Now that the official notice is out, I'm proud to announce that my short story Between One Word and the Next has been accepted for publication by Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast! https://alpennia.com/blog/lesbian-historic-motif-podcast-episode-335-shelf-february-2026 It's based on the record of an enslaved maidservant couple in 15th century Korea split up by a predatory princess, an incident I guest-blogged about on LHMP (CW sexual violence and stalking): https://alpennia.com/lhmp/lhmp-449-lee-2024-sossang-and-danji-15th-century-korean-maidservants-love The story should appear in the podcast this year in audio and print versions.

#HistoricalFiction #WritingCommunity #LjWrites

Now that the official notice is out, I'm proud to announce that my short story Between One Word and the Next has been accepted for publication by Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast! https://alpennia.com/blog/lesbian-historic-motif-podcast-episode-335-shelf-february-2026 It's based on the record of an enslaved maidservant couple in 15th century Korea split up by a predatory princess, an incident I guest-blogged about on LHMP (CW sexual violence and stalking): https://alpennia.com/lhmp/lhmp-449-lee-2024-sossang-and-danji-15th-century-korean-maidservants-love The story should appear in the podcast this year in audio and print versions.

#HistoricalFiction #WritingCommunity #LjWrites

#WritersCoffeeClub Jan. 25 – What comes first - character, setting, or plot?

With #historicalFiction character and setting tend to come first in a sticky tangle with each other, and plot generally comes last and requires the most development. For instance, the big WIP had characters/setting first in the form of an ancient Koreanic queen and the people around her. The plot has been developing for 10+ years and many drafts, and is nowhere near done.

With my #scienceFiction ideas setting seems to come first, then plot, and finally characters to fit the plot. My recent "fuck Mars settlement" short is typical in starting out with a setting, with characters slowly arising out of plot development and the writing process.

In that unironically fun phase of #historicalFiction where I'm fact-checking everything from family ancestry to door designs. And now I'm reading a paper on a single word used in a medieval song to make sure my translation of it in the story is at least defensible lol. #amWriting #LjWrites

#WritersCoffeeClub Dec. 11 – How do you keep track of plots and subplots?

On some level I don't find it hard because I think of characters like when I'm managing a #ttrpg campaign, so I kind of keep it in my head who's doing what even when they're not in the forefront, and when they or their doings will burst into the narrative. I've been complimented on how alive and dynamic the characters and world feel for this reason.

On the other hand I tend to be fuzzy on specific timelines and distances, and handwave a lot of such details. I've gotten by on writing even very long fic this way, but for the big WIP I may need more concrete timelines, maps and so on to keep track of everyone and everything more concretely. I don't want to go overboard with it and in fact it's a mild running joke in this world of 1st century BCE NE Asia that time isn't always accurately tracked, so I may be able to get away with some handwavy-ness 🤞 #HistoricalFiction

#WritersCoffeeClub Dec. 10 - Is it ethical to base characters on real people? What is the limit?

I mean... you're asking someone who writes #historicalFiction? Is the entire ethical basis of the genre being questioned here? 😁 Presuming you mean living private individuals and especially those who are personally known to the author, I think it's a gradation depending on factors like how recognizable the person is in the pages, how obscure and specific the details are and so on. The more traceable the character is to a living (or possibly deceased) person and their real-life private details, the likelier it is that their (or their love ones') consent would be needed, IMO.

I bring up historical fiction not only because it's a genre I write in but because characters are routinely based on historical figures, which is generally considered to be within ethical bounds because these are considered public figures and known details of their lives are generally public knowledge as well. A broad range of fictionalization is considered acceptable especially in premodern fiction, though certainly people will argue the history as they always do!

#WritersCoffeeClub Dec. 11 – How do you keep track of plots and subplots?

On some level I don't find it hard because I think of characters like when I'm managing a #ttrpg campaign, so I kind of keep it in my head who's doing what even when they're not in the forefront, and when they or their doings will burst into the narrative. I've been complimented on how alive and dynamic the characters and world feel for this reason.

On the other hand I tend to be fuzzy on specific timelines and distances, and handwave a lot of such details. I've gotten by on writing even very long fic this way, but for the big WIP I may need more concrete timelines, maps and so on to keep track of everyone and everything more concretely. I don't want to go overboard with it and in fact it's a mild running joke in this world of 1st century BCE NE Asia that time isn't always accurately tracked, so I may be able to get away with some handwavy-ness 🤞 #HistoricalFiction

#WritersCoffeeClub Dec. 10 - Is it ethical to base characters on real people? What is the limit?

I mean... you're asking someone who writes #historicalFiction? Is the entire ethical basis of the genre being questioned here? 😁 Presuming you mean living private individuals and especially those who are personally known to the author, I think it's a gradation depending on factors like how recognizable the person is in the pages, how obscure and specific the details are and so on. The more traceable the character is to a living (or possibly deceased) person and their real-life private details, the likelier it is that their (or their love ones') consent would be needed, IMO.

I bring up historical fiction not only because it's a genre I write in but because characters are routinely based on historical figures, which is generally considered to be within ethical bounds because these are considered public figures and known details of their lives are generally public knowledge as well. A broad range of fictionalization is considered acceptable especially in premodern fiction, though certainly people will argue the history as they always do!

#WritersCoffeeClub Nov. 23 - What's your niche?

