[ SECRET POST #5042 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5042 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 47 secrets from Secret Submission Post #722.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

(Cozy werewolf anon)

First off, those bookstagrammers are toxic. You have my permission to stop following them.

Secondly, as an author/reader I like the idea of #ownvoices for the TRADITIONAL US book market. #ownvoices has brought to light a LOT of the inequality in traditional book publishing which is heavily dominated by white men in MOST categories. (Outside of romance.) To me, it shows agents are trying to be more aware that the US market isn't majority white anymore and are trying to address the problem.

There's even one organization that goes through romance books and sorts them by if they have POC in them or not by publishing house and it's telling, very telling how LITTLE POC there are in the market and that's just in romance! I think there was 7 to 10% last year, maybe? And that was an actual increase from the years before.

Thirdly, as an author/reader I dislike how #ownvoices has been appropriated and wrested away from POC, LGBTQA, disabled, and non-neurotypical authors by neurotypical people trying to speak FOR them and how it should be used. Those people are toxic. They do NOT have a say in this fight. Listen to POC, LGBTAQ+, disabled, and non-neurotypical authors/readers when it comes to what THEY feel/want to see.

BECAUSE... YOU OWE NO ONE YOUR PERSONAL STORY. You do not have to out yourself as non-neurotypical, POC, LGBTQA, disabled, or a victim of trauma to WRITE about these issues. (Yes, because sexual assault/abuse victims get lumped into this.) People who say otherwise and demand your story are entitled, rude, and WRONG. So, write the story YOU want to write and makes you happy no matter what the main characters are. Do the research. Get sensitivity readers. Don't rely on stereotypes. That's part and parcel of the job of writing. As long as you don't HURT anyone deliberately, that's the best you can do. (And if you are making a point with what/how you write something and people MISS it, well, that's on them, not on you.)

FOURTHLY, if you're still worried, there's a difference between representation and diversity. You can have diversity in your stories without appropriating the representation of someone else's story. You can write about a POC having adventures in a world where race doesn't matter and isn't a correlation of medieval Africa/India/China or what have you. See Star Trek. You can put POC people, disabled people, non-neurotypical people in the background or in significant roles in your story that aren't necessarily the protagonist.

So much of what goes on is anecdotal, and no two people's lives are the same. I know for a fact people want to see something other than cis-het neurotypical, able bodied white people in stories and IF YOU PUT IN A GOOD FAITH EFFORT, they will not be like your toxic bookstagrammers (Who you should unfollow)and will be forgiving b/c they know no two people's lives are the same!

Lastly, if you want some POC, LGBTQA+ books that HAVE been traditionally published, check out CoolCurryBooks on Tumblr and twitter. She runs a database for scifi and fantasy books with and by POC, LGBTQA+ books.

I get your fears. I do. I have stories that worry me in the planning stages because of race. I have to remind myself, my characters are people first. Not their sex. Not their orientation. Not their skin color. They are people! I can't let my fears stop my stories. Go out and write the stories you want to write and make you happy! Bless.

[(Anonymous)]

This is an A+ comment. Thank you!

[(Anonymous)]

you're welcome, and thank you!

[(Anonymous)]

This comment perfectly says everything I wanted to say, but way better than I ever could. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Aww, thank you.