school: everything they find ends up in their story. Research is to round your story and make it feel real, not to share your knowledge of what you researched. I kind of want to read your story now, it sounds like you've given it a lot of thought :)
I'm just getting started in this series but already I know it's going to be incredibly helpful! I have a story I am plotting out (fantasy) that has a prominant trans woman character and having grown up in conservative and white part of the US, I feel out of my depth. This is helping me to feel like I might eventually be able to do this character justice and give her the development she deserves. The hardest part I've found about writing characters so different than me is finding their voice. It's impossible for me to live the life they've lived, so I have to do as much research as I can and muster up as much empathy as I have in order to understand their lives. But in the end, it's worth it to have a character who stands on their own.
I just realized that I didn't answer yet! If you're writing a trans woman make sure to also listen to trans women, the experience for trans men is very different and not everything I tell will apply for them. Though I do think my channel is a good start I'd encourage you to also find trans women to follow. :)
Most definitely! I haven't had to chance to go looking for any just yet as the story she's in is in a bare bones state and I'm currently working on a different project. But this series has helped get me in the right mind set.
Thank you so much for making this video!! Super helpful! :) There is one transgender character in my novel Sculpt Yourself, and I would love to include more characters of various gender identities in the future, and I want to make sure I'm doing a good job. I appreciate you sharing your experiences and using them to educate the author community.
Thank you for your comment and for including transgender characters in your story. I also like that you make the distinction between transgender characters and characters of different gender identities. Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about your novel? :)
@@christopherdrost3764 thanks!! 😊 My novel is about a drug that allows people to move their body fat distribution and obtain whatever proportions they want. It's told from the perspective of 3 different women who have vastly different views on the drug and its effects on body image. There is a transgender girl who uses the drug underage so she can give herself more traditionally feminine proportions. She's a side character and ends up becoming part of the movement to keep the drug legal when it's threatened to be outlawed. You can see more here if that's interesting to you! www.amazon.com/Sculpt-Yourself-Savy-Leiser-ebook/dp/B07JBVGCV7
First I thank you for the comment you left for me earlier about diversity and my age as an older authortuber. I just subscribed to your channel and watched a couple of videos. They were very interesting to me because I really didn't understand what a transgender person really meant and I have just started a friendship with one, who if I got it right is a man who feels that he is a woman. They/she has a husband. He calls himself they/she if I am not mistaken and when he cohosts with a straight woman he calls them she/her. I am co-hosting with him/her tonight for a live stream. Thanks for doing a series on this. It helps me understand my new friend.
You're most welcome and that's so great you have made a transgender friend! I know it can be a little confusing in the beginning but from your description she seems to be really nice! (although I think she wouldn't like he/him pronouns, but I get how this helps you process). I haven't had time the last few months to watch a lot of authorTube, but you're high on my list of people I need to catch up on. :)
In my story that I am working on, one of my characters is non binary, and I have gotten the hang of it with some practice, but I do believe that I still have a lot to learn.
It's great that you're including a non-binary character, let's start there. I think my videos can be helpful for writing non-binary characters I do recommend you search for non binary people to check out. You've probably already found Ash Hardell, but they're a great resource. I recommend checking them out if you haven't already.
Number 5 is why I've been seeking out videos specifically about writing trans characters lol. I created a character in a fantasy story, realized she's trans and went "uh oh. I've never written a trans person before." But I don't want to make her cis just because I know it better. I'm a discovery writer and if my character tells me she's trans... I want to hold true to that fact..
Hi enby here and I have a question! So my mc is an FTM character who is a famous Actor/popstar from birth. He's very stubborn and overtime develops To be a lot more self conscious through the unrelated events. My story is very backstory oriented in also has a lot of flashback scenes (its a comic book) where in the scenes pertaining to mc we normally see character pre transition and referred to in feminine terms. Is there anything I should be carefully of while writing this?? There are also scenes with him as achild where he is aggressive to staff trying to put him in like extremely girly clothes its mainly used to highlight that he's a spoiled brat (by the fact he bites people not that he's uncomfortable) I never put him in outright transphobic situations but there will be a few chapters where he goes to see extended family in England (he's American) (grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc.) Where they only call him by a feminine nickname (he accepts it in certain cases but doesn't actually use it) does the family need a punishment thing for this? There's also scenes on the backlash mc recives. Being on the public eye and coming out as trans. (Like imagine like most famous person you can think of) Lastly on the thing about jokes i planned a scene where the mc and love interest Are watching the love interests favorite movie as a child. In this movie mc I at about 8-12 years old appears. And the joke is kinda the slow realization theyre the same person followed by the love interest overwhelming apologies for putting on the movie (if you can imagine an anime-esque scene like that) where the joke is mainly focused on the love interest. Is this a bad taste joke? Overall the story doesn't have much to do with being trans at all.(Its ofc not ignored ) He's not insecure in his gender identity on anything like that like I never talk about his struggles with dysphoria or anything like that. At least not in any true depth. Its mainly a story of redemption on his part after certain big mistakes from his childhood left him and his sister estranged. With other characters with their own struggles and Backstories. And this story takes place like after a complete transition.
Okay, so I'm planning on writing a fanfiction for an anime that I like called Assassination Classroom and I want to make my main character a trans boy. He's an all around optimistic, cheerful, and pretty bold guy who can kinda make friends with practically anyone and has a talent for music. Although when he is having a hard time emotionally, it is pretty hard for him to bounce back to normal without some help. He's already come out around 2 years before our story has started so he's introduced as a guy when he transfers into the class. He actually tells them all right then and there that he's biologically a female cause he doesn't want the situation to get awkward when he has to change for PE and he's not embarassed by being himself at all, he's actually pretty proud of it. Since he's only 14 (almost 15) when the story begins, he obviously can't legally change his name or anything like that yet but he does go by a different name with his friends and family. His childhood friend does get it wrong sometimes but eventually gets it and his family is overall supportive. He has a university aged older brother who is non-binary and a little sister who is a bit too young to think about that stuff but they are both supportive. His parents are pretty neutral about it, they both aren't exactly happy with it but they also don't pressure him either. People at school do say negative things but they never really get away with it since his class (including the teacher) are very protective of all their classmates. Nobody gets away with bullying one of class 3-E, if you've watched/read it you'll know what I mean. I do think that I'm doing an okay job so far (feel free to tell me if I'm not) but I do have a few questions about this. First, I've read a few articles and is it cool if he (my character) doesn't want to get surgery? In my head, this is my prefered decision since it matches more with his character but what do you think? Also, I want to pair him up with Nagisa Shiota who is a cis boy in the canon manga/anime. Since my character is biologically a girl, how would I go about this? Overall, I do think that he's a pretty well-rounded character and I do think I'm doing this right but I'd definitely love some feedback about him. And just so you know, I haven't figured out his name yet so that's why it was never mentioned. When I do come up with something, I'll definitely say so! I have a tendency to ramble when anime is involved so I'm sorry and thank you for taking the time to read all the way through this little rant of mine!
I'm aware I might be a little late with this reply and that you might have already written this, but I want to answer the comment anyway. The character actually made me laugh because that is exactly how a lot of my friends would describe me (minus the music talent that is, I do definitely not have that). I absolutely like the basics you have down here, it's refreshing to read. Now, in regards to your questions. The first one is a little complicated and I would recommend you think of the label that your character uses and why he uses it. Thankfully modern medicine isn't one size fits all anymore in terms of the treatment plan for transgender people, so that means that (in most countries) you can decide on your individual path in medical transition. That means that your character could use hormones (or, in the case of a 14 year old, hormone blockers to delay puberty until 16) but opt out of surgery (which btw, would not be performed until 18 at the very earliest). He could also opt out of certain surgeries, but not others. If you want to you can reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram in PM with some more detail and I'll help you develop a story that 'fits' in terms of medical transition. It's a little more I usually do for people to guard my time and energy but since I like the basics and it's fanfiction I'll make an exception. (I have a soft spot for fanfiction, it's where I started writing) The second question is pretty easy: You write it like any other gay relationship, because that's what it is. I would give you more pointers but I'm a straight trans man so I don't have any experience in that area. All I can say is that most (cis) people over complicate the matter and that's unnecessary. You only need to think about the genital situation if you're writing graphic sex scenes. Now, it's fanfiction, so it's not impossible but in that case, good luck using your own imagination of how people might work around that. I hope that was helpful and somewhat timely. If not, let me know how it went, I'm curious. Happy writing!
When you said your first point I got really sad. I'm currently writing a fantasy story about a trans woman transitioning. And it's more for therapy for myself as I transition. I think this point was more for cis gendered people writing trans experiences, but I might wrong.
I'm sorry the video made you sad. Especially because the first point in the video was supposed to be a point about leaving the stories specifically about transitioning to #OwnVoices writers, like you! You're right that this specific video is geared towards cisgender writers who want to include transgender characters. It made me think that maybe I should include some new videos on my channel more geared towards character development of transgender characters to help transgender writers express themselves better. Is there anything you would like me to cover in my new content?
