Overcoming Implicit Biases in Writing
To finish off the month of writing about The Other, I’m going to look at a phrase with which many people became familiar in 2020: “implicit bias”. As we go through life, we create biases in our heads, mostly unintentional, about people and places. Writing is a reflection of the writer, and these biases tend to come out without the writer intending it. I’m going to answer two questions: “What does this look like?” and “How do I avoid it?”
One of the most frequent places this pops up is race. Often, when white people write a main character, the character is white. This isn’t always the case, but it tends to be a fallback. I did this in Girl in Red, again, unintentionally. Even in Skwyr Court, where white characters are a minority, Roshil, arguably the main character of the six, is white. I’ve been a little more conscious of race as I write, which is far easier to do when I have complete control over the characters, but even then, there are still biases that come out.
Another bias that comes up is when characters act a certain way. Whenever I would write Elves in Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, they always ended up with an English accent. Elves often consider themselves to be above the other races, part of the higher society. My biases towards humans equates that with being English. Is that wrong? Yes, that’s why I don’t do it anymore.
How does one recognize one’s biases? Unlike other problems with writing The Other, this is one problem that research can’t necessarily solve, despite being similar to some of them. My approach is to spend a lot of time introspecting to the point where you talk to yourself more than you talk to other people. I don’t recommend this. Instead, share your writing with as many people as you can. It’s important to circulate it to people outside your normal social circle. While the idea of talking to other people may sound terrifying (at least to me), people within your usual circle may have some of the same biases that you have. That’s why diversity is important here.
Like in life, it can be hard to overcome one’s implicit biases in writing. It isn’t a matter of ignoring race, religion, etc. while writing, because if the characters were raised differently, then they should act differently. While it might seem fine to some readers, others will find it offensive. And while it’s not possible to please everyone, you shouldn’t alienate readers without intending to. When writing The Other, there are two major fixes: do your research, and ask others for their opinions. Remember, this is for your writing; it’s worth the effort.
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