Writers are often afraid to write characters whose gender, sexual orientation, religion, racial heritage, or other aspect of identity differs from their own. But it is possible to do so sensitively and convincingly! In this workshop, based on teachings from the book Writing the Other by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward, speculative fiction writer K Tempest Bradford will explore:

Why is representation important?

How do we craft characters that aren't like us?

What part do stereotypes and tropes play?

How do we research the other?

This workshop is a mixture of lecture, writing exercises, and discussion, so bring paper, pens, or laptops and be prepared to ask plenty of questions. It's appropriate for all prose writers (fiction and non), playwrights, screen writers, and comic writers.

Speculative fiction writer, media critic, reviewer, and podcaster. Tempest’s fiction has appeared in award-winning magazines (Strange Horizons and Electric Velocipede) and best-selling anthologies (Diverse Energies, Federations, In the Shadow of the Towers); her essays and criticism have appeared on io9, NPR, Tor.com, Chicks Dig Time Lords, Chicks Unravel Time, and The Usual Path to Publication. She volunteers for a number of non-profit organizations, served as a juror for the 2008 James Tiptree Jr. Award, organized fundraising auctions and salons for the Interstitial Arts Foundation, and raised funds for Clarion West, her writing workshop alma mater. Currently, she serves on the board of the Carl Brandon Society, an organization dedicated to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the production of and audience for speculative fiction.

Writing Workshop: Crafting Characters Who Aren't Like You

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