  Fantasy
This week: Diversity Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity.
-Desmond Tutu
It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
-Maya Angelou
In such a diversity it was impossible I should be disposed to melancholy.
-Daniel Boone |
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Diversity
From their beginnings in the mists of history, fantasy and science fiction have often been on the forefront of the discussion of social issues.
For genres that snooty academics often dismiss as "escapism," that's a pretty heavy burden to bear. But I see it as part of our job, as writers of speculative fiction in any form, to hold up a mirror to society and say, "Hey, look at yourself. You've got potential. But sometimes you screw everything up."
One such mirror highlights how we treat each other. Humans, it seems, have a natural tendency to band together in groups - racial, political, religious, gender, tribal, whatever. Much of the time, it's unconscious, and it leads to problems when one group starts thinking of other groups as inferior, perhaps even subhuman. I don't need to give examples; history is rife with them, and it hasn't exactly been expunged from human nature yet.
It doesn't always work to remind people of this, though. Another aspect of human nature makes us stubborn in the face of new facts if they contradict what we've already become sure of, especially our own group's superiority.
So we approach it obliquely, in the form of stories. Stories can shape human perception more than facts.
In classic fantasy, you have such diverse groups as hobbits, dwarves, elves and humans banding together for a purpose, their individual strengths and weaknesses balancing themselves out (unfortunately, they're usually all white and heavily skewed to the male gender, thus undercutting some of the diversity involved, but we can work on that).
In science fiction, you have stories like Star Trek, which were specifically created to show how people and aliens from vastly different backgrounds could work together. Famously, an episode of Star Trek was the first time an interracial kiss was shown on television; it had been assumed that such a thing wouldn't play, especially in the southern U.S. (No one cared that Kirk was banging green chicks from Orion, but women of African ancestry? Can't have that! It's worth noting that, at the time, interracial marriage was prohibited by law in most US states.)
I'm not saying that Star Trek singlehandedly made miscegenation laws go away, but I'm betting it played a role.
The main plotline of the graphic novel Watchmen (as opposed to the movie, which was inexplicably changed) was about getting two world powers to get along - by giving them a greater, outside threat to worry about.
The key thing about diversity in fantasy and science fiction is a matter of different perspectives. Using Star Trek again, often Spock would see things Kirk would miss, and vice versa. A hobbit approaches a problem differently from a dwarf. In our world, someone from Russia would have a different view on life than someone from Ecuador. Readers and viewers of science fiction and fantasy can see these different perspectives and perhaps go, "hey, that guy down the street who's Indian? He's just another human being with different strengths and ideals."
It's not going to make the entire human race sit down and sing Kum-ba-ya together overnight, but it's a start.
So, how can we contribute to the ethical evolution of the human race? By incorporating diversity into our fantasy and science fiction. This can be fictional, like the inclusion of different intelligent species, or through the use of humans of different background, skin color, gender identity, etc. And it doesn't have to be *about* differences; in fact, it's often better if it's not. Just because a book has a gay character, for example, doesn't mean it has to be all about that one person's struggle to fit in. Just make the person a person, and readers will take care of the rest.
I'm not saying it's easy, mind you. Whether you're a bearded white man from Florida, or an African-American woman in Idaho, or a Navajo kid or an Israeli transgender person, your perspective is your own and it's hard to write from other perspectives. Hell, I just had to read a feminist rant about how it's impossible for a white man in America to write women well, while any woman can write a realistic man (proof that this is wrong: the Lifetime Channel. And Joss Whedon.)
But no, it's not always easy, but it is possible, and it's totally worth trying, because it stretches us as writers, and it potentially gives us a broader audience. There seems to be an unfortunate tendency to only read books where our demographic, whatever it might be, is the protagonist. Any book with a young adult protagonist is considered to be "for" young adults. Any book with a black woman protagonist is considered to be "for" black women. And so on.
Are we, as a species, so lacking in empathy that we can't relate to someone who doesn't look and sound like us?
I don't think we are. So stretch. Write about your own ethnic group too, sure, because that's what you know. But go beyond when you can. I think we can all benefit from the exercise. |
So... how about a chance to put those diversity-writing skills into practice? Give this contest a try - I'm one of the judges. Entries in any genre are welcome, but as I've noted above, fantasy and science fiction are well-suited to this sort of thing. The deadline is Feb. 14, so you have some time to craft something awesome!
And now, just a few items from around the site:
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Last time, in "Point of View" , I discussed the uses of point of view in fantasy and science fiction.
ENB  : I like to include the POV of many characters in my books. I like how in the Michael Vey series the author even includes the bad guy's POV.
P.S. I saw the comment about the Hobbit movies. You'll have an explanatory email coming your way:)
It's good to imagine, if not write, from the point of view of every character in the story - good, bad, indifferent. Some of the most compelling parts of stories switch to some random bystander's point of view so we see how she sees it. Think about it - you have a clash of gods, or some such, and to the reader there's a clear protagonist and antagonist, and yet from the point of view of some bloke on the street who's just trying to get to his lunch date on time, it's all a personal affront to his schedule.
Joshiahis : Another great newsletter. I learned more about why the use compatible species is important in our type of fiction. They why is just as important as the how. Thanks. Merry Shopping Christmas!
Thanks! Happy New Year!
writetight: Your newsletter concerning the alien Doctor Who and his human "interlocutors" brought to mind a non-alien character. Where would Holmes be without Watson as his interlocutor sounding board?
Watson is a classic example of the Interlocutor; I was trying to draw more from fantasy and science fiction, hence my references to The Hobbit and Hitchhiker's. Still, Martin Freeman's a versatile actor, is he not? 
Mummsy  : Nice job getting Doctor Who AND Hitchhiker's Guide into this month's newsletter.
I insist they're in the same universe. I even saw the Fourth Doctor reading a book by Oolon Colluphid once.
jack-tyler: All my writing is POV, meaning that I have 4-6 characters in a book who get to tell their stories, and while I'm with one, his is the only head I allow myself to be in. New character, new section or chapter. It's a matter of discipline, and requires extra proofreading, but helps the story greatly. The disadvantage is that you can never say, "...but Sarah couldn't know that David was watching from the shadows..." because is Sarah couldn't know it, you can't either; there is a learning curve involved.
Yes, this is exactly the kind of thing I'm trying to emphasize. Thank you!
The Run-on King PDG Member : Thank you for some excellent POV examples. I unconsciously did something like it by using a living computer with a zombie. The zombie was an alien that was turned by the enemy of their race trying to commit genocide on their race. What better way to kill off a race than to have that race eat everyone's brains until only one is left. You are right. The only way for me to have a complete alien view was to go high tech and have them relate to machines. You can do the alien thoughts as well as have it relate to human understanding because the humans created their race to begin with. But that's a plot twist I am working on. I am still having fun with this type of writing.
I was doing a WDC review challenge and one of the reviewers was discussing this same topic. With an aspiring author on a section that the author wanted reviewed. I saw first hand what your talking about. With examples on what not to do. This was also timely as I get ready to edit my book.
I think I'd have as hard a time relating to machine intelligence as to zombie unintelligence, but that's great if it works!
And that's it for me for January - hope your year's off to a great start. Until next month,
DREAM ON!!! |
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Fantasy: January 15, 2014 Issue [#6096]
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