Seriously? What a load of old crap! Should black authors write about white people? Should sighted authors write about blind people? Should able-bodied authors write about disabled people? Should authors who grew up with their birth parents, write about adopted people? The list is endless - and f+&#@ng tedious. Your video displays super-ugly behaviour. Get off your high horse and settle yourself. Things are changing in publishing. Perhaps not as fast as you’d like, but . . . people are trying their best. Maybe if you recognised this, and praised their efforts, rather than scolding folk, you’d not be so bitter and twisted? You’d do better to stop your whingeing, and let other writers do as they do. For the record, I’m black, gay, adopted, blind and disabled. I also write middle grade fiction. I have a blessed, happy life. ☺️
@avivastudios23117 күн бұрын
I am African. Both my parents are African. And I am about to enter to storytelling scene. Wish me luck.
@Giovanna878218 күн бұрын
Question: If a black author writes a fantasy novel about African mythologie, with only black characters. Would that be problematic?
@juju106833 күн бұрын
That seems like a different topic from the one addressed in this video
@stgr666922 күн бұрын
If authors shouldn't write characters who have a different skin colour, gender, sexual orientation, etc., every story would only have characters of one skin colour, gender or sexual orientation. If your story excludes people who are not like you, it becomes a pretty boring story, I'm afraid. Stories are about the interaction of different people. And how is someone taking someone else's space? The space is virtually unlimited, as everybody can create an ebook and publish it on Amazon. Most of these books probably aren't good, but it's up the the readers alone to decide which books are worth to read.
@makerofeditsmovАй бұрын
I’m creating a character who I’d like to be a person of color but I don’t want their main focus to be on their race. How can I achieve this without undermining the fact that they ARE a person of color and HAVE HAD unique experiences because of it? Is it even necessary? Btw, they aren’t the main character, but they are a friend of the main character, so I do want to expand their personality more than I would a side character.
@DaleJones-uy5leАй бұрын
Can you send me your address
@DamianAlcoleaAtmanАй бұрын
As a gay white spanish author (with sooo much to learn), i appreciate very much your amazing analisis ❤ Thank you!!
@theboogyman569Ай бұрын
I have a black oc for PJO and came here to make sure he didn’t follow any harsh stereotypes. The few I know of that he follows have unrelated reasons He can’t swim because in many past lives he has drowned and since he is constantly partly possessed by said past lives he gets a brutal sense of dread yet draw to the ocean, being scared that he may just let himself drowned if he finds himself stuck in deep waters. He had an abusive dad because the dad was a contract killer(why Melinoe was interested in the parent in the first place since gods are attracted to those who represent their domains in some way) and he was practically raised up to be a weapon
@theboogyman569Ай бұрын
I wrote him because he is meant to be the doppleganger of Hazel, just like how Leo was the doppleganger of Sammy. So he’s black because he is identical to a canon black character for the story
@ChociewitkaАй бұрын
but would that logic not preclude POC people from writing non-POC people in their stories, as they do not share their experiences?
@juju106833 күн бұрын
Usually Black people or minorities of any kind know far more about white people than the reverse.
@niriopАй бұрын
“Only 15%” Literally the same proportion as amongst the general population. Why didn’t you check that before you said it?
@metalman4393Ай бұрын
Anyone who uses the phrase "people of colour" sounds more racist to me than the average "white" person. We all have colour, and it's high time we stop segregating ourselves with this racist language.
@B.B.H2.0Ай бұрын
Omg you are Sooooooooo gorgeous & The sound of your voice is soothing.
@AztridV13Ай бұрын
The way I RAN to watch this
@SussyDubby2 ай бұрын
I find the term poc to be highly racist, can you stop using this offensive term. Why are you lumping me in with every non white group?
@supergang89022 ай бұрын
Delusional people trying to see just how many other people they can get to buy into their delusions 🙄 🥴
@dopytheangel2 ай бұрын
I am puerto-rican and dont care if someone is racist. I have four african character(1 of which is a main character), One puerto-rican and a white character ( who is also a main character) in a fantasy story I am writing. I dont care. Oh and one mixed race. Any way Toodloo.
@saradiamondheart63372 ай бұрын
I get what you are saying! As a white person and passion to be a writer, thank you. I seriously appreciate videos like this as they’re eye opening and of course representation is important but it needs to be done right. As you said, an author shouldn’t put a minority character JUST to have a minority character. That’s tokenism and can easily lead to harmful stereotypes whether it’s intentional or not. And I see that some people in the comments aren’t getting it. She’s not saying that white authors can’t write minorities whatsoever, please really listen to what she says at 5:07. White authors of course can write minority characters but it should be done with the intention of them having an actual purpose to the story, not just something to check off on a list or to have them just to have them. That’s what she is saying. And of course she wants more minority authors to be brought to light, she is right, they do need to be brought to light. That is completely valid and what she said is true. An author of a minority will write a character of the same minority group better than an author who is not, that’s just the truth as one has a mutual understanding while another one doesn’t, at least not on a personal level. That doesn’t mean a white other can’t write good minority characters though, of course they can, it’s just important to do research as well as listen to minority voices. I hope to see more diversity in authors as well as I too believe it’s super important! ❤️ Thank you for making this video! ❤️
@user-ok2zs4eu7k2 ай бұрын
You're wrong on all counts. If an author can only write about things that they have personally experienced, then we wouldn't have all the remarkably complex characters of Shakespeare. Gay writers could only write about gays and POC couldn't include white characters. The poor couldn't have wealthy characters, etc. Literature is a way of bridging differences and experiencing different points of view. What you are suggesting is that artists don't consider how people all fit together. You can pick up a book and assume that all the characters are white, able-bodied, and middle class, or the author can tell you that Detective Miller is a middle-aged black man. 'Nuff said.
