When I was a kid, I absolutely loved to read. It was such a treat when my elementary school librarian let me check out more than the two-book limit. I could bring home every “Little House” book in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series!
Yes. I was a nerd.
In college, I fell in love with romance novels. The guarantee of a happily ever after ending was addictive, and I voraciously read Silhouette and Harlequin novels, following Nora Roberts and Linda Howard through all their stories of love.
As a child and later, as a college student, it didn’t occur to me that the books I was reading were 99 percent written by and about white people. It was like looking through the window at other people’s lives—entertaining certainly, but not something I identified with.
Current Situation: Better, But Not Great
Since my college days, a lot has changed. Libraries and bookstores stock books written by brilliant African-American authors. Schools include African-American authors in their literature curriculum.
And yet…even now, many of those books are relegated to the African-American literature section of the store or to an African-American focus, instead of being embedded in the mainstream offerings.
More is progress is needed. For example, a 2016 diversity study by Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore, shows that only 7.8 percent of romance novels written last year were penned by people of color. Yet since women represent 84 percent of romance novel buyers, and black, college aged women read most overall, there’s a huge opportunity for recognition and growth in enhancing diversity in this area.
But it’s not just more people of color who should write romance. We need more diverse writers in all areas—and we need more writers—regardless of how they identify—to write more diversely.
Calling All Writers
Throughout history, people have written to reflect on and encourage social change. As writers, regardless of the medium, we must look for ways to consciously include diverse characters, interviewees, companies and more in our stories. These could range from persons of color, Latinos and Asians to immigrants from other countries to LGBTQ individuals and others. Too often, unless specifically denoted, the default character in a story is white, straight, and able-bodied. That frequently reflects the writer’s reality. It’s understandable, but as my father always said, “more is expected of those who can do more.” And I think we can do more.
I can do more too. While my experiences make me attuned to including women and African-Americans in my writing, I want to be more intentional in including all underrepresented groups in my content.
Interested in adding diversity to your prose? Here are some starting points:
- When you pick up a book or watch a movie, think about who is represented and if it makes sense or if it’s by default.
- Read authors and publications and visit online news or blogging sites that provide a different cultural perspective.
- Look for diverse sources to use for quotes and interviews.
- Consider assumptions you may have about characters you’ve created and consider how to authentically add diversity.
- Be genuine. Don’t just seek diversity for the sake of numbers. Include people of different backgrounds to enrich your story.
The next time you sit down at your laptop or pick up a pen, think about how starting with a diverse perspective will help you that create content that welcomes, includes and resonates with readers of all stripes – and what you can do to add flavor to our country’s multicultural stew.
With a journalism degree, an MBA and 10+ years freelance experience, Pamela DeLoatch found her passion in B2B and B2C marketing content writing. She specializes in writing white papers—no pun intended — articles, blog posts and case studies for companies focusing on customer and employee engagement.
Important Reminders:
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