writersmeadow

[writersmeadow]

Do not write about social issues you don't understand

A root of so many problems. Just as I believe that utter confidence in topic may create a counter-productive effect (J Maas really fucked up with "feminism" in her series), I believe that it can be wrong to force inclusion (even feed your writing for marketing purposes) of a social problem, when you clearly have no idea how. Let me explain by showing you how I dealt with ethnicity and race in my WIP.

As a white Slavic female, I understand the issues of ethnicity or misogyny, but not racial discrimination issues. This does not give me a right to disregard issues of people of colour - but because Slovakia is quite a monoracial country, it would be a very complicated topic to deal with in my writing. I have never had friends of different races and ethnicities until I moved to the Netherlands, and even there, I did not have a chance to deeply connect with e.x. African Americans. I may understand this issue from an outsider point, but unless I will have a community of people who suffer because of racism, I cannot understand it fully.

I have dealt with ethnic discrimination and stereotypes throughout different media and life experiences. I know what it is like to be portrayed as an evil mafia “rashan gopnik” Jurij the assassin, as well as plastic gold digger Anastasia, to feel like I have no right to be in an independent nation (Slovakia-Hungary, Russian Occupation), or that "I only know how to drink vodka" and be a "poor brainwashed pretty Slavic girl" etc. Thanks to my Indian friends in Europe e.x., I know how common it is to be labelled as “the cheap migrant” who should “return to their country”. Same does not go for social issues of solely racial discrimination in the country with history of racial injustice.

I would not recommend authors to write about problems they cannot understand deeply.

You can, however, gain a deep understanding and do your research before addressing these issues in your writing.

Example: As a university Japanese minor, I dig deeply into this country, study language and history and directly communicate with members of the country. Do not make a large inclusion of Japanese culture unless you are exposed and educated about the history and social issues, know Japanese people and respect their opinions on the topic. It will, more often, end up in J.K. Rowling ethnicity disaster (Viktor Krum and Cho Chang????). Mind that with more inclusion, your responsibility to do more research comes.

Ways to solve this

To deal with a complication like this in my socially-motivated writing, I decided to build the world on made-up ethnicities, where discrimination is represented by portraying it in different sources of magic. Some users of one source believe that their magic is better, even to the point of colonising and enslaving the others. This is an important aspect in my book. I believe that by making sure I will be able to portray discrimination issues whilst making sure (!)I am not stealing ethnical and racial history and culture(!) will be the best solution for someone who was not exposed to certain aspects of it.

(!) It also does not mean my book will be full of white people. I include various races in my book, this is out of question (you should also mind the stereotypes and remain respectful in your writing - not using terms "sexy chocolate skin", "smart almond eyes" etc, lack of exposure does not excuse ignorance - it is also highly uncreative). But races do not play the same role as on Earth, you ethnical identity is linked to imaginary sources.

I definitely plan to include topics of human race (and ethnicity) as an important social aspect in my next works, when I will be able to communicate with those to who it concerns - digging into other cultures, whether that will be Indian, Ethiopian or Latvian one, or racial issues of African Americans, Asians or Latinos,... For now, I do not feel brave enough to portray those topics correctly and mindfully. Therefore, I will not feed my novel off those issues - out of respect for the culture I have not been exposed to and cannot fact-check properly with.

To close this miserably long essay with, if you want to address a social issue in your WIP, dig deep, make sure to be exposed, connected and educated, beware of stereotypes and don't be J. K. Rowling and Sarah J. Maas. Na zdravie!

[writersmeadow]

I crawled in the shower, barely. But now, for what felt like the first time, I felt it. For the first time, I wasn't showering to get clean and get dressed. I felt the tiny droplets on my skin, the way the torrid gleam embraced the corners. I wanted to consume all and nothing, the redness of skin, the peace it brought. And the tears sprinkled on the soft porcelain as I was hugging the showerhead to feel more alive - never in a long time have I felt so warm.