Why I Care About Depicting Survivors of Abusive BDSM Continuing to Do Kink

November 8, 2018 · by xanwest | in Consent and Anti-Violence, Disability, Personal, Sex and Kink, Unpacking Oppression and Abuse, Writing | tagged ableism, abuse, abusive BDSM relationships, anti-kink prejudice, consent, Dancing for Daddy, discernment, kink community, mental illness, Shocking Violet, Show Yourself To Me, survivor, writing characters who are trauma survivors, writing process | 4 Comments

As a heads up, this post discusses abusive BDSM relationships, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. It also discusses ableism and stigma around mental illness in kink communities, anti-kink prejudice in survivor spaces and therapeutic treatment, and kink community responses to abuse. It includes a brief reference to an abusive therapist. It includes a brief […]

Interview with Malin James, author of Roadhouse Blues!

July 10, 2017 · by xanwest | in erotica writing | tagged erotica, PTSD, queer, queer characters, sex worker characters, trans characters, trauma, trigger warnings, writing characters who are trauma survivors, writing erotica | 7 Comments

I am excited to share this interview with Malin James, author of Roadhouse Blues, a collection of linked erotica stories set in the same town. This collection (and Malin’s erotica in general) is full of complex characterization, strong voice, and gorgeous writing. This book grabbed me by the throat. Roadhouse Blues is the kind of […]

A Roundup of Things I’ve Written About Trauma and Abuse

October 17, 2016 · by xanwest | in Consent and Anti-Violence, Unpacking Oppression and Abuse, Writing | tagged abuse, abuse tactics, abusive BDSM relationships, abusive relationships, autism, autistic characters, consent, consent violations, erotica, intimate partner violence, kink, Shocking Violet, Show Yourself To Me, survivor, trans, trauma, unpacking internalized oppression, writing, writing characters who are trauma survivors | 4 Comments

So I thought I might do a roundup page of links to stuff I have written about trauma and abuse, especially since more people may be coming to my website looking for that content. A bit of background: I am a survivor of multiple different kinds of abuse and trauma. I have complex PTSD as […]

Going At My Own Pace: The Impact of RB Lemberg’s “Geometries of Belonging”

September 22, 2016 · by xanwest | in Disability, Reading Recs, Writing | tagged autism, chronic pain, cures, disability, disability culture, disability representation, disabled characters, Geometries of Belonging, mental illness, non-binary, pacing, passing, RB Lemberg, reviews, Shocking Violet, stimming, trans, trauma, writing, writing characters who are trauma survivors | 11 Comments

We have this saying in my chosen family of fat disabled queers: “Go at your own pace.” A saying, a reminder. To ourselves, and each other. A way of holding onto our reality, insisting it is enough. A counter to the thousand tiny and huge ways that the world insists that we are too slow, […]

Blogging at ERWA

October 15, 2015 · by xanwest | in erotica writing | tagged disability, editing feedback, ERWA blog, fat pride erotica, genderqueer, insider stories, trans, writing characters who are trauma survivors | 1 Comment

I remember my early days as an erotica writer, scouring the ERWA website. I wondered how folks got to a place where they were blogging there. Well, now I’m one of them. Starting this month, I blog on the 15th of the month at the Erotica Readers and Writer’s Association. It’s a great honor. This […]

Writing Characters Who Are Trauma Survivors: A Blog Series

June 8, 2015 · by xanwest | in erotica writing | tagged mental health, trauma, writer's tools, writing advice, writing characters who are trauma survivors | 3 Comments

My blog series, Writing Characters Who Are Trauma Survivors, contains writing advice for folks who write erotica and erotic romance and who want to include realistic depictions of trauma in their stories. As I add posts, I will include a short summary of what they contain. If there is just a title, it is a post […]

Writing Characters Who Are Trauma Survivors, Part I

May 27, 2015 · by xanwest | in Writing | tagged mental health, trauma, writer's tools, writing advice, writing characters who are trauma survivors, writing erotica | 2 Comments

I read a lot of erotica and erotic romance, especially the kinky stuff. While it is rather rare to find stories that include a wide range of mental health issues, trauma is actually quite common in these genres, especially in erotic romance. Lots of dominants with trauma in their past, often military or childhood trauma. […]

Kink Praxis

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