In every creative writing class I've ever taken, there is always a discussion about who is allowed to write what? I think a lot of people bristle at this idea of "allowed." As if it's a personal affront to them that they might not be the best person to write from the perspective of someone completely different from them. I've never been offended or confused about why I shouldn't write from the perspective of say, an impoverished person of color in a different country. I have literally no experience with that, why would I think my voice should carry any weight or be the right voice to tell that story? I do however, struggle with the problem of including diversity in my books. Just because I am a white woman, doesn't mean by books should only have white women in them, That would be an incredibly bland world. So, how do we include diversity in our writing without doing a disservice or being offensive to the diverse population we're including?
Well, I think first we need to be sure we're not just thinking about diversity as gender or race. Diversity should also include ability, mental health, socio-economic status, and much more. Most of are a part of some kind of "diverse" group, which is a good starting point for inclusivity. It's important to find a footing in your own experience so the writing stays grounded. It's also important to remember that we should include diversity because our world is diverse and we want our writing to reflect that. We're not including it for a "shock factor" or some other gimmick. You don't want to tokenize diversity, making it like a dressed up sore thumb in your story.
Some ways I've aimed to include diversity in my story is by making side characters different races. For example my main character's husband is a black man. My other main character is bi-sexual– though neither of those these things define their character. It's a part of them, just like being on SSRIs is a part of who I am, but not all of me. These diverse elements make our characters richer and our stories connect with wider audiences. While I don't feel comfortable making my main character someone completely different than me, I do try to make my story filled with people different than my main character (which is usually a middle class white woman.)
I believe one of the most important elements of including diversity in your writing is having sensitivity readers– people who are a part of that diverse group and can speak to the authenticity of the writing. It's important to have someone who can be honest and tell you if your writing is way off, or the very worst, offensive. Being open to editing, and listening to the voices of people in the community you're writing about is critical. All writers are protective of their work, but it's important to be open when ensuring you're being respectful of diversity. This even includes little things like writing from the opposite gender. How many times has a male writer given a completely inaccurate and offensive voice to a female character? With one of my main characters being male, I made sure at least one of my beta readers was a man who could ensure their voice was captured with authenticity.
Of course, in order to have sensitivity readers in your life it means you also have to cultivate a diverse group of people in your life. The old adage "write what you know" can apply to your world view as well. Our writing should reflect our world, but we might also aspire to have our world reflect our ideal writing. Seeking out groups where you're hearing other voices is important for accurately including those voices in your work. Just like when I talked about writing dialogue and being sure you're around children before you try to write like one. Without real world, first hand experience, you're doomed to fall into stereotypes and cliches.
The bottom line when discussing diversity in writing is to be open to critique and willing to learn. I don't feel comfortable thinking my voice is the right one to tell someone else's story, but I also don't want to create a world that's flat and lacking all inclusivity. I try to do the work of researching, getting feedback, and being sure I'm never leaning into cliche or tokenization.
Lastly, I'll say finding a photo for this blog was incredibly difficult. if I post a picture of myself and a friend of color, does it seem like I'm using them to promote my credibility? Does it feel like I'm using them to say "look, see, I have a [fill in the diversity blank] friend?" There's really no winning with this. So I've decided to include photos of myself and many of the beautiful and diverse women in my life.
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