tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post6851912258596224737..comments2024-01-30T07:43:33.927-08:00Comments on The Ninja Librarian: IWSG: On writing raceRebecca M. Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07260530063164127746noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-38572564686653141572016-04-07T12:16:43.646-07:002016-04-07T12:16:43.646-07:00There are some issues with writing for an internat...There are some issues with writing for an international audience. But I do think that it's right to deal with diversity as you want to see it addressed, and, in a sense, let the chips fall where they will. <br /><br />I don't see why your miners should alienate anyone. They certainly didn't seem to me to be stereotypes. They just have varied ancestry. Now, if there are any Pavanians reading The Perihelix, they might be offended. Or not. Pavanians seem to have pretty thick skins :DRebecca M. Douglasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07260530063164127746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-80331959678721398032016-04-07T12:11:52.727-07:002016-04-07T12:11:52.727-07:00I don't want to force stories into diversity. ...I don't want to force stories into diversity. But rather than just thinking about when "the story needs the person to be black" or whatever, I'm thinking about asking "is there any reason why this character *shouldn't* be black?" (or gay, or whatever).Rebecca M. Douglasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07260530063164127746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-20153617035172882662016-04-07T01:27:37.107-07:002016-04-07T01:27:37.107-07:00This is a valuable post, Rebecca, and one I'll...This is a valuable post, Rebecca, and one I'll blog about when the A to Z's finished. The Princelings books have their own variation on colour prejudice, but I can't say I write about people of colour, except to make my spacegoers a good mixture (in fact Lars is a throwback). Interestingly my editor erupted saying I'd alienate the Hispanic, Swedish and some other communities in New York, so I guess one of us hasn't researched the 2800s enough. Tricky.<br /><br />I don't have a problem writing about variations on gender, though I drew back from dealing with Dougall's deafness - but as I see it, the problem is also one of the culture you're in and its own perspective on diversity. That's tricky to handle for an international readership.Jemima Petthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17110647375899927233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-11671200036716902672016-04-06T20:12:25.625-07:002016-04-06T20:12:25.625-07:00I think there's always something I'm scare...I think there's always something I'm scared of when I write. Sometimes it's writing in a different culture, about a different time period, and more recently it's been writing from a male perspective. My project that I'm thinking about (but haven't started yet) has almost no white characters, so, yes, I'm a bit nervous about writing about a race other than my own.<br /><br />At the same time, I don't want to force my book to have diversity just for the sake of having diversity. It needs to fit the story.Jennihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13139361928785566916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-24848791582715511972016-04-06T17:02:30.739-07:002016-04-06T17:02:30.739-07:00Yes! I think that's it exactly. If we just sti...Yes! I think that's it exactly. If we just stick with what's easy, we aren't growing.Rebecca M. Douglasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07260530063164127746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-64042985079789542272016-04-06T17:01:50.944-07:002016-04-06T17:01:50.944-07:00That part about finding someone more knowledgeable...That part about finding someone more knowledgeable was pretty much what she pointed out to me--do what I'd do if I needed to know more about trains or whatever!Rebecca M. Douglasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07260530063164127746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-66739095954636305612016-04-06T15:06:03.750-07:002016-04-06T15:06:03.750-07:00I know exactly where you are coming from. I justif...I know exactly where you are coming from. I justify my lack of diversity by my completely middle class white up bringing in Australia which has continued when i moved to England. But it is no excuse. I have changed one of my characters in NO MORE HEROES from white to black because there was no need for him to be white.<br />The series formulating in my head revolves around a transgender, female to male and a shizophrenic who thinks he can read minds. Must learn how to spell.<br />And i agree that by diversifying we are stretching ourselves and, ultimately, have to become better writers.<br />RooAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12094832398222355088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52364159500107393.post-11455712059641831272016-04-06T11:50:04.273-07:002016-04-06T11:50:04.273-07:00I've written a few stories with characters of ...I've written a few stories with characters of color and different sexual orientations than mine. It doesn't really scare me. Life is diverse so why shouldn't my writing be. If there's a character who has something I don't know much about, I'll see someone more knowledgable.<br /><br />~April IWSG Co-Host Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~<br /><a href="http://storydam.com/" rel="nofollow">Story Dam</a><br /><a href="http://www.patricialynne.com/blog.html" rel="nofollow">Patricia Lynne, Indie Author</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com