Writing Outside Your Experience

“Write what you know.” It’s an expression that writers take to heart. But what happens when we want to write diverse worlds that include characters different from us? 

 

Although the writing advice to “write what you know” is a bit overused and simplistic, there is merit to the idea. As writers, most of us are constantly borrowing details or ideas from people we have known or experiences we have had. Writing from this place of personal experience even if we’re using it to create fictional worlds can help us to add depth and detail to our work. These details add nuance and believability to our stories, allowing readers to build relationships with our characters, and put themselves in the settings of our books. Of course, there are limits that exist when we're writing from our lived experiences, and most authors are going to want to branch out from that as part of their creative process. When we start to reach beyond our identities, cultures, locations, and experiences, we are going to need to work harder to ensure our representation is accurate and respectful.

 

 

Most of us want our novels to reflect the diverse worlds that we live in. When writing about things we haven’t personally experienced we need to research so we get the details right. If you're writing historical fiction it's important to research specifics about life during that period. Those details are what will bring your book to life and help readers feel immersed in your story. This includes what homes looked like, how much things cost, commonly eaten foods, ways that people talked or dressed, and other aspects of daily life that might look different from your own and can provide texture to the story. This same care should be given when researching to write characters coming from different cultures. 

 

Research can take a variety of forms. It might look like traveling to a location where you want to set a story. Or it can be spending time in a library, reading books, or watching documentaries to learn about an obscure fact that will make their way into the book. If your characters have had lived experiences that are possible for you to experience, it can be worth spending time in your research process doing the things your characters would do so you can incorporate those details into your work. However, we can’t always literally walk in our character’s footsteps. Technology has made writing research significantly more accessible. If you’re writing a story set in another city or country it’s always ideal to be able to physically visit the places you’re writing about. If you can't, online tools like Google Street view can give you the next best thing, an ability to digitally walk around a particular location where your characters will be. 

 

 

When writing characters who are different from you, particularly if those characters belong to a marginalized group (people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, etc.), it’s important to avoid any kind of stereotypical language or descriptions. Not only is utilizing stereotypes when writing lazy, but it’s also harmful to the communities being written about. Stereotypes are often rooted in inaccurate or exaggerated generalizations about a marginalized group of people. All characters deserve to be fully realized with complexity, and shouldn’t exist as a one-dimensional addition to entertain, amuse, or make the lives of your main character easier, which is what happens when writers use cultural stereotypes in their writing. When writers enact stereotypical representations on the page, they not only alienate readers but also can contribute to broader misunderstanding or negative feelings about a marginalized group.

 

 

If you’re writing a book that includes diverse characters, it’s essential that, in addition to doing research, you get feedback from people in the communities you are writing about. The best way to do this is by utilizing sensitivity readers. A sensitivity reader is an individual from a specific marginalized group who reads manuscripts specifically looking for stereotypes, bias, and culturally inaccurate content. For example, over the years I have done sensitivity readings for a variety of books looking at the representation of LGBTQ+ culture/characters. Authors bring sensitivity readers in during their editorial process so there is time to edit the book before publication based on the feedback from the reader. 

 

Sensitivity readers are invaluable for catching big issues, as well as things that are more subtle but still problematic or offensive. While traditional publishers generally pay sensitivity traders, authors who are self-publishing are going to need to plan for the cost of hiring a sensitivity reader. This is however not an area you want to cut corners on, as it can make the difference between you writing a well-received diverse world, or creating a book that leaves readers offended.  

 

No matter how well-intentioned you are as a writer, if you're writing characters who have identities different from you it’s possible to infuse your work with biases you don’t realize you have. However, with research, care, and sensitivity readers, you can create diverse characters and write quality books that feature people and places from all walks of life.