Writing a voice that's not your own

 

As writers, we're told to "write what you know." Writers who choose to create main characters very different from themselves sometimes get chastised for giving false representation. But how can we only write characters that we directly relate to? There would be a lot of books about loners who spend all their time locked up in their rooms with their cats and a cup of coffee or tea. That would be rather boring.

So, we have to write characters that greatly differ from our own experiences. We use our imagination and research to fill in the gaps between what we "know" and what we want on the page. It's what makes us creative types.

But what if you want to create a voice that's traditionally underrepresented and greatly differs from your own?

The main character in the book I'm querying is a young, gay boy who is both an artist and a basketball player and I'm ... none of those things. Seriously, not a single one. But I feel I do a good job at writing his story from his point of view (it's in 1st person). How can I write something that is largely underrepresented in literature and something I have no personal experience with?

Empathy.

Probably a writer's greatest tool is the ability to empathize with people who greatly differ from us. Frankly, the more underrepresented, the easier it is to empathize, because I know what it feels like to be seen as the "weirdo" in a group, to hide a part of yourself from friends and family so you aren't ostracized any more than you already are. I don't let anyone I know read my writing. I didn't even tell anyone I'd written a book until I started querying it. I understand what it's like to be a creative-minded person and feel disconnected from the world around me. In that regard, I feel greatly connected to my main character.

I've done a lot of research on art and basketball so I can write scenes with some sense of realism - enough that people who do know about such things won't immediately go "that's not how that works." I'm queer and I was once a teenager, so I can relate to the struggle of accepting one's sexuality and how to go about coming out to friends and family. But my ability to empathize is definitely what allows me to bring my character to life on the page. It's a tool that's greatly useful in the real world, too, but is downright necessary for writing realistic characters.