Doing Diversity in Writing Bethany A. Tucker & Mariëlle S. Smith

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the second part of a two-part episode on the topic.

 

Here’s what we talk about:

Words and descriptions to avoid when describing women
Words and description to deeply consider before using them
Gendered words to avoid or consider when writing about women
The ridiculous misconceptions there are about the female body and how to describe the body and bodily functions right
How the (male) author’s Point of View can skew descriptions and characterizations of female characters
Making sure your own POV won’t get in the way of your female characters’ POVs
Some final thoughts about the “strong female character” and how we should expand our definition of “strong”



And here are the (re)sources we mentioned on the show:

 

“In response to boob plate” by Sam the Sword: https://samanthaswords.tumblr.com/post/62968403257/in-response-to-boob-plate
“Women are sharing how little the men in their lives know about reproduction” by Brittany Wong: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/women-are-sharing-how-little-the-men-in-their-lives-know-about-reproduction_l_627e8906e4b0eb0f0711cb80
Tweet by Sabrinafon about her ex boyfriend’s beliefs about periods: https://twitter.com/Sabrinafon/status/1521981744668454913
Alice Oseman’s work: https://aliceoseman.com/
Kana Akatsuki’s Violet Evergarden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Evergarden
“21 words we ONLY use to describe women” by Nadia Khan: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/21-words-we-use-only-describe-women-nadia-khan/
“Shrill, mumsy, bossy…” by Roshan McArthur: https://togetherband.org/blogs/news/words-that-describe-women
“11 words we need to stop using to describe women” by Suzannah Weiss: https://www.bustle.com/articles/150273-11-words-we-need-to-stop-using-to-describe-women-because-housewife-doesnt-capture-anyones-job
“Everyday misogyny: 122 subtly sexist words about women (and what to do about them) by thaliakr: http://sacraparental.com/2016/05/14/everyday-misogyny-122-subtly-sexist-words-women/
“7 words you should avoid using about women in the workplace” by Hayley Gleeson: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-01/words-you-should-avoid-using-about-women-in-the-workplace/7467848
“Don’t say I’m ‘dramatic’” by Jessica Bennett: https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/feminist-fight-club/almost-z-list-words-avoid-when-talking-about-women-sexist-language
“Half of Brits don’t know where the vagina is – and it’s not just the men” by Victoria Waldersee: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2019/03/08/half-brits-dont-know-where-vagina-and-its-not-just
“I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” by Brit Marling: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html
Bethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors/

 

This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/06/30/s3e3 

 

Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8 

 

As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires. 

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36 

 

Website: https://representationmatters.art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the first part of a two-part episode on the topic.

 

Here’s what we talked about:

That, in the US, women are estimated to buy 70–80% of fiction books
There are way more male than female leads in children’s books
That novels, on average and across the board, only have one female character to four male characters
But that many readers FEEL like there are way more female protagonists these days than there are male protagonists 
That women writers also have a tendency to write male characters, and that women are not exempt from perpetuating problematic female representations
What kind of roles women tend to have in fiction
A selection of tropes to avoid or seriously consider when writing female characters
Some of the most persistent narrative structures that disempower and/or harm women
Why it is important to write female characters better, even if books with badly written women are selling well 



And here are the (re)sources we mentioned on the show:

 

