Best New Books for Writers and Editors
Author Karen Yin curated a great list of new books for writers and editors to utilize including her own, The Conscious Style Guide, and Writing An Identity Not Your Own, by Alex Temblador.
This is an exciting year for writers and editors — as there are a number of writing and editing-focused books slated to be published in 2024, many of which can be helpful in the process of writing other identities. Just ask Karen Yin…
Karen Yin is the author of children’s books and an upcoming book called The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers. She coined the term “conscious language” which means “mindful and compassionate language,” and through the Conscious Style Guide website, has made a huge impact on writing and editing practices. (She’s also the founder of Editors of Color and Diverse Databases — which is bad ass too).
I connected with Karen when I came across her upcoming book, The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers. She describes it like this on Tertulia:
“If the evolution of inclusive language has left you feeling lost, turn to ‘The Conscious Style Guide’ for a map that takes your interests, beliefs, and abilities into account. Learn how flexibility and creativity distinguish conscious language from political correctness and other rigid styles. Associated Press Stylebook editor Paula Froke calls it ‘the best tool book of all.’”
There seemed to be some overlap between The Conscious Style Guide and Writing An Identity Not Your Own, so I reached out to Karen and got an advanced reading copy of her book. I’m currently reading it, and I love everything I’ve read so far. There are so many ways you can utilize Karen’s advice in writing other identities, especially in terms of terminology, thinking about words to use or not use, descriptions of people of historically marginalized identities, and so much more. (Full review coming soon…)
All that aside, Karen recently curated a list of the Best New Books For Writers and Editors on Tertulia and she included Writing An Identity Not Your Own, as well as three others:
Voice First: A Writer’s Manifesto by Sonya Huber
Tell It Like It Is: A Guide to Clear and Honest Writing by Roy Peter Clark
Dictionary of Fine Distinctions: Nuances, Niceties, and Subtle Shades of Meaning by Eli Burnstein
If you haven’t seen this list that Karen curated, CLICK HERE. These books appear to be fantastic resources for creative writers, journalists, copy editors, and the other forms of media, and just on the descriptions alone, I can see how they might even play a role in writing other identities.
Best Writing Craft Books On Writing Other Identities
A list of writing craft books that teaches writers how to write characters with different races/ethnicities, gender identities, disabilities, sexual & romantic orientations, nationalities, and more.
The first time I taught a class on writing an identity not your own, one of the main questions I received was: “Do you know of any writing craft books that focus on this topic?” My answer was that yes, there were a few books on the topic. However, some focused on only one type of identity or others had been published almost a decade before and it was unclear if all the information would still be relevant. I’m happy to say that over the years and in the writing of my own writing craft book, Writing An Identity Not Your Own, I’ve discovered that a few more have been published or are on their way! I’ve also read many of the writing craft books on the subject that were published years ago, and I can say confidently that they still hold some relevant and impactful information that could be helpful to writers.
I’m going to list these writing craft books in order of the date they were published as I do believe that having the most up-to-date information can be helpful in your study of writing other identities. At the least, you should keep the publication dates in mind for historical, social, and cultural context. I will be updating this list over time, so bookmark it and add these books to your Goodreads reading list. Give them a read and share your feedback with me.
(NOTE: There are many books that could be helpful in your study of writing an identity not your own, but for the sake of this blog, I’m just going to include writing craft books. All but one of these books are considered a writing craft book — and the one that is not considered a writing craft book by the industry is written in such a way that it’s a phenomenal resource that writers can use.)
2024
Writing An Identity Not Your Own by Alex Temblador, PUB DATE: August 13, 2024
Identities covered: race/ethnicity, sexual and romantic orientations, gender identity, disabilities, nationality, body types, culture, substance use disorder, housing experience, immigration and citizenship, age, and class
Do you have the tools to authentically write and edit a character whose identity is different than your own? It’s not a subject that’s generally taught in creative writing programs. There are few online resources, but in terms of craft books, what exists is outdated or limited in its scope. Some seminars and classes are offered by independent writing workshops, but can you learn everything you need to know in a three-hour seminar or even a four-week class? Not at all. You need a book on hand to provide guidance and insight as you craft characters with historically marginalized identities. That’s where this book comes in.
In Writing an Identity Not Your Own, award-winning author Alex Temblador will discuss one of the most contentious topics in creative writing: crafting a character whose identity is historically marginalized. She’ll begin by discussing what she means by ‘identity’ and why it’s important to understand the state of diversity in publishing, before delving into how unconscious bias and bias blocks are the biggest obstacles to this writing approach. From there, you’ll learn about intersectional identities and specific things to consider when writing different race/ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, disabilities, nationalities, and more. Alex will guide writers through the pre-writing phase to the editing process so they can gain a full understanding of the complexities of writing other identities and why it’s important to get it right.
A Tale of Two Titties: A Writer's Guide to Conquering the Most Sexist Tropes in Literary History by Meg Vondriska, PUB DATE: July 23, 2024
Identities covered: gender identity
Let's face it, women's representation in literature really sucks. And that's mostly because of the male authors who write female characters like they're nothing more than playthings in their stories. Whether they have breasts like ripe peaches or curves like a racetrack, the literary ladies gracing the pages of bestselling books rarely serve a purpose beyond supporting a male character (or giving him something to fantasize about).
But what are you supposed to do about it if you can't even get a foot (or, I guess, a boob) in the door?
You beat them at their own game.
In this hilarious yet incisive guide, you'll learn how to write women just like a bestselling male author―stereotypes, tropes, objectification, and all―so you can start dismantling the system from the inside. With thoughtful literary analysis, interactive exercises, and commentary that perfectly straddles the line between satirical hilarity and righteous indignation, A Tale of Two Titties is both an illuminating study of women's representation in literature and an absurd (yet accurate) guide to writing through the male gaze.
