BWFoster78
Myth Weaver
AE,
I've been trying to avoid getting back into this, but I seemed to have failed
1. Obviously, this statement is the one I've had the most trouble with. It seems those on the other side of this argument take this as a given. The main point of contention seems to be that I don't take it as a given.
2. I agree completely that a huge component of successful story telling is creating a relatable character. That being said, if I rely upon race or gender or orientation to create that relatability, then I'm only making the character relatable to readers of that particular race/gender/orientation. I haven't read Lolita, but, from everything Steerpike has written about it, the author was able to make a middle-aged child molester into a relatable character. I think we, as authors, would be better served learning how to make any character that we choose to write relatable rather than relying on factors like race, gender, orientation, etc.
3. I hear the following advice on this site and from other authors all the time: tell the story you want to tell. Trying to figure out what the market wants and provide that, according to a blog post championed by a lot of people on this site, is a horrible idea. If you are passionate about telling that story about a particular group that you feel isn't represented, I think you absolutely should tell those stories. Your writing will be better for it. For you to tell me that I should include such representation when I'm not passionate about it is, I believe, foolhardy in the extreme.
For me, not even a little bit.
I've been trying to avoid getting back into this, but I seemed to have failed
1. Obviously, this statement is the one I've had the most trouble with. It seems those on the other side of this argument take this as a given. The main point of contention seems to be that I don't take it as a given.
2. I agree completely that a huge component of successful story telling is creating a relatable character. That being said, if I rely upon race or gender or orientation to create that relatability, then I'm only making the character relatable to readers of that particular race/gender/orientation. I haven't read Lolita, but, from everything Steerpike has written about it, the author was able to make a middle-aged child molester into a relatable character. I think we, as authors, would be better served learning how to make any character that we choose to write relatable rather than relying on factors like race, gender, orientation, etc.
3. I hear the following advice on this site and from other authors all the time: tell the story you want to tell. Trying to figure out what the market wants and provide that, according to a blog post championed by a lot of people on this site, is a horrible idea. If you are passionate about telling that story about a particular group that you feel isn't represented, I think you absolutely should tell those stories. Your writing will be better for it. For you to tell me that I should include such representation when I'm not passionate about it is, I believe, foolhardy in the extreme.
The question to ask is, "Is diversity important to me?"
For me, not even a little bit.