“How many books per year do Americans read?” by Jamie Ballard: https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2018/08/14/reading-books-men-women
“Gender in twentieth-century children’s books” by Janice McCabe: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241647875_Gender_in_Twentieth-Century_Children%27s_Books
“It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World, Even in a Pandemic Year: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top U.S. Films of 2021” by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen: https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2021-Its-a-Mans-Celluloid-World-Report.pdf  
“Women Buy Fiction in Bulk and Publishers Take Notice” by Trip Gabriel: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/17/business/women-buy-fiction-in-bulk-and-publishers-take-notice.html
“AI study finds that males are represented four times more than females in literature” by Maya Abu-Zahra: https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/04/ai-study-finds-that-males-are-represented-four-times-more-than-females-in-literature/
“Male leads in fiction sell 10 million more books on average than female leads” by Kelly Jensen: https://bookriot.com/male-leads-in-fiction/
“A new study shows that girls write fewer female characters as they get older” by Walker Caplan: https://lithub.com/a-new-study-shows-that-girls-write-fewer-female-characters-as-they-get-older/
RWBY TV Series: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3066242/
“The Problem with Female Protagonists” by Jo Eberhardt: https://writerunboxed.com/2016/08/06/the-problem-with-female-protagonists/
“Discussion Time: Why are there More Female Protagonists than Male?” by Beth: https://readingeverynight.wordpress.com/2017/11/04/discussion-time-why-are-there-more-female-protagonists-than-male/
7 Figure Fiction by T. Taylor: https://7figurefiction.com/
“It is time to kill the cool girl trope” by Raha Murtuza: https://thermtide.com/14279/popular/it-is-time-to-kill-the-cool-girl-trope/
Gone Girl – Cool Girl: https://youtu.be/0o4heKCLeTs
“Name That Trope: She’s hot! She’s cool! She’s one of the guys!” by Kelsey Wallace: https://www.bitchmedia.org/post/name-that-trope-the-super-hot-bro-girl
How to Write About Sexual Assault: An Incomplete Guide by Salt and Sage Books: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-About-Sexual-Assault-ebook/dp/B08DHHN82D 
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41104077-invisible-women 
How NOT to Write Female Characters by Lucy V. Hay: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739262-how-not-to-write-female-characters
“10 MORE SEXIST Tropes in Science Fiction and Fantasy” by DZA: https://youtu.be/oiooafKkVMI
“I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” by Brit Marling: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html
“10 Best Tips for Writing Strong Female Characters” by

In this first episode of Season 3 of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss how to write hair and head coverings.  

 

Here’s what we talk about:

That hair, hair care, and head coverings are often ethnically dictated and gendered
That there is no such thing as “ethnic” hair: we all have ethnicity!
How to describe different natural hair colors
How to describe different hair textures
Whether dreadlocks are cultural appropriation
Who wears wigs and weaves, and for what reason
That head coverings for men and women come into play in many ways that go beyond religion and what one’s culture dictates 
How you can use descriptions of hair and head coverings to add layers to your POV characters 



And here are the (re)sources we mentioned on the show:

“Untangling the Symbolism of Art History’s Most Famous Redheads” by Sarah Dotson: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-untangling-symbolism-art-historys-famous-redheads 
“Seeing red: why we need to be sensitive about using the word ‘ginger’” by David Marsh: https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2014/jan/24/mind-your-language-red-hair 
“3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Address Redheads As ‘Gingers’” by Kali Hanson: https://www.howtobearedhead.com/3-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-address-redheads-as-gingers 
“Writing About Hair: The Thick and Thin of Descriptions” by Sharla Rae: https://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/07/writing-about-hair-the-thick-and-thin-of-descriptions 
“The East Asian women + colored hair trope” by Jess: https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/101115852994/the-east-asian-women-colored-hair-trope-an 
“The Ultimate Black & Natural Hair Glossary” by Joanna Samuels: https://afrocenchix.com/blogs/afrohair/the-ultimate-black-natural-hair-glossary 
How to Write Black Characters by Salt and Sage Books: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087ZSJ9BN 
“Dear white people with dreadlocks: Some things to consider” by Emanuella Grinberg: https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/31/living/white-dreadlocks-cultural-appropriation-feat/index.html 
“Once in a Lifetime: The village of Huang Luo in China’s Guangxi Region is famous for the dramatically long hair worn by its female residents” by Linn Yaeger: https://www.vogue.com/projects/13548460/women-of-huang-luo-china-long-hair-tradition 
“Niqab, How Does It Work? | THE BASICS, how to wear the niqab” by Niqabi Nextdoor: https://youtu.be/KAbsPFS8gus 
“What are the differences between a niqab, a chador, an abaya, a burkha and a hijab?”: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-a-niqab-a-chador-an-abaya-a-burkha-and-a-hijab 
“Women’s safety clothing not fit for purpose” by Matthew Gunther: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/womens-safety-clothing-not-fit-for-purpose/1010138.article 
“Employers Exposed When Women’s Safety Equipment Doesn’t Fit” by Fatima Hussein and Jaclyn Diaz: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/safety/employers-exposed-when-womens-safety-equipment-doesnt-fit 
Tina from Glee: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327801/characters/nm3206118 
Mako Mori from Pacific Rim: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663662/characters/nm0452860 
GoGo Tomago from Big Hero 6: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/characters/nm1512166 
Einayim Petukhoth or Eyes Wide Open: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424327
Unorthodox: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9815454 
Crazy Rich Asians: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988 
Steel Magnolias: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098384 
Luke Cage: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322314 
Barbershop: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303714 
Coming to America: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898 
The Boondocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Mly_Zj6gg
Hair Love: https://youtu.be/kNw8V_Fkw28 
Tamora Pierce’s work: https://www.tamora-pierce.net 
Mulan: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762 
V for Vendetta: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409 
The Boys: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11906

