Some other site today talked about choosing the right name for characters. which reminded me of an issue I am constantly confronted with. Is it permissable for me a white, middle-aged woman of European descent to make my characters black, ethnic, male, young ,etc?
Well maybe some of these things, but what about portraying African-Americans? Am I claiming ownership of experiences I haven't had when I write about a black man? Is it offensive? Should I even think I might be successful at it.
I wrote one story about a black man and his grandson a few years ago for a journal that deals with disabilities. The man was deaf in the story. Now I had no problem with thinking I could show what it was like to be deaf but I chickened out on his being African-American and took out all the hints. I probably know more about being black than deaf but didn't concern myself with offending the deaf community who would be more likely to read the story in the journal it was in. Should I stick with portraying a white world? Isn't that more offensive in the end?
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Unless all you write about is white women of European decent, then every character is going to be laying claim to experiences you haven't had. Whether it's a white man or a white boy or a teenage girl.
Most of the writers and producers on THE WIRE are middle aged white guys, but that doesn't stop them from vividly recreating young black men as characters.
"but didn't concern myself with offending the dead community..."
You mean the deaf community, right? Though I have to admit, your typo made me wonder if my zombie stories might offend the dead community. :)
I would be hesitant to make the central character--the protagonist-African-American, American Indian or from some culture vastly different from mine. I could not legitimately speak to the experiences that make the character valid.
Secondary characters who serve more as background or an "ear" or "eyes" are different.
It's sort of similar to how you don't find white people specializing in African American politics or literature at most universities any longer.
Thanks, Christa. Insomnia takes its toll. I'll fix it although you could be right. Maybe that would be the more interesting story.
And in a Freudian slip, my attempted novel is about a mortician.
Did Shakespeare ask himself that question before he wrote King Lear? How about John Ball before he wrote In the Heat of the Night. Or Jim Sallis before starting his series?
Bill-the first two examples predate political correctness and the era of "owning experiences." With that said, I agree with you. If we try to limit our imaginations in such a fundamental way, we will limit it in all ways.
We all have to step out of our comfort zone. Writing involves portraying the experiences of a person who isn't us, so it doesn't matter if they're male or female, black, white, orange or alien, we have to learn to walk in their shoes.
Interestingly enough, this is a question I was asked about in an interview coming out next week. The naming thing I worry about more. A name has to embody a character, and I find that tricky.
It's not about how we feel walking in their shoes that worries me. It's how others feel having me walk in them. If I ask the guy that teaches African-American politics in my dept. he will tell me I can't walk the walk and I can't talk the talk. No way. I may try and probably I should try, but it will never be exactly right. But not trying at all is a whole other problem.
Names are subjective to me. Your associations depend on your age, economic group and area of the world.
It's good titles that haunt me. How to define a work in four or five words?
But maybe some people just appreciate that others even try to understand their experiences? Not arguing, just suggesting.
I dearly hope so Sandra because this novel I am trying to write has entirely African-American men in it. The problem for me has been not writing them to be too noble in contrast with the evil female protagonist.
It is too bad, isn't it, that there are so few black writers in this world we inhabit online to guide me.
Thanks for your always thoughtful comments.
Writing about people other than yourself, regardless of what the differences are, is what good (and challenging) writing is about. It's called an imagination, and it doesn't stop at new environments, or new plots; it deals with everything, including ethnicity. People with different backgrounds are still people.
the most alien to me are middle-aged white women even though i am one. many MAWW travel in packs and are loud, obnoxious, and opinionated.
that said, it is of my opinion that most black people would not be offended. some might, but all writing offends somebody.
Anne-I know exactly what you mean. It's easier and more natural to write men than to look in a mirror and write women.
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