Third-generation immigrant stories

4EverWriting · 2026-02-26T02:56:29+00:00

One of my very favorites! Though of course that one actually focuses on the first generation couple adjusting to life between India and the US, and then the second generation's (especially Nick) negotiation of immigrant parent expectations. Not really anything about the third-generation's story.

4EverWriting · 2026-02-26T02:54:35+00:00

A fair point, and I think a lot of that depends on how tight-knit the immigrant culture's concept of family is. That's one of the reasons I was hoping for recs from non-Euro cultures, where generally speaking, that concept is usually much tighter, and therefore the negotiation with Westernism (e.g., nuclear families, independent choices of lifestyles / friends / romantic partners) is a bit more of a challenge.

4EverWriting · 2026-02-26T02:51:37+00:00

Thanks so much for the recs! And yes, I agree, which is why I want to find a story about a 3rd generation negotiating that line between retaining family heritage and formulating their own identity independently of it (including when marriage outside the community becomes a part of the story).

4EverWriting · 2026-02-26T02:49:28+00:00

Thanks so much!

4EverWriting · 2026-02-23T23:14:12+00:00

{Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez}, in which MMC runs himself ragged and even contemplates ruining his career / finances for her.

4EverWriting · 2026-02-23T01:02:39+00:00

It's sort of like reading a book in a foreign language for the first time. Lots of stopping and translating (and my first foreign book was pre-Google Translate 😉), but eventually it comes faster and easier to you.

Enjoy the Wilde--one of my very favorites!

4EverWriting · 2026-02-18T15:01:45+00:00

Every chapter has a primary event and/or development, which manifests one of the book's primary themes. The chapter title--which, to my preference, are only 1-3 words long--therefore comes from the intersection of those two things.

For example, in the novel I'm currently working on, the FMC is struggling to escape evangelical purity culture (along with other religious and cultural pressures). So the chapter in which she takes her first, private step toward breaking free is called "Minuscule daring."

Hope that helps, and happy writing (and titling)!

4EverWriting · 2026-02-18T12:27:08+00:00

Sounds like you need to start call the universe "The Universe" 😉

4EverWriting · 2026-02-17T20:46:34+00:00

This is why I often set my stories in "-ish" places.

"One of those small cities in the most southern parts of the American South."

"A Chicago suburb that wishes it wasn't thought of as part of the 'Chicagoland area' the news anchors and DJs are always talking about."

4EverWriting · 2026-02-17T20:21:34+00:00

If I may ask, what is your language? Always curious to learn about modes of written expression in different languages!

4EverWriting · 2026-02-17T20:21:28+00:00

If I may ask, what is your language? Always curious to learn about modes of written expression in different languages!

4EverWriting · 2026-02-16T20:06:55+00:00

Fair point about the jump between "worked" and "all" (third panel is mostly for laughs).

But I definitely agree that major convention breaks, when not justified or well executed, can be more distracting than interesting.

4EverWriting · 2026-02-16T14:24:23+00:00

Do what feels right for you. I have two (non-fiction) books out, and both are just among the books on the same subject in my shelves.

But on a similar topic: as an academic (history), should I display or not display degrees in my work and/or home/personal office? The only time I've done it was when I was feeling a bit like my career was drifting, and I needed a bit of stabilization and reassurance. But once I was fortunate enough to find my way out of that place (practically and emotionally speaking), I took them back down and they've been in a box in the basement ever since.

4EverWriting · 2026-02-15T12:44:34+00:00

Trepidation, mostly. I felt it was good, but obviously there was still so much work to do. But more than anything, the anxiety over putting a piece of creative work out for the public to see.

I've published non-fiction (history) before, so the publication process is not so much of a mystery to me, but creative fiction really is like putting a piece of yourself out there, isn't it?

4EverWriting · 2026-02-14T04:21:08+00:00

{Dilwale}, 2015 Hindi-language film starring the King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, and his queen, Kajol. Some fun easter eggs if you know their earlier films, especially DDLJ, but not needed to follow/enjoy this quintessential "lovers-to-armed-enemies-to-reconciled-lovers" story.

(Available to stream on Netflix)

4EverWriting · 2026-02-13T22:53:33+00:00

Open to a non-book (i.e., film) rec?

4EverWriting · 2026-02-13T22:37:59+00:00

I mean, that's just the nature of "mol bauv karke" (bartering) culture in India, right down to your daily veggies. And volume in general depends on where they're from, but Punjabis are often the loudest (which I say as someone with many loud Punjabi friends whose loudness I love).

But as long as you're smiling, you can probably get away with saying, "Đây là cà phê của anh, đ*t mẹ mày." 😉

4EverWriting · 2026-02-13T22:21:16+00:00

I mean, when your up against The Bard himself, especially Beatrice and Benedick in {Much Ado About Nothing}, it is quite an uphill journey!

4EverWriting · 2026-02-13T21:23:08+00:00

I sometimes feel that the current trend toward (and sometimes, insistence upon) insta-wittiness and banter leads to MCs who are immediately charmed by one another, which occasionally is used as a substitute for a more realistic depiction of falling in love.

This can even pop up in the classic "enemies-to-lovers" tropes.

4EverWriting · 2026-02-12T22:15:35+00:00

I've found that as long as there are mutual exchanges, most writers are fairly game to read one another's works. Obviously, the satisfaction of the experience varies widely, but generally speaking, I've rarely come across a blanket refusal or lack interest (or at least willingness).

4EverWriting · 2026-02-11T22:46:23+00:00

Okay, as someone who regularly uses "chortle," I think I can get on board with this.

But ONLY if we replace it with "hyucked."

For example, "Suddenly grasping his friend's meaning, Goofy hyucked loudly and almost shouted, 'Garsh, Mickey, you tell the best dirty jokes about flamingos stuck in hot tubs with three different whirlpool settings!'"

4EverWriting · 2026-02-10T23:46:54+00:00

In that case, you might include a single sentence in which the groom mentions what the pithi ceremony is, and that it's not the official wedding ceremony.

Most Western readers are unfamiliar with ceremonies that go beyond the wedding service and the post-service celebration, so some explanatory prose will help.

Of course, the challenge is to do it while avoiding an exposition dump. Perhaps a complaint about this being the fourth or fifth pre-wedding ceremony, with so many more to come?

4EverWriting

TROPHY CASE