@StarlasAiko2 ай бұрын
I absolutely agree, and I am sick and tired of all those non-elves writing elvish characters. What would a human know about the elvish or dwarven experience? And maybe the reason there is such a low number of POC authors published because there is such a low number of POC authors? Lets look at the statistics of what percentage of white authors that are tyring to get published get rejected to the percentage of POC authors that are trying to get published getting rejected. I can say from direct first hand experience, this "only x% of included people are of X demographic" is complete bullshit. The company I worked for was slated for having only 5% of the workforce female, but guess what, 83% of female applicants got the job while less than 30% of male applicants even got a second interview. So, start looking at how many people of "marginalised" demographics actually are trying to become authors, and couinting only those who are trying, how many are succeeding, and compare that data against the equivalent white proportions or attempting and succeeding.
@cat52202 ай бұрын
Would I be right in saying that your problem isn't white people writing black characters - your problem is people writing token characters that are flat, pointless and don't do anything except float around in the background?
@timejumpertarot11142 ай бұрын
Geez Louise! How about you write the stories you want to write, and I’ll do the same.
@juju106833 күн бұрын
How about we all write better stories?
@timejumpertarot111421 сағат бұрын
@@juju10683 please drop a link. I’d love to read one of your stories.
@TimSkipperart2 ай бұрын
This is the stupidest thing I’ve seen all day. Only a total fool would want creative people to limit themselves to people exactly like them. Tell a good story and I will not give two shits who you are.
@whiteknob79443 ай бұрын
Only if you stop stealing our work and turning it black.
@JoleCannon4 ай бұрын
I'm a gay male mm romance author (publishing my first novel this year) and I almost didn't write it. I know it's not exactly the same as POC in the industry, but you mentioned queer stories. When I was researching authors, novels, and a community. What I originally found was hostile reactions to my questions and concerns. I'd found a forum and when a discussion about a book came up, usually by a cis woman, I'd state what I disliked about it. Immediatly I was attacked for my opinion. I was told I didn't know what I was talking about, that these books were not for me, it's women writing for women in a space they feel safe and that a man shouldn't come in and push them out. I became angry. I was being told that stories about my life, my experiences, and my trauma were not for me. Luckily, I found a few groups on Facebook that did not share these opinions. I'm part of a group of queer men who write mm romance, a few mixed groups of mm romance readers/writers, and even been on a few Facebook days where we rotate through male authors who discuss their work. We are not trying to take over mm romance, we are trying to be heard. These are our stories. I'm fine if non-gay women write mm romance. What I don't like is when we are fetishized and when that is brought up, attacked for not understanding or saying it's just a story, it's fiction, etc. While it is just fiction, these stories give people a false idea of the gay experience, our lives, and no matter how small, people will bring these ideas into their lives.
@furtivedolus25045 ай бұрын
More woke trash. How about concentrating on promoting GOOD literature and less on trying to segregate everyone?
@grimmdanny6 ай бұрын
As a person of "color" myself, I give full guilt-free permission to White Authors to write whoever, whatever, and however you want them to be written. To be used for whatever purposes you need it for. You don't need to be a black person to characterize fictional black characters. Not everyone's life experience is the same, and in your stories, you set the rules for the world these characters live in. Feel free to create and write black characters for whatever role you need them to play in YOUR story. Inclusiveness is NOT a requirement. In fact, as seen in the billions of dollars lost in various forms of media, from TV Shows, Games, Movies, and Comics, Diversity (identity politics) is a money-losing endeavor. Nobody wants it. Not even us POCs. Don't let this strange woman, a race-baiter, tell you what needs to be represented or how it should be represented. You are being steered into a path of incompetence and failure as an aspiring (or existing) author. People like this are narcissists who want to see themselves in other people's work-to satisfy their overvalued sense of self-worth. Do your own thing. Double-down on it. And don't be afraid!
@warmflash6 ай бұрын
Skin color genitals gender identity rules the world. Become an WOKE activist and you can have it all.
@phildiamond85496 ай бұрын
What a ghastly video.
@lizzielocket83576 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for this. As a white writer (currently working on my first book btw so COMPLETELY inexperienced just fyi) I place a great deal of importance in making my characters as realistic as possible. The very last thing I want is for any of them to just feel like a list of rigid bullet points that cannot be deviated from at any given point; and this, of course, extends to writing POC. On of my characters is part-Thai (I say PART-Thai btw because its an important part of her backstory that I’ll spend a lot of time exploring (just specifying bc I don’t want y’all thinking I’m whitewashing my own characters or something)) and I want to represent that without disrespecting the Thai culture. (‘Thai culture’? Is that right? Am I overthinking? I hope so.) I still have a lot more research to do and fleshing out of the character to do before I feel fully comfortable with my efforts. I don’t want her to become a bunch of bullet points. With all that said, I do have 1 question that I would really appreciate being answered: Is it ok to name a character who is a POC with a name not from their culture? eg. calling a Chinese character ‘Jimmy’ (not in the scenario where its said characters English name (I think that’s a thing, isn’t it? Am I overthinking again?)) I ask this question in relation to the same character I was talking about earlier, which again, is to do with her backstory. I don’t want anything to come of as disrespectful. Thank y’all so much for reading, thank you for making this video, and I hope you have/have had a wonderful day.