@@christopherdrost3764 honestly, I don't have much I'm exactly looking for, so I'm sure anything you share in a video would be helpful. I found your channel because I was looking for videos on things I should avoid, things to include, or how to make certain aspects of my story easier on trans readers. Because it's a story that has heavy topics like suicide, self-harm, physical and emotional abuse, transphobia (external and internal), and rape. All things I experienced before my transition. And I would prefer not causing more harm to other people if I can help it. I would also like to know about maybe how I might become a sensitivity reader myself. I would love to help writers from my perspective as a trans woman.
I am a cis woman that's never published before, and I'm trying to write a book based around a trans male from the 1700s, so obviously before the label "transgender" existed. This character also experiences domestic violence, and, due to my lack of personal experience in any of these areas, I am having some serious doubts about whether I'm qualified enough to write this story. I don't know whether to give up the idea of writing his story completely, which i really don't want to do, or just brave it despite my lack of experience, but I don't want to risk offending anyone! Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi! I really liked your video and it’s so far very helpful. I plan to watch the rest of the series. I’m writing a story about a trans man-Drake-who’s building a life with his best friend/soon-to-be boyfriend and foster daughter. He’s fully transitioned. There is a moment when he finds out that his next door neighbor is his old elementary and middle school bully. Since this bullying occurred before Drake truly understood what being trans is, the bully only knows him by his dead name. For the first few days, Drake tries to avoid his former bully and move past the issue, but it’s triggering his unhealthy anxiety. Drake decided to talk about it with his old bully and it some what goes like this. This is not the final draft and I’m still revising. Herb: Hey Drake. Drake: Oh, hi Herb. *said with hesitance* Herb: I couldn’t help but notice that there some tension between us. Drake: Whaaat, no. Herb: C’mon Drakeroonie, just tell me. If it’s the coconut burger smell, we’ll just cook em inside. Drake: *feeling awkward* It’s not that Herb. It’s just… do you remember a kid back in grade school that dressed up as Darkwing Duck every day. Herb: *nods* Drake: Well, *gulp* that was me. Herb: *eyes wide* Darcy? Drake: Yeah. Herb: I can’t believe it’s you. I haven’t seen you since middle school. Drake: Yeah… Herb: Listen, I’m sorry for bullying you back then. I was going through a rough time and thought hurting others would make me feel better. Now, I know it’s wrong and I regret all the terrible things I did back, especially towards you. I wanted to track you down to apologize but you disappeared. Drake: I left that life behind after I graduated. Herb: *with a small smile* But, now you and your family here, and we’re neighbors. Fate really comes in unexpected ways. Drake: *silent in thought* Herb: Drake, I’m truly sorry for what I did back as kids. But, I’ve changed into a better man and I hope we can start over. Drake: I don’t think that’ll be a bad idea. Herb: Great! *holds out hand* Neighbors Drake: *takes hand in handshake* Neighbors There is a moment the former bully says Drake’s dead name. It’s not meant to disrespect the trans community. The bully only says this name out of shock of seeing and not recognizing his old classmate rather than out of malice. He respects Drake’s gender identity and has no qualms against him. I was wondering if having my trans character’s dead name mentioned disrespectful to the trans community. If there are issues, what are some ways I can change it to be more respectful.
Thanks for making this video I'm planning to write my 2nd novel for the future I'm actually writing my first book right now but my 2nd book is a mystery one about a religious cult and i plan to feature a transgender woman who works in the police she's new to it and she is British pakistani its set in Yorkshire I'm looking forward to it! 😊
That sounds cool. Make sure to research the background of your transgender character in relation to her heritage. I'm not sure if it was Pakistan, but I believe there is a Middle Eastern country that has strict anti gay laws but being transgender is accepted. That could potentially influence her background.
@@christopherdrost3764 what if she was actually born in Yorkshire UK where my book is set and transitioned in England I'd probably still have to research their views on transgender women still wouldn't I?
If she doesn't live in Pakistan you don't need extensive research on the legal system or transition path in Pakistan but I would research how it is/was viewed by society because that will give you an indication of how the coming out was received among family. it's not set in stone but it's useful to know. For the transition you'll need the legal system and transition options of the UK. Also make sure you look at the right time frame. I don't know a lot about the UK but I know that in the Netherlands laws have significantly changed in the last 5 years impacting options. The transition path has also changed since I started transition in the sense that more options became available since I started.
Thank you for this series, it helps a lot! I've just ventured into writing trans characters, as I sadly have no personal experience with the topic and, plainly, didn't want to "do it wrong". But one of my characters just kept me thinking, "there might be something", and I had found a writing friend with personal experience about it so I wasn't completely without guidance. (And also I was, quite frankly, tired of only and exclusively writing through my white-cis-hetero-Lens, being too scared to even remotely tackle anything different than that.) So I decided to try... But an author's take on it is still something different, and even the first 2 minutes have given me sooo many insights already. Now the character in question is not the main character, but an older sibling of the protagonist (but then again, the sibling is 12 right now, the protagonist being 3 years old at this point in the story, so I luckily have the room to focus on the older siblings). The way my story works is that I have this family and just explore their lives, characters, etc in sort of a "series" - although I do some planning and intentionally put in plots and a bit of fantasy and such. The difficulty is that I have no darned clue where I'm going, where the character will end up - and that at the same time I have to limit the amount of room he takes up in the story, as quite frankly, there's 7 more people wanting attention...! I hope I'm not doing terribly so far, just exploring who the character is and who he wants to be. I'm greatly relieved that I was going more by "I just wanna be me, and I'm good the way I am", that does seem a bit more ok than the other sterotypes I know. Also that feeling is easier to get into than "wrong body" or anything, as I too have struggled with accepting me as I am instead of trying to adhere to society's norms. But even that approach is probably nowhere near good, and I guess, you know what? It's ok - not in itself, but because it's a start. If I don't start trying, how am I ever gonna learn and expand my horizon? I'll readily admit I have made use of stereotypes throughout the years, perhaps also subconsciously... In the siblings' toddler years, he was quite a lonely kid, and kept pushing away siblings that wanted to hug him. At that point, I already knew, there was something there, and I just didn't know what. I have also used a dress-up game as opportunity to explore outside the gender norms these children are raised in, and from there just went by what I felt the character wants. Longer hair, some hairclips... And like I said, no idea where he'll go, I'll just follow him. In response to your question about characters who are very different from me - I struggle with that. A lot. For one, because I'm not a Native Speaker and write in english anyway (I just enjoy it a lot more, so...) I have quite good command of the language, but only as long as I'm writing like *me*. Slang, different speaking patterns, accents, conciously different grammar etc pose a huge problem for me, which is why I'm rarely doing that, and if, I'll get the help of an english friend :D And also, I feel like I can still follow the journey of such characters, but from the outside. I have a harder time looking into their head. My main characters might speculate about what's going on in their head, but they'll never really know, and neither will I. Fortunately the characters from whose perspective is told are quite a lot like me - all in different ways, but they share my way of thinking to a certain degree, and they also majorly share my way of writing/speaking (with some differentiations). It just *has* to be that way. So I guess I'll say again that I'm open for advice, and will do my best to learn something from it! And, um, sorry for that "monster comment" XD
For that matter - where could I go to find a beta reader? Thing is, I'm a university student, I don't write professionally, (and also I usually write about 1 chapter per month)... So I don't think paying anyone is gonna work. Sorry. I know. Work should be recognized at true value and everything, but also, like, I have to eat and pay bills. I'm realizing more and more during research that I have picked one of the trickiest ways to write a trans character, and I really need help to "do it right". I have often thought "why didn't I just let it go then, do something else instead". But the answer is, it would have felt wrong. The way my story works isn't that I make my characters do stuff, I listen to what they want, what they do and who they are. I thought long and hard before committing to going on this journey with that character, but eventually, I felt it was what he wanted, and I couldn't ignore that voice. Similarly, another of my characters is currently completely overthrowing my plans. I had envisioned her as outgoing, a high school sweetheart, she'd had a boyfriend, etc... Turns out her real passion is gardening, she doesn't care for dressing up, and the relationship with her boyfriend is about dead. Boom. (And like I said - that happened, and I observed it. I didn't "plan that out".) Just like I didn't want to force this character to keep being "the party girl", I don't want to keep the one questioning his identity from exploring that - just like I won't keep this dear kid from doing his science experiments, even though he causes fires and explosions... So back to the question - where could I find someone willing to beta-read for me in regard to LGTBQA, questioning, nonbinary, trans, etc (no idea yet where he'll end up). It's really not much. Like, 1500 words a month, occasionally a little more, sometimes a little less? And not all of these focusing on that character even. Sorry for the grammar, I feel like I got parts wrong, but I can't find the mistakes :)
Hi! This video was really helpful, and I'm definitely going to watch the rest in the series! I'm currently writing a book with a trans man as the main love interest, and I want to write him as well as possible, so I definitely want to find other trans people to read the book so I can be sure he's a respectful portrayal. I know a couple of trans people in real life, but as far as I know they aren't really writers, and I don't want to bother them with this for fear of making them feel like 'token trans friends' or something (and on top of that only one of them is an actual close friend and the others are just acquaintances). So, I was wondering: do you have any advice for finding good sensitivity readers?
