​website | bluesky | instagram | linktree | order the glade (paperback preorder available now) | order the bruising of qilwa | order the white guy dies first | tip jar | solidarity corner linktree​

Welcome to the Tuesday Telegrams, a semimonthly newsletter from award-winning author Naseem Jamnia. You're currently reading a writing-related Telegram, where I update you on projects, offer behind-the-scenes looks, delve into craft, and other publishing and writing topics.

I am not a writer who "avoids talking politics" in any of my spaces. While I tend to save discussions of politics for my personal Telegrams, it would be irresponsible to not discuss our role as writers—as cultural change makers—during this time of increasing fascism.

I believe those who say certain things, especially arts, are not (or should not be) political fundamentally misunderstand what we mean by "political." "Political" is not solely the realm of bipartisan or partisan politics as hallmarked by governmental bodies. "Political" is all that which creates or results from stratified systems of power, which is to say: everything.

Some are political in their ways of thinking and in their work, but most of us are also political physically; by this, I mean that our bodies mark us out for othering from systems that center white, heterosexual, cisgender, non-disabled, Christian men. That is, if it is not abundantly clear, the majority of people.

The reality is this: the United States government has escalated its already present authoritarian tendencies, which means that even those who thought they were apolitical find that is not true. (That link is a funny one despite the seriousness of this topic.)

So in times like these, what is our role as writers?

It's undeniable that art is culture; indeed, art is how culture is both expressed and shaped. Unlike other forms of art, though, writing uses language as its medium, which means there does not have to be supposition: we can express exactly what we want to and challenge directly. Through language, we can make sure our meanings are clear.

We can, of course, also be covert; this is not to argue that all writing must be overt in its meaning. Indeed, some of the most salient messaging is that which does not spell out for the reader what they must take away, but rather, crafts the narrative such that the reader draws those conclusions on their own. Nor am I arguing that those writing forms that are more abstract or image-driven, like poetry, cannot also be poignant or even clear in its takeaways.

My point is this: Writing allows us to literally speak truth to power. And as writers, we must do so if we're to see culture shift towards inclusion not being a dirty word or concept; to honoring the experiences and knowing found in physical bodies; to accepting knowledge production, especially scientific, outside colonial Enlightenment standards; to accepting past harms and working to prevent instead of perpetuating them.

But I'm not just a writer; I'm a speculative writer. And this is where I implore any speculative writers reading this newsletter (to take my various inclusive writing classes) to remember that speculation allows us to examine the issues within and without our world. I wrote the world of The Bruising of Qilwa to explore issues of imperialism unattached to European colonial constructs, including race; therefore, I also did not import Euro-Christian notions of gender, sexuality, and ability. This shocked readers, even those who didn't like the book, because they'd not seen many, if any, queernormative non-European fantasy setting. (They definitely exist; I didn't invent this concept!)

Creation of better worlds, in other words, are only possible if we can imagine it.

​In her introduction to the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, NK Jemisin discusses the power of speculative fiction to create revolution, and she also addresses the naysayers:

You do not have to be a speculative writer to write truth to power. All genres have the ability to do so: memoirs examining marginalization, trauma, lived experiences; poetry deconstructing our understanding of the human; historical fiction upending what we think we understand about the past; romances centering love, especially love that society has deemed monstrous or unworthy; contemporary fiction putting our current world into focus.

Writing, like all art, however, creates slow cultural shifts. Putting out revolutionary work doesn't create revolution, but instead plants the seeds that challenge the status quo in its readers. By creating scenarios in our work that readers can map onto current ills (societal and personal), we've given them an answer to a what-if. We've opened the doors for critical thinking.

Still, it is not enough for us to write change into our words and sit back.

This is my call to action: Resist in other ways you are able.

Resistance isn't just calling your reps (which often feels fruitless), protests (which often don't have direction or a specific ask), and putting your body on the line (although the latter especially is a most admirable form).

Resistance is donating money to bail funds and mutual aid. Resistance is cooking for those groups feeding our marginalized neighbors. Resistance is volunteering time at warming centers.

Resistance is, in other words, what you can live with.

But what you can live with can't be doing nothing. What you can live with can't just be writing. I implore you: In the way you honor writing, honor caring for your community. These are not separate actions. We care for our community by writing them better words, but we also nurture our writing when we're in community with one-another.

What does that phrase mean, being in community? I began to iterate on this idea and then realized that I actually want to dig a little deeper into this, so I'll do so for my next personal Telegram, out in two weeks.

(If you only receive this Telegram once a month, or have never specified what you want to receive, scroll to the footer of this email to opt-in to all Telegrams via "Update your profile.")

