There Was A Shift In The Universe Ever Since This Happened

The Al-Anqar family has been living through a year of war and suffering. Nader Al-Anqar is just 17, but he has been trying to raised support for his family so that they won't die. His father Ahmed is suffering from cancer, and needs expensive medication, and surgery he can't access in Gaza right now. Nader young niece, Iman, is also sick.

In Gaza, food, water, and medical care are all extremely hard and expensive to access. The Al-Anqar family needs your support to be able to get the basic necessities they need to survive. If everyone who sees this donates 5 euros, that may not be a huge amount for you, but it would make a HUGE difference for them!!!

Please, support the Al-Anqar family. They need your help to live, don't let them down!!! Please donate whatever you can, and share as widely as possible.

#4 on @/gazavetters' spreadsheet of vetted fundraisers

Donate here!

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Writing Deaf Characters | Speech is Speech

Before I get going, I’m 75% deaf, as some of you know, semi-reliant on hearing aids and lip reading. My first languages were Makaton sign and then BSL. I now use spoken English.

There are a lot of issues I find with how deaf people are represented in books, when represented at all. I would love to see more deaf and hard of hearing characters in the books I read- without having to read books specifically about deaf/HoH people- but when I find them, they’re grossly undercharacterized or stereotyped. Authors write them in a way that sets signing language characters apart from speaking characters as if they are inferior, and this makes my blood boil.

Some technicalties

I’ll keep this brief.

You may have heard that “deaf” is a slur and you should use “hearing impaired”. Don’t. I’ve never met a deaf or hard of hearing person who believed that. Use deaf for people who are deaf, and Hard of Hearing (HoH) for people who lack hearing. These can be interchangeable depending on the person. This is why sensitivity readers are a useful part of the beta process.

Sign language is incredibly varied. It developes in the same way as spoken language. Fun fact: in BSL there are at least half a dozen ways to say bullshit, my favourite of which is laying your arms across one another with one hand making a bull’s head sign and the other hand going flat, like a cowpat. It’s beautifully crude, and the face makes the exclamation mark. Wonderful.

There are different sign languages. Knowing more than one would make a character multi or bi-lingual, even if they are non-speaking.

Makaton is basic sign language used by children, and it mirrors the very simple language used by toddlers.

Yes, we swear and talk shit about people around us in sign language sometimes, and no, it isn’t disrespectful to have signing characters do this. Just remember that we also say nice things, and random things, and talk about fandoms and TV shows and what we’re having for dinner, too.

Each signed language is different from another. ASL and BSL? Nothing alike. Just google the two different signs for horse.

Remember that sign language is a language, equal to the spoken word

Therefore, treat it as such. Use quotation speech marks and dialogue tags. You only need to explicitly state that this character uses signed language once, and then let your modifiers and description do the rest.  It isn’t a form of “sub-speech" or “making hand actions”- sign language is a language all on its own: it has its own grammar rules, syntactical structures, punctuation, patterns, idioms and colloquialisms. For example, “what is your name?” becomes “Your name what?” with the facial expression forming punctuation in the same way that spoken English uses alterations of prosodic tone (inflections). There is even pidgin sign; a language phenomenon usually associated with spoken language.

In the same way that you would describe a spoken-English character’s tone of voice, you would describe a signed-English speaker’s facial expressions and the way that they sign- keeping in mind that these things are our language’s equivalent of verbal inflection.

So please, none of that use of “special speech marks” or italicised speech for sign. If your viewpoint character doesn’t understand signed speech, then you take the same approach that would be used for any other language they don’t understand, like French or Thai. E.g “He said something in rapid sign language, face wrinkling in obvious disgust.” is a good way of conveying this. The proof that you’ve done this well is in whether or not you can switch “sign language” for French or something else, and it would read the same.

Don’t be afraid to describe how things are said, either. Sign language is such a beautiful and expressive way of talking, and to see a writer do it justice would be truly fabulous. Putting this into practise:

“Oh, I love maths!” She said, fingers sharp and wide with sarcasm. She raised her eyebrows.

“I’m sorry.” He replied and made his face small, but could not keep the grin forming. She was starting to laugh, too.

This is part one of two, for the sake of readability and keeping the information simple as I can. Part two- writing the deaf characters themselves- is coming up over the weekend. See you then and best luck with your writing until that point :D

This is part of my weekly advice theme. Each week I look at what you’ve asked me to help with, and write a post or series of posts for it. Next week: settings and character development (including heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and every other kind of character).

🔴New Zealanders put on a powerful display by doing the Haka in solidarity with Palestine

Mitski’s cover of The Bleacher’s “Let’s Get Married”

YOU’RE TOO YOUNG AND YOU CRY ‘TIL YOU’RE SOAKING WET

YOU’RE NOT YOUR FATHER BUT YOU WEAR HIS CLOTHES TO BED

GOING OVER SOMETHING HE SAID

Short Prompt #1273

"I've always had a soft spot for you..." the villain trailed off with a sigh. "Clearly, that has been a mistake."

The sidekick shook beneath their gaze, hardly able to move in their restraints. "V-Villain, I swear it wasn't me! Y-You have to believe me!"

"I don't have to do anything," Villain scoffed, leaning down to their apprentice's level. "But I will do something."

Sidekick squirmed anxiously under their mentor's gaze as the villain growled, "I will find out who the fuck stole my lunch."

"you know you are only supposed to have 1 apprentice maybe 2 not 15." said the wizard council member "well until people stop leaving surprisingly powerful orphans at my doorstep I'll be taking care of my 17 apprentices." The council member snapped their wand "WHERE DID YOU GET 3 MORE!"