CW: ableist language

for years i've worked to strip ableist language from my vocabulary. ableist language around mental illness is what crops up most often in my own writing so it's something i pay particular attention to ("that's crazy" "he's nuts" "the place is bedlam" etc.)

i do a search in my manuscripts for these (among many others) when i'm editing, to make sure.

but still, today, in the PROOFS of BETTER THAN PEOPLE, i realized i'd let one slip through.

it won't be in the final book, but apologies to those who read the ARC bc it's there.

it's a great reminder to me that no matter the work i put in—& to be clear, i do that work bc i CARE & i DON'T WANT TO HURT PEOPLE (myself included, since ableist mental health language applies to me)—there is always more to do.

& that's ok!

this is language that has been fed to us via ableist culture from birth, so of course it takes time to unlearn.

and i'm sure there are plenty of things i'm doing consistently wrong that i don't know about yet. when i learn about them i'll work to change those too.

language changes, words' connotations change, new words come into being, so as writers (and, like, humans) we just keep working at it.

want some places to start? lists are a great way to begin thinking about the language we use <3

as always, there is no monolithic consensus about these words/terms—these are just one tool of many:

https://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html

https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/ableist-language-matters/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disability-related_terms_with_negative_connotations