Writing the Other | Online Writing Classes and Workshops

Representation is fundamental to writing great fiction. Creating characters that reflect the diversity of the world we live in is important for all writers and creators of fictional narratives. But writers often find it difficult to represent people whose gender, sexual orientation, racial heritage, or other aspect of identity is very different from their own. This can lead to fear of getting it wrong–horribly, offensively wrong–and, in the face of that, some think it’s better not to try.

The hard truth is this: Representation and Diversity are too important to ignore.

It IS possible to write characters who represent the “Other” sensitively and convincingly. Through our classes, workshops, and seminars and the resources available on this site and elsewhere creators can get a solid foundation in how to craft characters from any background, no matter how different they are from you.

Recent Classes

Deep Dive Into Building Inclusive Worlds

September 20, 2019October 11, 2019Writing the Other

Worldbuilding for speculative fiction can be a daunting task, even moreso for authors who want to create inclusive cultures filled with diverse characters. This class offers writers a deep dive into key aspects of building inclusive worlds. [...]

Deep Dive Into Dialogue and Dialect | a Writing the Other class

June 8, 2019September 1, 2019

A Writer’s Guide to Research for Fiction

May 23, 2019July 8, 2019

Deep Dive Into Description | a Writing the Other class

April 14, 2019June 6, 2019

Available Any Time: On-Demand Webinars

Writing Deaf and Blind Characters | On Demand Master Class

January 21, 2019January 7, 2019Writing the Other

Partially deaf and partially blind writer and editor Elsa Sjunneson-Henry walks writers through the process of researching and understanding both conditions for fiction writing. [...]

Writing for Trans and Non-Binary Narratives | On Demand Master Class

November 22, 2018November 22, 2018

Writing Native American Characters: How Not To Do A Rowling | On Demand Master Class

July 24, 2016March 21, 2018

More than Eunuchs and Extraterrestrials: Writing Positive Portrayals of Asexual Characters | On Demand Master Class

July 24, 2016March 21, 2018

Interviews and Discussions

Family, Culture, and KidLit – a Conversation with Shveta Thakrar

October 9, 2019October 8, 2019Writing the Other

A conversation with YA author Shveta Thakrar about writing YA and Middle Grade families outside of the WASP or Western family framework pushed by most media and literature. [...]

Writing the Other on Writing Excuses – Yes, You Can!

June 4, 2019September 1, 2019Writing the Other

If you’ve heard from agents or editors that writing books that aren’t #OwnVoices isn’t something you can do, listen to us dismantle that idea and give advice for how you can go forward. [...]

Writing Fat Characters – An Interview With Marianne Kirby

April 27, 2019April 15, 2019Writing the Other

Tempest interviewed Marianne about fat characters, why she uses the term Fat, non-conforming bodies, and stereotypes to avoid and representations she’d like to see. [...]

What our students say about us

I can’t recommend this course enough; as well as delivering everything it promised in terms of new perspectives on writing about marginalised people, it gave me tools that will improve my writing overall, particularly with respect to character development and worldbuilding.

― Rivqa Rafael, a Multi-Week Class student

Writing the Other is an invaluable workshop for anyone who cares about writing honest and true stories. On point exercises. Loads of reference material. Experienced instructors who bring passion and wisdom to each and every lesson. I highly recommend it.

― Beth Bernobich, author of The Time Roads

This is a very good, condensed, well balanced and presented mix of information and practice on writing about difference.

― SK on the Classic Seminar

What an incredibly valuable class. This course provided a thoughtful and supportive place to dig deep into tricky issues and questions, and to examine our own context and assumptions. The resources were incredible, and I know I’ll come back to them over and over. The discussion was illuminating and my approach to my writing has already changed. I’d recommend the four week Writing The Other course to any author without hesitation.

― Amie Kaufman, author of the Starbound Trilogy