Question about OwnVoices

darkangel77

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So I'm in the process of polishing my query and getting ready to submit it. But I had a question regarding OwnVoices, and if this counts?

My MC is biracial (Asian/Hispanic), but I'm 100% Asian. On that note, I have a Hispanic boyfriend and Hispanic friends who I asked lots of questions to, and they were able to help me out a lot and make sure I depicted the culture and interactions realistically.

Can I say its an OwnVoices work?

Thanks in advance!
 

MaeZe

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Do you need to say that? I would think noting the elements of biracial MC is enough. And noting you are deeply involved in both cultures yourself would do if you want to emphasize authenticity, maybe.
 

CameronJohnston

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It's a good buzzword for marketing/pitching but I think most people would say you couldn't claim it in this instance as you are not the exact same ethnicity as your MC. Having a Hispanic boyfriend and Hispanic friends would likely be viewed in sorta the same way as a white author saying "But I have a black girlfriend and black friends..." That said, I agree with MaeZe that you absolutely should flag up in your query you are deeply involved with both cultures yourself as that would suggest an authenticity in the writing of your character.
 

Splendor

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My understanding of ownvoices is when you personally identify the same as your characters. In this case you do not unless your character was solely Asian. IMHO

By definition, writing about a person who shares your identity makes your story #OwnVoices, and the point of the hashtag is to identify characters who are marginalized. ... The hashtag calls attention to stories written by and about the same marginalized group as the author
 

shadowsminder

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While I'm not an agent, I suppose that many agents refer to Corrine Duyvis' guidance on how to define the marginalized identity shared by an #OwnVoices author and the main character:

"Identity,” as in at least somewhat specific. Aim for: “character and author are both blind” and “character and author are both African-American,” rather than: “character is blind and author is autistic, thus both are disabled” and “character is African-American and author is Korean-American, thus both are people of color.”
Source: http://www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/
 

KBooks

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If diversity in your manuscript is something you want to emphasize to agents, then that's hopefully shown through the query. You can mention your background at the bottom in the housekeeping section. I wouldn't mention your boyfriend/BFFs.
 
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AW Admin

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My understanding of ownvoices is when you personally identify the same as your characters. In this case you do not unless your character was solely Asian. IMHO

By definition, writing about a person who shares your identity makes your story #OwnVoices, and the point of the hashtag is to identify characters who are marginalized. ... The hashtag calls attention to stories written by and about the same marginalized group as the author

Yep. This. It's not a "some of my best friends are X" tag.
 

LJD

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Yeah, I've struggled a bit with what I should call #ownvoices...

BUT. As someone who is biracial (Asian/white), I would feel uncomfortable with someone who is NOT mixed race claiming a biracial character as #ownvoices, because I definitely have certain experiences that my Asian friends would not have any experience with at all. At the same time, I wouldn't claim #ownvoices for a biracial character with a very different background from me.

On that note, I have a Hispanic boyfriend and Hispanic friends who I asked lots of questions to, and they were able to help me out a lot and make sure I depicted the culture and interactions realistically.

But that doesn't make it #ownvoices. Please don't use "I did research" as justification for this.

I mean, my dad was married to my Asian mom for over 25 years (until her death) and has mixed race kids and...he definitely has blind spots, and he should never (if he were a writer) refer to something with Asian POV characters as #ownvoices.
 

darkangel77

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Okay, thank you all for the responses :) I was asking because I know some agents are looking for OwnVoices works, and at a conference recently, I was advised to talk about my characters' diverse backgrounds. I will just say that I am deeply involved with both cultures (thanks Maeze, perfect wording).
 

KBooks

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Okay, thank you all for the responses :) I was asking because I know some agents are looking for OwnVoices works, and at a conference recently, I was advised to talk about my characters' diverse backgrounds. I will just say that I am deeply involved with both cultures (thanks Maeze, perfect wording).

This feels... not cool.

If you wrote a diverse manuscript? Awesome! Show that in the query. If you are an Asian writer, state that in the housekeeping section of the query. But you really shouldn't include anything re: yourself and Hispanic culture. You aren't Hispanic. Dating someone or being friends with someone isn't the same thing.
 
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Undercover

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I write for teens suffering from mental illness and depression, and I have the bipolar disorder, so I could use #ownvoices if my MC had a mental illness and or depression. It's because of my own voice that I can make a character with mental illness sound authentic, because I live through it.

I would be upset if I saw an author trying to say ownvoices on a character with a mental illness and discover they don't have one. It's misrepresentation.
 

BenPanced

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As a cis white gay man, I can use the tag to describe my novels because that's what I write about. If I chose to write a novel about a Latinx trans man marrying his boyfriend or a bisexual black woman, I'd be claiming something I'm not permitted to if I claimed #ownvoices on either one of those. They aren't my reality, and IMHO "own voices" is about your reality and the daily life you live. If your MC were 100% Asian then, yes, #ownvoices would fit but since you've had to do research to accurately portray the character and their background, I don't think the tag would work.
 

kuwisdelu

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I wouldn't, as you only share part of your character's racial/ethnic identity.

It is possible to be #ownvoices in some aspects but not others (e.g., a PoC autistic person writing a white autistic character, or vice versa, in which case the #ownvoices aspects should be stated specifically), but I would consider a character's race/ethnicity as a whole.

E.g., I would claim #ownvoices for a Zuni protagonist, but I wouldn't for a Black/Zuni protagonist, because I'm not Black.