And the answers I get the most are: they think the majority of people don’t want to read about people like them, or they don’t want to put themselves out there for people to say they’re not Asian enough or they can’t claim the heritage because they’re mixed. And then they would ask me how I decided to write from my own background and how I had the courage to do so.

In the last few years, publishing has been shifting, as it realizes that more diverse voices need to be heard. Not just in terms of cultures and heritage, but a whole score of underrepresented voices. And as more agents and editors are looking for books from these perspectives, this is a great time for anyone who has not seen themselves represented in novels in the past to tell their stories. To write the book that they want to read and that will resonate with readers like them. 

How do you write from your perspective, you ask?

Write from Your Own Experiences

This does not mean the novel has to be about you. It only means to write from what you know. 

If you are half-Filipina and half-white, your main character can be the same and you can draw on your own experiences to help build your MC’s backstory. If you’ve felt hesitant to claim the Asian side of you because all your life you’ve heard you aren’t Asian enough, use those same feelings of not belonging for your MC. 

The character can be completely different from you and have life experiences that are not based on your life. But if you draw from your experiences, it will make the characterization deeper and more authentic.

In my debut novel, The Tiger Mom’s Tale, my main character is half-Taiwanese and half-white. I myself am one hundred percent Taiwanese and I’ve been asked why I chose to make my character mixed. I was born in Taiwan, but moved to the States and was raised here from the age of seven. Half of me always felt that I wasn’t Taiwanese enough, and the other half wasn’t American enough, leaving me unsure of where I really belonged and which was my true identity. 

When I started to write this book, I wanted my main character to have that same sense of not belonging. I wondered what it would feel like to look Asian on the outside, but be brought up by a white family, and hence, my MC Lexa was born.

So, in that instance, I drew from my own experiences and backgrounds, but my MC’s story is completely different from mine. I’ve found that drawing from my own experience really gives my characters a depth that might otherwise be missing, especially as a new writer. As I get more comfortable with my writing, I am exploring ways to expand the worlds that my characters come from.

Don’t Worry about Pleasing Everyone

There is no way that everyone who reads your work is going to identify with the characters or situations. As writers, once our books are published, they are no longer ours. They now belong to the readers, whose opinions of it will be based on their own life experiences. 

I was really surprised that the harshest critics of my debut were Asian American women, and in some instances, Taiwanese Americans. Because there are so few books written from this perspective, people who didn’t see themselves in my book felt I represented the culture wrong. 

This is why it’s even more important than ever to have more books published from underrepresented voices. One or two authors cannot represent an entire culture or identity. I’ve come to understand that it’s not my job as the writer to please everyone. I can’t. I can only write from my perspective and my own experiences and hope it will touch or resonate with someone. 

Along this same vein, it’s really true what they say about developing a thick skin in publishing. There is rejection at every turn. Starting with querying, then submissions to editors at publishing houses, and then eventually the reviews. 

People will tear your work apart, some nicer than others. If you can’t handle that, don’t read your reviews. And keep telling yourself that you can’t please everyone. Continue to write, from your true self, the story that you want to write.

Use Sensitivity Readers

What is a sensitivity reader? If you’re unsure of any representation or perspective, it’s always good to have someone read over your work. 

For example, in my debut, the mother realizes after over thirty years of marriage that she is in love with a woman. This has never happened to me or to my mother, so I had someone who has, to read passages to make sure I was getting their feelings and thoughts as accurate as I could. 

Also, because I grew up in America, there were scenes and thoughts from Taiwanese people who lived there, and I had sensitivity readers to make sure the way they spoke and thought was as realistic as possible. 

You don’t have to hire someone to do sensitivity reads. I didn’t. I simply asked the people in my life who represented what I was trying to portray in my book. And if you don’t know anyone, you can always ask in your writing groups or even on social media if anyone knows someone who is willing to talk to you. We all make mistakes along the way, but for me, I want to strive to get a point of view and perspective as correct as I can.

The world is so diverse and there are so many cultures, heritages, and points of view that have up until now had so little written about them. I am excited that publishing is starting to take notice and hope more underrepresented writers will share their stories in the near future.

Lyn Liao Butler was born in Taiwan and moved to the States when she was seven. In her past and present lives, she has been: a concert pianist, professional ballet and modern dancer, a fitness studio owner, a personal trainer and instructor, an RYT-200 hour yoga instructor, a purse designer with an Etsy shop, and most recently, author of multi-cultural women’s fiction. Lyn did not have a Tiger Mom. She came about her over-achieving all on her own.

When she is not torturing clients or talking to imaginary characters, Lyn enjoys spending time with her FDNY husband, their son (the happiest little boy in the world), two stubborn dachshunds, and trying crazy yoga poses on a stand-up paddleboard. So far, she has not fallen into the water yet.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

The post Writing from Your Perspective appeared first on DIY MFA.

First and foremost, hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is wrong. My team and I will not condone or allow any of this language or behavior in our community.

We have been lucky not to have this ugliness infiltrate our word nerd community thus far, but I want to make something very clear: the racist vitriol and verbal abuse that has permeated certain pockets of social media has no place at DIY MFA. If we see so much as a hint of this in our community, my team and I will shut it down. Clear? Cool.