@5Gburn6 ай бұрын
Segregation, much? I'd like you to try an experiment: substitute the "white" in "white authors" in your video title to any of the following and see if it'd fly: *Black *Jewish *Muslim *Gay *Lesbian... Stop, please stop, bucketing white people based on them being white, and any of the other groups based on their stereotypes (including how they feel about any given thing). I'm a Jewish conservative from Bloods territory in Los Angeles, for example. If you think I don't say "yo," well you're wrong, dawg. Maybe we should think about the *actual* roots of a person: how and where they grew up. Better believe there are preppyblacks who grew up in the suburbs.
@catherinemichele27103 ай бұрын
Agreed. I'm a white person who grew up one of the few white families in the projects. I really don't think anyone would like for me to write the reality of the people who made our lives a living hot spot. If someone wants their heritage written better then by all means do a better job. Help the world learn by your story and not your prejudice.
@reezethevampire6 ай бұрын
Are we supposed to be surprised that minorities make a minority of authors? Seems like the term kinda implies itself. PS: calling people racist because they dont like modern politics being injected into their fantasy novels lacks an unbelievable amount of perspective. The fact you can make this entire video based on the premise of properly representing a person and make such a ridiculous claim shows a catostrophic lack of self awareness.
@lindmo7 ай бұрын
Hold on a minute! "Only" 15% of the workforce in publishing are represented by all etnic minorities? There is an "overwhelming racial gap"? Really? Well, considering that only 18% of the UK population belongs in that group and the number was 14% in 2011 and 9% in 2001 ... I'd say that figure to be just about right in a society without racism. It seems to me that you are advocating for an over-representation of etnich minorities that can only be achieved through active discrimination of white people.
@OMG21ization7 ай бұрын
Happy Holidays Lois 💖🎉 I hope you're well and we'll get to see you again soon 😊
@WJPindar7 ай бұрын
I might get canceled for this we will see but I googled it and the united states is 75% white so the 79.2% white publishing isnt really that big of a skew imo. www.census.gov/quickfacts/
@humanbeing22827 ай бұрын
Your sentiment at 5:14 that “serious attention needs to be given as to why that non white character needs to exist in your story” reinforces the idea that white is default. If, for white authors, white characters are allowed to exist inherently but BIPOC characters require a specific justification that means that you’re asking white authors to treat BIPOC characters like a plot device almost. BIPOC characters aren’t allowed to just exist with their own internal lives, they must exist for a purpose. I’m not saying that stereotypes and token characters aren’t a problem, they are a problem whether they contribute to the demonization or fetishization of a group. But I don’t think it’s a problem because they fail to capture the nuance of the represented group, it’s a problem because characters that are poorly developed and one dimensional shouldn’t go in your story and token characters are often that. I find it very odd to argue that all minority characters must be written with the nuance of the cultural and societal factors that they’ve experienced at the forefront of their characters because 1) it implies a lack of an ability of the part of minority characters to engage with common experiences because those experiences must be colored by their race or gender etc. And 2) minorities aren’t a monolith. Even if 1 was true you cannot make the argument that all members of one minority share the same set of experiences and reactions to stimuli because they don’t. They’re individuals with their own thoughts and feelings. As much as race permeates society and affects each member of an identity group it affects them all differently. I think the issue with tokenization is that white authors are not writing token minorities with empathy, instead as characters that exist to look pretty in the background rather than characters with their own thoughts, and opinions, and well rounded traits. You mention in another comment that you think race should affect personality, experiences and story because not all races have the same experiences. But not even all members of the same minority group have the same experiences, nor the same reactions because minorities aren’t a monolith so I don’t think even that will fix the problem. Obviously stereotypical representations should be cut out with a knife but I don’t think we should argue white authors should cut out minority portrayals altogether unless they have a purpose. White authors should instead be writing minorities with the same level of depth and complexity to the white characters in the story, even if the same level of nuance can’t be achieved. This all being said I agree that we need to increase the amount of diverse voices in publishing, it can only be a positive trend.
@half_lazy497 ай бұрын
So I was wanting a diverse cast of ethnicities in my story/webcomic that relates to the plot, so will need to do a lot of research on their cultures etc. however I won’t write as if I’m living that experience as it isn’t appropriate for me to do so. Thanks so much for the informative content, it has really helled
@noelhoward6107 ай бұрын
Why is the perspective of a black person different for a white person?
@gregsky017 ай бұрын
Genuine question here as a first time author looking to self-publish. I have written characters of colour that I feel are integral to my story for a few reasons. For one, I have written one as the heart of the story as she is the smartest character, the one that is able to look at the bigger picture in situations where other characters are too willing to rush in without a proper plan and also has a previous tie to the antagonist. I have also given her a sister who is a bridge between her new and former life who is going through her own conflict on whether to leave and start a new life or whether to stay with the antagonist. I have first and foremost made sure to write these characters as characters and avoided tokening. It is worth noting; however, that my story takes place in 1877 and I felt it necessary to make reference to the difficulties these characters would face in a post-civil war America. This is not the focal point of these characters but I feel it would be inauthentic to write them as if none of these troubles existed in the time period. My intention is to do this as respectfully as possible and as such have not gone into too much detail on this as 1, it's not what my story is about and 2, I don't feel like it's my place to drudge up the pain of the past. But in researching the time period, I have also found many stories of black figures that have gone mostly untold that I feel are very important and I want to honour that in some way as well. My question is, does it sound like I'm getting the balance right here? I want to tell a diverse and authentic story without causing any offence and that's why I'm here.
