Writing - a discussion

[amberdreams]

I was on tumblr the other day and I came across some writing advice in the form of a long list. I didn't make a note of the blog I was on, or copy the list itself but basically, it went along the lines of:
By all means, include African Americans in your story - BUT do not presume to tell their story, it is theirs to tell.
Include Native Americans in your story but do not presume to tell their story, it is theirs to tell.
Include gay men in your story but do not presume to tell their story, it is theirs to tell.
Include transgender characters in your story but do not presume to tell their story, it is theirs to tell...
and so on.

I'm sure you get the gist, and the point they were making.

At first sight, I was nodding in agreement - this is merely an extention of the old adage 'write what you know', isn't it? So yeah, I could see some validity in what they were saying. But then I got to thinking. Surely, by the time I'd eliminated all the categories of people in their list whose stories I was not qualified to tell by dint of being who I am, the only protagonist remaining for my stories would have to be a short, fat, middle aged white woman.

Who the hell wants to read about me? I (and everyone else) would be reduced to self insert fic, which I abhore.

I feel suddenly I'm sounding like a Daily Mail reader, but surely this is political correctness gone mad.

Or am I missing something here?

Feel free to pitch in!

Comments

[dancing-adrift.livejournal.com]

a) This entire discussion has been fascinating and enlightening. Thank you, amberdreams and others!

b) Of course my thought this whole time was, "How does this apply to writing slash fanfiction?" (when I am a straight female, not a gay male). I've never heard the distinction between gay romance and MM romance, but I liked hearing the definition. Not something I knew about, but it's a cool thing to now know :)

c) It's interesting to me to think about the difference between 'writing a POC character' and 'writing a character who happens to be a POC'. To maybe throw a wrench in things with an example, in college, I had a roommate who was born in South Korea but adopted and then raised in rural Minnesota. I think about her cultural experiences growing up (very 'white', 'hick', even) and then how she was perceived in college ('Hey, you're Asian! You should join the multicultural club!" even though she has no recollection of her time in Korea)... and it's like... I don't know how to put into words what I'm thinking, I guess. Maybe what I'm trying to say is... Each person is different, so each character is going to be, too. Whatever character you write is unique because YOU are writing them. So you're the one who asks the questions and makes the decisions. 'Okay, this character is Native. What does that look like for them?' - and then do the research to figure out the best way to convey that history, that background, to the best of your ability. If that means a sensitivity reader, great! If it means you create your own sort of fictional, Native-adjacent tribe, great!

The fact that you're already thinking about such issues with such an open mind is a great start, as far as I'm concerned. And thanks again for starting such a wonderful discussion! :)

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Thanks for joining in! It is a really interesting issue - I'm glad so many folk have commented as it's really helping get things straight in my mind. Not only about my 'novel' character but about fic in general.