Hey you!
If there’s one thing I know in my soul, it’s that white supremacy doesn’t sleep. The horrific anti-Asian hate crime in the Atlanta-area reiterated that for me. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this act of violence.
On Twitter, Yale professor and author Lisa Lowe compiled a list of organizations that directly support marginalized Asian communities. I also learned a lot from this Twitter thread from comedian and writer Jenny Yang, who I featured on a previous issue of Oh, Write for her Animal Crossing stand-up comedy show. The APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance) provided a list of resources to educate the masses.
Please read, learn, and share resources with others. We have to do everything we can to stop anti-Asian hate/violence.
Okay folks, enjoy Issue #12 of Oh, Write.
Writer’s Log #2:
I have a love/hate relationship with the writing process. There are some parts I like way more than others. For instance, I love writing dialogue. Conversation between the characters is the first thing I hear in my head when I’m crafting a story.
Description, on the other hand, is difficult. When I try to write it, it never turns out the way I see it in my head.
A fear of mine as a writer is suffering from white room syndrome. Professional fiction writer and editor Melanie Cossey describes “white room syndrome” as, “a writer neglects the backdrop, making it appear that the characters are standing in a white room, devoid of any setting, while they have a conversation or carry out an action.”
I also don’t want my piece to turn into an info-dumping robot. It’s hard to maintain a balance.
The scene I’m currently working on takes place in a bedroom. I lowkey just want to be like, “she’s in her bedroom.” But, that’s not cute. I’ve got to include specific details to immerse the reader within a scene—at least that’s what the streets tell me.
For example, instead of “she’s in her bedroom” here’s a different way I’d go about it:
“Cool air from the fan caused Willow’s movie posters to flutter against the wall. Chilly, she pulled her fluffy purple blanket over her legs and tucked herself in—just like Mom used to. She looked at the drawers of DVDs next to her television and scanned them.
One movie was on her mind. It kept her company on nights like this. She couldn’t remember its name. But, she knew if she saw it she’d recognize it.”
It took so much effort for me to write this lil’ blurb. My brain is sore AF. But, I’m gonna keep practicing.
7 Things I Consumed
I watched Pixar’s 2008 movie WALL-E for the first time. They were able to tell such a compelling story with minimal dialogue. I loved it.
Silk Sonic’s 2021 Grammy performance of “Leave the Door Open”. Yes, I’m obsessed.
The first three episodes of HBO Max’s new Gen-Z TV show Generation (It may just as good as Euphoria and We Are Who We Are)
This hilarious comic from “Thanks. But No Thanks”:
5. A pizza from Blaze Pizza for Pi Day (they offer vegan cheese and it’s so good)
Jade Fox’s thought-provoking video on androgyny
Desus and Mero’s interview of comedy legend Eddie Murphy
3 Things I Created
A cool lil’ Canva graphic for the flash fiction I’m working on:
A personal essay exposing my ambitious, yet cringey childhood journal
A new piece for the Medium publication An Injustice, “Why is Hollywood Afraid of Showing Black Women Being Loved?”
Writing Prompts
Write a rom-com inspired flash fiction story between two inanimate objects. (i.e. WALL-E)
Write a diary entry from the perspective of an elementary school student. Describe the day that they realized they were able to fly.
This writing prompt from Reddit is so excellent I had to share it with y’all.
Thank you so much for reading Oh, Write!
For more Oh, Write content, check out the Medium publication.
Have any questions, comments, or concerns? Hit ya girl up!
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Love,
Nia