@5Gburn6 ай бұрын
Write the story you want to write. We need to stop kowtowing to this overblown sense of having to get everything right and molding our creative vision so that it's popularized--which has frankly been fueled by social media into an absolute garbagefire. At the end of the day, every person is unique, but common human experiences abound. Write about those and you'll be golden.
@anna_taylorsversion137 ай бұрын
Oh gosh I hate this video so much. WHO cares if the writers are black or white? This video is so racist. Just because someone isn’t black, it doesnt mean they can write and jus because someone is black doesnt mean they can write, „Non white readers want stories to be presented in“ I do not care if a book character is black or white. And so does no one else. You’re so annoying with your made up racism. You’re the kind of girl who says. „Ewww I hate white people! They’re so racist“
@happymystake41237 ай бұрын
The amount of people in this comments who didn't watch the full video and are just commenting to be reactionary
@anarkia28627 ай бұрын
Its funny because housework was seen in a similar light
@TheWorldOfDK8 ай бұрын
Hello. I am working on my first book which is going to be all about inclusiveness and I came to find your video as part of my research. I understand where you are coming from and agree 'to a point' that no one can tell an authentic story from a different person's perspective better than that person who is experiencing it, of course; it goes without saying. I want to point out though that as works of fiction, 'being' fiction [does] give, (and should give) authors the license to be creative with the characters they create and do not necessarily 'need' to feel bound to reality, unless that is the author's overall goal. But then they'd be writing non-fiction, of course. Take movies about celebrities (any celebrity), most, if not all, movies about celebrities are exaggerated beyond how the real person actually lived because who would pay for a movie ticket to see (what would, in essence be) a documentary. So, it is entertainment, it is fiction. But, I think instead of telling white authors to stop doing something... it 'sounds' like what you really have a problem with is that the PUBLISHERS are choosing to work with white authors more than people of color. Is that correct? I am trying to write a hopeful (and hopefully inspirational) story based on real life events with fictional characters and even though you said you are not telling white authors to stop it, it still kinda sounds like you are saying it anyway. Because you are. White authors have nothing to do with who publishers work with. The statistics you shared only confirms 'published' authors, correct? (emphasizing published) If so, it is still only half the situation. You'd need to include statistics of non-published writers and the demographics of those authors therein to capture the full scope of the problem. I am not even looking for a publisher (myself), I just want to self-publish this first book and if it should garner interest, great, but it is not my motivation in writing this story. Please be mindful that while (it appears) there are authors (and publishers) that may fit into your narrative, there are other people out there, like myself, who, out of sincerity and over a year of research simply want to tell a story that people can connect with. Both myself and my Korean wife of 20+ years were bothered by your generalizations of the entire world; in her case being lumped into a category of people who only want stories of people of color, told by people of color. I personally, would love to see equality for all authors of all backgrounds and to that end, we'd need to start at the industry level to start making that change to make that difference. Create your own publishing company that primarily focuses on people of color and gives them the platform that they deserve. Thank you for your time in reading my lengthy comment, please know that I mean this as constructively as possible.
@antoniot37348 ай бұрын
*promo sm* 👀
@7daifan9 ай бұрын
I really appreciate this video. I recently started my writing journey but as a white author I already knew that there were going to be some challenges writing any non-white characters. I don't want to misconstrue or misrepresent the very real experiences that people of color face... Perhaps when I become a more skilled writer (and after doing tons of research) I can try, Or maybe not, either way, thank you for the video!
@th3logician9 ай бұрын
As an 'minority' author, I personally don't care. I think it's absurd to nitpick another person's writing. It's a book. If you don't like what you are reading, read a different one. I don't think anything can even be a misrepresentation becuse each book is a representation of the author themselves, not nessesarily the characters they write about. There are infinite variations of people and to say that a certain type of person 'shouldn't be written that way' is inevitably going to invalidate a person who is actually like that sort of character. It may not fit with how YOU think of yourself. You may even strongly dissagree with how that character lives their life or thinks about certain topics, but ultimately that type of person is bound to exist. As far as the majority of authors being white goes: what are the majority of readers? The size of the readership is (to a certain extent) going to affect the amount of writers in that area. The majority of writers are white women. Why? Because the largest group of readers in America is also white women. If someone wants to write: they write. If people like the book: it sells. If you have a problem with the book: that's fine, but it's not an author's responsibility to validate the reader. Any book written is ultimately for the author themselves. If it has good representation: fantastic! Excellent choice, but sometimes the purpose of a character isn't to be themselves but to affect the main character in the way the author needs them to: aka stereotypes. If the MAIN character of a book is a minority than that probably needs more consideration, but even in that case: books sell according to what people enjoy reading and identify with. You wanting to shove your own perspective of how a POC should be represented is frankly very close-minded and a little bit elitist.
@andeeharry10 ай бұрын
this is great, thanks for sharig. It always pays to research
@catzov10 ай бұрын
Simply write black characters as criminals or gang members. Give them a prison back story, or give them an attempt at music career (rapping) or an unsuccessful sports career. They're easier to write than white characters. Make the character promiscuous & violent (short fuse) with hate for Asian people. Viola!
