neverlandtm asked:
This may be a weird question but do you think someone white would be taken more seriously when writing different races and ethnicities if they kept their identity anonymous? I've been writing a book for that is full of different races and ethnic groups. I gave it to an editor & the first thing he said was "way to really reach the diversity quota here, you'll get more readers with this." This hurt. I truly love my characters. I don't want them seen as just a ploy or a bating tactic.
White Privilege, Publishing, and Diversity Quotas
As in most cases, white privilege works in the white author’s favor. More likely to be published in the first place (with or without a diverse cast), more likely to be praised for being inclusive, as seen here, basically the things Writers of Color are accused of and struggle with happen less, if at all, to white authors.
Your editor seeing you as reaching a diversity quota is their flaw, not necessarily that of your writing. Thinking of diversity in terms of quotas is going about it wrong, in my opinion. It’s interesting that your editor does recognize that diversity sells and is seeing the dollar signs, thus “you’ll get more readers for this” but hey.
Do not write in a way that is a ploy or a bating tactic and you will be fine.
That is, don’t do any of the following:
- Write PoC in solely to get more readers, money, pats on the back etc.
- Under develop your Characters of Color and/or lazily rely on stereotypes
- Consciously include “just enough PoC” to fit a mental or real diversity quota
- Feature them at the beginning only to sideline, underplay, or kill them off later.
However, do do the following:
- Write PoC because being inclusive is important, you want to represent the real world, give people reflections, etc
- Fully develop your Characters of Color, be mindful of stereotypes and learn how to subvert and avoid them
- Not concern yourself with quotas but instead just keep in mind your goals for an inclusive cast if it’s not something you do naturally (yet). No magical number required.
- Allow Characters of Color to live to see happiness. In a world where the “Black person dies first”, it’s rule-breaking to see PoC live sometimes.
There’s always going to be people who see inclusive writing as an attempt to reach a quota, whether that’s viewed negatively or positively. There is no quota! And no need to have to defend your choices as if white people are the only ones who should exist in stories unless it’s some book about a certain group or “the struggle.” As if a cast of all white people is ever scrutinized so closely.
Forget that noise and just write.
~ Colette
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