Erica Cameron's Blog

This has been a year with a lot of surprises, good and bad. For my book life, however, it’s been a fair amount of good news, especially for The Ryogan Chronicles!

They’re back! And then some!

With brand new covers made by Cait Greer and wonderful extras on the interiors (like maps!), the whole series is once again available for readers to purchase.

BUT THERE’S MORE GOODNESS TO COME!

My wonderful agent has sold the audiobook rights to the whole series, so that means you’ll eventually be able to beam Khya and her whole squad directly into your earbuds.

More to come on voice actors, release timelines, and other cool news!

Thanks, everyone for your patience as I worked on releasing these books. Hopefully you like the new editions as much as I do!

I found a new fascination this weekend. On the recommendation of a new author friend, I took another look at the program called Notion. I’d heard about it before but didn’t really understand the full capability of the software. Now, I get it.

This tool is a powerful combination of databases and freeform storage, and it’s a perfect fit for building and incredibly versatile novel or series bible (aka a place for you to keep track of everything you create so you don’t forget details along the way.)

To teach myself how to use this program, I built a blank template I can use for my own stories, and I wanted to share it here with a general overview of how to navigate the program and my own template. Feel free to copy the template and make changes so it can better fit your needs! Also, the free version of the program is more than enough for most user’s needs. You can also use Notion’s Guides and Tutorials section for more detailed walkthroughs on the specific functions within the program.

Now, an introduction to the Novel Notes template in Notion.

This is the template’s landing page and the main navigation point for the whole tool

The customizable blank pages can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of needs. I set up this template to highlight the key description of the story, a callout for important notes or reminders, and the navigation links to the rest of the pages in the tool. This should allow for easy access to all the information within the tool.

This shows a section with character cards, and spaces for overview information on the book(s).

Because Notion also incorporates robust database tools, it allows for comprehensive information organization and various ways to view/sort that info. In this template, I highlight the character descriptions with a “Board” view of the character database. This essentially gives each character a card that displays the reference photo (if you choose to upload one) and whichever key details you choose. Databases also include a tagging system that can help you keep even extensive cast lists or outlines organized.

The actual database view of the character list

Here’s what the actual database looks like for the character sheet. It’s essentially a fancy spreadsheet. What’s special about a database versus a spreadsheet is the type of information you can put in each cell, the powerful filter/sort functions, and the easy way you can link information from one table to another. These information links are called relations or references. Notion usually calls them relations. As an example of what you can do with these links, I usually link the characters to my outline database so I know who appears in each chapter.

When you open a record, you have even more space to add information.

Each row in a table can also be called a “record”. In Notion, when you hover over the first cell in the row, you’ll see a button appear that says “Open”. Clicking on this will open the view shown in the image above, and with the space provided here, you can include a TON of additional information in the open space at the bottom of the page where it says “Press Enter to continue with an empty page, or create a template.” Nothing entered in that space will appear within the table or in any view you create (like the Board view shown in an earlier image), but it is the perfect place to go into lengthy detail about the character, chapter, etc. you’re trying to track. As a bonus, this section acts exactly like the main page, so you can add images, create lists, link to other pages, or any number of things.

Add images to create an inspiration board or to remind yourself of key details within the story.

Back on the main page, the last feature I included is space for an inspiration board. Notion links directly to Unsplash, so you can choose images found on that site or you can upload your own. By dragging and dropping, you can reorganize the pictures and add or remove the number of columns in each row.

And that’s it! At least in the most general sense. Below are some details on each of the other sections within the template and why they’re included.

Outline –

This is mostly self-explanatory, but most people don’t outline in a database, so I’ll explain a little bit about why this is a pretty cool option. With the database tools, an outline can link directly to your characters (so you know who appears where), your timeline (so you know when everything is happening), your research (so you always have access to the right information), and your quotes (so you know when you referenced some clue or description or detail).