@MaedBetweenthePages10 ай бұрын
I know this has already passed but I just wanted to say I love that you host this every year :) Here for the bi pride! 💕💜💙
@LochanReads10 ай бұрын
Thank you so much Taylor!! I'm just glad I ended up doing it this year at all lol hopefully next time around my life will be less chaotic! 😅 Happy bi pride to you too xxx 💙💜💙💜💙💜
@googaasponcon10 ай бұрын
Subscribing so I don't miss the follow-up video! Very interested in your perspective, and I get what you were saying in the video (don't include token minority/marginalized characters, essentially). I think there's also something to be said for self-reflection; as a white, queer author, I know that I'm deep enough in queer culture to do a good job telling a variety of queer stories, but I am DEFINITELY not deep enough in black culture to write a black character without falling back on stereotypes. And I'd rather admit that to myself and do the work of growing than just soldier on and write rubbish.
@LochanReads10 ай бұрын
yesss thank you!! hopefully I'll put that video out soon! ❤️️ I'm glad you understood the point about tokenism :)
@facelesssmoon976510 ай бұрын
Okay; so I haven't actually watched this yet haha, (sorry!!) but I just wanted to say thanks in advance for the help, I'm about to write a fan fiction requested by one of my readers who is a POC and I just really want to get this right :)) she's one of my besets friends, and I also want to expand my repertoire of writing characters without coming off as disrespectful. Thanks a lot for the help
Пікірлер
Seriously? What a load of old crap! Should black authors write about white people? Should sighted authors write about blind people? Should able-bodied authors write about disabled people? Should authors who grew up with their birth parents, write about adopted people? The list is endless - and f+&#@ng tedious. Your video displays super-ugly behaviour. Get off your high horse and settle yourself. Things are changing in publishing. Perhaps not as fast as you’d like, but . . . people are trying their best. Maybe if you recognised this, and praised their efforts, rather than scolding folk, you’d not be so bitter and twisted? You’d do better to stop your whingeing, and let other writers do as they do. For the record, I’m black, gay, adopted, blind and disabled. I also write middle grade fiction. I have a blessed, happy life. ☺️
I am African. Both my parents are African. And I am about to enter to storytelling scene. Wish me luck.
Question: If a black author writes a fantasy novel about African mythologie, with only black characters. Would that be problematic?
That seems like a different topic from the one addressed in this video
If authors shouldn't write characters who have a different skin colour, gender, sexual orientation, etc., every story would only have characters of one skin colour, gender or sexual orientation. If your story excludes people who are not like you, it becomes a pretty boring story, I'm afraid. Stories are about the interaction of different people. And how is someone taking someone else's space? The space is virtually unlimited, as everybody can create an ebook and publish it on Amazon. Most of these books probably aren't good, but it's up the the readers alone to decide which books are worth to read.
I’m creating a character who I’d like to be a person of color but I don’t want their main focus to be on their race. How can I achieve this without undermining the fact that they ARE a person of color and HAVE HAD unique experiences because of it? Is it even necessary? Btw, they aren’t the main character, but they are a friend of the main character, so I do want to expand their personality more than I would a side character.
Can you send me your address
As a gay white spanish author (with sooo much to learn), i appreciate very much your amazing analisis ❤ Thank you!!
I have a black oc for PJO and came here to make sure he didn’t follow any harsh stereotypes. The few I know of that he follows have unrelated reasons He can’t swim because in many past lives he has drowned and since he is constantly partly possessed by said past lives he gets a brutal sense of dread yet draw to the ocean, being scared that he may just let himself drowned if he finds himself stuck in deep waters. He had an abusive dad because the dad was a contract killer(why Melinoe was interested in the parent in the first place since gods are attracted to those who represent their domains in some way) and he was practically raised up to be a weapon
I wrote him because he is meant to be the doppleganger of Hazel, just like how Leo was the doppleganger of Sammy. So he’s black because he is identical to a canon black character for the story
but would that logic not preclude POC people from writing non-POC people in their stories, as they do not share their experiences?
Usually Black people or minorities of any kind know far more about white people than the reverse.
“Only 15%” Literally the same proportion as amongst the general population. Why didn’t you check that before you said it?
Anyone who uses the phrase "people of colour" sounds more racist to me than the average "white" person. We all have colour, and it's high time we stop segregating ourselves with this racist language.
Omg you are Sooooooooo gorgeous & The sound of your voice is soothing.
The way I RAN to watch this
I find the term poc to be highly racist, can you stop using this offensive term. Why are you lumping me in with every non white group?
Delusional people trying to see just how many other people they can get to buy into their delusions 🙄 🥴
I am puerto-rican and dont care if someone is racist. I have four african character(1 of which is a main character), One puerto-rican and a white character ( who is also a main character) in a fantasy story I am writing. I dont care. Oh and one mixed race. Any way Toodloo.
I get what you are saying! As a white person and passion to be a writer, thank you. I seriously appreciate videos like this as they’re eye opening and of course representation is important but it needs to be done right. As you said, an author shouldn’t put a minority character JUST to have a minority character. That’s tokenism and can easily lead to harmful stereotypes whether it’s intentional or not. And I see that some people in the comments aren’t getting it. She’s not saying that white authors can’t write minorities whatsoever, please really listen to what she says at 5:07. White authors of course can write minority characters but it should be done with the intention of them having an actual purpose to the story, not just something to check off on a list or to have them just to have them. That’s what she is saying. And of course she wants more minority authors to be brought to light, she is right, they do need to be brought to light. That is completely valid and what she said is true. An author of a minority will write a character of the same minority group better than an author who is not, that’s just the truth as one has a mutual understanding while another one doesn’t, at least not on a personal level. That doesn’t mean a white other can’t write good minority characters though, of course they can, it’s just important to do research as well as listen to minority voices. I hope to see more diversity in authors as well as I too believe it’s super important! ❤️ Thank you for making this video! ❤️
You're wrong on all counts. If an author can only write about things that they have personally experienced, then we wouldn't have all the remarkably complex characters of Shakespeare. Gay writers could only write about gays and POC couldn't include white characters. The poor couldn't have wealthy characters, etc. Literature is a way of bridging differences and experiencing different points of view. What you are suggesting is that artists don't consider how people all fit together. You can pick up a book and assume that all the characters are white, able-bodied, and middle class, or the author can tell you that Detective Miller is a middle-aged black man. 'Nuff said.