So, to the point: In addition to writing, what part of your community can you dedicate some of your resources to, whether that be time, money, or energy? As writers, we so often are told we're solitary creatures. But humans, even the most introverted among us, need each other.

Writers, we must step away from our keyboards or put the pen down long enough to walk into the world around us.

It never feels like we're doing enough. But we have to do something.

Not sure where to begin? I have two writing prompts for you.

Set a timer for ten minutes and write longhand (unless motility prevents you). Choose which one to answer when depending on where your headspace is, but I do recommend spending time on each.

Journal (20-25 minutes): Finding Where YOU Resist

Set a timer for five minutes. List out all the issues in the world you care about, including the most global and most local. Then, circle/highlight/mark the top five you'd be willing to put something into, whether that be time, energy, and/or money. Reorder that top five issues from "most willing to put time/energy/money into" to least.

Restart your five-minute timer. Then start a new line (or page) and write that number one issue at the top. Bullet out everything you can think of regarding that topic, including stuff you know, stuff you don't know, stuff you've heard but can't confirm, groups involved, your feelings about the topic, and anything else you can think of.

Then, get organized. Reset your timer, this time for ten or fifteen minutes, and answer the following questions:

• What am I afraid of that prevents me from engaging with this issue in a more meaningful way? Which of these fears are those of the unknown, and which of these are known threats to my safety? Which of these anxieties can I live with as I move forward?
• How much time am I willing and/or able to give this issue each day/week? (Choose the unit that most aligns with your brain; e.g. is it easier for you to do daily or weekly tasks? I would suggest not thinking monthly, since it's easy to push off.)
• Am I willing to give money to this cause? How much can I afford to give each month? ($5 is better than $0, but sometimes, your answer is that you're more willing to give time than money.)
• In working on this issue, what are my boundaries around what I can provide? What other commitments do I currently have in my life that I have to prioritize before being able to do this work?
• Do I know what groups in my area already working on this issue? List them out if so. If not, where can I look to find those groups? Who can I ask?
• If I can't find a group already working on this issue, who might be willing to start a local group with me? If I don't know anyone, what other local group could help me put out feelers? (Trust me: There is always someone who cares about the issue you do.)
• Whether I help start a local group or whether there is currently one, how many hours a week am I able to put into it? What is the bare minimum and the absolute maximum time I can offer?
• What are the things I enjoy doing that might help? (You'd be surprised—if your favorite chore is doing laundry, and your top issue is housing, you can see about doing laundry for unhoused folks, for example.)
• What am I uniquely qualified to do that might help, even if I don't yet know how?
• What am I willing to learn to do that I may enjoy (and therefore learn to be good at)? What am I absolutely unqualified to do?
  • Regarding these last questions: I feel a lot of obligation, often, to get things done because some things have to get done. Yet a friend pointed out that in doing so, I might be stopping someone else from realizing their potential/interests in the work and stepping up. So I've been reflecting myself on things I'm doing because I feel like I have to versus things I'm uniquely qualified to do and enjoy.
• Do any of the skills I listed above potentially fit better in a different top-five issue? Am I willing to do that instead of working on this issue?

You know that feeling when you flip a coin to make a decision and, before seeing it, realize what you actually want the choice to be? If, as you're answering these, you find that coming up, listen to it. Be willing to open and experiment, but follow your instincts and trust your gut.

Brainstorm/Create (1 hour): Finding the Possibilities

Charlie Jane Anders has a revision method where she begins at ending events and works backwards with a "because" between each event: "This happened because this happened because this happened..." So, for example, "Frodo and Sam split off from the Fellowship because Boromir attacked Frodo for the Ring because the Orcs attacked the Fellowship because..."

Choose one of your works-in-progress of any length. Create a backwards-looking "because" sentence of your major plot points. If the work isn't complete, start with wherever you last left off, or what you know is coming.

This list necessarily won't be able to account for everything, and "because" may be a loose word here rather than directly causal. Furthermore, it's not going to take into account character motivations unless that directly ties into the plot point that happens (e.g. Boromir's motivation to attack Frodo is to take the Ring, not discussing the ties to Gondor).

Then, turn this sentence into a bulleted list. Look at each of these major plot beats, and in asking why, ask "What in the world allowed for this to happen? How might or could this be different if the world was different? In other words, what sort of what-if scenario can I posit that might change the world of my story?" There will be repetitions; see if you can posit a new what-if scenario for each bullet.

