How the U.S. Government Created and Popularized the Asian Model Minority Myth—and Why You Should Care

“I get that the model minority is a stereotype, but how can it be a myth?” you might be asking yourself. After all, the American ethnic group with the highest average education level is Asian. The ethnic group with the highest median household income is also Asian. And 26% of undergraduates admitted to Harvard University […]

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Culture, Characters, and Writing the Other (a preliminary post)

I just gave a little talk at a conference about starting from a place of empathy when we write about people who don’t share our cultural perspective. More on that later, but here’s something that I promised I would post (thank you to those who pushed me to get on this!) that I think will […]

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Do NOT release the hounds! Or, what to do when your book gets called out and your friends want to defend you

A caveat. If the criticism is leveled at something that is patently, empirically untrue, sure. By all means, go for it. Defend your honor and let your people defend your honor. But if it’s leveled at something less clearly defined, like racism or ableism, tell your people to stand down. When someone calls out your […]

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Wonder Woman Review

Not mine, but this guy on YouTube. 

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IT’S NOT LIKE IT’S A SECRET GIVEAWAY

So many reasons to have a giveaway: May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Tons of books by Asian authors are releasing this month. One of them is mine! It’s Not Like It’s A Secret comes out on Tuesday, May 9. One winner will receive five books.   1 copy of It’s Not Like It’s A Secret […]

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My Very First Giveaway

I misspelled “giveaway” three times during the process of creating, downloading, and posting the graphic. It’s a hard word to spell. Anyway, for the next month, if you subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, or retweet the original tweet, you’ll be entered to win the giveaway below. Plus, I’ll donate four dollars to […]

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Four quick metaphor-writing exercises

This is probably everyone’s favorite fancy writing tool, but it can be difficult to come up with a good one. The best metaphors are unexpected and apt. They make people say, “I never thought of it that way before, but it’s perfect!” Here are four ways that will hopefully help you find your way to […]

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Three Ways to Pare Down Your Prose

  When my son was three, he felt that there was no work of art that could not be improved by MORE STICKERS, MORE COLORS, and MORE GLITTER. Because who doesn’t like colorful and sparkly? Thing is, you and I both know that a little glitter is good, but a pile of glitter glopped on top […]

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When your book gets called out for being problematic, Part II

When someone angrily calls my book out (and let me just admit here that I’m terrified of that day), I will of course indicate my desire to listen and learn. I will vent, and then calm down. I will address my accuser respectfully, remembering that her anger is quite likely rooted in pain and a […]

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When your book gets called out for being problematic, Part I

First, a caveat: I’m not an expert. I’m a newbie to the writing community, and I’ve spent the last year making mistakes and trying to learn from them. I’ve been doing a lot of listening and digging, and much of what I say here has been said by others, elsewhere. I’m focusing on race here, […]

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