Indie Publisher Drops Author Over Twitter Dispute Regarding OwnVoices

[zodgory]

Another day of drama on book twitter though the current argument is about who can write what. It all started when writer Alisha Hillam tweeted about how white authors shouldn't write from the POV of non-white characters and should have sensitivity readers. This also goes for cis/het authors writing LGBT+ characters and abled authors writing

Comments

[joe_pwnz_pete]

As someone who spends the majority of their free time writing the sort of fiction that McKayla is specifically referring to, I guess I do understand a couple of her points but the rest is just kind of eh? I don't want my fantasy world to be majority white people with all races that aren't explicitly focused on or inspired by medieval English/Irish/Scottish culture being black or Middle-Eastern or Asian analogues like GOT and other medieval fantasy stories. My goal is to literally create an alternate world that isn't like ours at all but many of us fail in this aspect because our creativity is limited by what we experience and interpret

[cbluechicken]

nnn this read like an ONTD thread in a wank post

[colossusx]

me too, as in i got about a third of the way through and gave up

[ms_mmelissa]

McKayla Eaton's arguments are stupid (that white washing comment oy vey). But I don't care if white authors write pov characters that are poc.

If they're well written then great and if you write them badly or in a racist way be prepared to be dragged for it.

[milfordacademy]

book twitter (not just YA twitter but them especially) is just an insane trash fire. like I get that publishers want authors to ~interact~ on social media but what a NIGHTMARE

just looking at the length of the exchanges between those two white ladies arguing about who is allowed to write what makes me nope the fuck out

[ms_mmelissa]

Yessss. Honestly it makes me laugh a lot because of all the drama we get to witness, but at the same time it's so cringey. Even when they're not fighting a lot of writers are sycophantically sucking up to bigger name authors. It's so embarrassing.

[senshicalico]

I don't go on twitter but from what I hear it's just fucking weird on both sides. Sooo many authors I know are pressured to have a "presence" and those who absolutely hate social media do the bare minimum and still get "Talking to" by their publishers. Fuck, you can barely get an agent / publisher to look at you now unless you can point out your "healthy" social media following.

[wormsinthedirt]

it's so weird to me bc I read a decent amount (like 25 books a year) and am very active on twitter but I wouldn't even think to follow authors... I just don't care.

[sweet_heloise]

A lot of white authors can't write POC characters without fetishising them and coming across super racist. Rainbow Rowell comes to mind. That being said, it depends? Like if you're a white woman trying to write about immigration and the Mexican-American experience. Maybe don't.

Also if you're writing fantasy, IDK how it prevents you from writing about character with varying skin tones. Race is a social construct that's very specific to this time period.

[joe_pwnz_pete]

I think one of the main issues is that often in fantasy settings, people like GRRM and JRR Tolkien used non-white races as the "other" from the "exotic lands" type trope. Look at Dorne/Mereen lol.

My main writing problem with this is that I don't want there to be racism based on skin tone/religion in the world I'm creating. Some mild sexism still exists in non-magical societies because birth control isn't readily available in those communities. I want POC to be as plentiful and important and varied as they are and have always been in the real world. But is that sort of Kumbaya, "We're all in this together!" attitude I have actually stemming from a subconscious need to whitewash away the real world that I actually exist in where racism is rampant? Idk. It's a complicated argument.

[sweet_heloise]

If you want to write fantasy where everyone is kumbaya, do it. Lots of people including POC like myself read books to escape. Not everything has to be an allegory for the real world and the current political climate.

[joe_pwnz_pete]

Yeah, this is why I write too! I want so badly for things to be different, but they just aren't and it sucks and fantasy can be a great way to escape from it. But it's still being written by people who live in this world (myself included) and I'm afraid of it leaking in I guess!

My big thing with this current story is I don't really want it to be an analogue or an allegory for ANYTHING. I just want to tell an entertaining narrative.