• Frodo and Sam split off from the Fellowship: The world is broken into hostile and friendly forces for the Fellowship, and Frodo is unsure whom he can trust. What if these forces were more distinct in their behaviors, and Frodo trusts more than Sam?
• Boromir attacked Frodo to take the Ring: The world is broken into hostile and friendly forces, and even those "friendly" ones can be tempted by the Ring. What if Boromir was more cunning in how he tried to take the Ring, and succeeded as a result?
• Orcs attacked the Fellowship: The world is broken into hostile and friendly forces, and the orcs work for the hostile ones. What if the orcs had wills of their own even after their creation by the hostile forces, and some of the orcs didn't want to fight?
• Saruman made an army of Uruk-hai to destroy the Fellowship: The world is broken into hostile and friendly forces, and Saruman is a powerful, hostile force. What if there were other Uruk-hai who weren't made by Saruman who come into contact with Saurman's Uruk-hai?

What if you're not writing a speculative story? You can do this just as easily. "Lizzy and Mr. Darcy marry because Mr. Darcy forces Lydia and Wickham to marry because Mr. Darcy searches London with Mr. Gardner because the Gardners and Lizzy visit Pemberley Hall because Darcy writes Lizzy a letter because Lizzy turns down Darcy's proposal because..." becomes:

• Lizzy and Mr. Darcy marry: The world is a Christian patriarchy where women's use to their families are in wealthy marriages. What if Lizzy and Darcy, unmarried, ran off to the US and left their families behind?
• Mr. Darcy forces Lydia and Wickham to marry: The world is a Christian patriarchy, where a woman's worth is null if she has sex out of wedlock. What if Mr. Darcy hires Lydia in his household instead, gives her a wage, and teaches her a trade?
• Mr. Darcy searches London with Mr. Gardner: The world is a Christian patriarchy, where a single young woman slumming it with a man brings shame to all who know her. What if Lydia stops hiding and publicly decries this social expectation?
• The Gardners and Lizzy visit Pemberley Hall: Wealth is shown in the size of estates. What if Lizzy asks where this inherited wealth has its basis/roots and is disgusted by the answer?
• Darcy writes Lizzy a letter: The world uses decorum as a means of social control, for the wealthy and non alike. What if Darcy's letter to Lizzy enrages her to the point where she sends it to the papers?
• Lizzy turns down Darcy's proposal: The world is a Christian patriarchy that sees worth in women only if they marry. What if Lizzy accepts the proposal ironically to expose the truth of such a marriage?

This is some difficult brainstorming work. (Even coming up with these examples were tricky!) Some of these suggestions will be more robust than others, as you can see above. The purpose of this exercise isn't necessarily to change your worldbuilding or plot points, but rather, to unearth the hidden assumptions in your work and show potential possibilities if the world was different than it is. If we're to create revolution, we must start by challenging what we think we know about our stories, no matter the world they're in.

If you want a follow-up generative exercise to this: Rewrite a scene of one of the major plot points where you implement your suggestion. How does it change the world, characters, and story?

​Solidarity Corner​

While problems abound in the US, all the atrocities abroad are continuing. It makes it difficult to maintain a list of mutual aid or otherwise groups, because they are all in constant need of support, and what I don't want to do is sideline some calls for help because another has cropped up.

But I also know the fatigue is real, so I've decided to follow Sarah Gailey's example of having a LinkTree with perennial links and use this space to highlight new initiatives/funds, what's currently in the news cycle, or those groups who have recently asked for help.

For Palestinians: The Sameer Project did put out a recent call for funds; their Food & Water Campaign can use a major boost if you're able.

For Iranians: I didn't want to not mention the atrocities happening in Iran right now, but I also don't have a good place to donate to. The best I have is the Center for Human Rights in Iran, to support their on-the-ground recording.

From Sarah Gailey's Stone Soup newsletter, for MN:

• ​ICE Makes Me Sick: A list of anti-ICE actions organized by "battery level"
• ​Community Aid Network MN, doing mutual aid in Minneapolis right now
• ​Stand With Minnesota, which highlights GoFundMes for rent payment, rapid response funds, and organizations on the front lines

To fight book bans and support libraries:

• Find your local Friends of the Library group and join; it's usually ~$25/year. Search "Friends of [name of your library system] Library" and it'll pop up. Can't find it? Ask your local librarian
• ​Authors Against Book Bans, which is now accepting donations!
• ​EveryLibrary, the national nonprofit fighting for public libraries

Supporting immigrant legal funds:

• ​Immigrant Defense Project
• ​National Immigrant Justice Center
• ​National Immigration Project​

Head to Mutual Aid Hub to look for local mutual aid groups (IG is often one of the best places to look, though).

If you have funds, local or otherwise, you'd like me to highlight, send them my way so I can do so. We'll only get through this together.

You can change whether to receive only writing-related (once a month) or all Telegrams (twice a month) in the footer below. Go to "Update your profile" and choose from the drop-down menu.