Plot Notes –

I usually leave this as a more freeform page, so this is where I write out my summary and synopsis, map out plot beats, scribble down revision notes, or anything else I need to keep track of.

Glossary –

This is going to be most useful for those writing something within speculative fiction in which you need to invent words, phrases, and place names. This database helps track the meanings of those words and can give you space to remind yourself how you came up with it, too. If needed, you can also link this to other databases (like the outline or character list) if you want to track where the words are used or who says it.

Timeline –

If you’re using a regular Gregorian calendar (the one that’s the official calendar most people use on a daily basis), the timeline function within Notion can be a good way to track events and dates. If you’re writing speculative fiction with an alternative calendar, you might have to get creative in how you use this feature, but it still could be useful. For example, you could simply use it to track the number of days between events or how long certain journey takes, etc.

Quotes and Notes –

I started using this tool when I was writing my last series and was having a hard time remembering how I’d described certain things (like important rooms and technology I invented) and when I’d referenced details that laid down key clues. Tracking them in a sheet like this gave me an easy way to remember who, what, where, when, why, and how of my own story. Which is good, because I don’t trust my own memory for anything.

Research –

Speaking of not trusting my own memory, I tend to be a bit overzealous wen tracking my research. When I look up information on websites, I tend to copy the whole site into my notes so I always have it for reference. I save PDF copies of articles, copy photos off the internet, and download anything I think I might need again later. Putting it all in a database like this makes it SO MUCH EASIER to find things when I need it.

Progress Tracking –

For those who are motivated by seeing their progress laid out in front of them, this sheet can help you keep track of how much you’re writing and when. With the use of tags, it can also track progress along stages of the process (drafting versus editing, for example) and give you a solid view of exactly how much work you’ve put into the story.

And that’s it! Hopefully this helps. Happy writing, all!

You’re on the hunt with Team Purple and have found the stop for Amalie Howard!

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But first, hi! I’m Erica Cameron, and I’m the author of several young adult series including The Ryogan Chronicles, the Assassins duology, and an upcoming sci-fi series beginning with PAX NOVIS.

I live in Florida, collect way too many books, and I swear that they didn’t put me on team purple just because it happens to be the color of my hair right now. That’s pure coincidence. Probably.

If you’re interested in learning more about me or my books, you can poke around my about me or books and stories pages or you can find me on Twitter!

Are we ready to begin? Well, almost. First, the rules!

This year, the hunt will run from October 1 to October 6!

Oct 1, noon PST: The hunt begins!

Oct 6, noon PST: The Hunt ends—winners selected.

Oct 8: Winners Announced!

There are four fantastic teams to follow this year. To check out all the books, you can browse this handy Goodreads list to get a feel for the stories and authors on the various teams. If you’ve never taken part in the hunt and are interested in the rules, visit the official YASH website here. Below are also a few quick links that might help you navigate your first hunting trip or just give you a quick refresher course!

How to Hunt  |  When You’re Stuck  |  Official Entry Form  |  Prize List

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While partaking in the hunt is always fun, it’s even better when I get the chance to host an author I actually know! This year is one of those times. Amalie Howard, the author you’re here to learn more about today, is an absolute gem, and I’m so lucky to be able to feature her for this stop on the Hunt!

AMALIE HOWARD is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT selection highlighting East Indian mythology. She is a national IPPY silver medalist and Children’s Moonbeam Award winner. She is also the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and historical fiction, My Rogue, My Ruin and My Hellion, My Heart, in the Lords of Essex historical romance series. Of Indian and Middle Eastern descent, she grew up in the Caribbean but currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.com.

You can find Amalie at her website or any of these social media sites:

Twitter: @AmalieHoward | Facebook Author Page | Instagram: @AmalieHoward

Today, we have an exciting excerpt from her novel WATERFELL, the first book in a series about mermaids! I will never not love a story about mermaids, especially when it’s coming from Amalie!