Thank you for your question, it's a very good one. A lot of people don't realize how much time and energy sensitivity reading costs to transgender people. On top of that it's also an issue that a lot of transgender people don't have enough writing skill to help you find and fix problems with a manuscript. I recommend to hire at least one good sensitivity reader who also has knowledge of writing techniques and who's knowledge is up to date on trans issues. Surprisingly, that's sometimes also an issue with transgender people who transitioned a long time ago. Some things to look for in a sensitivity reader is what kind of work they do the readings for. That is in terms of genre, but also what kind of transgender characters they read for. Someone who reads a very broad type of characters (for example, trans masculine AND trans feminine) I would be skeptical of, unless they have the credentials to back it up. Another thing to look at is whether they can provide you with testimonials from people they worked for before and if any of the works they did a reading for is published. If so, check the reviews of that work. In terms of where to find them: Twitter is a pretty good place to look for expertise. I'm actually working on coming back to youTube to make new content in 2021. One of the planned videos will be about sensitivity reading. I think that I'll do two and make this in a completely separate video so I can go more into dept about this. I hoped this helped for now. Happy Writing!
Hello! I’m working on a new story and one of the main characters is non binary (I thought most of what you said could apply). What do you think about having them talk their past? I’m thinking that Dorian (my character) doesn’t really like to talk about their past because of the dysphoria and partial trauma that comes along with it but they end up opening up to their close friend about their past. Do you think that this should happen? I’m torn between “since their uncomfortable with their past, they shouldn’t be forced to talk about it” or “it’s important to be able to face your issues and get help”. What do you think about this? (I am non binary also, except I’ve only known for like 6 months and I’m closeted living with my parents so I really don’t know too much.)
i have a question! i usually write fan fictions and i was thinking about writing one in which one of the characters is trans, however he is cis in real life. it would be an alternative universe, their personalities will be made up and i will only use their real faces, if that makes sense. would that be okay or would it be like not respecting that person? some people do that making characters gay for examples, to write stories about their ships (phan, larry etc.) but i dont know if this would be different or not.
There is different ways to write a character trans in a fanfiction and I have different opinions on the different kinds. If you're writing a character who is a cis male in canon as a trans man or a cis woman as a trans woman I don't think that's offensive at all, at least for transgender people. You may offend a few conservative readers that way. I personally have a few characters who I believe could be transgender, seeing their backstories and the fact that it's never denied. It's a fun head canon. If you're writing a character who comes out as trans and transitions that also isn't offensive to transgender people, assuming you picked a character that makes sense and you don't fall into other stereotypes. If you do this you need to make sure that the rest of the writing is respectful though. It's also very important to keep the character consistently in character. That they come out as trans doesn't mean they changed. If you're rewriting the character to the opposite gender and slap the label trans on them I think that's offensive. Being transgender doesn't fundamentally change you as a person, it changes your experiences in the world. If you're turning a very masculine male character into a trans woman, or a very feminine female character into a trans man I also consider that offensive. This is because it's not very considerate towards the character, they have to change to fit the mold. It also risks mocking being transgender in general, as it can be read as so absurd that it may be intended as satire. So bottom line is: it depends on exactly what you do and how you do it. It's not offensive by default but you can execute it in an offensive way.
@@christopherdrost3764 thank you so much for your response! i didn't mean to write in a disrespectful way at all, i got my info. the problem is that this boy is a real famous person, he isn't some harry potter character so i thought that might be offensive someway. however i found some fanfictions where they made this guy trans (ftm) so i thought it was okay at first, but now im not so sure. maybe im just worrying too much?
I want to add that if this is RPF (real person fiction) it's a different story. This type of fiction is about real people, not characters in a story and you have to respect their identity, whatever that is. It's offensive when people put labels on you that you do not feel like. I suggest you write a character based off this person instead, with another name and another identity. Characters are your own, but people should be respected the way they are.
If your'e going to write a story which involves trans characters talk to them.A good question is what is the best way to find trans people to talk about writing a story involving trans people.
I'm non binary, but I'm not a trans man, which is exactly why I'm doing my research here, so thank you so much! My story takes place in a mythical world with dragons and monsters. One of the important side characters is a trans man and I wanted to have him be in the process of transitioning, meaning he's taking something that is the equivalent of testosterone in that world. I was thinking maybe he could drink a potion every day to change his voice or something like that. It's basically like trans men being on T. It's still in the works but I'd love it if people could give me some suggestions.
The character I’m trying to write has a lot of self confidence problems and insults himself a lot. Can he make jokes about his own expiriences as a trans person? Like for example could I make him say something like that he thinks he looks feminine?
Thank you for your question. I wouldn't recommend writing this character if you're not a trans man yourself. It falls into the category 'don't write about transgender struggles, leave that to trans people themselves to tackle'. Now, that doesn't mean your trans character has to be a Mary Sue, Gary Stu or a non-binary version of this, they can still be insecure about other things that you can relate to. Trans people are, above all, human. Make their insecurity about something else than them being transgender. If they have bad study results, they can be insecure about whether they are smart enough. And that is just one example. I'm sure you have felt insecure about something at some point in your life. Now channel that power and use it for your transgender character. Good luck! (Added bonus: your own pain has not been in vain.) Now, if you absolutely want to do this (again, I absolutely don't recommend this, but damage control is my thing) make sure you employ a good sensitivity reader. I say employ, because you shouldn't ask this of a transgender person for free. Sensitivity reading takes a lot of time and energy and that should be appreciated and rewarded. This is not the type of thing to ask your transgender friend to do on the weekends. I have a video about that in the works though, so you can (hopefully) check that out soon. Anyway, hope this helped. Happy writing!
@@trudimarks1421 I just thought of one thing more that I personally would like to see more in transmasculine characters: Them being secure about them being a man. It's quite cliché at this point to write a character that is insecure about their gender identity and/or masculinity. In your case it would actually be a really nice contrast to have the character be very insecure about one thing, but secure about his masculinity. It would make for a really complex and rounded character. It's your character of course, but I would be interested in seeing a character like that.
I disagree that you shouldn't write a character that doesn't transition because of someone else. In fact, I think that's an amazing story to tell and one that I have not yet seen anywhere. You said that one should represent trans people positively... but why? Isn't our primary duty to be as truthful and as painful as possible? I think that it is totally plausible for a person who's 40yo and has a child NOT to transition but live a "second life" of sorts because he or she is ashamed or afraid or whatever and I think there's a lot of room for a lot of really heavy shit there, so I have to disagree there :) At the end of the day we're not here to "send messages" like you said, but to tell the story, whatever that may be. I also disagree when you say not to write judgmental characters... I mean, the story is brought forward by conflict, and the first kind of conflict I can think of in regards to lgbt people is that of judgement from family, friends and strangers... how is that wrong? xD I think you're generally mistaking real life with a book. It's ok that characters "get away" with it, because unfortunately that's what happens in real life and it is something we can all relate to. Also, a story where people attempt to force a trans person into their biological sex, again, seems like an interesting story to me xD lots of conflict . And humor should know no boundaries xD Sorry Chris ahahah I can tell that obviously you got very established opinions about this, but I'm also an advocate of free speech, absolute and limitless and you're saying a lot of things that clash with that belief on here xD I didn't wanna come across as a dick, but even if I do, for me telling my truth is more important than how people perceive me. But, I appreciate that you made a video about something so close to you, may be too close tho :)
(cis woman opinion inc) @Viktoria's Writing Secret I agree, and I disagree. I have complex feelings! I am a human! I think TheAlexplainer has some good points. While it's possible to write a transperson without family or societal drama, I disagree that authors should be encouraged to do so. Of course, positive representation is great! But if you're writing contemporary, and you have a trans character, it would be dishonest not to represent the very real dangers they would face, both from society and surgery. That would be like writing a contemporary novel with NO sexism or racism. True, you absolutely could do that, but pretending it doesn't exist is not the answer, at least not in my opinion. Giving your character a struggle which they overcome can be very inspirational to people who face that same struggle everyday. It also depends heavily on genre. If you're writing a dystopian novel, then maybe transphobia is part of that dystopia (say that 5 times fast!) and something you want to address in the story arc. But I also don't think *every* character should be written this way, just like not everyone in real life is racist. Even if the transperson in the novel fails (because not all books can have a happy ending), maybe that failure doesn't have to be because they're trans. Transpeople are people, they have all the other messiness of life that cis people do as well! So there's plenty to write about, and their "transness" doesn't have to be their defining character quality. Christopher doesn't say don't write judgemental characters, but he DOES say don't let them get away with it / succeed in spite of it. And I think that's a fair point and applies to other forms of violence as well. It's ok that there is some realism there as long as there is also the realism of the moral voice - whether the MC or otherwise - who can stand up to the bigot. /shrug I think those last sentences you wrote are dangerous. "that's not our story to write". If every author only wrote characters facing the problems that they themselves face every day, we're massively impacting the representation out there. That's like saying a man couldn't write a story where the MC's love interest faces sexual harassment in the workplace, or hell, where the MC is a woman. Honestly, with a good sensitivity reader and a lot of research (as Christopher says in the video) usually a writer can write about anything. The key is not to depend on characters and stereotypes, media or otherwise, but instead to write real, fleshed out people. Anyway, I think you (Viktoria) and I both agree with Christopher on not poking fun at the character or writing without doing research, so I think these are much smaller points. Thank you Christopher, for putting together this series! I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.
