As writers in this modern day and age, we have a social imperative to be more diverse in our work. When a conversation I had with a family member over the dinner table sparked into a heated argument over whether or not James Bond could acceptably be cast as anything other than caucasian and male, I knew that it was time for a change in the way we approach not only diverse casting (shoutout to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s excellent production, Hamilton) but also the writing of diverse roles.
Continue reading “Demonstrating the Importance of Diversity”
If repetition is the highest form of flattery, then is a rebooted movie franchise of an already rebooted movie franchise the godliest form of all? And, if so, should we be impressed that Hollywood still has it in them to make another Spiderman movie? Unlikely.
One of the things I’m often quizzed about as an author is ‘C.S, why do you choose to write about cultures and countries that you’ve never been to?’ And the answer is far simpler than you’d imagine. From as early as 8-years-old, I always considered myself to be a writer of fantasy and science fiction (before I heard the umbrella term of speculative fiction at least) and couldn’t understand why anybody would want to write about something as ‘boring’ as the real world. However, after a few months working in retail, I soon discovered that the old adage was most certainly true: reality is far stranger than fiction.
C.S.Bilsborrow 