I’d like to know what everyone’s opinions are on this. Personally, I think it’s great when authors are willing to do research and talk to people of a particular ethnicity in order to depict a character as realistically as possible.
However, there are a few authors on both Instagram and the Episode forum who have said things to authors who include characters with a different ethnicity than the author such as “It’s not your story to tell”. Similar debates have arisen whenever a heritage shelf is about to be released. Some authors believe that in order for a story to qualify for a particular shelf, the author must belong to that ethnic group. Other debate that if the characters do not belong to that ethnic group, the story should not be included. This was very apparent in the Arab heritage shelf, where there were very few stories that actually had Arab characters, but were included on the shelf because the authors are Arab.
So, my questions are… 1. Do you think it’s okay to have an MC that doesn’t share your ethnicity? 2. Have you included an MC with a different ethnicity in your stories? 3. What are some stories you have read where the author does a good job depicting a character from a different ethnicity? 4. Should stories be included on a heritage shelf if the main character(s) belong to that ethnic group, but the author doesn’t? 5. What about stories where the author belongs to that ethnic group, but none of the characters do? Should they be on the shelf?
ugh of course! How do you supposedly “want diversity” and then shut down authors for including an ethnicity other than their own? Society is a dumb dumb
Not the MC, but I have included characters.
there was a really good one I read a while ago but… I can’t for the life of me remember the name
of course!
If the characters don’t belong to an ethnic culture then the fact that the author does shouldn’t change that. I say no, what the author is shouldn’t make a difference
I don’t see how it’s wrong to have an MC that doesn’t share my ethnicity . If you ask me, it’d be retarded to say that it is wrong.
I haven’t published a story yet, but yeah, I have a story that the MC with a different ethnicity.
Santa’s Naughty List, It Takes Four (it was removed), My Camp Boys (I haven’t read it to the end, but the story certainly contains a lot of diversity with the characters’ background).
I can’t think of other stories except the ones that I mentioned. There’s a chance I forgot one story or two…
Definitely. I think Episode should do a heritage shelf for stories that the MCs belong to ethnic group.
Straighten up, no. I don’t think that stories whose authors belong to an ethnic group or a minority should be on the shelf because of the authors’ ethnicity.
Kind of funny that authors who belong to an ethnic group don’t include characters who share their ethnicity (whether it is their race, religion, etc.), and/or don’t include diverse characters.
Take the case you mentioned as an example of authors who are a minority (on the Episode community), but they don’t take advantage of their option to do write a story whose MC OR some of the characters share their ethnicity and other ethnicities:
Yeah. So long as you do the research if you’re gonna go in depth to what their life is like. Other than that… wouldn’t it come off a little racist for me as a white author to constantly have white MC’s and never ever talk about their lifestyle and ethnicity?
Yep, although, never really published it though.
Well, what are we celebrating? The actual story or the author? It should be about the quality of the story. It could be a really good story from a POC author, with really good characters, but it could also be a bad story, same with white authors, it just really gets down to the quality of the story and how well they portray POC characters.
Depends on what we’re celebrating here. I mean, I’m all for celebrating those authors, but like, if it doesn’t specifically say that that’s the stories they’re looking for, they should look for stories that celebrate different ethnicities so that THEY get the light they deserve.
All in all, Episode should be more specific on this stuff.
1. Do you think it’s okay to have an MC that doesn’t share your ethnicity?
Yes, totally.
2. Have you included an MC with a different ethnicity in your stories?
A ton
3. What are some stories you have read where the author does a good job depicting a character from a different ethnicity?
Running from Reality
Instant Princess
4. Should stories be included on a heritage shelf if the main character(s) belong to that ethnic group, but the author doesn’t?
Yes
5. What about stories where the author belongs to that ethnic group, but none of the characters do? Should they be on the shelf?
TBH, if the MC is not of that ethnic but the author is then no. We should celebrity diversity in our characters and stories, not give out awards just for being born a different race/religion/ethnicity
. If you ask me, it’d be retarded to say that it is wrong.