@Viktoria's Writing Secret I think we essentially agree, although I'm not sure I'd write off a male author who wrote a book like that because I literally don't even read author names when I pick up books, and I'd have no idea if it was male or female. ...I also have an odd verbal quirk of referring to jobs/nouns as it (see above) which is going to get me in trouble one day.
First of all: thank you all for the wonderful discussion here. I think that's really great and helpful to have more people sharing their opinions on this (controversial) topic. That can give us all some valuable insights. I want to address Alexander's comment that I am limiting free speech and remind you that my first disclaimer was that you can write whatever you want. This video is my opinion and doesn't mean to shut anyone up. This video is made to help writers who want to write positive representation of trans people. If you don't want to do that, then this is not the video for you. I hope you'll find something more to your liking in my future videos. :) There is two types of writers. On the one hand you have the writers who go for gritty, sensational and painful 'real' stories and there's writers who write about the world they want to see one day. In the case of trans characters I believe that cisgender writers have too little of a grasp on what 'real' means to us and end up normalizing extreme stories. I live this life and my experience is nothing like the 'real' stories in the media. As a matter of fact, I believe that the media are causing a part of my hardships in my personal life. Victoria is right on the money when she says that the negative representation influences people. It causes a downward spiral where media shows unaccepting environments and that in turn normalizes transphobia leading to more negative representation. For one, my family is terrified of what my life will look like if I'm trans and sometimes it makes it hard for them to accept and support me. They fear how the world will treat me while in reality, it is not half as scary as portrayed in fiction or the media. I much prefer writers who write to normalize minorities. Who acknowledge the hardship but also show that it's more than just that. That there is hope. This is not because I'm against unhappy endings but because almost all stories about trans characters have unhappy endings. If you can find them that is. I agree with Kat that it's not entirely impossible for a cisgender writer to write about the struggles of a transgender character as the focal point of the plot. I would still give the book a chance if I encounter it. I do, however, believe that it needs to be handled with great care and it needs to be in close cooperation with trans people to make sure it's authentic. The nuances of the struggles of being transgender are extremely hard to understand, and on the side of transgender people, also very hard to explain. Thanks for commenting!
@Viktoria's Writing Secret If that's how you feel, I respect that. I also think you shouldn't pursue a writing career. I believe your vision is damaging to yourself and others as a writer and I simply can't let you get away with it xD The highest value in my life is TRUTH. The highest value in most people's lives today is politeness, or love or crap like that. That's where we clash my dear :) You're probably one of those people who believe there are 1million genders, white privilege, and that the gender pay gap is caused by a patriarchal society, but guess what? NONE OF THAT IS TRUE. I do not believe there are any character's that you can't write and I most certainly do not believe that you need to know trans people to write a trans character. I wrote a trans character in my very first book. She's a psychotherapist and she's the best character I've ever written. Why? Because she's smart as fuck and she's tough as hell. Don't let that full you tho. I would easily write a trans character who's homophobic and racist as well, because that just makes for a damn good story. And if my readers can't see the difference between reality and fiction, well I don't give a damn. Quentin Tarantino, Marilyn Manson, Jordan Peterson and many other geniuses encounter the same problems, because PEOPLE ARE TOO POLITE AND SOFT. I've made a vow that I will give up my own life if necessary, to tell MY TRUTH, and this is it. I can't believe that you're a writer and think like that, but hey... to each his own.
![Writing Trans Characters // Part Two: Gender Dysphoria // Christopher Drost [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NjfrXfqHaFU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Writing Trans Characters // Part Two: Gender Dysphoria // Christopher Drost [CC]](/img/tr.png)
I think the most difficult part is portraying the character accurately. Research will never be enough for me to know what it is like being trans. All I can do is be as respectful as I can and make the best character I can.
Thank you for your advice. I learnt a lot. I have considered writing a story with a transgender protag, but really want to make them a fully realised character who has their own life and has positives and negatives in their life. The points on how if someone isn't able to transition in the story as they may put others first would likely have a deeply negative impact on the character and their life, as well as why those who behave in unaccepting ways need to be shown to be doing the wrong thing in a story as their acts can deeply harm a transgender individual was very enlightening to learn from.
Glad to have found this channel, even just this first video is already a huge help. I'm just starting a new fantasy story and one of the main protagonists is a trans man. It's the first time I've attempted to write a trans character so I really want to make sure I do everything possible to be respectful. So thank you, I look forward to watching the rest of your videos :D
In regards to your question, I think the hardest part of writing a character so different from me is making them feel real. I will always research as much as I can to ensure I have my information right, I will try to speak to people who have the experiences I am trying to capture and of course I put as much empathy and imagination as I can. However that will never guarantee that I can breath life into that character in a way that resonates with people. At the end of the day I will never truly understand what it is like to live as anyone other than myself. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop putting in the effort to try and write more diverse characters because diversity is one of the things that makes stories so incredible to read and write.
Thanks for the awesome comment. I always like thoughtful responses. :)
I have a soft spot for fantasy novels with a trans male lead. Fantasy is a great opportunity to build a better world and with my background (public administration) it's always interesting to hear what kind of world people can come up with. I even have a video in the makings specifically about transfriendly world building in fantasy and science fiction. I haven't put out new material in over a year, but I'll get to it eventually.
I like the way you think about writing characters outside your comfort zone. There's one tip I would like to give you in this regard: focus on what makes you similar. Yes, a transgender character is different from a cisgender character, but they're both human and can have a million traits in common. A transgender character comes to live in the same way any other character comes to life: through feeling authentic. A nice trick is to give them a character trait that you know how to write well, and put some of the focus on that.
Do you, by any chance, feel like sharing some specifics of your story here? I'm always curious about any works with transgender characters. :)
Thanks for making this video. I think it's a really important topic. I think it's important for cis writers to get feedback from more than one person because everyone experiences being trans differently. Personally I don't like the "born in the wrong body" or "male brain in a female body" narrative because it doesn't feel right for me. I'm nonbinary transmasc and I don't really think about my brain or personality in a gendered way. I also don't wish I was born cis. I like my body, I just want to make some changes. I think that's why I'd personally advise a cis writer to not try to tackle what it feels like to be trans. Like, please DO include trans characters, just don't try to explain how they feel about being trans because you're gonna miss the mark a lot. To be honest, I think trans people have oversimplified trying to explain that to cis people. The "born in the wrong body" narrative only scratches the surface and isn't always how people feel about themselves or their transition.
There is no right way to be trans so everybody does it their way. I absolutely agree. I also don't like the 'wrong body' narrative. I don't hate my body, it's strong and it takes me anywhere I want to go, but it doesn't always feel like my body. It also runs much deeper than simply not liking your body and the 'wrong body' narrative feeds into the believe that it's not important or pressing to help transgender people.
Anway, thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed.
In "Altered Carbon", consciousnesses can just switch bodies (whenever they can afford it). I like that science fiction solution.
Let me start by saying that I haven't seen 'Altered Carbon', so I don't know how a topic like gender dysphoria would be handled in universe, if it's addressed at all.
That being said, I personally don't like this solution. It's a form of erasure to me. In a world where you can just hop to the next body gender dysphoria becomes trivial, much like any other physical disability. It also pays no attention to that a likeness to your family can be a source of identity. Although many transgender people might jump at the chance to be cisgender I would think twice about accepting another body and I would absolutely prefer a modification of the body I have.
I want to point out that this is a personal preference. I look a lot like my father (more so every day now that I'm transitioning) and the bond I feel with my father's family is important to me. I feel like I'd be giving that up in part if I would just switch bodies.