I absolutely agree, and I am sick and tired of all those non-elves writing elvish characters. What would a human know about the elvish or dwarven experience? And maybe the reason there is such a low number of POC authors published because there is such a low number of POC authors? Lets look at the statistics of what percentage of white authors that are tyring to get published get rejected to the percentage of POC authors that are trying to get published getting rejected. I can say from direct first hand experience, this "only x% of included people are of X demographic" is complete bullshit. The company I worked for was slated for having only 5% of the workforce female, but guess what, 83% of female applicants got the job while less than 30% of male applicants even got a second interview. So, start looking at how many people of "marginalised" demographics actually are trying to become authors, and couinting only those who are trying, how many are succeeding, and compare that data against the equivalent white proportions or attempting and succeeding.
Would I be right in saying that your problem isn't white people writing black characters - your problem is people writing token characters that are flat, pointless and don't do anything except float around in the background?
Geez Louise! How about you write the stories you want to write, and I’ll do the same.
How about we all write better stories?
@@juju10683 please drop a link. I’d love to read one of your stories.
This is the stupidest thing I’ve seen all day. Only a total fool would want creative people to limit themselves to people exactly like them. Tell a good story and I will not give two shits who you are.
Only if you stop stealing our work and turning it black.
I'm a gay male mm romance author (publishing my first novel this year) and I almost didn't write it. I know it's not exactly the same as POC in the industry, but you mentioned queer stories. When I was researching authors, novels, and a community. What I originally found was hostile reactions to my questions and concerns. I'd found a forum and when a discussion about a book came up, usually by a cis woman, I'd state what I disliked about it. Immediatly I was attacked for my opinion. I was told I didn't know what I was talking about, that these books were not for me, it's women writing for women in a space they feel safe and that a man shouldn't come in and push them out. I became angry. I was being told that stories about my life, my experiences, and my trauma were not for me. Luckily, I found a few groups on Facebook that did not share these opinions. I'm part of a group of queer men who write mm romance, a few mixed groups of mm romance readers/writers, and even been on a few Facebook days where we rotate through male authors who discuss their work. We are not trying to take over mm romance, we are trying to be heard. These are our stories. I'm fine if non-gay women write mm romance. What I don't like is when we are fetishized and when that is brought up, attacked for not understanding or saying it's just a story, it's fiction, etc. While it is just fiction, these stories give people a false idea of the gay experience, our lives, and no matter how small, people will bring these ideas into their lives.
More woke trash. How about concentrating on promoting GOOD literature and less on trying to segregate everyone?
As a person of "color" myself, I give full guilt-free permission to White Authors to write whoever, whatever, and however you want them to be written. To be used for whatever purposes you need it for. You don't need to be a black person to characterize fictional black characters. Not everyone's life experience is the same, and in your stories, you set the rules for the world these characters live in. Feel free to create and write black characters for whatever role you need them to play in YOUR story. Inclusiveness is NOT a requirement. In fact, as seen in the billions of dollars lost in various forms of media, from TV Shows, Games, Movies, and Comics, Diversity (identity politics) is a money-losing endeavor. Nobody wants it. Not even us POCs. Don't let this strange woman, a race-baiter, tell you what needs to be represented or how it should be represented. You are being steered into a path of incompetence and failure as an aspiring (or existing) author. People like this are narcissists who want to see themselves in other people's work-to satisfy their overvalued sense of self-worth. Do your own thing. Double-down on it. And don't be afraid!
Skin color genitals gender identity rules the world. Become an WOKE activist and you can have it all.
What a ghastly video.
Thank you so much for this. As a white writer (currently working on my first book btw so COMPLETELY inexperienced just fyi) I place a great deal of importance in making my characters as realistic as possible. The very last thing I want is for any of them to just feel like a list of rigid bullet points that cannot be deviated from at any given point; and this, of course, extends to writing POC. On of my characters is part-Thai (I say PART-Thai btw because its an important part of her backstory that I’ll spend a lot of time exploring (just specifying bc I don’t want y’all thinking I’m whitewashing my own characters or something)) and I want to represent that without disrespecting the Thai culture. (‘Thai culture’? Is that right? Am I overthinking? I hope so.) I still have a lot more research to do and fleshing out of the character to do before I feel fully comfortable with my efforts. I don’t want her to become a bunch of bullet points. With all that said, I do have 1 question that I would really appreciate being answered: Is it ok to name a character who is a POC with a name not from their culture? eg. calling a Chinese character ‘Jimmy’ (not in the scenario where its said characters English name (I think that’s a thing, isn’t it? Am I overthinking again?)) I ask this question in relation to the same character I was talking about earlier, which again, is to do with her backstory. I don’t want anything to come of as disrespectful. Thank y’all so much for reading, thank you for making this video, and I hope you have/have had a wonderful day.
