learning

Critics, Critiques & Commentary: Part 3

Commentary is what writers do best. We always have something to say!

If you see a quiet writer, that means they are debating what to say…or if it would matter if they say something.

Yet, this is what writers do.

Writing is commentary.

Writing is analysis.

Writing is…needed.

Make no mistake: your words are needed and necessary. Your life is comprised of more than your work, yet is powered by your existence and thought!

Weigh in when you must.

Pull back when needed.

Rest when warranted.

Even doubt every now and then.

But give up? No.

Keep going.

-JBHarris

The I In You Series-INTELLIGENCE

Character development:  How are you going to develop them?

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Just like you must have an idea for the structure of you story, the same goes for your characters, their settings and even the scenarios they find themselves in. The key thing to remember is watch out for troupes what will limit the growth of your characters; stereotypes that will stunt other characters and not give them depth; if you are writing cross-culturally (a white writer writing Black character for example), make sure that you have invested time and effort into seeking out someone from that culture/ethnicity/background to read your work!

Why? Blind spots.

 

You don’t want a work to be offensive to other people when it does not have to be! Having someone read for cultural sensitivity will allow for feedback in a safe space where you can ask questions, get feedback and revise as needed! Your characters are brought to life your imagination—and that imagination may represent a real person. Write wisely.

Note: For sensitivity read-throughs, contact Anette King through her site, The Blurb Diva.

The I In You Series-IDENTITY

*Point to character/character development; WHO do you want to see?

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​​Imagination + Character= Representation

​Representation will always matter, especially in the media. This type of visibility grants those whom identify as any minority to see themselves in places where they may not have been before. 

This is invaluable. 

​The award-winning writer Walter Mosley said that in order for a minority person to exist in the culture they have to exist in the fiction. Think of it this way—identity is existing! It is existence! It is mirror and a door in a world that doesn’t want people whom are not part of acceptable majority to see themselves outside of stereotypes! Your characters provide an existence, even in the face of a world that doesn’t want you to exist!

​When you create your story it is a sense of identity, even if you leave pieces of yourself in it. In the immortal words of Beyonce’ Giselle Knowles Carter, “I was here.” The people that hide in your head and talk to you through ink or screen—they deserve to be here, too.

​Give them the chance to be in the world that you inhabit. Rest assured that someone needs to see them—in order to see themselves. 

See you next week!

The I In You Series-IDENTIFY

*Points to genre; WHAT STORY DO YOU WANT TO WRITE?

Ah, the magic (and menace) of genre! 

 

As a BIPOC writer, you will run into this quandary (more than once) of a potential reading audience, beta readers and almost fans who will tell you some permutation of this sentence (speaking as a Black woman who writes, this is what I have been told more than once):


“Black people don’t write _________.”

 

It never gets easier to hear, or less aggravating to explain. The writer and MARVEL comic icon, Christopher Priest, explains such stupidity this way: “A real writer can write anything.” This is the quote that I use to diffuse any apprehension that I have to writing anything, or being relying on any other opinion other than my own to determine (or influence) what genre I want to write or what I want to write for it!

The story, the idea, the process is all mine. I didn’t need approval to start, and I will not require it to finish. Just like I fire the little White man on my shoulder who thinks his critique and approval for my work is salaried position—I dismiss those unsupportive people who tell me but for my race, I can write anything that I want. Just not that genre.

 

I write what I want. And so must you. Keep going!

See you next week!

The I In You Series-IMAGE

What Do You Want To Show?

​The hardest thing in this process pathway from getting what is in your head to and in the world outside of it, is converting thought into image. Since the onus of what is in your head, hiding in your imagination, is up to you. 

IT IS UP TO YOU.

​As a minority writer, you control the narrative, the story that you want to tell. No one else. Do not allow the world around you to adjust your lens. Let no one distract for what it is you want to show! What you have to tell, what is on the inside of you, can only be told by you. As James Baldwin said:  “Fire the imaginary White man that sits on your shoulder!”

​Don’t fall into troupes—they are only formulas! In the hand of any good scientist or alchemist, a formula is a tool. It is meant to be used, reconstructed and re-evaluated to suit the needs to those who have the wherewithal to change what they see in front of them. 

​Do not be discouraged by those who can’t see what you are creating. Do not be dismayed by those who cannot support what you are creating! They are not your concern! What you must be concerned with is what you want to show the world! What is on the inside of your head? What part of that do you want to share with the world? Is there more you to come? If so, keep going. 

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See you next week!

The I In You Series-IMAGINATION

What Do You See?

Fear is the enemy of imagination!

 

​One of the things about writing is the use of your imagination! Also, it grants you the freedom as a minority/BIPOC writer to make the world you want to see—one word at a time.

So, what do you want to see? Every story starts with you first, dear writer. From inception to publishing, it all begins with you. So, what is it that you want to see in the work you write? Remember the words of Mother Morrison:  “If there is a book you want to read, you must write it.”

What idea have you been thinking of that your mind keep bringing you back to? What does it look like? What would it be like to write it? What tools would you need, do you need, in order to write it? This can also be likened to the Prewriting/Brainstorming phase of the writing process. 

As you formulate what it is you want to write, remember it is you that must write it—only you can see what you want the world to see. 

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See you next week!