Powerful Act of Agency

THIS. So many of my stories feature characters just trying to live in a world that doesn’t know what to do with them and doesn’t really want to, whether that’s because of racism, sexism, homophobia, sex- or kink-shaming, or other kinds of systemic prejudice.

And the criticism or suggestion I get most often from editors (not all my editors, just enough) is to rewrite it to find a way to solve or satisfy those systemic problems by the end of my story—often in ways that make white/cis/het people feel good (ex. the racist boss gets fired, the sexist harasser gets arrested, the vote that threatens the protag’s livelihood gets vetoed, the partner white/cis/male-saviors the day, the world magically becomes sex-positive overnight) but, often—especially for folks whose identities intersect a lot of those targeted minorities—that isn’t how the world works.

We walk through this world acutely knowing that there are things—a lot of huge and profound things—we cannot change alone. That boss who says racist things often does so in ways that doesn’t violate HR policies or in ways that it’s hard to explain to white people why it’s racist and why they should care. Or, a lot of the time, they say or do racist things that make you uncomfortable but not enough so to “make a scene” about it, not enough to threaten their (or your) job or create a reputation for yourself of being “that kind” of coworker of color.

And the point of putting that into a story is...well, to tell the story of what that’s like. It’s not to draw up blueprints on How to Solve Racism. It’s to say: this happens and this is what it feels like.

And to tell the story of how we often deal with that.

Like creating our own communities and spaces where we can retreat to. Finding happiness in a world that does not make that easy is, in and of itself, a powerful act of agency. It is a valid and effective way of dealing with those kinds of problems.

And, if that story isn’t satisfying enough for you, maybe instead of saying there’s something wrong or lacking or needs to be fixed in those stories, maybe realize that these stories aren’t for you.

And, maybe, ask yourself if your need to have systemic problems, that have plagued and continue to plague the whole of humanity, neatly solved at the end in order for a story to feel “realistic” or “relateable” may stem from a lack of real understanding and empathy of those who deal with those problems.

Because you’re literally asking us to tell our stories as if they were yours.