Unlearning Silence

Unlearning Silence

I grew up fluent in hush—
trauma tucked behind my teeth,
a whole language of pretending.
To be good was to be quiet.

But silence never saved me,
it swallowed me whole.
I mistook numbness for peace.
I called survival strength.

Now, I let my voice stretch.
Even when it shakes.
Even when it’s too loud for someone’s comfort.
I write, I roar, I reclaim.

Every sentence a resurrection.
Every poem a rebellion.
My story is not a secret anymore—
it’s a storm with my name stitched inside.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies for Trans and Neurodivergent Writers

Image
  Follow my blog with Bloglovin Because our stories are worthy—and so are our needs. The Truth: Opportunities Exist, But They Don’t Always Knock Let’s name it plain: writing takes time, energy, and resources—and if you’re trans, disabled, Black, neurodivergent, or low-income, getting access to those resources can feel like searching for a door that was never built for you. But that doesn’t mean we don’t belong here. It means we have to find our way in through the cracks—and sometimes, build our own rooms in the process. Grants and residencies can be a lifeline . They offer more than just money. They offer space. Time. Structure. Sometimes housing. Sometimes community. And more and more, these programs are actively looking for writers who live at intersections—whose stories don’t fit the mold, and never should have had to. But here's the key: you have to know where to look. 📹 Want a visual primer? This YouTube video by The Write Practice explains what writing residenci...
Read more

Story Outlines That Actually Work for Nonlinear Thinkers

Image
You don’t have to force your brilliance into a straight line. If you’ve ever opened a blank outlining template, stared at a rigid three-act structure, and felt like your brain was short-circuiting—you’re not alone. A lot of us were never meant to think in chronological order. Especially if you’re neurodivergent, in trauma recovery, or just not wired for formulaic plotting, traditional outlines can actually make storytelling harder, not easier. Here’s the good news: nonlinear storytelling is not only valid—it’s powerful. In this post, I’ll share alternative outlining methods that work with your brain instead of against it, plus real tools and templates that embrace flexible thinking.  Why Traditional Outlines Don’t Work for Everyone Most outlines expect a beginning, middle, and end—in that order. But many brilliant storytellers don’t think that way. If your scenes come in flashes, your character arcs unfold out of sequence, or you write emotionally before structurally, forci...
Read more

Creating Trans Characters Without Tokenism: A Craft Guide

Image
Because we deserve more than a subplot and a stereotype. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read a book where a trans character is introduced only to either educate the protagonist, disappear after two scenes, or become a walking trauma dump. These portrayals aren’t just disappointing—they’re damaging. Trans readers deserve characters who are real , nuanced , and not written solely for cis readers to learn something . This post is for cis writers who want to do better, and for trans writers who are reclaiming space on the page. Let’s break this down. 1. Don’t Make Them the Lesson Trans characters are too often written like moral props—a checkpoint in the protagonist’s growth. The cis main character learns to “accept them,” and then the trans person fades out. This approach centers cis feelings and completely sidelines the actual personhood of the trans character. 🔸 Instead : Make your trans character's arc their own. Do they want to open a bakery, survive senior year, or re...
Read more