Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-35711173-20180705051303/@comment-5733573-20180707022443

The experiences you've had are terrible and I'm not going to tell you I know what that's like, because I don't. I'm sorry that has been your experience.

What I do know, however, is that writers---especially those of us who are white---have to be extremely careful how we treat race in our stories. I, for instance, almost never mention a character's race if its not vital to the story, which is very rarely is. I am reviewing this story under the assumption (admittedly) that it is completely a work of fiction, unlike your autobiographically inspired material. Therefore, because you've chosen to fictionally present these characters who are of a race that is different from you own, it's so, so, so important to tread lightly or not do it at all. I feel your treatment of these characters has been somewhat cavalier here. I'm not going to apologize for holding other writers accountable for how they deal with race in their stories, especially if I feel like they need to be more careful.

You are ultimately free to write whatever you want about whomever you want. But you invited public opinion, and you got it. And if you put something out on a public forum, you have already accepted whatever the response may be.