- Joined
- Jan 2, 2010
- Messages
- 7,280
- Reaction score
- 3,141
I've started something, it seems. Is this why you fellows voted me Best Contributor?
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I agree with every word of this. I am a white cis male, so I am seen as basically the "default" in media, including literature. People like me are represented disproportionately in all forms of media at the expense of those who are not like me. The genre I write in, fantasy, is especially guilty of being very white-and-male centric, and is worse off for it. As a result, I have made a point of being as inclusive and diverse as I can in my writing - of my six current POV characters, only one is white, and most characters I've introduced are not white either. Many of them aren't even straight, and several possess disorders or mental illnesses. As a white cis male, writing these sorts of characters can be challenging, because I do not share some of those attributes, and so seeing the world through their eyes and analyzing how those attributes contribute to their personalities and characters does not come naturally. However, contributing even in some small way to greater diversity in literature is important, and so it's a challenge I gladly take on.Except that's not what we were saying at all? We're not talking about "strong female characters," we're talking about good characters who happen to be female. And not only is there is a big difference between the two, it is a really important thing to be discussed. Like it or not, it IS a legitimate issue, not just people choosing to see it as one because they're not a straight white male. Just "writing what you're comfortable with" is nothing but an excuse to not consider how being a member of an under-represented demographic actually affects people, and is ALSO a one-way ticket to stagnating as a writer.
People are people, no matter what. No one is disputing this fact. Neither is anyone saying that people of any race, gender, or orientation must have certain personality traits. I, at least, am trying to say that these factors in a character are still important and need to be considered, not that they should define the character. Yes, we'd all like to live in a utopia where those factors aren't a major part of society, but even if that were the case, they would still help to shape and define the characters because it's part of who they are, and to just ignore that is not only really insensitive, but also just bad characterization. Part of making believable characters is making varied characters, and that includes ones of different ethnicities and orientations. The fact that straight white male is considered a kind of default for writing is a sign that anyone who is not in that demographic is "different" enough to be considered abnormal.
We need people writing good female characters. We need people learning how to write good queer characters. We need people learning how to write good characters of non-white ethnicities. Because then we can not only grow as people and as writers, but we can help grow as a society as well.
Except that's not what we were saying at all? We're not talking about "strong female characters," we're talking about good characters who happen to be female. And not only is there is a big difference between the two, it is a really important thing to be discussed. Like it or not, it IS a legitimate issue, not just people choosing to see it as one because they're not a straight white male. Just "writing what you're comfortable with" is nothing but an excuse to not consider how being a member of an under-represented demographic actually affects people, and is ALSO a one-way ticket to stagnating as a writer.
People are people, no matter what. No one is disputing this fact. Neither is anyone saying that people of any race, gender, or orientation must have certain personality traits. I, at least, am trying to say that these factors in a character are still important and need to be considered, not that they should define the character. Yes, we'd all like to live in a utopia where those factors aren't a major part of society, but even if that were the case, they would still help to shape and define the characters because it's part of who they are, and to just ignore that is not only really insensitive, but also just bad characterization. Part of making believable characters is making varied characters, and that includes ones of different ethnicities and orientations. The fact that straight white male is considered a kind of default for writing is a sign that anyone who is not in that demographic is "different" enough to be considered abnormal.
We need people writing good female characters. We need people learning how to write good queer characters. We need people learning how to write good characters of non-white ethnicities. Because then we can not only grow as people and as writers, but we can help grow as a society as well.
I actually find girl characters difficult to write for. Up until AC-Prescott and I started taking Storm Island seriously, Andrea was a typical dumb-girl stereotype, being afraid of bugs, being a fashionista, being "absurdly attractive and beautiful" (actual quote from my first ever incarnation of the story), and having a crippling attraction to all of the boys she met. AC-Prescott said that simply wouldn't do and began to recraft the character into something much better and believable, thankfully.
Speaking of gender in writing, looking at the apparent demographics of the Fairground is quite interesting. It seems that on FF.net at least, most fanfic writers are girls (Out of respect for people's sanity, no linky to the Tv Tropes page) and most of the stories are essentially shippy fics. Here it looks like there's no particular majority and no particular prevailing sub-genre that I can see.
What does everyone else think?
I think fanfiction is a good way for beginning writers to develop, and journey fics are especially so for beginning writers who like Pokemon. There's a basic formula already present to use, so the writer can focus on playing with it in interesting ways and developing characterization.
As well as seasoned writers to sharpen their skills or just practice bending the rules in a "safe" setting