Advice - In The Form Of Rants

The Pronoun Issue

This is gonna be a short one, so don't expect anything as in depth as the others, particularly of the last 2.

Okay. To start off, I will address 2 things.

The only pronouns you'll see me use are:
He/ his
She/ hers
They/ theirs

This is my own choice, and I won't insult anyone who chooses to use other pronouns. I personally don't really like the others, but that's a preference.

I will one thing, do not under any circumstances switch pronouns for any character midway through. Why? Because it causes confusion and makes everything much longer than it needs to be.

I've read books where the MC used 'she' to describe her best friend. That wasn't bad. It was only when she used 20 different pronouns in the space of 4 chapters when I gave up. I didn't know who or what she was talking about.

I understand that many of us don't write the most conventional characters, some including people who use specific pronouns. But those who write like this need to understand that most readers are people who don't know/don't use these specific pronouns.

This does not mean you have an entire glossary at the start or end of your book, but you'll have to explain yourself.

As a person who wrote a character who possess both male and female genetalia, I can choose something that can work for my audience. I could have chosen to use specific pronouns, but I didn't. I describe Rei (the character) using both 'he' and 'she', of which she doesn't particularly mind.

But, this character is in a lot of fight scenes. So, I simply write to adapt. Write in a context that people can understand.

Please do.

If you respect my opinion, I will respect yours.