@@christopherdrost3764 I feel I should clarify that everyone hops bodies. Well, rich people do. People hire the bodies of convicts to put their dead ancestors inside so that they can visit for the holidays. It's massively a dystopian society - rich people pay others to fight until the "sleeve" is broken, for example. (Sleeves = bodies). But on the other hand, you can choose to be whoever you want - you can clone your own body, hop into someone else's, try out genetic modifications. It's an incredibly interesting concept and it's explored really well through the MC of the book, who is against the essential immortality that being rich can bring you. It doesn't have any explicit trans rep that I can think of, though.
I think it is an interesting story but not suitable for trans representation at this point. Dystopian stories show the worst in humanity and I think that works very well here. A transgender character could be an interesting addition to the story, especially if the character is really conflicted about what they are doing. When handled well it could make for a good character, but I doubt it would be positive representation.
It actually makes me think on how much easier it would be if there was more representation all together. If you have enough to choose from (like white, straight men) it's okay that a few of them are bad people. The problem arises when all of them are bad people.
Number two sounds really odd to me, I had no idea people might actually write that. As noble as any sacrifice is for someone you love, you're not doing them any favours by repressing who you are and not doing what will make you happy. Imagine being that child, and grow up knowing that your parent did that *for you.* Children might have a difficult time understanding it at first, but I think most of them would accept it and love their parent for who they are as they get older. All in all a very interesting video, I learned a lot!
I absolutely agree, you wouldn't want to be that kid. I can't imagine how guilty I would feel if someone would do that for me. I'm not a fan of grand gestures anyway.
Kids aren't hard to tell at all. My experiences are actually very good with telling kids. My brothers teenagers both are very accepting. My niece (almost 13) is my biggest alley in the family. She constantly corrects anyone who calls me by my birth name or uses the wrong pronoun, also when I'm not there and her brother recently outgrew me and gave his old clothes to me, so I didn't have to buy everything new. I'm actually wearing his old clothes in some of my videos.
And small kids are by far the easiest. This is how it went down with my cousin's four-year-old:
him: "So you used to be a girl?"
me: "I looked like a girl, yes."
him: "And now you're a boy?"
me: "I'm a boy, yes."
him: ... "and your name is now Chris?"
me: "Yes, my name is Chris."
him: "okay!"
And the rest of the car ride we talked about how awesome bouncy castles are, which we agreed, are the best.
(also, my comments seem to disappear so I hope this one sticks)
@@christopherdrost3764 Indeed, you're right about the kids thing. Reading your comment, I was remembered that whenever I've encountered a somewhat similar situation, it hasn't been a difficult conversation, like when I explained to my then 6-year-old sister why my gay friend wasn't my boyfriend, she understood it pretty fast and it was no big deal.
I'm reminded by how this sort of thing relates to people's views of religion, race, politics or any sensitive/personal topic - the children will adopt the viewpoint of their role models, i.e. their parents. If you teach them to be accepting, and that whatever thing you're explaining to them is totally ok, they will grow up to become accepting people. If you teach them the opposite, they will be the opposite. It really makes you think about the power you hold as an adult in regards to children, and that whenever we have the chance to influence them in a good and progressive way, we should take it. :)
@@ArnellaHobler I couldn't have said it better!
This was such a great video! Thank you so much for this series!
As far as your question, about writing characters who are different from me -- I think the difficult part is using what I learned from research in an accurate way. Sometimes conducting the research itself is difficult.
For example, one of my WIPs is a magical girl story that involves an international tournament. So all of my characters come from different nations and are of various ethnicities.
So the time spent on that WIP was 80% research, 15% worldbuilding, and 5% actually writing. 😅
That's a great attitude towards conducting writing research. I feel like a lot of writers treat their research like they're writing an essay for school: everything they find ends up in their story. Research is to round your story and make it feel real, not to share your knowledge of what you researched.
I kind of want to read your story now, it sounds like you've given it a lot of thought :)
I'm just getting started in this series but already I know it's going to be incredibly helpful! I have a story I am plotting out (fantasy) that has a prominant trans woman character and having grown up in conservative and white part of the US, I feel out of my depth. This is helping me to feel like I might eventually be able to do this character justice and give her the development she deserves.
The hardest part I've found about writing characters so different than me is finding their voice. It's impossible for me to live the life they've lived, so I have to do as much research as I can and muster up as much empathy as I have in order to understand their lives. But in the end, it's worth it to have a character who stands on their own.
I just realized that I didn't answer yet!
If you're writing a trans woman make sure to also listen to trans women, the experience for trans men is very different and not everything I tell will apply for them. Though I do think my channel is a good start I'd encourage you to also find trans women to follow. :)
Most definitely! I haven't had to chance to go looking for any just yet as the story she's in is in a bare bones state and I'm currently working on a different project. But this series has helped get me in the right mind set.
Thank you so much for making this video!! Super helpful! :) There is one transgender character in my novel Sculpt Yourself, and I would love to include more characters of various gender identities in the future, and I want to make sure I'm doing a good job. I appreciate you sharing your experiences and using them to educate the author community.
Thank you for your comment and for including transgender characters in your story. I also like that you make the distinction between transgender characters and characters of different gender identities. Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about your novel? :)
@@christopherdrost3764 thanks!! 😊 My novel is about a drug that allows people to move their body fat distribution and obtain whatever proportions they want. It's told from the perspective of 3 different women who have vastly different views on the drug and its effects on body image. There is a transgender girl who uses the drug underage so she can give herself more traditionally feminine proportions. She's a side character and ends up becoming part of the movement to keep the drug legal when it's threatened to be outlawed. You can see more here if that's interesting to you! www.amazon.com/Sculpt-Yourself-Savy-Leiser-ebook/dp/B07JBVGCV7
First I thank you for the comment you left for me earlier about diversity and my age as an older authortuber. I just subscribed to your channel and watched a couple of videos. They were very interesting to me because I really didn't understand what a transgender person really meant and I have just started a friendship with one, who if I got it right is a man who feels that he is a woman. They/she has a husband. He calls himself they/she if I am not mistaken and when he cohosts with a straight woman he calls them she/her. I am co-hosting with him/her tonight for a live stream. Thanks for doing a series on this. It helps me understand my new friend.
You're most welcome and that's so great you have made a transgender friend! I know it can be a little confusing in the beginning but from your description she seems to be really nice! (although I think she wouldn't like he/him pronouns, but I get how this helps you process).
I haven't had time the last few months to watch a lot of authorTube, but you're high on my list of people I need to catch up on. :)
In my story that I am working on, one of my characters is non binary, and I have gotten the hang of it with some practice, but I do believe that I still have a lot to learn.
It's great that you're including a non-binary character, let's start there. I think my videos can be helpful for writing non-binary characters I do recommend you search for non binary people to check out. You've probably already found Ash Hardell, but they're a great resource. I recommend checking them out if you haven't already.
Okay, thanks.
Number 5 is why I've been seeking out videos specifically about writing trans characters lol. I created a character in a fantasy story, realized she's trans and went "uh oh. I've never written a trans person before." But I don't want to make her cis just because I know it better. I'm a discovery writer and if my character tells me she's trans... I want to hold true to that fact..
Hi enby here and I have a question!
So my mc is an FTM character who is a famous Actor/popstar from birth. He's very stubborn and overtime develops To be a lot more self conscious through the unrelated events. My story is very backstory oriented in also has a lot of flashback scenes (its a comic book) where in the scenes pertaining to mc we normally see character pre transition and referred to in feminine terms. Is there anything I should be carefully of while writing this?? There are also scenes with him as achild where he is aggressive to staff trying to put him in like extremely girly clothes its mainly used to highlight that he's a spoiled brat (by the fact he bites people not that he's uncomfortable)
I never put him in outright transphobic situations but there will be a few chapters where he goes to see extended family in England (he's American) (grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc.) Where they only call him by a feminine nickname (he accepts it in certain cases but doesn't actually use it) does the family need a punishment thing for this? There's also scenes on the backlash mc recives. Being on the public eye and coming out as trans. (Like imagine like most famous person you can think of)
Lastly on the thing about jokes i planned a scene where the mc and love interest Are watching the love interests favorite movie as a child. In this movie mc I at about 8-12 years old appears. And the joke is kinda the slow realization theyre the same person followed by the love interest overwhelming apologies for putting on the movie (if you can imagine an anime-esque scene like that) where the joke is mainly focused on the love interest. Is this a bad taste joke?
Overall the story doesn't have much to do with being trans at all.(Its ofc not ignored ) He's not insecure in his gender identity on anything like that like I never talk about his struggles with dysphoria or anything like that. At least not in any true depth. Its mainly a story of redemption on his part after certain big mistakes from his childhood left him and his sister estranged. With other characters with their own struggles and Backstories.
And this story takes place like after a complete transition.
Okay, so I'm planning on writing a fanfiction for an anime that I like called Assassination Classroom and I want to make my main character a trans boy.