The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers by Karen Yin, PUB DATE: May 28, 2024
Identities covered: various identities
Most of us want to choose inclusive, respectful, and empowering language when communicating with or about others. But language—and how we use it—continually evolves, along with cultural norms. When contradictory opinions muddle our purpose, how do we align our word choices with our beliefs? Who has the final say when people disagree? And why is it so hard to let go of certain words? Afraid of getting something wrong or offending, we too often treat words as right or wrong, regardless of context and nuance.
Thankfully, in The Conscious Style Guide, award-winning editor Karen Yin provides a road map for writing and speaking with sensitivity and awareness—no matter how the world around us progresses. Readers will learn:
How to identify biased language
How to implement the overarching principles that guide us toward conscious language
How to adopt conscious language as a tool for self-awareness and empowerment
How to alleviate the stress of experiencing exclusionary language
How to create a style sheet and reference stack to help support your practice
With practical advice and hundreds of relatable examples, The Conscious Style Guide invites us to weigh contradictions, examine the pitfalls of binary thinking, and explore truly effective communication—in all aspects of our lives.
2019
Writing Intersectional Identities: Keywords for Creative Writers by Janelle Adsit and Renée M. Byrd, PUB DATE: September 19. 2019
Identities covered: various identities
Is it okay to write about people of other genders, races and identities? And how do I do this responsibly?
Whether you are working in fiction, poetry, drama or creative non-fiction, becoming conscious of how you represent people of different social identities is one of the most important responsibilities you have as a writer. This is the first practical guide to thinking and writing reflectively about these issues.
Organised in an easy-to-use A to Z format for practicing writers, teachers and students, Writing Intersectional Identities covers such key terms as:
Appropriation
Authenticity
Body
Class
Counternarrative
Disability
Essentialism
Gender
Indigenous
Power
Privilege
Representation
The book is meant for writers of fiction, poetry, screenplays and creative non-fiction who are seeking to develop a writing practice that is attentive to the world. The book is supported by a companion website at www.criticalcreativewriting.org.
2018
A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing by David Mura, PUB DATE: August 1, 2018
Identities covered: race/ethnicity
Long recognized as a master teacher at writing programs like VONA, the Loft, and the Stonecoast MFA, with A Stranger’s Journey, David Mura has written a book on creative writing that addresses our increasingly diverse American literature. Mura argues for a more inclusive and expansive definition of craft, particularly in relationship to race, even as he elucidates timeless rules of narrative construction in fiction and memoir. His essays offer technique-focused readings of writers such as James Baldwin, ZZ Packer, Maxine Hong Kingston, Mary Karr, and Garrett Hongo, while making compelling connections to Mura’s own life and work as a Japanese American writer.
In A Stranger’s Journey, Mura poses two central questions. The first involves identity: How is writing an exploration of who one is and one’s place in the world? Mura examines how the myriad identities in our changing contemporary canon have led to new challenges regarding both craft and pedagogy. Here, like Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark or Jeff Chang’s Who We Be, A Stranger’s Journey breaks new ground in our understanding of the relationship between the issues of race, literature, and culture.
The book’s second central question involves structure: How does one tell a story? Mura provides clear, insightful narrative tools that any writer may use, taking in techniques from fiction, screenplays, playwriting, and myth. Through this process, Mura candidly explores the newly evolved aesthetic principles of memoir and how questions of identity occupy a central place in contemporary memoir.
2015
Imagining Autism: Fiction and Stereotypes on the Spectrum by Sonya Freeman Loftis, PUB DATE: December 1, 2015
Identities covered: Autism
A disorder that is only just beginning to find a place in disability studies and activism, autism remains in large part a mystery, giving rise to both fear and fascination. Sonya Freeman Loftis's groundbreaking study examines literary representations of autism or autistic behavior to discover what impact they have had on cultural stereotypes, autistic culture, and the identity politics of autism. Imagining Autism looks at fictional characters (and an author or two) widely understood as autistic, ranging from Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Harper Lee's Boo Radley to Mark Haddon's boy detective Christopher Boone and Steig Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. The silent figure trapped inside himself, the savant made famous by his other-worldly intellect, the brilliant detective linked to the criminal mastermind by their common neurology―these characters become protean symbols, stand-ins for the chaotic forces of inspiration, contagion, and disorder. They are also part of the imagined lives of the autistic, argues Loftis, sometimes for good, sometimes threatening to undermine self-identity and the activism of the autistic community.
2011
Writing the Other: A Practical Approach by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward, PUB DATE: November 1, 2011
Identities covered: various identities
During the 1992 Clarion West Writers Workshop attended by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward, one of the students expressed the opinion that it is a mistake to write about people of ethnic backgrounds different from your own because you might get it wrong—horribly, offensively wrong—and so it is better not even to try. This opinion, commonplace among published as well as aspiring writers, struck Nisi as taking the easy way out and spurred her to write an essay addressing the problem of how to write about characters marked by racial and ethnic differences. In the course of writing the essay, however, she realized that similar problems arise when writers try to create characters whose gender, sexual orientation, and age differ significantly from their own. Nisi and Cynthia collaborated to develop a workshop that addresses these problems with the aim of both increasing writers’ skill and sensitivity in portraying difference in their fiction as well as allaying their anxieties about "getting it wrong." Writing the Other: A Practical Approach is the manual that grew out of their workshop. It discusses basic aspects of characterization and offers elementary techniques, practical exercises, and examples for helping writers create richer and more accurate characters with "differences."