Why Diversity in Our Writing is So Important - "The Danger of a Single Story"

[Jabrosky]

I once did daydream about a male secretary character who worked for the President of the United States, who was also the woman he loved. He had to defend her from a CIA coup that broke into the White House to assassinate her. Not sure if such a scenario would be remotely plausible in our world, but it seemed an awesome idea at the time.

 

[Graylorne]

So I went over what I'd written last night, and I decided to change something, just for the sake of adding a little bit of diversity into it. Not because it's needed or because it matters, but only and exclusively for the sake of "increasing diversity" (whatever that means).

Original sentence:


New version:


It's a really minor change, and it doesn't have any impact whatsoever on the story. Yet, I'm worried. Will this really small and insignificant change pull the reader out of the story and cause them to make a mental note of it, or will they just gloss it over like (I imagine) they'd have done if I'd kept the original version?

It's the kind of thing I'll have to remember to ask specifically about, because I doubt anyone would admit to stumbling on it.

If you do it only once, it could give an impression of special meaning. Just do it a few times more, and it adds authenticity. A female taxi driver, a male nurse, they exist after all.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

There was a great line on last night's Boardwalk Empire. Joe Kennedy in an outraged tone told Margaret Thompson that there are three things in the world he finds difficult to understand: "The work of the bees, the movements of the tide and the mind of a woman."

Margaret smiled and said, "Here is an experiment for you. Think about the things you want in life, then picture yourself in a dress."