- Do not care what narrow-minded, conservative bigots think - do not lower yourself to their standards and limitations (if you haven't noticed, they tend to not be very imaginative).
- Think: do you want to cater to bigots? To people in support of pro-lifers, of racial divides, of trans divides, of antisemitism, of the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the boarder, of excusing white supremacist mass murderers, of violence, of capitalism and money and power and propaganda, and who admire genocidal dictators who rule using lies, fear and hatred?
- Make sure your art is yours, and that it bursts everyone else's la-la land bubble.
- Being against censorship is not the same as condoning shock value for the sake of it.
- Shock value, or deliberate offensiveness, for the sake of it is not smart, edgy or new - it's easy, lazy and old; it requires little to no effort and anyone can do it. It takes a lot of wit and cleverness to push the envelope using taste and restraint.
- Censorship means not explicitly showing or writing about bloody violence, sex and swearing - sexual/romantic orientation has got nothing to do with those things, so make your art as LBGTQA as you want it.
- "It's funny because it's not my problem" is not a good basis for comedy.
- And if you're writing a book expressing your frustrations and warnings concerning the current times - keep in mind that you will mainly be preaching to the choir, since your opposition target DOES NOT READ. NEITHER WILL THEIR SUPPORTERS READ YOUR BOOK, BOTH IN FOLLOWING THE RAVINGS OF THEIR ANTI-INTELLECTUAL, BARELY-LITERATE WANNABE DICTATOR AND IN PROTEST WHEN THEY FIND OUT WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT. THEY ARE VERY GOOD AT IGNORING IMPORTANT THINGS.
- So the best advice I can give is branch out. Think outside the box. What has a bigger audience than books? What medium and format will attract the most attention? A book has to be pretty phenomenal and timeless if it is to make an actual cultural impact; enough that even people in charge of other people's livelihoods will be forced to listen for once. Even with successful films and TV shows it is almost impossible to shout loud enough for the selfish, arrogant higher-ups to hear and take their fingers out of their ears. When Yertle the Turtle can't hear the anguished cries of those stacked far below him, in backbreaking, suffocating pain, in a structure of his own making, it is easy for him to ignore them, even when they are very loud indeed. Climb high, then higher still!
- Just think about how your hard work will affect people; mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and practically. Not everything fictional has to have a shattering real world impact, but it can be a start of something we desperately need right now
- Fiction doesn't only have to reflect reality, but show how it can be better. Your dream can inspire other dreams, leading to action; you begin the march.
- Oh, and if you're a heterosexual cisgender male, when conceiving and writing female characters, remember that the world does not revolve around the whims of your hard-on; that little appendage shouldn't decide things for you. Sexual fantasies and fetishes are fine and healthy, but bear in mind that no one else wants to see them, nor pay for them. Create a female character, and have her look and dress appropriately and reasonably, and HAVE HER DO SOMETHING.
That is all.
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