Segregation, much? I'd like you to try an experiment: substitute the "white" in "white authors" in your video title to any of the following and see if it'd fly: *Black *Jewish *Muslim *Gay *Lesbian... Stop, please stop, bucketing white people based on them being white, and any of the other groups based on their stereotypes (including how they feel about any given thing). I'm a Jewish conservative from Bloods territory in Los Angeles, for example. If you think I don't say "yo," well you're wrong, dawg. Maybe we should think about the *actual* roots of a person: how and where they grew up. Better believe there are preppyblacks who grew up in the suburbs.
Agreed. I'm a white person who grew up one of the few white families in the projects. I really don't think anyone would like for me to write the reality of the people who made our lives a living hot spot. If someone wants their heritage written better then by all means do a better job. Help the world learn by your story and not your prejudice.
Are we supposed to be surprised that minorities make a minority of authors? Seems like the term kinda implies itself. PS: calling people racist because they dont like modern politics being injected into their fantasy novels lacks an unbelievable amount of perspective. The fact you can make this entire video based on the premise of properly representing a person and make such a ridiculous claim shows a catostrophic lack of self awareness.
Hold on a minute! "Only" 15% of the workforce in publishing are represented by all etnic minorities? There is an "overwhelming racial gap"? Really? Well, considering that only 18% of the UK population belongs in that group and the number was 14% in 2011 and 9% in 2001 ... I'd say that figure to be just about right in a society without racism. It seems to me that you are advocating for an over-representation of etnich minorities that can only be achieved through active discrimination of white people.
Happy Holidays Lois 💖🎉 I hope you're well and we'll get to see you again soon 😊
I might get canceled for this we will see but I googled it and the united states is 75% white so the 79.2% white publishing isnt really that big of a skew imo. www.census.gov/quickfacts/
Your sentiment at 5:14 that “serious attention needs to be given as to why that non white character needs to exist in your story” reinforces the idea that white is default. If, for white authors, white characters are allowed to exist inherently but BIPOC characters require a specific justification that means that you’re asking white authors to treat BIPOC characters like a plot device almost. BIPOC characters aren’t allowed to just exist with their own internal lives, they must exist for a purpose. I’m not saying that stereotypes and token characters aren’t a problem, they are a problem whether they contribute to the demonization or fetishization of a group. But I don’t think it’s a problem because they fail to capture the nuance of the represented group, it’s a problem because characters that are poorly developed and one dimensional shouldn’t go in your story and token characters are often that. I find it very odd to argue that all minority characters must be written with the nuance of the cultural and societal factors that they’ve experienced at the forefront of their characters because 1) it implies a lack of an ability of the part of minority characters to engage with common experiences because those experiences must be colored by their race or gender etc. And 2) minorities aren’t a monolith. Even if 1 was true you cannot make the argument that all members of one minority share the same set of experiences and reactions to stimuli because they don’t. They’re individuals with their own thoughts and feelings. As much as race permeates society and affects each member of an identity group it affects them all differently. I think the issue with tokenization is that white authors are not writing token minorities with empathy, instead as characters that exist to look pretty in the background rather than characters with their own thoughts, and opinions, and well rounded traits. You mention in another comment that you think race should affect personality, experiences and story because not all races have the same experiences. But not even all members of the same minority group have the same experiences, nor the same reactions because minorities aren’t a monolith so I don’t think even that will fix the problem. Obviously stereotypical representations should be cut out with a knife but I don’t think we should argue white authors should cut out minority portrayals altogether unless they have a purpose. White authors should instead be writing minorities with the same level of depth and complexity to the white characters in the story, even if the same level of nuance can’t be achieved. This all being said I agree that we need to increase the amount of diverse voices in publishing, it can only be a positive trend.
So I was wanting a diverse cast of ethnicities in my story/webcomic that relates to the plot, so will need to do a lot of research on their cultures etc. however I won’t write as if I’m living that experience as it isn’t appropriate for me to do so. Thanks so much for the informative content, it has really helled
Why is the perspective of a black person different for a white person?
Genuine question here as a first time author looking to self-publish. I have written characters of colour that I feel are integral to my story for a few reasons. For one, I have written one as the heart of the story as she is the smartest character, the one that is able to look at the bigger picture in situations where other characters are too willing to rush in without a proper plan and also has a previous tie to the antagonist. I have also given her a sister who is a bridge between her new and former life who is going through her own conflict on whether to leave and start a new life or whether to stay with the antagonist. I have first and foremost made sure to write these characters as characters and avoided tokening. It is worth noting; however, that my story takes place in 1877 and I felt it necessary to make reference to the difficulties these characters would face in a post-civil war America. This is not the focal point of these characters but I feel it would be inauthentic to write them as if none of these troubles existed in the time period. My intention is to do this as respectfully as possible and as such have not gone into too much detail on this as 1, it's not what my story is about and 2, I don't feel like it's my place to drudge up the pain of the past. But in researching the time period, I have also found many stories of black figures that have gone mostly untold that I feel are very important and I want to honour that in some way as well. My question is, does it sound like I'm getting the balance right here? I want to tell a diverse and authentic story without causing any offence and that's why I'm here.
Write the story you want to write. We need to stop kowtowing to this overblown sense of having to get everything right and molding our creative vision so that it's popularized--which has frankly been fueled by social media into an absolute garbagefire. At the end of the day, every person is unique, but common human experiences abound. Write about those and you'll be golden.