And now, Waterfell:

THE DEEP CAN BE DEADLY…BUT LOVE CAN BE DEADLIER

Nerissa Marin is far from home. Though she lives an anonymous life on land during her cycle of human study, she is Aquarathi royalty by birth—and the future monarch of a hidden, undersea kingdom. But when her father is murdered, the human world becomes her only refuge.

Adrift and indifferent, Riss indulges her every whim, including her feelings for the new surf king of Dover Prep, Lokeane Seavon. But as the day she comes of age looms closer, old enemies appear and challenges are issued: If she forsakes her throne, her people will suffer for it.

To win her crown, she must become the queen she was born to be.

As if that description and this beautiful cover wasn’t enough, Amalie is also offering up an exclusive excerpt from her novel today! Keep reading for a sneak peak into this exciting world and at LEAST 13 reasons Amalie should be your new favorite human.

Excerpt from Waterfell:

“So my best friend is an alien sea princess,” Jenna says after a
beat, “who transforms into human form but can’t go back home just yet.” I
recognize the sound of when she’s in hyper-focused, game-face mode, and I blow
out a soft breath. That’s a positive sign, at least. “Where is home exactly?”

“Ever heard of the Mariana Trench?” I ask her, and she nods. Of
course she has. She’s Jenna, Jeopardy! champion of the world. “It’s the
deepest part of your oceans. We make our home there…where we’re safe and hidden
from humans.”

“Unless you come on land to learn about us if you’re the heir?
Like you have.”

“Yes,” I say. “To not repeat history. We need to safeguard the
waters of our home, too.”

“And now you’re stuck here because your father was killed,” Jenna
says.

“Yes.”

“Will you go back?”

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It’s complicated. There are
others there who want us dead. Speio and his family most of all, because of
their loyalty to me.”

Jenna gulps, glancing at him, but he’s staring at the water, lost
in his own thoughts. She moves to sit again next to me at the pool’s edge,
tucking her legs beneath her. Her eyes narrow as she studies my face,
fascinated.

Belatedly, I remember that the protective film is no longer over
my own alien eyes, so I blink to engage it. It’s similar to the nictitating
membrane of a shark that goes over its eyes when it’s in attack mode, only ours
is more of a defense mechanism to protect us from discovery.

“No,” she says. “Leave them the way they are. Please.”

I comply with some reluctance. I know what she’s seeing—the pale
gold sclera, normally the white part of the human eye, surrounding large
multicolored irises rimmed by electric gold rings. They scream alien in
every way.

A part of me recoils at her scrutiny. Does she want to remind
herself that she’s not talking to something human? Will she look at me
differently now that she knows what I am?

“They’re so beautiful,” she murmurs after a while. “But definitely
not human. Anyone could see that. Other than your eyes, you look so normal
otherwise.” Her gaze drifts down my arms, torso, and legs. “I’ve seen you in
the locker room after hockey games. You look like everyone else.”

“We mimic,” I say. “To blend in.”

“Mimic?”

“I can manipulate the water in my body into any form I wish, for
short periods.”

Her eyes narrow. “Any form?”

“Yes, but human is preferred.”

Jenna tips her head to one side, chewing on her lip as if scared
to ask the question lurking on her lips, but eventually she does. “So what do
you really look like?”

“Are you sure you’re ready to see that?” Speio’s voice is cool. He
doesn’t trust that Jenna won’t go screaming to the rooftops and out us all. But
he doesn’t know her like I do—Jenna is loyal to the bone. Every drop of water
in me knows that I can trust her.

“She’s ready,” I say, meeting Speio’s eyes.

He sucks air through his teeth, a disrespectful sound that I
ignore, and stalks back into the house. But it will be better without him. I
level Jenna with an unblinking, almost reptilian stare, and she holds my
predator’s gaze without cringing. Her courage in the face of everything is
heartening. I stare at her for a long time before I decide both our fates—hers
for knowing, mine for telling. But she deserves to know.

“Speio doesn’t like that you told me, does he?” she asks, and I
shake my head.

