- Joined
- Aug 27, 2009
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I saw an interesting interview in Sept 2011 issue of Writer's Digest where an author of color (ZZ Packer) was asked how being labeled an African-American writer has affected her work and identity as a writer. Her reply:
This was written from the perspective of a racial minority, but I found the ideas behind it ring true for me as an author in the sexual minority.
Going through life queer has given me an awareness of social cues and the ability to "read" people (often to determine if I'm safe), which translates into an awareness into people and society that I'm sure I would not have if I'd been born straight and cisgendered.
As someone who writes speculative fiction and social science fiction, being able to bend certain elements of society and take it down a "What if...?" trail is incredibly helpful. I find the more normative a person is, the more difficulty they have imagining society being any different from modern western norms. ("What if all rape was as reviled as pedophilia?" "What if gays were neither ostracized or exoticized?")
As a genderqueer, I find it easy to writer characters of other genders besides my own. As a bisexual, I feel more comfortable writing stories no matter what the sexual orientation of my characters. As someone who frequently has to "cover," I have first-hand experience of being a different character depending on the company I keep and how honest I can safely be.
I hope no one would twist my words; I am not saying that oppression is good in itself or that it's helpful for other authors. But speaking purely for myself, I find that my queerness has made me a better observer of people, a more restless social activist, and a better writer than I would have been otherwise.
(Emphasis mine)W.E.B. Du Bois' theory of "double consciousness" rings true here, because the flip side of racism is that one becomes double-voiced, multivalent and omni-interpretive. If you're in an ethnic minority, more of your time and mental energy goes into evaluating people, situations, and cues that those in the majority don't have to bother with. ...It can be constructive wen one beams that interpretive ability towards illuminating the hidden corners of human nature, which of course comes in handy in writing fiction.
This was written from the perspective of a racial minority, but I found the ideas behind it ring true for me as an author in the sexual minority.
Going through life queer has given me an awareness of social cues and the ability to "read" people (often to determine if I'm safe), which translates into an awareness into people and society that I'm sure I would not have if I'd been born straight and cisgendered.
As someone who writes speculative fiction and social science fiction, being able to bend certain elements of society and take it down a "What if...?" trail is incredibly helpful. I find the more normative a person is, the more difficulty they have imagining society being any different from modern western norms. ("What if all rape was as reviled as pedophilia?" "What if gays were neither ostracized or exoticized?")
As a genderqueer, I find it easy to writer characters of other genders besides my own. As a bisexual, I feel more comfortable writing stories no matter what the sexual orientation of my characters. As someone who frequently has to "cover," I have first-hand experience of being a different character depending on the company I keep and how honest I can safely be.
I hope no one would twist my words; I am not saying that oppression is good in itself or that it's helpful for other authors. But speaking purely for myself, I find that my queerness has made me a better observer of people, a more restless social activist, and a better writer than I would have been otherwise.