Fiction: English-language Korean #HistoricalFiction and #folklore retellings based on close research of the eras involved, particularly premodern history and folklore with a focus on queer, disabled, and working-class characters who are underrepresented in the written #history. It's not a niche I occupy alone by any means, but I try to leverage my linguistic and cultural proficiency, plus largely self-taught research skills, to present an internal view of people as they might have lived and thought in the era, both alien and relatable.

#Poetry: I tend to write more classical formal poetry than is fashionable these days, and like to experiment with form and content like sonnets on labor issues or poems whose lines make visual shapes.

#WritersCoffeeClub Nov. 23 - What's your niche?

Fiction: English-language Korean #HistoricalFiction and #folklore retellings based on close research of the eras involved, particularly premodern history and folklore with a focus on queer, disabled, and working-class characters who are underrepresented in the written #history. It's not a niche I occupy alone by any means, but I try to leverage my linguistic and cultural proficiency, plus largely self-taught research skills, to present an internal view of people as they might have lived and thought in the era, both alien and relatable.

#Poetry: I tend to write more classical formal poetry than is fashionable these days, and like to experiment with form and content like sonnets on labor issues or poems whose lines make visual shapes.

Should I be? Everything I do has been done and is being done by others, thank goodness, but the combination may be unusual. The philology/linguistic reconstruction work was inspired by #Tolkien and made possible by the incredible scholarly work of Korean historical linguists; I center female and queer characters as inspired by other female and queer writers; I write in #HistoricalFiction which is a well-established genre; the language I write in is English but the subject matter is usually East Asian/Korean.

Should I be? Everything I do has been done and is being done by others, thank goodness, but the combination may be unusual. The philology/linguistic reconstruction work was inspired by #Tolkien and made possible by the incredible scholarly work of Korean historical linguists; I center female and queer characters as inspired by other female and queer writers; I write in #HistoricalFiction which is a well-established genre; the language I write in is English but the subject matter is usually East Asian/Korean.

Historical Asian gays let's go! #HistoricalFiction#QueerFiction

Historical Asian gays let's go! #HistoricalFiction#QueerFiction

That's basically all I do! 😁 I started out writing #fanfic, and while not all of fanfic is retelling, I especially enjoyed writing pastfic where I'd retell pre-canon (or mid-canon) events with new details and from different angles. I do the same with #HistoricalFiction where I reimagine specific historical events (the life of Queen Soseono 2,000 years ago, or how WWII spy Virginia Hall met her husband) or come up with characters and events that zoom in on a generality (lesbian palace workers) or mystery (the disappearance of an ancient princess from the records).

I've also written two #transfem retellings of the Northern Wei-era classic #Mulan, one in narrative verse and one in prose fiction. If you've been following along you know I am obsessed by this idea, and if you read the original Ballad of Mulan you may understand why--my own translation is offered here. https://ljwrites.blog/posts/ballad-of-mulan/ I've also written a retelling of a war in ancient China that started over mulberry trees, focusing on a lesbian love story between two peasants caught on different sides of the border.

That's basically all I do! 😁 I started out writing #fanfic, and while not all of fanfic is retelling, I especially enjoyed writing pastfic where I'd retell pre-canon (or mid-canon) events with new details and from different angles. I do the same with #HistoricalFiction where I reimagine specific historical events (the life of Queen Soseono 2,000 years ago, or how WWII spy Virginia Hall met her husband) or come up with characters and events that zoom in on a generality (lesbian palace workers) or mystery (the disappearance of an ancient princess from the records).

I've also written two #transfem retellings of the Northern Wei-era classic #Mulan, one in narrative verse and one in prose fiction. If you've been following along you know I am obsessed by this idea, and if you read the original Ballad of Mulan you may understand why--my own translation is offered here. https://ljwrites.blog/posts/ballad-of-mulan/ I've also written a retelling of a war in ancient China that started over mulberry trees, focusing on a lesbian love story between two peasants caught on different sides of the border.

The post about my #fanfic writing history and beyond captures a lot of what changed for me creatively and as a fan. https://ljwrites.blog/posts/fanfic-writing-history/ As a reader/fan I've moved away from media franchises and started reading more indie, and in my own writing I've changed focus from speculative fiction to queer #historicalFiction. I like to think my writing is more polished, sparer and more expressive. In my personal life I've earned three degrees, gotten married, and had a child. I've made my way in the world for 20+ years since and am more than twice as old as I was when I first started sharing fanfic. A lot changes in over two decades!

The post about my #fanfic writing history and beyond captures a lot of what changed for me creatively and as a fan. https://ljwrites.blog/posts/fanfic-writing-history/ As a reader/fan I've moved away from media franchises and started reading more indie, and in my own writing I've changed focus from speculative fiction to queer #historicalFiction. I like to think my writing is more polished, sparer and more expressive. In my personal life I've earned three degrees, gotten married, and had a child. I've made my way in the world for 20+ years since and am more than twice as old as I was when I first started sharing fanfic. A lot changes in over two decades!

So many, since I mostly write #historicalFiction and riff off the historical or archaeological record to flesh out into stories. What if Princess Neferure of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt suddenly disappeared from the historical record because she got her gay happily-ever-after? What if an ancient Chinese war sparked off by a dispute over trees had a star-crossed queer love story at its heart?

This is fairly standard for the genre, but there are events I'm taking "out of period" into a much more ancient era, like the 13th-century defense of Chungju Fortress from the Mongol army. The commander, charged with defending the fortress with a force of soldiers and enslaved people who had already suffered much from the war, freed the enslaved and promised all of them official titles. There's no record of any of that happening in 1st century BCE (where records themselves are fairly scant), but I'm taking inspiration from that for use in my own big WIP.