I’ve been really blessed throughout this process of working on my webseries, After Oil. My co-creator, Jessica Naftaly, and I were able to bring the pilot episode to New York Television Festival back in October and chat with TV development executives looking for “fresh” new material.

We knew walking into these generals that we were in a weird niche. We were “gay”, but not gay enough.

Why? It’s a little high concept. It’s set in a global oil crisis. It takes place i Appalachia. A kid gets murdered. Oh yeah, and the main character is bi.

I didn’t walk into writing the After Oil scripts looking to make a statement. Whenever I start on a new story concept, I feel my characters out. I’m rolling a die in my brain. What ethnicity is this character? What’s their sexuality? This world I live in is diverse, and so is my imagination. Straight, white, and male has never been the default in my brain.

So when I met Briar as my main character, I knew that she was black and bisexual. I also felt she had a girlfriend, who was white and gay. I wasn’t being intentional with how I made these choices.

But after attending ClexaCon, I’ve begun to realize… maybe I should.

Let me head this up by saying, I’m not a “good gay”. I’m not a shipper. I haven’t watched Carol. And I haven’t watched The 100. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when After Oil was accepted into this year’s ClexaCon Film Festival. For those who don’t know, Clexa is the shipname of characters Lexa and Clarke from the show The 100. This was a canon gay couple who were not token but main characters. So when show writers killed off Lexa, the community was devastated. To rub salt in the wound, Clexa wasn’t the only canon ship to be slain in 2016.

It’s not a coincidence. It’s a pattern. If we’re not token, or filling in a stereotype, LGBTQ female characters are, in general, far more likely to bite the bullet.

It’s part of the reason why I’ve never engaged with the community. So much of queer content falls under the same three umbrellas: dramas about coming out, rom-coms about coming out, or “camp” genre flicks. But what I love to watch and write is horror, or pseudo-intellectual thrillers like Inception or WestWorld. This, also, isn’t a coincidence. This is the industry’s way of saying that the “queer experience” can be one of two things: a joke or state of existential conflict.

This isn’t to bash these types of films and shows. The queer experience can be laughable and painful. But queer content is kept in these boxes because this is the lens the Man™ in charge feels comfortable viewing the LGBTQ+ community through.

This is the harsh truth. The “pull” of well-represented queer characters just isn’t enough on its own to sell me on consuming media. We’re seeing more diversity than ever before in film and TV. It’s not good enough. As a queer woman in this industry, I have a choice. I can settle for representation “where I can get it” or settle for watching the content I love where I am missing on-screen.

The solution is pretty straightforward: go gay or go home.

More options means betters options, by default. Because I identify as bisexual, I understand that I have more diversity in my stories than the average straight white guy. It’s impossible for my sexuality not to color my worldview, but my sexuality has never been my identity. So yeah, I have main characters that are straight, or white, or male. Sometimes all three. I love those stories. I want to see them produced or published.

But after attending ClexaCon, I realize I have a responsibility not just to write from my perspective but to represent my perspective.

It sucks. I don’t want to be pigeonholed. And I’ve never wanted to make my characters an “insert” of myself. But until our entertainment reflects the diversity of my imagination, I need to be that change.

Which means I need to go full gay.

I didn’t get it before. I guess I was fine with settling with watching the same leading straight men and women. I had gotten comfortable with inserting myself into those characters. But then I met the Clexa fangirls. And the vidders. And I saw what it meant to them, to have those characters on-screen.

And for a moment, I imagined what it would feel like if I had a character, like that, that I could see myself in.

I may never be a true fan of The 100 or Wynonna Earp. But I can be a part of this conversation.

I can be a part of this movement.

Quick plug. If you want to see me put my money where my mouth is, and support queer content while you’re at it, you can watch the pilot for After Oil on YouTube right here. ALSO, if you always thought Harry Potter was missing some gay lady werewolves, you can follow my fanfic Stick Stone and Bone on Ao3! I plan to post new chapters every Friday.

What sort of representation do you want to see on-screen? Let’s chat. Leave a comment down below!

Hey there!