“He’ll get over it,” I whisper. “Do you trust me, Jenna?”

She nods. “With my life.”

“Then whatever you do,
don’t run.”

The color drains from
her face as I slip into the pool, feeling the flimsy weight of human bones
inside of me start to dissolve. Almost immediately, they elongate into the
delicate skeleton that shapes my Aquarathi form. Our spinal column is similar
to humans,  but that’s where the
similarity ends. The rest of our bones expand outward like webs of coral, hard
but malleable at the same time.

My frame lengthens and strengthens, cracking into place under skin
that’s transforming into something rough and brilliant. My neck distends like a
swan’s, the curvature of my jaw thrusting outward and filling with razor-sharp
rows of teeth. The pain is fleeting over the pleasure of the change as my limbs
fold inward, my diamond-hard, dragon-scaled hide drawing and tightening over
sleek, coiled muscle, until at last, I shimmer into reptilian, monstrous
existence.

In a matter of breaths, I no longer resemble anything human.

That was amazing, right?! I can’t wait to read this one!

Thank you so much to Amalie for giving us a look into WATERFELL!

Now, let’s see…. I feel like I’m forgetting something. OH, RIGHT!

You can enter to win MORE prizes!

On top of the giveaway hosted through official YASH channels, I’m also hosting one. There will be two winners, and they’ll get to pick from my books!

This is open internationally, however, restrictions may apply depending on where in the world you live. Some of my books are only available in ebook form, and those may not be available in your region. Enter below using the Rafflecopter form, and good luck!

Click here to enter through Rafflecopter!



Now, Hunters, you’re off to visit Caitlin Sangster!

Tis the season for many things, and one of those things is the Fall Young Adult Scavenger Hunt!

This year, the hunt will run from October 1 to October 6!

Oct 1, noon PST: The hunt begins!

Oct 6, noon PST: The Hunt ends—winners selected.

Oct 8: Winners Announced!

There are four fantastic teams to follow this year. To check out all the books, you can browse this handy Goodreads list to get a feel for the stories and authors on the various teams. I’m Team Purple this time around!

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If you’ve never taken part in the hunt and are interested in the rules, visit the official YASH website here. Below are also a few quick links that might help you navigate your first hunting trip or just give you a quick refresher course before the fun is underway!

How to Hunt | When You’re Stuck | Official Entry Form | Prize List

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Get ready to win some very cool prizes!

I’ve been talking about this book for about three years now, on and off, and it feels a little unreal that I can finally, finally share the cover with you!

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Cira Antares is deeply loyal to two things: Pax Novis—her mother’s ship that transports supplies across war-torn star systems—and her personal mission to save war orphans. But hiding them as stowaways on the ship is illegal, and if any of them were found, not even her mother could protect Cira from the consequences.

She has successfully kept her secret…until supplies start to go missing. Food. Clothing. Tools. All signs point to her stowaways, but they wouldn’t do anything to risk exposing themselves—or her. Especially not Riston, the oldest of the group and someone Cira has grown close to. Someone she might even be falling in love with…

And petty thefts are only the beginning—whole ships are disappearing now.

Not caught in a firefight. Not destroyed by another planet. Vanishing. Without a trace.

And Pax Novis is next.

Brianna at The Young Folks was kind enough to host a reveal for this beauty yesterday, and even though it’s a little scary how close the release date already is, I honestly can’t wait to share my sprawling, complex space epic with everyone. This is the start of a brand new adventure with a really fun cast of characters, and I hope all of you will join me on this journey!

More information as well as extras like inspiration boards and quote graphics will all be available on my website’s official book page as it becomes available.

Buy it from: Entangled | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

The final book of The Ryogan Chronicles releases November 5th, and I can finally tell you more about it! But first, LOOK!

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The immortal mages have risen, and they’re out for blood.

