WHO IS THE RAT?
Me! I’m the rat! And I’m a writer of course. But there’s more to me than that, though every part of me circles back to my writing. As you look through my site and read my works, I think you’ll learn more and more about me. You’ll probably see a more authentic version of myself than I could ever describe here! But I’ll do my best here, as an introduction.
One of the most important parts of myself would be my queer identity. As my queer experiences tint the way I view the world and have shaped some of my most important traits. I’m asexual and aromantic, meaning I don’t experience sexual or romantic attraction. I’m also trans and nonbinary/agender, meaning I don’t have a gender either! This doesn’t stop me from including other queer identities in my stories, as I find all aspects of the queer spectrum incredibly interesting and important to represent.
I’m also incredibly passionate about queer representation in fictional media. A throughline you’ll quickly see throughout all my writing. Nearly all my characters are queer, (seriously, being straight is a burden only given to the worse of my villains. Better to assume any of my characters are queer unless strictly stated otherwise). And I’m also an advocate for POC, disabled, and other marginalized groups being depicted in fiction. And I do my best to include them in my works as well! Doing so is a huge part of my writing identity, because I have first hand felt the impact that seeing your experiences reflected in media can have. And I truly believe that it makes a huge difference for the lives of those within those communities! Plus, I one hundred percent believe it makes my characters cooler and better. If you can’t stand to see diversity in fiction, this is NOT the place for you! Crawl out of my sewer and come back when you learn better!
WHAT DOES THE RAT DO?
The rat writes. And the rat writes many things. I find typically find myself sticking to long-form content, like novels and novellas. But I also write short stories, poetries, analyses, and opinion pieces! Each style comes with its own arena of challenges that require their own mindset to conquer.
With long-form, I love the intense planning process. I love writing a story bit by bit and watching how the plot and characters develop each chapter. But it can be difficult to watch both and bigger and smaller picture at the same time. Not the mention the time commitment and editing process with large works!
And with short-form, I love the freedom while writing. I can take my work in whatever direction I want, it exists in a world all on its own. Meaning that any sudden changes or additions I want to make have no effect on anything else. But it can be challenging to stop myself from diving deep into a world or concept. Constantly telling myself, “just one more scene” or “But I have to include this!”
Analysis and opinion pieces are always fun to write! I love expressing myself and constructing an argument. However, the research required for these pieces can be time consuming.
Each type of writing is fulfilling and challenging in its own way. Which is why I don’t limit myself to just one or a few of them! Each one tests me and my abilities in different ways. Pushing my abilities to the limit! And you can find an example of each of these here on this site.
WHY THE RAT?
I chose to represent this site and myself with rats for many reasons. For one, I find that the overall attitude that rats have can be compared to me when I write. Feral, unhinged, and filled with an unstoppable audacity to do what I want, when I want!
Rats are also wily creatures; quick, witty, capable of going far distances, and the ultimate escape artists. Everything I could ever strive to be as a writer!
I also find that both rats and writers tend to be misunderstood creatures. Outsiders not exactly understanding our behaviors or motives. Or underestimating what we’re capable of because of misconceptions.
Writers, like rats, are also seen as pests by those who see themselves as “above” them. We’re capable of coming and bringing others together, building communities everywhere we go. We can spread thoughts and ideas with our works, “infecting” our readers. Writing has historically been a vehicle of change, which threatens those in power. So they try to stomp us out! Did somebody call pest control? But, just like rats, we’re hardier than we look and keep coming back.
BE PROUD. BE STRONG. BE A SEWER RAT!