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.

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What To Do If You F%#! Up – Avoiding the #AuthorsBehavingBadly Tag

January 21, 2023January 20, 2023Writing the Other

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a writer of fiction will, in the course of their career, screw up. A truth not universally acknowledged is that authors can recover from a screw up, even a highly public one, by avoiding specific behaviors that do nothing but escalate and make the situation worse. Nisi Shawl and K. Tempest Bradford will break down what authors should not do and advise on what they should do, instead. [...]

Non-Linear Story Structures from Non-Western Traditions | Webinar 2023

January 21, 2023January 20, 2023

Should Authors Write Characters Different From Themselves? Webinar 2023

January 21, 2023January 20, 2023

Available Any Time: On-Demand Webinars

On Demand Webinar: Cultural Appropriation – What It Is & How To Avoid It

November 16, 2021Writing the Other

Most writers want to avoid Cultural Appropriation but worry that they don’t fully understand what it is or how to ensure their work does not include it. In this On Demand webinar, we’ll give you the resources you need. [...]

On Demand: Writing Fat Characters | Master Class

November 14, 2021November 15, 2021

On Demand: Should Authors Write Characters Different From Themselves?

November 13, 2021November 15, 2021

Writing Blind and Deaf characters header

On Demand: Writing Deaf and Blind Characters | Master Class

January 21, 2019November 4, 2021

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

November 22, 2018November 4, 2021

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

July 24, 2016November 4, 2021

News & Events

Holiday Sale: 25% Off On Demand Classes

November 25, 2022Writing the Other

To celebrate the holiday season we’re offering 25% off all On Demand videos starting today and ending December 31, 2022. [...]

Building Inclusive Worlds Scholarship Fundraiser

July 11, 2022July 9, 2022Writing the Other

As you know, Bob, fighting oppression and colonialist frameworks happens on multiple fronts, including in art. Narratives are one of the most powerful ways to shape how humans view and interact with each other, for good or for ill. We’re invested in “for good”. [...]

Special Offer: $150 Off Building Inclusive Worlds & Research Skills Classes

July 8, 2022July 8, 2022Writing the Other

Worldbuilding for speculative fiction and games can be a daunting task, especially when it requires research in order to avoid replicating colonialist structures and viewpoints. That’s why we’re offering a special discount on our next two courses. [...]

Resources

Writing the Other on Writing Excuses – Crafting Chinese-American Characters

March 1, 2021February 17, 2021Writing the Other

Yang Yang Wang joins Tempest, Piper J. Drake, and Dan Wells for a discussion of language, food, and a whole raft of other cultural elements critical to crafting Chinese-American characters. [...]

K. Tempest Bradford and Sheree Renée Thomas on the Glitchy Pancakes Podcast

February 27, 2021February 18, 2021Writing the Other

K. Tempest Bradford and Sheree Renée Thomas do a deep dive into Own Voices fiction, why it’s so important, and how it fits in with Writing the Other. [...]

Writing the Other on Writing Excuses – Researching for Writing the Other

February 24, 2021February 17, 2021Writing the Other

Nisi Shawl and Silvia Moreno-Garcia join Tempest, Piper J. Drake, and Dan Wells to talk about how writing stories which feature people who are not like you is, in a word, difficult. [...]

What our students say about us

Thoughtful, insightful, and yet utterly unthreatening to sensitive writerly egos, this is the best workshop I’ve attended in ages.

― Lori Selke on the Classic Seminar

A lively, entertaining, and above all stimulating experience, proving yet again that even the examined life benefits by being re-examined from time to time, all the more so in the case of writers.

― Suzy McKee Charnas, author of Walk to the End of the World, 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

The workshop was one of the highlights of the Potlatch science fiction convention last February. It’s a Don’t Miss.

― Christie Maurer on the Classic Seminar