Khya arrived at the Ryogan coast too late to stop the invasion. Now, cities are falling before the unrelenting march of an enemy army, and Khya’s squad is desperately trying to stay ahead of them. Warning the Ryogans, though, means leaving her brother imprisoned even longer. Time is running out for everyone.

But how can her squad of ten stand against an army of ten thousand?

Calling in help from every ally she’s made in Ryogo, Khya tries to build a plan that won’t mean sacrificing her friends or her brother. It’s a tough balance to find, especially when the leadership role she thought she wanted sits heavy on her shoulders, and her relationship with Tessen is beginning to crack under the strain.

The end is coming, and there’s no way to know who’ll be left standing when it hits.

The wait is almost over! The storm is rolling in.

Brianna asks: What are your biggest pet peeves with bad asexual rep? Or, what are some of the most common, hurtful things we should be vigilant to avoid when writing ace characters?

Answer: While there are a number of answers to this question, I have to preface everything that follows with this—I am speaking from my experience, and I won’t hit all the points. What hurts me and the people I know is not necessarily a universal wound the entire ace community shares.

In my initial post for Coming Up Aces, I talked a little bit about this, but from a different angle. That post contained a list of everything asexuality is not, essentially a list of common misconceptions and myths. When looking for pet peeves and issues that will cause significant pain when an author gets them wrong, start there. These are common mistakes that are talked about a lot. Getting them wrong in your representation means you didn’t do much homework, probably didn’t talk to anyone who identifies on the asexual spectrum, and are probably looking for “diversity points” more than anything else. Don’t do that. People can tell, and they will call you out for it.

So let’s start there. My biggest pet peeve is authors who don’t take the time to research the experiences they’re trying to represent. You don’t have to include marginalized characters in your book. Honestly. You don’t. If you’re not going to take the time to read what others have written about their own experiences, interview people with questions specific to the needs of your story, and then find readers who can review your manuscript for accidental errors or poorly phrased statements, please do not include us in your book. Don’t include anyone different from you if you’re not going to put in the effort to do it right.

More specifically, it hurts when authors use asexuality as a trick or a smokescreen. Sounds ridiculous, right? It’s not. The first “example” of an on-page asexual I ever found did this. The character (meaning, the author) claimed to be asexual to push off advances from an admirer. He wasn’t asexual or even questioning—something he admitted later in the book—he was a virgin who had spent so much of his life isolated that he was terrified of intimacy. Do not do this. The noise I made when I first saw “asexual” used in print was ridiculous. I was so happy! That quickly faded as I picked up on where the author actually intended to go with this character. By the time we reached the end where the so-called “asexual” character had been “fixed” with sex and admitted he was never really ace to begin with, my heart hurt. I almost never return books, but you better believe I got rid of that one. It seems small, but the ace community doesn’t have much representation to claim. Even one character using asexuality as a ruse hurts. For a lot of readers, it was probably the first time they’d ever encountered the term, and now it seems like something people make up, a lie they use to cover up fear. That kind of belief (or disbelief as the case may be) is excruciating to face in real life. Having it reinforced by fiction helps no one.

Another huge issue is the misconception that sexual attraction and sexual action are the same thing. I have never felt sexually attracted to anyone. Romantically, yes, but it was never anything deeper than that. I’ve had sex, though, and the experience was enjoyable, even if I participated more for the emotional connection and to please my partner. That’s me, though, and my libido is nearly as non-existent as my level of sexual attraction. Others on the asexual spectrum have a much higher libido and enjoy sex frequently. Yes, there are those on the asexual spectrum who are sex repulsed (or even touch repulsed) and will never have intercourse with anyone, but that’s not a universal fact. All of these experiences are valid, but when writing an asexual character who enjoys sex, pay attention to the distinction between libido and attraction. Wanting sex is not the same as wanting another person sexually.

