leejamesbryant

Hi readers!

It’s been a bit since I’ve published anything. I have several stories I want to write, including additional parts for existing stories and some new characters I’d love for you all to meet.

The next thing I intend to publish is a rewrite of Sam and Sylvie’s backstory. By some insane twists of fate, I somehow manifested parts of both of their personal and professional lives into my own real life and their story is less fiction than it was when I wrote it. It is truly bizarre, honestly.

Anyway, I’m hoping to have a draft of that before December 2023. I am looking for an editor, so hit me up if you’re interested. Experience with gender diverse characters is important.

- LJ

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I want to thank everyone who has sent feedback about seeing themselves represented in my stories. I truly cannot thank you enough for your messages. I receive too many messages trying to bully me into not writing stories with characters who use they/them pronouns but the positive messages really help keep me going. Reach out to me through the feedback option or on Twitter- @LeeJamesBryant1

I need to address a few things that I’ve seen in both comments on my stories and in feedback emailed to me.

First, a heads up-
I will delete comments that I think are harmful to my community because I don’t want other people to see them and be harmed by them.

Second-
My stories have main characters of different gender identities and I submit them in the lesbian category for several reasons:

1. My characters were assigned female at birth

2. My characters do not identify as transgender and therefore it would not be appropriate to put them in that category.

3. Most importantly, regardless of their gender identity, these characters identify as lesbian or as members of a community of lesbians. I get that some people don’t understand that, but here’s the thing with identity - one’s identity is what they want it to be. Definitions of gender and sexual identities are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. One can be a genderqueer lesbian. I literally have several people in my life who identify as non-binary or genderqueer lesbians.

Third-
I often write characters who use they/them pronouns. When I do, I try to make it obvious within the first few minutes of reading that there will be a character who uses they/them pronouns.

If you find this challenging, you can simply move on without commenting about how much you hate reading characters who use they/them pronouns.

If you find this off-putting because you deny the existence of gender nonconforming people, you can kick rocks.

Fourth-
If my work sounds preachy, that’s because it is. I have endured bullying, harassment, and discrimination because of my identity. Like many others on this site, writing is a hobby for me. It’s a way to work through my own shit and create stories that represent people like me.

Here’s the bottom line-
This is not professionally published work. I do not need to write stories that EVERYONE can identify with; I can just write stories that people who identify similar to me can identify with if I want to.

And this isn’t required reading. No one is forcing you to read anything you don’t want to read. You can look at the beginning of a story and say, “oh I don’t think I would like this,” and move on. And that’s ok.

I’m fine with receiving productive critical feedback. I want to be a better writer. But if you’re just looking to go off on someone about how much you hate their existence, please just… don’t.