When authors write about characters from different backgrounds, it’s important they do the research to understand why they’re writing the way they do—avoiding biases they may not realize they have. It’s our job to review this work, and today’s guest has created the tool and resource to make you a better editor. Alex Temblador joins us to share about her new book called Writing an Identity Not Your Own.

This is Alex’s first nonfiction book, but she’s previously published two fiction books: Secrets of the Casa Rosada and Half Outlaw. She received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a contributor to Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America, and Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology.

She is an award-winning travel, arts, and culture journalist who specializes in diversity, equity, and inclusion, publishing in the likes of Condé Nast Traveler, Outside, and Travel + Leisure, and speaking about such topics at SXSW, the Society of American Travel Writers, and the World Travel Market.

Alex lives in Dallas, Texas, where she runs a literary panel series called LitTalk and is the executive director of Write Here DFW.

Want a chance to win her book? St. Martin’s has kindly given me a copy to give away to a lucky podcast listener. Click here to enter.

Important Sections

• (0:38) Meet Alex Temblador
• (2:53) Alex’s Writing Journey
• (9:17) How to Feel Confident Writing Other Identities
• (15:33) Confronting Your Biases to Grow as a Writer
• (20:58) The Editing Process For Writing an Identity Not Your Own
• (27:08) The Responsibility of Editors
• (31:29) How to Approach Writing Different Identities Based on Genre
• (39:16) Confronting Your Biases is a Continual Journey

Connect with Alex

• Writing an Identity Not Your Own on Bookshop.org
• Alex’s website: https://www.alextemblador.com/
• Book website: https://www.writinganidentitynotyourown.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_temblador/
• X: https://twitter.com/alex_temblador
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@alex_temblador
• Enter the giveaway to win the book here!

Work with Me:

• Book a free 15-minute call
• Join the Freelance Editors Club
• Book a 1:1 coaching session