Since we’re on the subject of sex, there’s a big difference between portraying sex as an act that “flips a switch and fixes someone” and an individual who has been questioning where they fall on the asexuality spectrum and eventually discovers that demisexual is a more accurate label than asexual. There is nothing broken in someone who identifies as asexual, and therefore, there’s nothing to fix. However, new experiences can absolutely change someone’s understanding of themselves and make them reevaluate things they previously thought they understood. Tread carefully is you want to write this sort of arc and you’re not coming from a place of personal experience. It would be incredibly easy to accidently get this story wrong, even with the best of intentions.

I could keep going for a long time, digging into a lot of different mistakes and misinterpretations that can do a lot of harm to the asexual community. For today, though, I’m going to close this off with trauma. It’s a touchy subject for a lot of reasons—as well it should be—but it’s an experience a lot of people outside the ace community conflate with our experience. There is a pervasive belief that assault or trauma is the “cause” of asexuality. It’s not. It can be a contributing factor for many—I know my own assault and an emotionally abusive marriage had a huge impact on my perception of relationships—but there is no “cause” of asexuality. It’s not a condition any more than homosexuality or bisexuality is. If your character has a trauma in their past, be careful of how you tie it to their orientation. It can absolutely make them more leery of taking chances on new people or new relationships, and it can change their comfort level with touch and types of touch, but their innate orientation is a different story. Survivors of assault should be treated with far more respect than that kind of assumption grants them.

Like I mentioned before, there are so many more myths, mistakes, and misconceptions that bother me and hurt the community at large, and I could probably write a book on the subject, but these are some of the most common I’ve seen. They’re also incredibly easy to avoid if the proper research is done. Hopefully, this will offer a place to start for those willing to take the time and do it right.

The Forgotten Orientation

Recently, I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It was a family trip, but not one I had a hand in planning, so it was either luck or fate, not foresight, that allowed me to be in Halifax the same day as their Pride Parade. I was delighted, and I steered my family into attending with me. Luckily, that wasn’t much of a struggle.

So we went, and it was wonderful.

The public’s involvement at every level was fantastic, and both the participants and the crowd were full of energy! Businesses, churches, college groups, volunteer organizations, military service members, city employees, and even the Prime Minister himself marched down the streets of Halifax. I was especially delighted to see a massive group from HalCon, most of whom were in full cosplay. The rainbow flag was flown with joy and, yes, pride, by hundreds of people, and I was mostly exuberant to be part of the experience.

Mostly.

You see, I don’t usually handle crowds well, so I’d never been to a Pride festival before. In preparation for the day, I’d picked out one of my favorite shirts—a long-sleeve gray shirt that says NAH along the front in all caps. Each letter is a color from the asexual flag. It’s adorable. I love it. Since this was my first Pride event, I intended to rep my orientation as much as possible. What I was even more excited about, though, was the possibility of seeing other people doing the same thing. I desperately hoped to meet people who understood and/or shared my experience.

Although I searched the parade for my colors in outfits or flags or floats, I only found it twice. Two flags, both of them on floats that included almost every recognizable set of colors I’ve ever seen. On one of those floats there was one girl who noticed my shirt and grinned at me, giving me a thumbs up. She wasn’t dressed in ace-spec colors, but we still had that moment of connection, that “Oh, hey! Look! Someone else is here!” moment. Then she was gone and I was left searching for something that never showed up. Even on signs and banners, the A in LGBTQIAP+ always got dropped. Most of the time, the letter list never made it past T.

So basically, two flags and a smile is all I got from a parade that took over an hour to pass me by.

It’s not nothing, but I couldn’t keep from feeling disappointed. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that this is exactly why the small but steadily growing asexual community is shouting so loud for representation. I couldn’t keep from remembering how many stories I’ve heard—or how many times I’ve seen for myself—how unwelcome ace-spec individuals are across the board, both in queer spaces and in cishet ones. I couldn’t stop wishing I’d seen a local group marching for awareness, and I couldn’t stop wondering why they hadn’t—because they didn’t think they needed to or because they didn’t think they’d be welcome?

Is this level of ace representation close to the norm for Prides? Maybe there’s usually more. Maybe there’s less. I don’t know for sure, but I know where I’m hoping “normal” falls.

