The Truths We Burrow Into Fiction
When I teach fiction-related classes, one of the most frequent questions I hear is whether—and when—it’s okay to create characters with different identities than our own. Almost as often, I encounter writers who are struggling with how much of their lived experiences to draw on while crafting narrative.
So for this month’s blog post, I asked authors about how their books authentically explore identity and intersectionality. Their candid reflections reveal both the intentional choices behind character creation and the ways parts of ourselves–and others–emerge or vanish on the page as part of the creative process.
“At its heart, BY INVITATION ONLY is about remaining true to your values and convictions in a world that often rewards conformity. Piper comes from a vastly different background than the other young women she meets in Paris, but she consistently brings her own voice, beliefs, and style into every space she enters. While she struggles at times to fit in, Piper ultimately embraces who she is, unapologetically. No matter how intimidating her social surroundings might be, Piper knows who she is and what she stands for.” —Alexandra Brown Chang, author of By Invitation Only
“Being Black and autistic, myself, and also having Black children who are either autistic or neurodivergent in many ways, made it so that I created ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE both intentionally and organically. Organically, because it is impossible to write stories that exclude the many parts of myself and still be honest. Intentionally, because when considering the many identities I hold—and that my children and other children hold—and how those present themselves in our daily lives, I figured: Why would I not present my worth and have them see their worth as main characters in this world? Beyond that, why would I not show neurotypical readers the value of these intersections by having them see a main character who is so different from themselves, and who maybe isn’t usually the star of the show? I truly believe that living in a body that is inherently intersectional with so many marginalizations makes our stories take shape both on their own—and because we know these were the stories we once needed. Moreover, as so many kids that look like us learn more about themselves every day, these are the stories they need more than anything.” —DeAndra Davis, author of All The Noise At Once
"GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN is drawn from a wide variety of my experiences but what I felt was my most poignant driving force while writing this book was the love at the heart of the book. The ancient Greeks had many words for love, and broke it down into a range of different types. As a queer individual, especially someone on the asexual spectrum, I've spent a great deal of time working out the particulars of what it is I'm feeling and how to express that to the world. Persephone knows she loves Hades, it is figuring out in what specific way—as a friend, as a soulmate, as a lifetime of companionship— that drives her narrative. That was deeply personal. To not only work out who you have feelings for as in any romance book, but to really analyse those feelings and ask what love means to you as an individual." —Bea Fitzgerald, author of Girl, Goddess, Queen
“MAYBE JUST ASK ME! explores what it's like to be a child with a disability. When I wrote the book, I was reflecting on my own experience as a little girl. So the intention was there from the beginning. But hopefully, anyone who feels different will identify with the main character Mazie. At the same time, the emotions that Mazie feels in the story developed as I worked on the book and spent time revisiting my memories of early elementary school.” —Katie Mazeika, author of Maybe Just Ask Me!
“Zinnia and Tuesday’s stories run parallel 18 years apart in THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA. I wanted to explore the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, and how the pressure to be the perfect mother and the pressure to be the perfect daughter are often inextricably linked. In my personal life, while raising my young son with gentle compassion, I went no contact with my own mother. I didn’t recognize the toxicity between us until I became a parent myself. I had to sit and consider, no matter how I was raised, what kind of mother do I want to be? I knew I wanted to paint that dichotomy on the page. As with all my books, this one is a piece of me.” —Brittney Morris, author of This Book Might Be About Zinnia
“One of the hardest parts about writing LGBTQ-themed nonfiction for an elementary-aged audience is the need to balance accuracy with the developmental needs of young thinkers. It's important to be expansive while avoiding vagueness. It's also necessary to be clear about the differences between historical and contemporary understandings of queer identities. In recent years, though, the primary challenge of writing these kinds of stories is the knowledge that they will be challenged, banned and otherwise vilified in an increasingly hostile nation. I had hoped that ARE YOU A FRIEND OF DOROTHY? would be about barely-relevant history. Instead, unfortunately, it may be a guidebook.” —Kyle Lukoff, author of Are You A Friend of Dorothy?
Check out Rachel’s other blog posts and upcoming Loft classes here!