August Post

I wrote a YA emotional crime story (for the first time), and I enjoyed it. But what started as an enjoyable creative experience turned into a deep conversation with myself. As a writer, it is in my nature to include diversity in my writing, so when I wrote something that veered away from that, it concerned me. I considered the feelings of others, while trying to stay true to who I am, which left me with a lot to sift through.

Including diversity in my stories comes naturally, as my writing mirrors my world, but is diversity necessary in books? This topic had never been a focal point for me before. I’ve seen posts on social media asking whether all books need to be diverse, along with opinions on writing stereotypically or writing with voices that don’t sound authentic. While I always found it interesting to read the opinions of others, I never thought too deeply about it because my books have always shown diversity... until now.

My soon-to-be-released YA novel doesn’t showcase the diversity I often include, which got me thinking. Why was it different this time, and in hindsight, why did it feel like I was doing something wrong?

I was deep into writing… almost at the end, when I realized every main character was a minority. Their voices, the setting, and the issues came from an urban cultural lens. By nature, I normally include characters from different backgrounds because, again, I tend to write about the world around me… and I believe readers should see a full world reflected in fiction. But after completing the book, did I still believe that? Was I changing?

As I questioned myself, I realized this story mirrors problems that some minority populations have experienced, much like my other books, but this minority population was based on race. My prayer is that as a society, we move past these issues; however, we aren’t there… not yet.

After I completed the story, I grappled with it and resolved, again, to sit with it.

This was more than just a craft question… it was personal and emotional. I worried that maybe I was failing at something I’ve always advocated for, something that inherently lived within me and within the lives of my characters.

But then I looked at the story I had written… the cultural details, the generational nuances, the joy and pain that were specifically privy to minorities. If I diluted that just to “check a box,” what would I be sacrificing? How truthful would I be to myself then? This realization led me to the conclusion that writing authentically sometimes means writing exclusively, so I stopped trying to force variety into a story that didn’t ask for it. My hope is that I got the voices right... that it resonates with readers of all races and backgrounds because it’s about people. My hope is that it opens a door to understanding.

While I usually embrace an open and inclusive approach, this story required a deeper focus. And that, too, is a kind of inclusion: centering a voice that is often pushed to the margins and letting it take center stage—fully, without apology. In that regard, by giving a voice to those who might be seen and heard but not understood or accepted… or maybe even disregarded, I am still writing in a way that is authentic to me. The themes present stay true to who I am and what my writing is about.

I don’t know if I got the voices right… if I leaned too much on stereotypes or ideas that don’t make people feel good, but it is what it is. My writing has always contained aspects of societal issues and voices of those who aren’t always heard or understood.

I realized that writing with diversity isn’t a formula but rather practice and sometimes a choice. Sometimes it means a wide spectrum of identities sharing space. Other times, it means giving one experience the spotlight it rarely gets. “Write the world as we see it,” they say. If our worlds are small, writing from our perspective can be exclusive. While I value inclusivity, it is equally important to listen to my characters and focus on telling their truths.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the world appears different to everyone, so I accept that sharing the story and trusting it will resonate with those who are open to it is perfectly fine.

How do you feel about including or excluding diversity in the books you read (or write)? How important is it to you?