This means following workshop or writers’ group etiquette. But balancing that with self-awareness is key you don’t have to write about everything that crosses your path.Įxperimenting with genre might open you up to a whole new world of influences (in addition to expanding your writerly abilities). We need a multitude of voices critiquing pop culture: Everyone has a different point of view, and every perspective can lead to a different argument. An easy way to create disparity is to combine two things that don’t normally go together, whether it’s an image (a tough-looking dog in a tutu) or a new combination of words.
Humor is the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.ĭisparity makes us laugh because it plays with our expectations-we find a joke or an aspect of a story funny when it catches us off guard. This is especially true for jokes about yourself!Ĭomedy allows a character to voice an injustice or a difficult truth in a way that’s palatable for the reader. Under the guise of humor, you can say difficult, unsafe, or even unspeakable things-things you might have been too afraid to say otherwise. Joking has always been a good cover for not joking. Specificity is central to the comedic voice.
They only think they’re being entertained. But because they’re laughing, they don’t realize they’re being convinced. With humor, you convince your reader that your viewpoint is the valid one. When comedy and tragedy dovetail in a story, it makes the context sadder and the dialogue funnier.Ī witty writer gains a certain amount of control, too, by retelling their own story in their own way-especially if that story is a traumatic one. Well-executed humor rarely undermines any drama that might emerge in your writing-in fact, it underscores it. Ultimately, ask yourself: What is nobody else talking about? What do I have to say about this that hasn’t already been said? Reading what other people are saying is the only way to ensure that your argument is new and specific. If you’re writing about RuPaul’s Drag Race, check New York magazine, Vogue, Rolling Stone, The Advocate, and other outlets, and see what’s been published about the topic already. To that end, it’s crucial that you read all the pop culture criticism you can get your hands on. Research: Before you write, do your homework In 2021, she launched The Audacity, a newsletter that includes a book club, features Roxane’s writing, and showcases emerging writers. She is both the first Guggenheim Fellow and the first Black woman to write a Marvel comic book ( Black Panther: World of Wakanda). She has edited multiple anthologies, including Best American Short Stories 2018 and the bestselling Not That Bad. She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and her fiction has appeared in the likes of Harper’s Bazaar, McSweeney’s, Tin House, and Oxford American. Wrote Gay in her announcement, “The fellowships are open to writers from all backgrounds but I am prioritizing writers from underrepresented communities.”Īpplicants must submit a proposal about their intended newsletter and brief summaries of five potential newsletter topics, as well as a prose writing sample more information and the submission link can be found here.ROXANE GAY STARTED WRITING when she was only four years old. To date, she has authored five critically acclaimed books-a memoir ( Hunger), a collection of essays ( Bad Feminist), two collections of short stories ( Ayiti, Difficult Women), and a novel ( An Untamed State). The Joel Gay Creative Fellowships, named after Gay’s late brother, are open to any writer who doesn’t have a book published or under contract. Gay will also meet with fellows once a month over the course of the year as a mentor on both writing craft and business, and promote each fellow regularly via her Substack, The Audacity. editorial support, design assistance, access to Getty Images). Fellows will receive a $25,000 stipend from Substack as well as up to $15,000 in services (e.g. Big news for aspiring bloggers everywhere: yesterday, Roxane Gay announced that, in partnership with Substack, she is launching a new writing fellowship for three emerging writers to develop and publish a Substack newsletter this year.