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—bring our season on Race and Ethnicity to an end by delving into some lingering some questions. 

 

What we talked about

If and how to use racial slurs in our writing
When and how to acknowledge our characters’ racial history
Whether authors are allowed to write POV characters belonging to a different community
Co-writing with BIPOC authors as a white author
The representation of Asian masculinity in Western media
Being accused of being too political when including a diverse cast in our books
How to make your cast more diverse when your characters aren’t human



(Re)sources mentioned on the show

The Marvel Cinematic Universe: https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline 
The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon: https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/index.htm 
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9376612 
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528 
Crazy Rich Asians: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988 
Nora Phoenix’s White House Men series: https://noraphoenix.com/my-books/ 
Finding Nemo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543 
Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal

 

This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/04/07/s2e12

 

Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8 

 

As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires. 

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36 

 

Website: https://representationmatters.art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw 

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—scratch the surface of an incredibly broad topic: writing interracial and intercultural relationships. 

 

What we talked about

That writing relationships between characters of different races and cultures is really not that different from writing relationships between characters who are not exactly the same for other reasons
Questions to ask yourself and things to keep in mind when crafting interracial and intercultural relationships in your writing
A ton of examples in which interracial and intercultural relationships are depicted well and convincingly



(Re)sources mentioned on the show

Payne Erskin’s The Mountain Girl: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11084308-the-mountain-girl 
Disney’s Pocahontas: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114148 
Stargate SG-1: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118480
The Karate Kid (1984): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538
The Karate Kid (2010): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076
Kim’s Convenience: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5912064
Bend It Like Beckham: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499
Blinded by the Light: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8266310
Sarfraz Mansoor’s Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion, and Rock N Roll: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V7U6LE
The Grand Budapest Hotel: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388
Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give: https://angiethomas.com/the-hate-u-give
Benjamin Alire Saenz’s The Inexplicable Logic of My Life: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23447923-the-inexplicable-logic-of-my-life
Kim Dare’s Axel’s Pup: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21522467-axel-s-pup
The Marvel Cinematic Universe: https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline 
Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter series: https://shadowhunters.com
Never Have I Ever: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10062292
Bright: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5519340
Bridgerton: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8740790 
Young Royals: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14664414 
Bethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors

 

This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/29/s2e11 

 

Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8 

 

As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires. 

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36 


Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about naming our fictional characters. 

 

What we talked about

General things to look out for when picking our characters’ names
All the different aspects that might influence which names make sense for your characters
Where to look for names
How to verify whether these names are appropriate for your characters or not



(Re)sources mentioned on the show

Think Baby Names: http://www.thinkbabynames.com
Behind the Name: https://www.behindthename.com
Behind the Surname: https://surnames.behindthename.com
Mariëlle’s 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner: https://mswordsmith.nl/journal

 

This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/03/24/s2e10

 

Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8 

 

As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires. 

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5

 

Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36 

 

Don’t forget, you can find us at https://representationmatters.art, on https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting, and on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw