It's About Representation

"You'd sell more books if your main characters weren't gay--or whatever they are."

"You aren't a member of the community, so what makes you think you can accurately portray a (fill in the blank) person?"

I've heard both. The first statement was directed at me in person, the second was online and directed broadly. Both have merit in the sense that they're probably true.

But, as my friend Kate reminds me when I worry about stuff like this (and to be clear, I mean I worry about statement two, because I have never, and will never, care enough about sales numbers to justify making homophobes and racists more comfortable): It's about representation.

Simply put, there aren't enough gay characters, enough Latino characters, enough pick-your-underrepresented-group-and-stick-it-in-here characters in fiction (or in any media). We all need more.

What finally helped me reach peace about being a white, straight writer of the non-white, non-straight characters in Dry Run was the realization that I'm writing fiction. Yes, I did a lot of due diligence to get the thoughts and emotions of my characters as authentic as possible, and I hope I've done a good job, but my book is a fiction. It's made up. Joe and Devin and all the other characters are just--characters.

I want to get to a place where our choices in fiction are as varied as the people in the world. When deliberating over the "read or not-to-read" question about a book, I don't want to think about whether or not the main character in the story looks like me or shares my sexual orientation. I just want to know if it sounds like a good story. That's what I'm going for.

If you want to be educated about what it's like to be (fill in the blank again), seek out members of that group who are willing to share their experiences. Educating others isn't a responsibility of anyone in a particular group, but there are folks on Twitter and Facebook and in magazines and newspapers who are graciously talking. Listen.

Reading a work of fiction isn't the same education. But having lots of books full of diverse characters--reminding us that we are all worth writing and reading about--is important, too.

 

Dry Run launches in two weeks and a day, friends! Can't wait!