tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post6428623971375507307..comments2023-11-23T21:19:19.372-08:00Comments on The Green Bathtub: More on Diversity & Hacky SackingA.L. Sonnichsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11358456786727534289noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-59511585249197569512012-03-28T17:47:09.575-07:002012-03-28T17:47:09.575-07:00Yay for the hacky sack club!
And I had never tho...Yay for the hacky sack club! <br /><br />And I had never thought about writing color blind. I have to think more about this. Great follow-up Amy!Janet Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12688012956157161889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-27323627886584569722012-03-21T11:21:22.396-07:002012-03-21T11:21:22.396-07:00Thank you for all the great feedback. Just a coupl...Thank you for all the great feedback. Just a couple notes: Yes, that last idea (about switching a character's ethnicity after the first draft to avoid stereotypes) might only work if:<br />1. The character lives in a "melting pot" type of society where all ethnicities experience the same culture type. If the character's ethnicity plays a big part in the story you're writing, then obviously, this wouldn't work for you.<br />2. You write messy first drafts. (I think calling them "discovery drafts" is a polite label for them.) If you meticulously plan and research and character sketch before the first draft, then you'll find yourself frustrated with this way of going about discovering your character.<br /><br />Bottom line, if you are a messy first draft writer who writes modern-day or fantasy stories where you have wiggle room re: culture, this idea might work for you. :) If not, then it's definitely better to be deliberate from the beginning.A.L. Sonnichsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358456786727534289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-23359112845288371972012-03-21T07:39:15.682-07:002012-03-21T07:39:15.682-07:00Great follow-up, Amy. I do wonder whether it's...Great follow-up, Amy. I do wonder whether it's possible to be color blind in all cases. In a setting-focused book, for example, the character's ethnicity and background would inform a great deal of the plot. And there's the danger that the ethnicity choice would be arbitrary rather than organic--sometimes that's okay, but it depends on the story. I have a feeling that I may be misunderstanding your conclusion, though, so I'd love to hear your further thoughts!Faith E. Houghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03823750019164801104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-3143709434310560582012-03-20T13:21:27.918-07:002012-03-20T13:21:27.918-07:00An interesting post but I'm not sure I could w...An interesting post but I'm not sure I could write a first draft without knowing the ethnicity of the characters. There would be no context to their lives.Rosalind Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05363027308436257933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-90862906367983068982012-03-20T07:59:24.020-07:002012-03-20T07:59:24.020-07:00For those writers uncertain about the Do's and...For those writers uncertain about the Do's and Don'ts of writing diversity, I point your attention to an excerpt of a 1954 article about Children’s Literature, reposted on The Pen And Ink Blogpost, titled <a href="http://bit.ly/kx5HSm" rel="nofollow">How To Write Books for Boys and Girls</a><br />Sincerely,<br />The ManagementThe Pen and Ink Blogspothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01709195512534318571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-85626614761627013802012-03-20T07:16:03.534-07:002012-03-20T07:16:03.534-07:00Thanks for following this up. I've been thinki...Thanks for following this up. I've been thinking about this on and off all week as I revise my current work. It's set in America, and the people in it are American. I've never been there, but I know plenty of American readers who I won't hesitate to ask if I get it wrong, so why should it be different for ethnicity?Sarah Tokeleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13273148070092101085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-56752479372367298562012-03-20T06:22:45.646-07:002012-03-20T06:22:45.646-07:00Hey! Here I am!!! *waves* Newest HSC member. :o)
...Hey! Here I am!!! *waves* Newest HSC member. :o) <br /><br />This is such a great topic! Natalie over at Literary Rambles mentioned this--she has adopted Asian kids, and her complaint was lack of representation in kidlit. Or worse, book covers showing different ethnicities from the MCs. Ugh!<br /><br />The fear of "getting it wrong" is big for me. But that's for all kinds of characters. We just have to put our thinking caps on and be fair. People are people, and while we are all influenced by our family and culture, we all have common motivations. :o) <br /><br />Good stuff, Amy! <3LTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-59017406407227453122012-03-19T18:42:11.344-07:002012-03-19T18:42:11.344-07:00I like the colorblind comment. That's pretty g...I like the colorblind comment. That's pretty genius. I've loved this discussion. Thanks!Kelley Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06373650788799372118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-52218428418011190712012-03-19T14:27:55.129-07:002012-03-19T14:27:55.129-07:00I usually don't focus on ethnic background unl...I usually don't focus on ethnic background unless it's essential to the story. It's up to the reader to cast the characters based on their own experiences.Stinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11415189347501942340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-25051864930070798092012-03-19T13:58:28.078-07:002012-03-19T13:58:28.078-07:00I just realized that you're right, though. For...I just realized that you're right, though. For instance, when Kathryn Stockett wrote The Help, the only way she could HOPE to get the dialect right was to have been surrounded by it growing up. And even then, it's easy to question some stuff b/c she's white and many of the ladies in the book aren't.<br /><br />So you really have to have some knowledge of culture, if the MC isn't AMERICAN first, then ethnicity second. I could never write like Amy Tan or Lisa See, because I haven't grown up w/those cultural superstitions, etc.Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-30760268231355062882012-03-19T13:41:33.966-07:002012-03-19T13:41:33.966-07:00Susan, Great points! Stereotypes are tricky becaus...Susan, Great points! Stereotypes are tricky because there's usually some general truth to them, which is why they exist at all. It sounds like you're digging beyond the stereotypes, though, which is a wonderful thing. I can't wait to read your memoir!<br /><br />Wendy, You go, girl! :)A.L. Sonnichsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358456786727534289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-77175932498464405752012-03-19T13:13:03.766-07:002012-03-19T13:13:03.766-07:00I write with diversity...unafraid. If I've ste...I write with diversity...unafraid. If I've stepped out of bounds, I'm trusting my editor will pull me back in some way someday. But no fear--that's how I write.<br />~ WendyWendy Paine Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15136235074351188350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013340946541374911.post-92153756756443197442012-03-19T12:57:29.652-07:002012-03-19T12:57:29.652-07:00I love this follow-up to last week's post! I t...I love this follow-up to last week's post! I totally think it's fine to write about an ethnicity you aren't. I've written short stories about Chinese women and Indian men, but feel they worked because I could put myself in their shoes as the 'other' in a setting where they were different from most people. That's something I share with these characters. As for the stereotype issue, in my memoir I write about my Chinese ex-husband, who defied some stereotypes, yet held true to one or two other(s). I try to be sensitive about not perpetuating stereotypes, and hope I can demonstrate this sensitivity through the variety of characters in my story. It's definitely one of the biggest challenges of writing about diverse characters. <br /><br />I can't wait to read more about Samuel Park's new book! It looks great!Susan Blumberg-Kasonhttp://www.susanbkason.comnoreply@blogger.com