What I do know is that I’m going to struggle against my own discomfort with crowds and events to be more involved in local Pride parades and events. I’ve also seen why it’s so important to keep talking about ace-spec issues online. There, I’m friends with dozens of fellow aces and can talk to people who understand, but that world doesn’t reflect reality yet. It’ll take a long while yet for that to happen, but I for one am definitely willing to put in the work to help get us there.

Today, I was lucky enough to be interviewed on The YA Cafe podcast with Laura Moe! It was a great conversation about Island of Exiles, writing, asexuality, death rituals, speculative fiction, the popularity of dystopia, and more. Not necessarily in that order.

You can listen to the hour-long podcast here!

Thank you, Laura, for a great conversation!

Question: Hi! I’m an ace author who is currently writing a fantasy novel with an ace main character. This is my first time writing an ace character, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m doing it right. My character uses her asexuality as an armour of sorts, and is somewhat repulsed by sex, yet still willing to use her femininity to her advantage when she needs to. Is this ok? I feel like I’m projecting my own feelings as an ace woman into my character, but I don’t know whether these are personal to me or whether they are ‘typical’ ace traits.

Answer: To begin with, it’s impossible to say definitively whether or not something is okay. “Typical” is also impossible to define. Like “normal,” it doesn’t exist. Experiences, and how people interpret and/or react to those experiences, vary as much as DNA. In those on the asexual spectrum, there definitely seem to be shared moments (feeling out of place or broken at least once, confusion over celebrity crushes, the “aha!” moment when asexuality is discovered), but those moments can have very different impacts on the people living them.

No group is a monolith.

When people discuss diversity, they often talk about “lanes.” Specifically, there is often the question of whether or not people should stay within their lanes when writing. The inherent problem with this analogy is that it takes a whole group’s experience and then contains it within a single lane. This is not only impossible to do (for more reasons than the one I mentioned in the first paragraph), it is damaging to our understanding of both characters and the lives of those people these characters are meant to represent.

No group can fit in a single lane. It’d have to be something more like a superhighway, a massive one with almost twenty lanes and multiple on and off ramps and express lanes. Within any group, experiences and reactions to those experiences differ. Within any group, some individuals are going to disagree about what their “true” experience is like and what accurate representation “should” look like. Sometimes, even if an author writes a story that exactly mirrors and mimics their own life experience, someone somewhere will think they got it wrong. 

As for the scenario you presented, I think it will very heavily depend on your presentation of the character, the situations you put her in, and how both she and the other characters react to those situations. A character who uses her asexuality as “armour” is not inherently problematic—I’ve done exactly this before—but there could be problems in how you describe the feeling, in how the other characters react, or in how the world perceives asexuality in general. There could be problems with the characters reasons for using this as armor, too, especially if those reasons in any way come back to the character hating themselves for this aspect of their personalities.

Everyone needs armor sometimes, and we can use different physical things or personality traits to serve that purpose. I’ve seen people use clothes, jokes, physical appearance, insults, and, yes, orientation as a distraction from some other part of themselves or as a way to distance themselves from others. It happens.

The same logic applies to someone “willing to use her femininity to her advantage” while still being “repulsed by sex.” The combination of these traits in one person is far from impossible, but executing them in a believable and respectful way could get tricky. Keep in mind, too, that readers will be inside the character’s head as they make decisions, and in the descriptions and reasonings an author uses there is the potential for harm. Proceed as the story demands, but do so with care, conscientiousness, and caution.

One thing I do want to mention on that last point, and that I hope to talk about later in greater detail in another post, is that speculative fiction is a vehicle for hope. You can carry our current prejudices and ideologies over into a sci-fi or fantasy world, but you also have the opportunity to create a world without them. Make sure, whichever side of that coin you choose, you are making the choice consciously. Books can be a powerful tool for normalization. I encourage authors to use that tool when they can.