Like "men writing women" don't fall into the trap of "this character is trans and that is their only defining characteristic". the men writing women meme is because (enough) male authors will insert female characters that are treated as sexual objects and that is their only purpose-- the author going into great details to describe their appearance but yet their personalities are shallow and not explored. The same applies here. Just make sure your character is fully fleshed out. Their being trans shouldn't be a defining characteristic so much as it just is part of them but they have a whole personality, defining characteristics, and a story to tell.

Hello I am trans and here are my rules for writing trans characters:

• give me fifty bucks

If you do not follow these rules that's when it's transphobia and the more you do not follow these rules the more transphobia it is. Now pay up.

Joking aside, I think that if you are respectful and not ill-informed then I would be okay with it. I can't speak for other people though. I write "not ill-informed" because a lot of people pass themselves off as being well-intentioned while reflecting some very uncomfortable and strange biases or preconceptions. There is not an inherent problem, but there are potentially many common pitfalls that one should know of and avoid.

Make sure that they are a fully developed and well rounded character, who happens to be trans. It's part of who they are, it's not all of who they are.

I would also consider how your trans character fits into the world. Your character isn't trans like we are. Your character is magically trans, in a world full of completely different sentient races, and also one where shapeshifting exists. How does being trans interact with that world? Transmutation spells exist. Does it say something about this character that they have a mismatching gender presentation in a world where it would be trivial to magically alter their body?

The idea that people can only write about people like themselves is silly. As a writer you have to be able to write convincing characters regardless of who they are. There are no stories where every character is a copy of the author. Be respectful, be informed, think things through, and write a compelling character and its all good.

I don't know if this is the best community for this - but if you could only ever write characters that are like you, that would be pretty boring, no?

I mean it’s fine as long as you don’t make them a caricature and write them realistically. Pretty much the same as writing any minority… do your research and don’t stereotype :) I don’t really know of any specific rules though. Also, yeah probably better communities to ask.

The fact that you're asking this question suggests you'll be fine. Maybe ask a trans person to be a sensitivity reader before you publish it.

I'm pretty sure they have to throw a brick at a cop at some point but besides I'm pretty sure as long as you treat the character with the same respect as any other you should be good

I'd say maybe get some trans beta readers and make sure to really listen to their feedback.

If you really want to get in your character's head, try cross dressing a little. Just as an experiment. Living through some of what trans people experience would do a lot to make the character feel authentic. (I understand if you're not quite that committed to getting in character though. But it would help!)

imo go for it! look up some references of well-written trans characters if it helps, but I think overall writing interesting diverse characters is a net good rather over sticking to your comfort zone. be open to criticism (positive) that can help you develop your character in positive directions as well.

Everyone's already given great advice, being a person comes before being trans is the most important imo. I also think it's worth considering how far along this character is in their transition, be that the physical, social, internal/mental etc. and how that interacts with the rest of their personal development.

The important thing is that zooming out, many of the challenges we face aren't necessarily trans things: we all want to be liked, to be happy, to be able to express our genuine selves etc. For those of us who are trans, achieving those things might look different and come about in a different way, but it's still a classic story of self discovery with the same goal of becoming a complete person. As long as their self actualisation is wholistic you'll be okay.

I deleted a big ramble, but the important part is that it's fantastic to explore their character arc from a trans perspective, but the arc itself should go beyond being transgender, real people have huge and complex worlds. Ultimately we're all just people trying to get through life and gender isn't a story on it's own, but it is a part of every person.

If an example helps, becoming myself has been equal parts transitioning, finding my true community through activism and discovering the things I want to spend my whole life doing like making music and feeding people. All of those things are deeply connected: transitioning gave my licence to explore being outwardly punk, activism gave me the space to stop living as someone I wasn't and my love of music changed the way I see the world so much that it stomped out my internalised transphobia, made me an objectively better person, and gave me a deeper and more solid connection to my new community, to my home. It's all caught up in my being trans, but it could easily mirror a cis person's story, even much of the dramatic external change.

I'd definitely get at least a couple of transpeople to bounce ideas of or to proof read your drafts for potentially harmful stereotypes and stuff, it's a learning process but worth it. Including well written trans people in your work is valuable and I highly encourage it, inclusion can mean a lot to people and you've no idea who you might end up helping.

isn't that character intersex? she was created as-is, trans people transition on some level