Today, Fable and the Verbivore get personal in our discussion about approaching writing characters from diverse backgrounds, and making sure that we do the work to ensure they are authentic and believable. This topic came up during a podcast planning meeting, and we just hit record as we discussed it in real time.

There are several times in this episode we discuss doing the needed research. It’s always a good general practice in writing to research well, but we also feel that when we are writing about individual characters (voices) from a culture that is not our own we owe it to ourselves and the world to ensure that our stories are truthful representations and that they don’t fall into propagating stereotypes.

Here are some specific ideas:

• If you are writing about a specific location, look up demographic information to ensure you reflect the population

• Seek out information about the culture, language, and history that you are looking to write about

• Identify areas where there are specific words, customs, and experiences that should be treated with care, respect, and sensitivity

• Read stories written from that perspective or voice

• If possible, interview individuals who could give some personal or in-depth knowledge

• Remember that your character is a representation of a person. As such, they should have depth and layers just like any other characters in your work. For instance, there may be times that they clash against their culture, so make diliberate choices and ensure that they are an individual within their society.

We also discuss the need for sensitivity reviews as you are developing your stories and characters, and beta readers who can view it from a cultural sensitivity lens once the book is in draft form. But in addition to that, we acknowledge that its important to have as much diversity in your beta readers as well so that your pool of readers is as reflective of society as possible. Also, we recommend clearly directing your beta readers as to what areas you would like them to focus on as they read your work.

We hope that you are staying safe and finding time to practice self-care! Keep creating and putting your unique voice out there!

Into the woods,
Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

Fable mentioned that the author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely sought guidance from her friend who has CP to help with the creation of a character in that book. CP is short for Cerebral Palsy.

Both Fable and the Verbivore talk about the idea of not having token characters in your work. The word token can have a negative connotation. We are saying make sure you include diverse characters in a thoughtful way, and that they are well developed within your setting and your story.

Fable mentions not feeling like she has the right to tell certain stories, and The Verbivore talks about not yet feeling comfortable to write a first person narrative from the perspective of a character from another culture. This touches on current debates within the publishing industry and concerns that we have over cultural appropriation. The best guidance we can give is follow your gut and make sure you are introspective about your motivations and how prepared you are to write from that specific viewpoint. If you are uncertain, it never hurts to seek honest feedback and outside oppinions.

The Verbivore mentioned bias both overt and covert. This relates to research studies on implicit bias that have been conducted around the country. If you are interested in exploring this topic further, here are a few websites where you can get additional information:

• http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/

• https://perception.org/research/implicit-bias/

Books Mentioned:

• A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer  

• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)