GUIDELINES
- You can submit as many letters as you'd like.
- Your letter(s) must in some way reflect your experience of having LGBTQ parent(s).
- Your letter(s) can be written to anyone in the world.
- Your letter(s) can be as short or as long as you'd like.
*We will read and consider all submissions. With your consent, a snippet from your letter may be published on social media. Full letters will only be published with your explicit consent and after we have worked with you through an editing process.
TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED
Before you start writing your letter, take a moment to consider THREE important factors:
- AUDIENCE.
To whom would you like to speak? Your audience can be friend, family, stranger; alive, deceased, not yet born; a famous person, a group of people, even a kind of person. We encourage creativity and reflection in determining your audience. For example, you might write to yourself on the day you found out about your parent's sexuality, or write a general letter to someone in your family, like your parent(s) or sibling(s). Do you have a message for your future child? For a politician? All's fair in determining your audience for The Rainbow Letters!
- TONE.
How do you want your reader to feel? When your audience puts down your letter, what do you hope they do or say? Do you want to stir their heart strings? Open their eyes? Make them laugh? Empathize with you? Think about the impact you'd like to have on your audience.
- MESSAGE.
What do you want to say? Once you've decided who your reader is and how you hope your letter makes them feel, it's time to think about the content of your letter. Maybe there's a specific memory you have that you'd like to share. Or maybe you just want to let go of things that have been on your mind, get some stuff off your chest. Perhaps you've got some insight or wisdom to share. There is no right or wrong in determining your message, because it's YOUR message.
AN AWESOME EXERCISE
Once you've determined these three factors, here is a SIMPLE exercise you can do to write a first draft:
- Grab a pen and paper or open a word processing app on your computer
- Remove yourself from all distractions
- Set a timer for 10 MINUTES
- Start writing, stream-of-conscious-style, and DON'T STOP until the timer rings. Forget about perfection -- don't overthink! This is a first draft, and the point is to get the juices flowing.
- Set your writing aside for an hour, an afternoon, or a full day -- but return to it after a little break. When you go back to review it, begin thinking about what you want to keep and what you want to scrap.
*Remember -- you can ALWAYS reach out to us for feedback or support! Consider us a resource!
MORE IDEAS FOR INSPIRATION
Here are a few possible prompts you can use (or not use!) for inspiration:
- What are some of the joys you've experienced having LGBTQ parent(s)? Some of the hardships?
- What is something your parents did that made your life easier? More difficult?
- How do you think being the child of LGBTQ parent(s) has affected the way you see the world?
- What advice do you have for young children with LGBTQ parents? Or for future LGBTQ parents?
- How has being the child of LGBTQ parent(s) intersected with your other identities?