He's an all around optimistic, cheerful, and pretty bold guy who can kinda make friends with practically anyone and has a talent for music. Although when he is having a hard time emotionally, it is pretty hard for him to bounce back to normal without some help. He's already come out around 2 years before our story has started so he's introduced as a guy when he transfers into the class. He actually tells them all right then and there that he's biologically a female cause he doesn't want the situation to get awkward when he has to change for PE and he's not embarassed by being himself at all, he's actually pretty proud of it.
Since he's only 14 (almost 15) when the story begins, he obviously can't legally change his name or anything like that yet but he does go by a different name with his friends and family. His childhood friend does get it wrong sometimes but eventually gets it and his family is overall supportive. He has a university aged older brother who is non-binary and a little sister who is a bit too young to think about that stuff but they are both supportive. His parents are pretty neutral about it, they both aren't exactly happy with it but they also don't pressure him either.
People at school do say negative things but they never really get away with it since his class (including the teacher) are very protective of all their classmates. Nobody gets away with bullying one of class 3-E, if you've watched/read it you'll know what I mean.
I do think that I'm doing an okay job so far (feel free to tell me if I'm not) but I do have a few questions about this.
First, I've read a few articles and is it cool if he (my character) doesn't want to get surgery? In my head, this is my prefered decision since it matches more with his character but what do you think?
Also, I want to pair him up with Nagisa Shiota who is a cis boy in the canon manga/anime. Since my character is biologically a girl, how would I go about this?
Overall, I do think that he's a pretty well-rounded character and I do think I'm doing this right but I'd definitely love some feedback about him. And just so you know, I haven't figured out his name yet so that's why it was never mentioned. When I do come up with something, I'll definitely say so!
I have a tendency to ramble when anime is involved so I'm sorry and thank you for taking the time to read all the way through this little rant of mine!
I'm aware I might be a little late with this reply and that you might have already written this, but I want to answer the comment anyway.
The character actually made me laugh because that is exactly how a lot of my friends would describe me (minus the music talent that is, I do definitely not have that). I absolutely like the basics you have down here, it's refreshing to read.
Now, in regards to your questions. The first one is a little complicated and I would recommend you think of the label that your character uses and why he uses it. Thankfully modern medicine isn't one size fits all anymore in terms of the treatment plan for transgender people, so that means that (in most countries) you can decide on your individual path in medical transition. That means that your character could use hormones (or, in the case of a 14 year old, hormone blockers to delay puberty until 16) but opt out of surgery (which btw, would not be performed until 18 at the very earliest). He could also opt out of certain surgeries, but not others. If you want to you can reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram in PM with some more detail and I'll help you develop a story that 'fits' in terms of medical transition. It's a little more I usually do for people to guard my time and energy but since I like the basics and it's fanfiction I'll make an exception. (I have a soft spot for fanfiction, it's where I started writing)
The second question is pretty easy: You write it like any other gay relationship, because that's what it is. I would give you more pointers but I'm a straight trans man so I don't have any experience in that area. All I can say is that most (cis) people over complicate the matter and that's unnecessary. You only need to think about the genital situation if you're writing graphic sex scenes. Now, it's fanfiction, so it's not impossible but in that case, good luck using your own imagination of how people might work around that.
I hope that was helpful and somewhat timely. If not, let me know how it went, I'm curious. Happy writing!
Thank you for this video! It's always good to know what to avoid!
Thank you for watching, glad to hear you enjoyed it.
When you said your first point I got really sad. I'm currently writing a fantasy story about a trans woman transitioning. And it's more for therapy for myself as I transition. I think this point was more for cis gendered people writing trans experiences, but I might wrong.
I'm sorry the video made you sad. Especially because the first point in the video was supposed to be a point about leaving the stories specifically about transitioning to #OwnVoices writers, like you! You're right that this specific video is geared towards cisgender writers who want to include transgender characters. It made me think that maybe I should include some new videos on my channel more geared towards character development of transgender characters to help transgender writers express themselves better. Is there anything you would like me to cover in my new content?
@@christopherdrost3764 honestly, I don't have much I'm exactly looking for, so I'm sure anything you share in a video would be helpful. I found your channel because I was looking for videos on things I should avoid, things to include, or how to make certain aspects of my story easier on trans readers. Because it's a story that has heavy topics like suicide, self-harm, physical and emotional abuse, transphobia (external and internal), and rape. All things I experienced before my transition. And I would prefer not causing more harm to other people if I can help it.
I would also like to know about maybe how I might become a sensitivity reader myself. I would love to help writers from my perspective as a trans woman.
I am a cis woman that's never published before, and I'm trying to write a book based around a trans male from the 1700s, so obviously before the label "transgender" existed. This character also experiences domestic violence, and, due to my lack of personal experience in any of these areas, I am having some serious doubts about whether I'm qualified enough to write this story. I don't know whether to give up the idea of writing his story completely, which i really don't want to do, or just brave it despite my lack of experience, but I don't want to risk offending anyone! Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi! I really liked your video and it’s so far very helpful. I plan to watch the rest of the series.
I’m writing a story about a trans man-Drake-who’s building a life with his best friend/soon-to-be boyfriend and foster daughter. He’s fully transitioned.
There is a moment when he finds out that his next door neighbor is his old elementary and middle school bully. Since this bullying occurred before Drake truly understood what being trans is, the bully only knows him by his dead name.
For the first few days, Drake tries to avoid his former bully and move past the issue, but it’s triggering his unhealthy anxiety. Drake decided to talk about it with his old bully and it some what goes like this. This is not the final draft and I’m still revising.
Herb: Hey Drake.
Drake: Oh, hi Herb. *said with hesitance*
Herb: I couldn’t help but notice that there some tension between us.
Drake: Whaaat, no.
Herb: C’mon Drakeroonie, just tell me. If it’s the coconut burger smell, we’ll just cook em inside.
Drake: *feeling awkward* It’s not that Herb. It’s just… do you remember a kid back in grade school that dressed up as Darkwing Duck every day.
Herb: *nods*
Drake: Well, *gulp* that was me.
Herb: *eyes wide* Darcy?
Drake: Yeah.
Herb: I can’t believe it’s you. I haven’t seen you since middle school.
Drake: Yeah…
Herb: Listen, I’m sorry for bullying you back then. I was going through a rough time and thought hurting others would make me feel better. Now, I know it’s wrong and I regret all the terrible things I did back, especially towards you. I wanted to track you down to apologize but you disappeared.
Drake: I left that life behind after I graduated.
Herb: *with a small smile* But, now you and your family here, and we’re neighbors. Fate really comes in unexpected ways.
Drake: *silent in thought*
Herb: Drake, I’m truly sorry for what I did back as kids. But, I’ve changed into a better man and I hope we can start over.
Drake: I don’t think that’ll be a bad idea.
Herb: Great! *holds out hand* Neighbors
Drake: *takes hand in handshake* Neighbors
There is a moment the former bully says Drake’s dead name. It’s not meant to disrespect the trans community. The bully only says this name out of shock of seeing and not recognizing his old classmate rather than out of malice. He respects Drake’s gender identity and has no qualms against him. I was wondering if having my trans character’s dead name mentioned disrespectful to the trans community. If there are issues, what are some ways I can change it to be more respectful.
Thanks for making this video I'm planning to write my 2nd novel for the future I'm actually writing my first book right now but my 2nd book is a mystery one about a religious cult and i plan to feature a transgender woman who works in the police she's new to it and she is British pakistani its set in Yorkshire I'm looking forward to it! 😊
That sounds cool. Make sure to research the background of your transgender character in relation to her heritage. I'm not sure if it was Pakistan, but I believe there is a Middle Eastern country that has strict anti gay laws but being transgender is accepted. That could potentially influence her background.
@@christopherdrost3764 I'm going to do research on transgender laws in Pakistan anyway thanks for the tip! 👍❤️
No problem. If you want more pointers for useful research you can check out my other videos, if you have't found them already. :)
@@christopherdrost3764 what if she was actually born in Yorkshire UK where my book is set and transitioned in England I'd probably still have to research their views on transgender women still wouldn't I?
If she doesn't live in Pakistan you don't need extensive research on the legal system or transition path in Pakistan but I would research how it is/was viewed by society because that will give you an indication of how the coming out was received among family. it's not set in stone but it's useful to know.
For the transition you'll need the legal system and transition options of the UK. Also make sure you look at the right time frame. I don't know a lot about the UK but I know that in the Netherlands laws have significantly changed in the last 5 years impacting options. The transition path has also changed since I started transition in the sense that more options became available since I started.
Thank you for this series, it helps a lot! I've just ventured into writing trans characters, as I sadly have no personal experience with the topic and, plainly, didn't want to "do it wrong". But one of my characters just kept me thinking, "there might be something", and I had found a writing friend with personal experience about it so I wasn't completely without guidance. (And also I was, quite frankly, tired of only and exclusively writing through my white-cis-hetero-Lens, being too scared to even remotely tackle anything different than that.) So I decided to try... But an author's take on it is still something different, and even the first 2 minutes have given me sooo many insights already.
