Mother BonesThree reminders:
"Handmaid's Tale" has already been here the whole time, it was pointed at racialized women.
#Racism is fascism that hasn't yet come for the white people.
The #future is already here, it's just unevenly distributed. [@GreatDismal]
punIssuerHow to write a dystopian novel:
Write about what already happens to marginalized folks, but let it happen to white people
Write about what already happens to marginalized folks, but let it happen to white people
Amanda Carson@punissuer I've always thought it would be fun to write a novel with a character who experiences all or some of the things that happen to people with disabilities, but the character is abled.
Socar Myles@arush @punissuer I'm not sure I understand--why make them abled? It's uncommon enough that disabled people get to see themselves as the main character. It feels a bit off to take a story that should be about us, and apply our experiences to somebody else. (I don't think this post is RECOMMENDING this approach to writing dystopian novels--rather, pointing out that it's already happening, often with POCs' experiences applied to white people.)
@packbawky @arush because they know already. I'm not sure enough people in the privileged group care sufficiently about othered people. If that were the case, maybe the things the new story is about, wouldn't have happened in the first place
@punissuer @arush I don't like the idea that readers won't care about minority experiences unless they're reframed as happening to the majority. When publishers buy into that notion, they buy fewer books from minority writers, and we're heard even less.
If I tell a story based on my experiences, I'm not just telling it for people like me. I want other people to hear it, and hope they will--but at the same time, I want to be represented as I am. Not so I'm more relatable to non-disabled people.
@packbawky @arush I'm pretty sure many will care. But I fear of you want to reach the masses...
"Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she's white."
— A Time To Kill (1996)
@punissuer @arush That line made me absolutely cringe at the time, and it hasn't improved with age.
The more minority stories are published, the more likely it'll be that some of them DO reach the masses. Visibility and easy access are the first steps, I think. That's why I push back when I'm asked to reframe minority issues in this way: not only does it feel appropriative, it's one less opportunity for a more authentic story to be heard.
@packbawky @arush that's a good point, thank you!
@punissuer @arush Thank you! :-) It's only my perspective, of course, but it IS something I feel quite strongly about.