So some of you may be new to NaNo, in which case, YAY! I am so excited for you. Writing a book for NaNo can be such a rush, especially if you’re doing it with a group! It can also be a little daunting, especially when writing a book is always going to have to compete with work, school, and a social life. And, you know, sleep.

But that’s what October is for! ‘Tis the month for pumpkins, spoopy skelingtons, and NaNoWriMo prep! The work you put into your novel the month before November is largely what determines the smoothness of writing during NaNo. So buckle up! We’ve got some prep to do.

Firstly, we must sort you. This is a little bit like Hogwarts now. It’s time to put you in your houses.

Are you more organized and analytical? Do you like to outline and plot things out ahead? Then you my friend may belong to the noble Planners!

Or perhaps you are a fan of improv, preferring to wing it, a.k.a. fly by the seat of your pants? You’re probably a Pantser!

Unable to commit? A bit wishy-washy? No worries, friend, there’s a place for you amongst the numerous Plantsers!

Regardless what your writing style is, I suggest that everyone put some prep into their first NaNo. If you don’t know where to start, here are some story basics:

Know your characters

Story comes from character, so don’t go into your novel this NaNoWriMo without any idea who your characters are. If you're a Pantser, you might enjoy throwing a new character into the mix every then and again, but know your primary characters from the get-go. You don’t have to write out their entire biography before you’ve begun. I would suggest mapping out five things for each of your mains: goal, background, appearance, vice, and virtue.

If your main character doesn’t have a goal, your novel is gonna spin on its own axis, directionless. Get an idea of what your character wants most, and keep in mind that this can change multiple times throughout the story. This might also be motivated by their background, which is why you should jot down a sentence or two regarding their family background, where they grew up, what their current occupation is, etc. Lastly, I find it infinitely helpful to know at least one vice and virtue that my character exhibits. I draw from this huge master list on Writeworld. This keeps characters consistent. It’s the backbone of how your character will react in any given situation. Someone who’s depressive will react different to bad news than someone who is irritable, after all.

P.S., if you’re stuck on character or even town names, do not fret! This handy-dandy generator from Mithril and Mages is the perfect solution to your woes.

Know where you’re going

You don’t need an outline. Though some writers will go so far as to map out their entire story in scene cards, for others, the prospect of laying their novel out moment by moment can seem terrifying. But do know what you’re working towards. Before November strikes, know these two fundamental things: how your story begins, and how it ends. A neat little tip: it’s easier to jump into your story if you start in the middle of the action. I.e., open up your scene with your character already locked into a fistfight, not when they’re walking into the room, or even when they’re eying up some unsavory fellow across the bar. On the other hand, knowing your character’s goal is going to help you find your perfect ending.

In addition, get some ideas for scenes that you really want to happen. You don’t need to know precisely when these scenes are going to happen, but having a few pre-planned moments gives you something to work towards. For example, I personally love writing fight scenes, and knowing that there’s one coming up will not only make me excited to write, but encourages me to puzzle out ways to get my character to that moment in time.

Have fun!

Cheer up, buttercup, planning a novel doesn’t have to be a chore. There are tons of fun things to do when you’re feeling stuck in plotting. Try making a themed playlist on Spotify or iTunes for your book! Not only will this be great for listening during your future writing sessions, music is great inspiration! It puts your head in a different space, and I’ve often learned to look at my characters from new angles by finding song “themes” which fit them. If you’re big into Pinterest (like I am) you might try making a themed board where you keep reference photos of your characters or a backup of writing prompts for when the well runs dry. It also never hurts to check out some books similar to your own. Much as we’d like to think we’re entirely original, chances are someone has covered your material before. Building up a list of books or even movies and TV shows with the same tone, genre, or premise as your book will be immeasurably helpful to you down the road. If you’re writing about anything grounded in the “real world” (i.e., science fiction, crime fiction, etc.) watching docs on your subject can be a great resource.

And that’s it! Have you got any questions? Anything else you feel I should have covered? Please let me know, and Happy NaNoing!

But Is It Gay? How ClexaCon Changed My Mind