Over the holidays, I ran into a cousin and fellow writer at an annual family party. We picked up our adult beverages, moved away from the bar, located a quiet corner, and updated each other on our writerly lives.
He is a creative non-fiction author-for-hire. He built this
career from scratch. He runs it like the very real business it is. He
identifies a corporate or foundation’s publishing need(s) and then he presents
his proposal. I’m sure you’ve seen this type of vanity publication: “The
History of our Founders and Corporation X.” These volumes are usually presented
to important clients and employees on significant anniversaries. He’s made a
success of doing this writerly type of work for decades.
In 2023 he finished a historical biography of a prominent
local family. I’ve read it. Colonial Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the frontier
on the edge of turmoil, revolution, territorial wars, and illegal land grabs
for fifty years. Horrific massacres occurred on both sides. No one was
innocent. People switched sides and then labeled each other turncoats and
traitors. Brother met brother on the battlefield. Families split down the middle. It
was a violent era.
He didn’t pull any punches.
I asked him how the family responded to this presentation of
their raw, non-whitewashed history. He said deep-dive historical research was
part of the original agreement and everyone had freely signed the contract.
I was in awe. He sounded so confident. So staunchly sure of
himself. I think he was very brave to work against the grain when it could've negatively impacted his paycheck. And I told him
so.
Sidebar: It seems funny to me how so many of the old
powerhouse families who started off trying for world domination ended up one
hundred and fifty years later as two nice, faded older ladies living in a cramped apartment filled with too much big, clunky furniture, tarnished heirloom silverware, and a cat. There’s a story in there somewhere.
And then he asked me why I decided to color outside my genre
mystery and crime fiction lines by creating Gigi Pascoe, an LGBTQ+ transgender sleuth
in my Crescent City NOLA Mystery series.
It’s an easy answer. I love my creative writing community,
and when we explore the human heart, we need to show the real true world as it really
is - which means including diverse cultures and characters and deliberately
choosing underrepresented voices. This is especially critical as we move
forward into our immediate future. I can’t promise we won’t get swamped by
social media trolls and whitewashed misinformation, but if we press on with
telling our truths in our stories perhaps - just maybe sometime in the future
the truth in our voices will still be heard.
How do you feel about stepping outside of traditional genre boundaries in your writing and reading?
I enjoy it and will often seek out a genre bending book. It’s like salad after dinner. A palate cleanser to prepare you for a future course.
ReplyDeleteHi Kait - good morning! What a great analogy. Now that I've crossed the threshold into using diverse characters I can't go back. Anything else would seem too bland. LOL This reminds me of something one my mother's friends said at her memorial. He said my mom added spice to their community. Not sugar, he said. She wasn't sweet. She was the one who added spice to life. Lovely words.
DeleteNo problem when it comes to reading but i am careful in my writing because i do it, but try to make sure i do it right which sometimes requires research or someone to read something like a sensitivity reader because i want a genuine rather than stereotypical character.
ReplyDeleteHi Debra - you make an important point to avoid using a stereotype. I like to surprise my readers by playing against the stereotype and creating an Aha! twist or surprise moment. For instance, when Gigi Pascoe, my transgender sleuth strokes her Adam's apple. Not enough to take the reader out of the story, but enough to remind them something different is going on.
DeleteI'm happy to read any kind of story (other than horror and bodice-ripping romance) with any characters the author chooses, provided it is done well. For my own writing, however, if I think I need a sensitivity writer to assure I have a character or situation correct, I'll change it as a matter of expediency. I have too little time and too many stories to tell, as it is, to dive into personalities I do not understand sufficiently well to depict without others reading over my shoulder, so to speak. I know this is limiting, but we all draw lines somewhere, and (for now) that is one of mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim - I get it. I've done the same thing for expediency on some setting details. I can spend days down rabbit holes and sometimes with a looming deadline I can't afford to indulge my personal curiosity. To quote Andrew Marvell: "But at my back I always hear Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near." There's too much to learn! LOL
DeleteI'm fine with genre-bending and diverse characters, but very respectful of the characters I create.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret - I've always been respectful but find myself getting more so as I incorporate NOLA Voodoo loas and the Voodoo belief system that Aunt Babette Broussard has into my storyline. Plus, my dear friend and editor Ramona DeFelice Long was from Louisiana. When I told her I was setting my new series in New Orleans, she warned me: "You better get it right!" LOL
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