Oh gosh I hate this video so much. WHO cares if the writers are black or white? This video is so racist. Just because someone isn’t black, it doesnt mean they can write and jus because someone is black doesnt mean they can write, „Non white readers want stories to be presented in“ I do not care if a book character is black or white. And so does no one else. You’re so annoying with your made up racism. You’re the kind of girl who says. „Ewww I hate white people! They’re so racist“
The amount of people in this comments who didn't watch the full video and are just commenting to be reactionary
Its funny because housework was seen in a similar light
Hello. I am working on my first book which is going to be all about inclusiveness and I came to find your video as part of my research. I understand where you are coming from and agree 'to a point' that no one can tell an authentic story from a different person's perspective better than that person who is experiencing it, of course; it goes without saying. I want to point out though that as works of fiction, 'being' fiction [does] give, (and should give) authors the license to be creative with the characters they create and do not necessarily 'need' to feel bound to reality, unless that is the author's overall goal. But then they'd be writing non-fiction, of course. Take movies about celebrities (any celebrity), most, if not all, movies about celebrities are exaggerated beyond how the real person actually lived because who would pay for a movie ticket to see (what would, in essence be) a documentary. So, it is entertainment, it is fiction. But, I think instead of telling white authors to stop doing something... it 'sounds' like what you really have a problem with is that the PUBLISHERS are choosing to work with white authors more than people of color. Is that correct? I am trying to write a hopeful (and hopefully inspirational) story based on real life events with fictional characters and even though you said you are not telling white authors to stop it, it still kinda sounds like you are saying it anyway. Because you are. White authors have nothing to do with who publishers work with. The statistics you shared only confirms 'published' authors, correct? (emphasizing published) If so, it is still only half the situation. You'd need to include statistics of non-published writers and the demographics of those authors therein to capture the full scope of the problem. I am not even looking for a publisher (myself), I just want to self-publish this first book and if it should garner interest, great, but it is not my motivation in writing this story. Please be mindful that while (it appears) there are authors (and publishers) that may fit into your narrative, there are other people out there, like myself, who, out of sincerity and over a year of research simply want to tell a story that people can connect with. Both myself and my Korean wife of 20+ years were bothered by your generalizations of the entire world; in her case being lumped into a category of people who only want stories of people of color, told by people of color. I personally, would love to see equality for all authors of all backgrounds and to that end, we'd need to start at the industry level to start making that change to make that difference. Create your own publishing company that primarily focuses on people of color and gives them the platform that they deserve. Thank you for your time in reading my lengthy comment, please know that I mean this as constructively as possible.
*promo sm* 👀
I really appreciate this video. I recently started my writing journey but as a white author I already knew that there were going to be some challenges writing any non-white characters. I don't want to misconstrue or misrepresent the very real experiences that people of color face... Perhaps when I become a more skilled writer (and after doing tons of research) I can try, Or maybe not, either way, thank you for the video!
As an 'minority' author, I personally don't care. I think it's absurd to nitpick another person's writing. It's a book. If you don't like what you are reading, read a different one. I don't think anything can even be a misrepresentation becuse each book is a representation of the author themselves, not nessesarily the characters they write about. There are infinite variations of people and to say that a certain type of person 'shouldn't be written that way' is inevitably going to invalidate a person who is actually like that sort of character. It may not fit with how YOU think of yourself. You may even strongly dissagree with how that character lives their life or thinks about certain topics, but ultimately that type of person is bound to exist. As far as the majority of authors being white goes: what are the majority of readers? The size of the readership is (to a certain extent) going to affect the amount of writers in that area. The majority of writers are white women. Why? Because the largest group of readers in America is also white women. If someone wants to write: they write. If people like the book: it sells. If you have a problem with the book: that's fine, but it's not an author's responsibility to validate the reader. Any book written is ultimately for the author themselves. If it has good representation: fantastic! Excellent choice, but sometimes the purpose of a character isn't to be themselves but to affect the main character in the way the author needs them to: aka stereotypes. If the MAIN character of a book is a minority than that probably needs more consideration, but even in that case: books sell according to what people enjoy reading and identify with. You wanting to shove your own perspective of how a POC should be represented is frankly very close-minded and a little bit elitist.
this is great, thanks for sharig. It always pays to research
Simply write black characters as criminals or gang members. Give them a prison back story, or give them an attempt at music career (rapping) or an unsuccessful sports career. They're easier to write than white characters. Make the character promiscuous & violent (short fuse) with hate for Asian people. Viola!
I know this has already passed but I just wanted to say I love that you host this every year :) Here for the bi pride! 💕💜💙
Thank you so much Taylor!! I'm just glad I ended up doing it this year at all lol hopefully next time around my life will be less chaotic! 😅 Happy bi pride to you too xxx 💙💜💙💜💙💜
Subscribing so I don't miss the follow-up video! Very interested in your perspective, and I get what you were saying in the video (don't include token minority/marginalized characters, essentially). I think there's also something to be said for self-reflection; as a white, queer author, I know that I'm deep enough in queer culture to do a good job telling a variety of queer stories, but I am DEFINITELY not deep enough in black culture to write a black character without falling back on stereotypes. And I'd rather admit that to myself and do the work of growing than just soldier on and write rubbish.
yesss thank you!! hopefully I'll put that video out soon! ❤️️ I'm glad you understood the point about tokenism :)
Okay; so I haven't actually watched this yet haha, (sorry!!) but I just wanted to say thanks in advance for the help, I'm about to write a fan fiction requested by one of my readers who is a POC and I just really want to get this right :)) she's one of my besets friends, and I also want to expand my repertoire of writing characters without coming off as disrespectful. Thanks a lot for the help