Whose Story Is It?

I think this question will be very pertinent in the journey ahead given that If Crows Could Talk is based on a story that comes from Jim Crow; from a dark period in American history. Though I think the story is really about family and life; actions and consequences… and some things we might never understand… people have already asked: is it my story to tell?

What do you think?

For me, stories come from all kinds of places. Inspiration hits and it feels like magic. This story started life nearly twenty years ago when it was no more than a short story. I have probably been influenced by a great many works of fiction as well as real-life stories. Characters also have a habit of taking over and telling you this is the story they want you to share. That might sound crazy… but it is so very true.

We live in a diverse society and if I went by the philosophy I can only tell my own story there would be one not-so-interesting memoir, and that’s it. I write what I know from being human. I might not be George in the story; an African-American man but I understand grief. I understand the pain of loss. I know what it’s like to have the human experience. I might not know what it is to be him or to be from a culture where the hate runs deep. I can only use my best skills as a writer to research, to talk to people, to read. I will have sensitivity and authenticity reads. That notion of whose story is it to tell is nuts when you write fiction. It gives writing a level of censorship that takes away the very essence of what fiction writing is. Sure, many of my characters are white, as is April in If Crows Could Talk, and I have also written many British white characters as well as a Russian immigrant who survived Belsen, an Asian runner-bean grower, an American reporter, a feral child in Russia. What about historical fiction from a period we never lived through or witnessed first hand? What about science fiction? What about fantasy? All of these rely on us creating believable relatable characters. Even robots need a human touch for us to connect to the story and I have cried over robots in stories for that reason. We know only what it is to be human, the rest is down to us. If we represent real history we research it.

If we live in a diverse society, we ought to reflect that in our writing… so long as we research properly and do it justice then it shouldn’t matter.

I would love to know what you think?