Now the character in question is not the main character, but an older sibling of the protagonist (but then again, the sibling is 12 right now, the protagonist being 3 years old at this point in the story, so I luckily have the room to focus on the older siblings). The way my story works is that I have this family and just explore their lives, characters, etc in sort of a "series" - although I do some planning and intentionally put in plots and a bit of fantasy and such.
The difficulty is that I have no darned clue where I'm going, where the character will end up - and that at the same time I have to limit the amount of room he takes up in the story, as quite frankly, there's 7 more people wanting attention...!
I hope I'm not doing terribly so far, just exploring who the character is and who he wants to be. I'm greatly relieved that I was going more by "I just wanna be me, and I'm good the way I am", that does seem a bit more ok than the other sterotypes I know. Also that feeling is easier to get into than "wrong body" or anything, as I too have struggled with accepting me as I am instead of trying to adhere to society's norms. But even that approach is probably nowhere near good, and I guess, you know what? It's ok - not in itself, but because it's a start. If I don't start trying, how am I ever gonna learn and expand my horizon?
I'll readily admit I have made use of stereotypes throughout the years, perhaps also subconsciously... In the siblings' toddler years, he was quite a lonely kid, and kept pushing away siblings that wanted to hug him. At that point, I already knew, there was something there, and I just didn't know what. I have also used a dress-up game as opportunity to explore outside the gender norms these children are raised in, and from there just went by what I felt the character wants. Longer hair, some hairclips... And like I said, no idea where he'll go, I'll just follow him.
In response to your question about characters who are very different from me - I struggle with that. A lot. For one, because I'm not a Native Speaker and write in english anyway (I just enjoy it a lot more, so...) I have quite good command of the language, but only as long as I'm writing like *me*. Slang, different speaking patterns, accents, conciously different grammar etc pose a huge problem for me, which is why I'm rarely doing that, and if, I'll get the help of an english friend :D And also, I feel like I can still follow the journey of such characters, but from the outside. I have a harder time looking into their head. My main characters might speculate about what's going on in their head, but they'll never really know, and neither will I. Fortunately the characters from whose perspective is told are quite a lot like me - all in different ways, but they share my way of thinking to a certain degree, and they also majorly share my way of writing/speaking (with some differentiations). It just *has* to be that way.
So I guess I'll say again that I'm open for advice, and will do my best to learn something from it! And, um, sorry for that "monster comment" XD
For that matter - where could I go to find a beta reader?
Thing is, I'm a university student, I don't write professionally, (and also I usually write about 1 chapter per month)... So I don't think paying anyone is gonna work. Sorry. I know. Work should be recognized at true value and everything, but also, like, I have to eat and pay bills.
I'm realizing more and more during research that I have picked one of the trickiest ways to write a trans character, and I really need help to "do it right".
I have often thought "why didn't I just let it go then, do something else instead". But the answer is, it would have felt wrong. The way my story works isn't that I make my characters do stuff, I listen to what they want, what they do and who they are. I thought long and hard before committing to going on this journey with that character, but eventually, I felt it was what he wanted, and I couldn't ignore that voice. Similarly, another of my characters is currently completely overthrowing my plans. I had envisioned her as outgoing, a high school sweetheart, she'd had a boyfriend, etc... Turns out her real passion is gardening, she doesn't care for dressing up, and the relationship with her boyfriend is about dead. Boom. (And like I said - that happened, and I observed it. I didn't "plan that out".)
Just like I didn't want to force this character to keep being "the party girl", I don't want to keep the one questioning his identity from exploring that - just like I won't keep this dear kid from doing his science experiments, even though he causes fires and explosions...
So back to the question - where could I find someone willing to beta-read for me in regard to LGTBQA, questioning, nonbinary, trans, etc (no idea yet where he'll end up). It's really not much. Like, 1500 words a month, occasionally a little more, sometimes a little less? And not all of these focusing on that character even.
Sorry for the grammar, I feel like I got parts wrong, but I can't find the mistakes :)
Hi! This video was really helpful, and I'm definitely going to watch the rest in the series! I'm currently writing a book with a trans man as the main love interest, and I want to write him as well as possible, so I definitely want to find other trans people to read the book so I can be sure he's a respectful portrayal. I know a couple of trans people in real life, but as far as I know they aren't really writers, and I don't want to bother them with this for fear of making them feel like 'token trans friends' or something (and on top of that only one of them is an actual close friend and the others are just acquaintances). So, I was wondering: do you have any advice for finding good sensitivity readers?
Thank you for your question, it's a very good one.
A lot of people don't realize how much time and energy sensitivity reading costs to transgender people. On top of that it's also an issue that a lot of transgender people don't have enough writing skill to help you find and fix problems with a manuscript. I recommend to hire at least one good sensitivity reader who also has knowledge of writing techniques and who's knowledge is up to date on trans issues. Surprisingly, that's sometimes also an issue with transgender people who transitioned a long time ago.
Some things to look for in a sensitivity reader is what kind of work they do the readings for. That is in terms of genre, but also what kind of transgender characters they read for. Someone who reads a very broad type of characters (for example, trans masculine AND trans feminine) I would be skeptical of, unless they have the credentials to back it up. Another thing to look at is whether they can provide you with testimonials from people they worked for before and if any of the works they did a reading for is published. If so, check the reviews of that work.
In terms of where to find them: Twitter is a pretty good place to look for expertise.
I'm actually working on coming back to youTube to make new content in 2021. One of the planned videos will be about sensitivity reading. I think that I'll do two and make this in a completely separate video so I can go more into dept about this.
I hoped this helped for now. Happy Writing!
Hello!
I’m working on a new story and one of the main characters is non binary (I thought most of what you said could apply).
What do you think about having them talk their past?
I’m thinking that Dorian (my character) doesn’t really like to talk about their past because of the dysphoria and partial trauma that comes along with it but they end up opening up to their close friend about their past. Do you think that this should happen? I’m torn between “since their uncomfortable with their past, they shouldn’t be forced to talk about it” or “it’s important to be able to face your issues and get help”. What do you think about this?
(I am non binary also, except I’ve only known for like 6 months and I’m closeted living with my parents so I really don’t know too much.)
i have a question!
i usually write fan fictions and i was thinking about writing one in which one of the characters is trans, however he is cis in real life. it would be an alternative universe, their personalities will be made up and i will only use their real faces, if that makes sense. would that be okay or would it be like not respecting that person? some people do that making characters gay for examples, to write stories about their ships (phan, larry etc.) but i dont know if this would be different or not.
There is different ways to write a character trans in a fanfiction and I have different opinions on the different kinds.
If you're writing a character who is a cis male in canon as a trans man or a cis woman as a trans woman I don't think that's offensive at all, at least for transgender people. You may offend a few conservative readers that way. I personally have a few characters who I believe could be transgender, seeing their backstories and the fact that it's never denied. It's a fun head canon.
If you're writing a character who comes out as trans and transitions that also isn't offensive to transgender people, assuming you picked a character that makes sense and you don't fall into other stereotypes. If you do this you need to make sure that the rest of the writing is respectful though. It's also very important to keep the character consistently in character. That they come out as trans doesn't mean they changed.
If you're rewriting the character to the opposite gender and slap the label trans on them I think that's offensive. Being transgender doesn't fundamentally change you as a person, it changes your experiences in the world.
If you're turning a very masculine male character into a trans woman, or a very feminine female character into a trans man I also consider that offensive. This is because it's not very considerate towards the character, they have to change to fit the mold. It also risks mocking being transgender in general, as it can be read as so absurd that it may be intended as satire.
So bottom line is: it depends on exactly what you do and how you do it. It's not offensive by default but you can execute it in an offensive way.
@@christopherdrost3764 thank you so much for your response! i didn't mean to write in a disrespectful way at all, i got my info. the problem is that this boy is a real famous person, he isn't some harry potter character so i thought that might be offensive someway. however i found some fanfictions where they made this guy trans (ftm) so i thought it was okay at first, but now im not so sure. maybe im just worrying too much?
I want to add that if this is RPF (real person fiction) it's a different story. This type of fiction is about real people, not characters in a story and you have to respect their identity, whatever that is. It's offensive when people put labels on you that you do not feel like.
I suggest you write a character based off this person instead, with another name and another identity. Characters are your own, but people should be respected the way they are.
Thank you so, so much for sharing this, us cis writers need to do better ♥️
If your'e going to write a story which involves trans characters talk to them.A good question is what is the best way to find trans people to talk about writing a story involving trans people.
