Dos & Don’ts of Writing with Authenticity

DO interrogate yourself first before you turn the same intense spotlight on your story. Check for unconscious biases and how your background has shaped your perspective of those who differ from you. We can also hold bias about ourselves and those who are similar to us. Bias is difficult to understand and accept in ourselves. Sometimes we can’t see it in ourselves and our writing. That’s why I advocate working with an expert advisor who can support you in developing your characters, review your work, and flag problem areas so that you can address them.

DO make sure that any portrayal of a character or event that is outside your lived experience is well researched and thoughtful. Your heart may be in the right place. For example, you want an inclusive cast of characters or you want to shine a light on an important issue or underrepresented experience. But you may do harm if you haven’t taken the time to thoroughly research and understand the complexities of the people and events you represent in your novel.

DO create realistic, original and authentic characters – but don’t define any character by one thing. Make sure your characters are multi-dimensional. A character is more than her/his/their culture, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, trauma, or condition, impairment or difference. Subtly weave details about characters’ marginalized backgrounds and experiences into your stories, integrating this into their portrayal throughout the book. For example, don’t simply tell us that a character is Muslim. Be aware and show us how religion may influence what they wear, when they worship and their family relationships. 

DO represent the richness of any experience or culture. Don’t rely on generic or stereotypic representation. Not every British person likes football, nor does every Indian person like Bollywood. Be specific with your setting and character history. There is no universal experience for each country or trait. For example, India is a subcontinent with hundreds of distinct cultures. Each culture has its own religious practices, languages, clothing, food, in-jokes and everything in-between. Where exactly your character lives or is from will affect that character in countless ways. Again, diligent research with people who have that lived experience will help you give your readers an original and authentic representation. If your story features marginalised characters or characters who have experienced trauma, don’t only focus on challenges or barriers. Show the positive depth and breadth of their lives, not just the difficulties.

DO create a cast of characters that reflects the reality of your setting. For example, in a contemporary story set in Oxford, it would strain credulity if all characters were of the same ethnicity. On the other hand, there can be specific settings or circumstances where reflecting an imbalance is authentic. It’s natural to worry about how to describe a character outside your experience, but that doesn’t mean you should make your cast of characters homogenous. Instead do your research and speak to people to make sure that your representation is respectful and your mix of characters realistic and authentic.

DO read, watch and ask questions. Devour nonfiction books and documentaries from the perspective you are trying to write, but make sure these points of reference are from current voices and have been accurately researched. Don’t rely on fiction, films or TV series as your primary research. They can provide a point of reference, but they may contain views or representations that are inaccurate or harmful. They can also perpetuate stereotypes and promote bias. In all your research, consider the source. Who is telling the story, and from what perspective? Many books, TV shows and films that were popular in the past – and even some current ones – promulgate views or representations that are now considered inaccurate or offensive. 

DON’T think you can achieve inclusivity by simply including characters with a variety of skin tones, giving one a mobility challenge or making one gay. A diverse cast of characters can enrich your story, but make sure each casting choice is the right one, made for the right reason – not to tick the ‘diversity box’. Avoid tokenism as this has the opposite effect of what you wish to achieve. Do your homework to make sure that each and every character has depth and your representation is honest and true.

Writer, editor, lecturer and mentor Sara Grant is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Novel: A revolutionary approach to transform your writing, which will be published by Bloomsbury, June 2025. Dark Parties, her first young adult novel, won SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Europe. Publishers in the US, UK and Europe, including Scholastic, Little, Brown and Orion, have published ten of Sara’s books for children/teens. As a freelance editor of series fiction, she has worked on fourteen different series and edited nearly 100 books. She’s the Talent Manager for Storymix (storymix.co.uk), an inclusive fiction studio. She’s taught master’s courses on writing for children/teens at Goldsmiths University and the University of Winchester. She has given writing workshops in the US, UK and Europe. She co-founded Undiscovered Voices – which has launched the writing careers of more than a hundred authors and illustrators, who now have published more than 400 children’s books. (undiscoveredvoices.com)