Does the race or ethnicity of a writer matter?

[Jimmie]

As an author and being multicultural, Native American, Hispanic, and a French Cajun from Louisiana, I am concerned that a trend may be developing that an author may be criticized for writing outside their ethnic group or race.
As a happenstance of genetics, I fit into several ethnic groups but do not claim to own the exclusive rights to write about them. I understand the need for diverse voices to be heard, and that's an incredibly good thing. But literature should be judged on its own merits and not who the author's parents are.
What say You?

[Ian]

I've seen that trend and I agree with you. IMO what's happening is harmful and can build resentment against and actively endanger the idea it's supposed to support.

I've never been a university professor, a woman, an assassin, an emperor's bodyguard or a colonist on another planet. As a writer it's up to me to research enough to allow me to write from those perspectives well enough to tell a good story.

I have been an autistic child struggling to understand a bewildering world, a university student, a bureaucrat, and a grumpy old man resisting other people's idea of "progress", so I feel I can write those perspectives with some authenticity. I have incorporated all of those into my stories, though only from my singular experience. And I certainly don't begrudge other writers using those points of view no matter their background.

That's what writers do! Without that ability, the writing world would be a sterile and joyless place.

I believe the important drive for more diverse voices should focus on allowing people with a variety of perspectives to be heard, and allowing them to tell the stories that they believe need to be told.

It should not be about shutting other writers down.

[Graeme]

I posted the comment...

'I couldn't agree more, Jimmie.

It'd be incredibly boring if we were only allowed to talk about ourselves.'

Here about 3 hours ago and it vanished.

[Graeme]

Oh, I get it there are two identically named threads.

Hi Jimmy, nice to meet you, as this is the 'active,' thread, I'll move it to the 'All Things Writing & Publishing' where it has a better fit.

I'll delete the duplicate thread.

Cheers Graeme

[Graeme]

Well said, Ian.

[J.J.]

It's a catch-22. As a white man, I'd rather write other white characters because I don't understand POC to the point where I could understand the minutia to make a fully believable character, and I'd be afraid of falling back on stereotypes. On the other hand, it creates a rather vanilla universe that doesn't represent reality.

That's what I like about far-future sci fi...POC won't have the same mannerisms, backgrounds, thoughts as POC today, so I think you can be forgiven for how they might act or behave or feel in that future time period.

That said, I think you really have to understand your audience as a writer. For example, go check out the gay romance categories on Amazon. You'd think the gay community would be one of the biggest proponents of diversity, and yet most if not all those books have white characters on the cover. Take a closer look, and a lot of those books are actually written by women.

To the writers here, if you're writing a diverse character just for the sake of catering to your audience, make sure that's what your audience actually wants, and it's not just the cries and complaints from people who would never read your work or that genre anyway.

[Nik]

Sometimes funny to watch Russian characters in American/foreign movies. Often naive and stereotypical, sometimes - more complex and authentic. Generally - a fair attempt.
In lit it’s less manifesting

[Scout]

Jimmie, I agree with your statement: " But literature should be judged on its own merits and not who the author's parents are." I'd add what sex you are. I wouldn't have had much to read when I was growing up if I'd limited my reading to female authors - they just didn't have the access to being published that males did. So I grew up on Thomas Hardy, Henry James, Daniel Defoe, Flaubert, and Tolstoy, who wrote pretty good female characters. As for everything else I read, most of it was written by males with male protagonists. That's just the way it was, and they were all white. But things have changed, and now authors are criticized for writing outside their ethnic experience, for appropriating other groups' identities. I remember that James Patterson wrote a series of books from the point of view of a black detective, Alex Cross. Not sure he could do that now.

[Jimmie]

Scout
Thanks for your comments.
P.S. I love the list of your favorite books. All Steinbeck novels, Catch 22, and Catcher on the Rye are books I’d would add to that list. . I named my daughter Eustacia from T Hardy’s “Return of the Native”.
Jimmie

[Barbara]

I want a well written story, good plotting, engaging and memorable characters. Write that, and I don't care if your characters are from Mars, or if you are, either.

[Scout]

JImmie, we have the same taste in books, as I've so enjoyed Steinbeck, Heller, and Salinger. So cool that you named your daughter Eustacia.

To answer the question the thread poses, I seek out authors of other races and ethnicities. How else to expand my world view? I'm currently re-reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

[Lizzie]

Scout, I agree with your comment regarding the sex of authors and James Patterson's Alex Cross series. Personally, I don't pay attention to the race or gender of an author. I do mostly read sci fi and legal thrillers, which I think make it much more irrelevant than some other genres.

[Nik]

Wonder how big are male authors in chic-lit or romance?

[Lizzie]

Nik wrote: "Wonder how big are male authors in chic-lit or romance?"

I wonder if they use a pen name, does it matter? I don't read those genres, so have no idea whether it matters.

[Lizzie]

There is an author I read who started a huge series of science fiction while the author's birth gender was male. When I first started reading it, my assumption was it was written by a female. The main character was a strong female role. The first book was written at least 10 years ago, per my copy and used initials for the author.

About 2 years ago, the author announced starting the transgender journey and changed to a female name. She lost some readers (and possibly gained others).

I like the story, the characters, and the writing. As a reader, I don't care as long as more books in that universe keep coming out.

[J.]

Just muddying the waters.

There are a lot of Intersectionalists who assert that gender is a choice. What if a man who writes women badly, claims to be a woman?

[Barbara]

J. wrote: "Just muddying the waters.

There are a lot of Intersectionalists who assert that gender is a choice. What if a man who writes women badly, claims to be a woman?"

Then you've got a woman who writes women badly - really wanna run with that as a reason for your bad writing?

[Scout]

Touche (don't know how to do the diacritical mark).