#jasonstefaniak.com

When we expect writers to literally "write what they know," when we assume writers will create characters that match their racial, gender, socioeconomic, etc identity, we seriously undermine not only the universal scope of the human experience, but the inexplicable way a writer's subconscious works. Joss Whedon said in an interview that for whatever reason, his avatar in his work is a teenage girl, strong, but alienated. For me, I often find myself writing interracial couples - even though I've never been in an interracial relationship. I write women that feel more like me than men, and when I write men, I find they feel most like me when they're black. Why is this? I have no idea. But it's human and our political goals, as admirable and necessary as they may be, should never assume or circumscribe on an artists' instincts and interests. Honesty and authenticity are our goals above all else.