In moments like this, it is important to amplify voices, particularly the voices of those who may be most harmed by these events. Right now, it is the AAPI author community that needs our support, so we would like to highlight the amazing authors from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community who have participated in our podcast and summits.

Please support these authors by buying and reading their books and spreading the word about their work. If you would like to meet some awesome authors and add some great books to your TBR (to be read) pile, check out the interviews below.

Past Podcast Guests:

Alka Dhillon

Alka Dhillon is a self-help author and founder and CEO of Technalink. Alka was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 59: Finding Your Om Factor. If you want to find Alka, you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, or visit her website.

Yang Huang

Yang Huang writes contemporary fiction novels, short stories and essays. Her interview can be found in Episode 217: Write Dangerously of DIY MFA Radio. You can find Yang on her website.

Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki is a non-fiction author of useful how-to guides on social media, marketing, and business. Guy appeared on DIY MFA Radio along with his co-author, Peg Fitzpatrick, in Episode 27: Social Media for Writers. You can connect with Guy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn. 

Fonda Lee

Fonda Lee is an author of both adult and young adult fantasy and science fiction. Fonda was interviewed in Episode 262: Inside the Mind of a Worldbuilding Junkie of DIY MFA Radio. To connect with Fonda, check out her website.

Virginia Loh-Hagan

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan is an author of children’s books and academic works. Virginia was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 284: Adapting Legends While Staying True to the Story. Visit her website, or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Alexandra Monir

Alexandra Monir is a popular author of young adult fiction across genres like science fiction, paranormal, romance, and mystery. Alexandra was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 338: The Dystopian Superhero Story in which she discusses her recently released contribution to the DC ICONS series, Black Canary: Breaking Silence. You can find Alexandra on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Veena Rao

Veena Rao is an author of literary fiction as well as a founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of NRI Pulse. Veena appeared on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 334: The Unexpected Female Protagonist. You can find Veena on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Abbigail Rosewood

Abigail Rosewood is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Abigail was interviewed on Episode 308: Setting, Characters, and Identity: Your Story’s Ecosystem of DIY MFA Radio. Check out her website or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Shanthi Sekaran

Shanthi Sekaran is an indie contemporary fiction author. She was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 132: Capturing Diverse Experiences on the Page. You can read more about Shanthi on her website or on Twitter.

Nisha Sharma

Author of both young adult and adult contemporary romance, Nisha Sharma’s interview can be found on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 268: From Bollywood-Inspired YA to RWA. You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Lauren Sharkey 

DIY MFA Columnist and creative non-fiction writer, Lauren J. Sharkey’s most recent DIY MFA article is Dollars and Sense, about reframing your writing career to avoid becoming a starving artist. Lauren was interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 316: Truth with a Capital T. You can find Lauren on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Carol VanDenHende

Carol VanDenHende is a DIY MFA Columnist and an award-winning author of contemporary romantic fiction. Check out her most recent DIY MFA article, What Is Author Brand and How to Craft Yours. Carol is also interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 328: Book Marketing for Busy Writers. You can find Carol on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

K.S. Villoso

K. S. Villoso writes speculative fiction with a focus on deeply personal themes and character-driven narratives. Listen to our interview with her on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 292: World Building in Epic Fantasy. Visit her website or connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

David Yoon

David Yoon is an author of young adult romances and adult thrillers. Read the guest blog he wrote for DIY MFA here: How to Write Sparky Dialogue. David was very recently interviewed on DIY MFA Radio in Episode 353: Making the Shift from YA Romance to Adult Thriller. You can find David on his website or follow him on Instagram.

Summit Interviews:

Guy Kawasaki

Guy was also featured in our Memoir Summit. His interview is called Wisdom in Small Moments.

Fonda Lee

Fonda appeared in our Science Fiction and Fantasy Summit. Her interview is Creating Dynamic Characters through Conflict.

Mona Shroff 

Mona Shroff writes adult contemporary romance novels, and she has contributed a #5onFri post to DIY MFA which you can read here: #5onFri: Five Questions to Ask when Writing a Second Chance Romance. She was featured in our Romance Summit. Her interview is The Debut Author’s Journey. To connect with Mona check out her website.

These Summit Interviews will be open until Monday, May 3 at 12pm ET.

Upcoming Episode on DIY MFA Radio

Stay tuned! DIY MFA is featuring the following AAPI authors in upcoming podcast episodes:

Thien-Kim Lam

Thien-Kim Lam is an adult contemporary romance author. You can find Thien-Kim Lam on her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Rajani LaRocca

Rajani LaRocca writes middle grade contemporary and historical fiction. Connect with Rajani on her website, or find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Tasha Suri

Tasha Suri writes young adult fantasy and romance. Read more about Tasha on her website or connect with her on Twitter, and Instagram. You can also sign up for her newsletter.

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, entrepreneur and the founder of DIY MFA.

Please note: We are disabling comments for this post. Here’s why. While we appreciate all the love and support we receive from our community, we are keenly aware that this is not about us. If you’d like to show support for what has been said here, do it by purchasing a book by one of the wonderful authors listed above. Our goal is to keep this post focused on what it’s really about: amplifying Asian American and Pacific Islander voices. If you have something you need to say, reach out to support@DIYMFA.com.

The post Supporting the AAPI Community appeared first on DIY MFA.