I'm non binary, but I'm not a trans man, which is exactly why I'm doing my research here, so thank you so much! My story takes place in a mythical world with dragons and monsters. One of the important side characters is a trans man and I wanted to have him be in the process of transitioning, meaning he's taking something that is the equivalent of testosterone in that world. I was thinking maybe he could drink a potion every day to change his voice or something like that. It's basically like trans men being on T. It's still in the works but I'd love it if people could give me some suggestions.
The character I’m trying to write has a lot of self confidence problems and insults himself a lot. Can he make jokes about his own expiriences as a trans person? Like for example could I make him say something like that he thinks he looks feminine?
Thank you for your question.
I wouldn't recommend writing this character if you're not a trans man yourself. It falls into the category 'don't write about transgender struggles, leave that to trans people themselves to tackle'. Now, that doesn't mean your trans character has to be a Mary Sue, Gary Stu or a non-binary version of this, they can still be insecure about other things that you can relate to. Trans people are, above all, human. Make their insecurity about something else than them being transgender. If they have bad study results, they can be insecure about whether they are smart enough. And that is just one example. I'm sure you have felt insecure about something at some point in your life. Now channel that power and use it for your transgender character. Good luck! (Added bonus: your own pain has not been in vain.)
Now, if you absolutely want to do this (again, I absolutely don't recommend this, but damage control is my thing) make sure you employ a good sensitivity reader. I say employ, because you shouldn't ask this of a transgender person for free. Sensitivity reading takes a lot of time and energy and that should be appreciated and rewarded. This is not the type of thing to ask your transgender friend to do on the weekends. I have a video about that in the works though, so you can (hopefully) check that out soon.
Anyway, hope this helped. Happy writing!
@@christopherdrost3764 thank you!! He also does have other insecurities so thank you for the advice and I’ll focus more on those.
@@trudimarks1421 I just thought of one thing more that I personally would like to see more in transmasculine characters: Them being secure about them being a man. It's quite cliché at this point to write a character that is insecure about their gender identity and/or masculinity. In your case it would actually be a really nice contrast to have the character be very insecure about one thing, but secure about his masculinity. It would make for a really complex and rounded character.
It's your character of course, but I would be interested in seeing a character like that.
I disagree that you shouldn't write a character that doesn't transition because of someone else. In fact, I think that's an amazing story to tell and one that I have not yet seen anywhere. You said that one should represent trans people positively... but why? Isn't our primary duty to be as truthful and as painful as possible? I think that it is totally plausible for a person who's 40yo and has a child NOT to transition but live a "second life" of sorts because he or she is ashamed or afraid or whatever and I think there's a lot of room for a lot of really heavy shit there, so I have to disagree there :) At the end of the day we're not here to "send messages" like you said, but to tell the story, whatever that may be.
I also disagree when you say not to write judgmental characters... I mean, the story is brought forward by conflict, and the first kind of conflict I can think of in regards to lgbt people is that of judgement from family, friends and strangers... how is that wrong? xD I think you're generally mistaking real life with a book. It's ok that characters "get away" with it, because unfortunately that's what happens in real life and it is something we can all relate to. Also, a story where people attempt to force a trans person into their biological sex, again, seems like an interesting story to me xD lots of conflict . And humor should know no boundaries xD Sorry Chris ahahah I can tell that obviously you got very established opinions about this, but I'm also an advocate of free speech, absolute and limitless and you're saying a lot of things that clash with that belief on here xD I didn't wanna come across as a dick, but even if I do, for me telling my truth is more important than how people perceive me. But, I appreciate that you made a video about something so close to you, may be too close tho :)
(cis woman opinion inc)
@Viktoria's Writing Secret I agree, and I disagree. I have complex feelings! I am a human!
I think TheAlexplainer has some good points. While it's possible to write a transperson without family or societal drama, I disagree that authors should be encouraged to do so. Of course, positive representation is great! But if you're writing contemporary, and you have a trans character, it would be dishonest not to represent the very real dangers they would face, both from society and surgery. That would be like writing a contemporary novel with NO sexism or racism. True, you absolutely could do that, but pretending it doesn't exist is not the answer, at least not in my opinion. Giving your character a struggle which they overcome can be very inspirational to people who face that same struggle everyday. It also depends heavily on genre. If you're writing a dystopian novel, then maybe transphobia is part of that dystopia (say that 5 times fast!) and something you want to address in the story arc. But I also don't think *every* character should be written this way, just like not everyone in real life is racist. Even if the transperson in the novel fails (because not all books can have a happy ending), maybe that failure doesn't have to be because they're trans. Transpeople are people, they have all the other messiness of life that cis people do as well! So there's plenty to write about, and their "transness" doesn't have to be their defining character quality.
Christopher doesn't say don't write judgemental characters, but he DOES say don't let them get away with it / succeed in spite of it. And I think that's a fair point and applies to other forms of violence as well. It's ok that there is some realism there as long as there is also the realism of the moral voice - whether the MC or otherwise - who can stand up to the bigot. /shrug
I think those last sentences you wrote are dangerous. "that's not our story to write". If every author only wrote characters facing the problems that they themselves face every day, we're massively impacting the representation out there. That's like saying a man couldn't write a story where the MC's love interest faces sexual harassment in the workplace, or hell, where the MC is a woman. Honestly, with a good sensitivity reader and a lot of research (as Christopher says in the video) usually a writer can write about anything. The key is not to depend on characters and stereotypes, media or otherwise, but instead to write real, fleshed out people.
Anyway, I think you (Viktoria) and I both agree with Christopher on not poking fun at the character or writing without doing research, so I think these are much smaller points.
Thank you Christopher, for putting together this series! I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.
@Viktoria's Writing Secret I think we essentially agree, although I'm not sure I'd write off a male author who wrote a book like that because I literally don't even read author names when I pick up books, and I'd have no idea if it was male or female.
...I also have an odd verbal quirk of referring to jobs/nouns as it (see above) which is going to get me in trouble one day.
First of all: thank you all for the wonderful discussion here. I think that's really great and helpful to have more people sharing their opinions on this (controversial) topic. That can give us all some valuable insights. I want to address Alexander's comment that I am limiting free speech and remind you that my first disclaimer was that you can write whatever you want. This video is my opinion and doesn't mean to shut anyone up. This video is made to help writers who want to write positive representation of trans people. If you don't want to do that, then this is not the video for you. I hope you'll find something more to your liking in my future videos. :)
There is two types of writers. On the one hand you have the writers who go for gritty, sensational and painful 'real' stories and there's writers who write about the world they want to see one day. In the case of trans characters I believe that cisgender writers have too little of a grasp on what 'real' means to us and end up normalizing extreme stories. I live this life and my experience is nothing like the 'real' stories in the media. As a matter of fact, I believe that the media are causing a part of my hardships in my personal life. Victoria is right on the money when she says that the negative representation influences people. It causes a downward spiral where media shows unaccepting environments and that in turn normalizes transphobia leading to more negative representation. For one, my family is terrified of what my life will look like if I'm trans and sometimes it makes it hard for them to accept and support me. They fear how the world will treat me while in reality, it is not half as scary as portrayed in fiction or the media.
I much prefer writers who write to normalize minorities. Who acknowledge the hardship but also show that it's more than just that. That there is hope. This is not because I'm against unhappy endings but because almost all stories about trans characters have unhappy endings. If you can find them that is.
I agree with Kat that it's not entirely impossible for a cisgender writer to write about the struggles of a transgender character as the focal point of the plot. I would still give the book a chance if I encounter it. I do, however, believe that it needs to be handled with great care and it needs to be in close cooperation with trans people to make sure it's authentic. The nuances of the struggles of being transgender are extremely hard to understand, and on the side of transgender people, also very hard to explain.
Thanks for commenting!
@Viktoria's Writing Secret If that's how you feel, I respect that. I also think you shouldn't pursue a writing career. I believe your vision is damaging to yourself and others as a writer and I simply can't let you get away with it xD The highest value in my life is TRUTH. The highest value in most people's lives today is politeness, or love or crap like that. That's where we clash my dear :) You're probably one of those people who believe there are 1million genders, white privilege, and that the gender pay gap is caused by a patriarchal society, but guess what? NONE OF THAT IS TRUE. I do not believe there are any character's that you can't write and I most certainly do not believe that you need to know trans people to write a trans character. I wrote a trans character in my very first book. She's a psychotherapist and she's the best character I've ever written. Why? Because she's smart as fuck and she's tough as hell. Don't let that full you tho. I would easily write a trans character who's homophobic and racist as well, because that just makes for a damn good story. And if my readers can't see the difference between reality and fiction, well I don't give a damn. Quentin Tarantino, Marilyn Manson, Jordan Peterson and many other geniuses encounter the same problems, because PEOPLE ARE TOO POLITE AND SOFT. I've made a vow that I will give up my own life if necessary, to tell MY TRUTH, and this is it. I can't believe that you're a writer and think like that, but hey... to each his own.