Ethically Diverse Storytelling, Part 1

Tips for making your story concrete.

- BY MORIAH RICHARD

When it comes to diversity and representation, my go-to example for how to do it well is always the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. There are queer and straight characters; characters with neurodivergence; some with physical disabilities; plus-sized characters; realistic portrayals of PTSD and other mental health issues; various religious beliefs; and a wide range of race and ethnicities. And people say that YA can't (or shouldn't) support a diverse cast!

But the Grishaverse isn't the only one out there with realistic and diverse people. As DEI programs and other initiatives are falling under attack, we writers need to understand the importance of diversity in our storytelling. As Melinda French Gates says in The Moment of Lift, "In my view, there is no morality without empathy ... Morality is loving your neighbor as yourself, which comes from seeing your neighbor as yourself, which means trying to ease your neighbor's burdens—not add to them."

But with so much potential for harmful stereotypes, tokenism, and cultural appreciation, where is a world-builder to begin?

Like anything else we do, we just have to take it one step at a time. You can see this intersectionality when it comes to language. For example, in my Pa. Dutch household, I grew up around people who would often say things like, “What for soda is that?” or “Is the milk all?” These linguistic oddities are due to the change in sentence structure from Pa. Dutch to English, but they make the speaker stand out from others not from their region.

As you start planning your cultures, it might be worth it to ask yourself the following: