Sensitivity Readers: What They Are and Why They Are Important
As writers a lot of us strive for diversity in our books, we attempt to show different walks of life that we may not relate to. This can be a difficult thing to do because even the best intentions can fall short. That is where a unique type of reader can save an author from making these mistakes. Sensitivity readers are often employed to read a work and point out anything that might be a harmful stereotype, whether it’s racial, cultural, or LGBTQ. These readers are a part of one or more of these categories and use their personal experiences and knowledge to read works and help the author provide the best representation of the particular group. I can’t stress enough that these readers are worth it. Never assume just because you’re not racist, sexist, or phobic towards LGBTQ that you will not write something that could be offensive. We are human and flawed, it is easy to throw in a character trait or a phrase/word and not think twice when it’s actually harmful. A Sensitvity reader can provide honest helpful feedback to improve your work in ways you might have never thought of.
When finding a Sensitivity reader you will want to look for someone who has one or more things in common with a character(s) in your book. Sometimes you might need more than one depending on your needs. This is something I strongly suggest you don’t skip if you are writing a story that has backgrounds you are not personally familiar with. I personally am writing a Novella where the main character is Non-Binary, I will be seaking a Non-Binary Sensitivity reader becasue I myself use she/her pronouns. This will help my character be the best representation they can possibly be. In this day and age I don’t not feel there is any excuse for misrepresentation especially in writing, there are too many avenues we can use to educate ourselves. Point blank. Period. You can often find these readers through your Beta Readers or fellow writers. There are even those with writing or editing backgrounds who offer Senstivity reader services. Networking on social media such Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or Facebook groups can help you locate a person. Make sure the person provides Sensitivity reading for something that relates to your book you don’t want a Hetero Sensitivity reader for a LGBTQ character because their aunt from Missouri that they speak to twice a year is gay. That won’t work, first off the person is not gay themselves and second having a gay family memeber does not qualify someone to be an LGBTQ Sensitivity reader. Same goes for choosing a white person to Sensitivity read for POC just because they have a diverse friend group. This doesn’t exclude them from not noticing harmful stereotypes and does not give them a free pass to judge what is. Your Sensitivity reader needs to be apart of the race, culture, gender or community your character is/from/identifies as. No cutting corners, you don’t ask an Optometrist about teeth you ask a Dentist. Just because they both have medical degrees does not qualify either to advise about the other. Seek exactly what you need, it will help your writing in the long run and perhaps even open your eyes to things you never considered.
That being said this particular type of reader is a blessing to writers everywhere, in a community where representation should be important. A Sensitivity reader provides a needed perspective and allows for a wide range of backgrounds to be included by writers in a positive way. These readers are the very ones who want that representation. They either never see themselves or rarely see themselves reflected in mainstream books. You may be thinking well, there are BIPOC, LGBTQ, Multicultural writers, etc. who already write these kind of books why should I worry about this. Simply put not everyone is Cis, Hetero, and White, so why should all your characters be like that. Our world is a rainbow of colors, genders, cultures and orientations. If we were all the same it would be a pretty boring place. As writers we are creative and we should see the beauty and diversity in everything, including people and want to include that in our stories. After all we draw so much from the world around us it’d be a shame to whitewash it. Sensitivity readers help those of us who want to be more diverse do it in a respectful way that isn’t harmful. Allow your writing to grow, go out of your comfort zone and do it wisely. There are resources and people who will help you and educate you. Sensitivity readers are some of those people. Seek them out and you will find your writing takes on a whole new life. Ignorance is not bliss in this situation, it is harmful. Learn, grow, educate.
Sensitivity Reader Resources
About Nena Orcutt
Nena Orcutt is an aspiring author, who thinks too much, Listens to a lot of music. Needs coffee to function. Who thinks Bukowski was a wise man and Hemingway was a genius. And feels romance isn’t dead. She is working on her debut novel “The Crow and The Butterfly” Making her home in Music City she’s ready to conquer the writing world and leave her mark.
