Faith, Focus and Feathers

November draws to a close and with it appears my next entry! As promised, this month’s blog focuses on my own uplifting experience of hiring a sensitivity reader for my (at the time) MA Creative Writing dissertation and, eventually, finished novella. Unfortunately the name of this text shall remain hidden for now, but I’m looking forward to sharing any developments on this site - so make sure to keep a look out! For now, let’s begin with the first step in this reading journey…

As you are aware, my MA dissertation demanded a substantial amount of time which I dedicated to research alongside the physical writing of my piece. Although only the initial few chapters, totalling what would eventually be 15,880 words, the premise for the narrative required a deep and thorough understanding of a marginalised culture which demanded a great amount of respect whilst being included within my work. As someone of white British ancestry, the first step was to ensure a capacity for the words I would later write to maintain an unprejudiced and inoffensive manner. To do this I first needed to purchase works written by members of my main character’s community. As such I sought a variety of fictional and factional books, gauging my mind on as much information as I could get my hands on to fully understand and appreciate the history and perspectives of another culture.

This ultimately led me to discovering the website of one of the authors, whom I contacted asking for any information he could disclose to aid in my determined efforts to write an accepted piece of fiction. To my disbelief and excitement he later replied disclosing a detailed guide for how best to continue my current writing path. Within such information included the link to a very intriguing documentary exploring the rise of cultural appropriation - defined as the inappropriate adaption of customs not belonging to one’s own culture - and also a request to seek a sensitivity reader for my project. Up until this moment I had not heard of a sensitivity reader and so headed to the internet to seek out more information. As I later discovered, a sensitivity reader is defined as “someone who reads for offensive content, misrepresentation, stereotypes, bias, lack of understanding, etc.” (Source: University of Alberta Library). This new venture in my writing journey instantly became an exciting one as I was venturing down a path yet untravelled, both for me and for my university, having been told by my dissertation supervisor that this had not previously been done within the English department at the University of Lincoln. So, in deciding on the necessity of hiring a sensitivity reader and with the added joy of being the first in my school to achieve this, there was both an added nervousness and excitement in seeking a reader for my work.

The next step was to then seek out a sensitivity reader for my work. After drafting an email explaining the reasoning and motivations behind me reaching out, I once again turned to the internet to search for certified sensitivity readers who delve in the areas that best suited my work. As with any project, it is always best to research widely to ensure quality within the work

After reaching out to a few, I later received a reply from a sensitivity reader who, quote, stated “your novella sounds intriguing”, which was already a huge compliment considering the reader in question was willing to read a work which explored her own culture. After passing her pricing details and methods of reporting on my work to my university and dissertation supervisor, I then applied (under the guidance of Student Support) for funding from the university to pay for the 15,000 words I would be sending to my sensitivity reader. This was already discussed with my reader, who I informed would be receiving the initial two chapters of my novella in line with the specificraiton of my course’s ‘The Manuscript’ module. Luckily, after completing the application and receiving a reference from my dissertation supervisor, I was awarded the funding to pay for the report I would later receive. After this it was a case of setting a few deadlines, including the date for me to complete my 15,000 words and the day in which I would receive the report.

Despite a change in completion date on my part - after requesting a month extension for me to send my completed piece due to other university coursework demands, which my reader, thankfully, kindly accepted - I was able to send the first two chapters of my novella. This also included the initial half payment, where I transferred half of the cost via PayPal - after doing some trial and error conversion math turning pounds into dollars. The wait between sending my work and receiving the report was a highly nervous one. All the while I was on holiday I kept thinking how my words were being read on the other side of the world, wondering if I had achieved my goal in writing a respectful yet inspiring piece on a culture that is not my own.
When the month period was up I will admit I was very afraid to open an email with an attachment filled with, I initially thought, huge red flags and requests to rewrite large sections of unintentionally demeaning literature. To my absolute joy what I received was nothing but praise for a text I had been passionately working on for months. To go from a simple idea that arose from a simple thought during archery practice - a sport I cannot wait to start up again soon - to sharing it with someone of another community who loved my work was a thrill to hear. Of all the praise, however, there are two things that stick in my head the most:

“ Thank you so much for allowing me to read your chapters. They're beautiful. And I want to know what happens next!“

“ The narrator… is revealed in a respectful way. Her thoughts, how her people have been treated for generations, and her level of distrust… is spot on.“

(Note: ellipsis used to avoid big novella spoilers)

I am not afraid to admit I was jumping ecstatically and smiling excessively at reading this. I then preceded to thank her for her honesty and very minor edits, a fact I was still honoured by, and pay the remaining balance, promising to send her the remainder of my work once completed.

The writing of this novella up until now has been a journey both challenging yet rewarding, with a story I feel very passionately needs to be out there, and my sensitivity reader’s report offered that extra push to keep on going, despite the doubts. I knew then and there that this would be the first work I would develop and complete to hopefully see the light of day as my first published work. Of course there is a long way to go yet and I must maintain the tone of respect through the remainder of the plot, but it’s a feat I’m more than ready to accomplish.

I am really looking forward to finding more sensitivity readers to expand the reception on my work before it is sent out to potential publishers. That and to see what my current sensitivity reader thinks of my completed work. There’s a lot to be done until then, but for now I am optimistic and finding the faith in my own words once more.

For anyone seeking specific tips, the main one I would give is to know exactly the community you are writing about. Don’t ask generally about another’s culture as you must ensure respect is at the forefront of your actions. For another, I’d say definitely look into sites with certified readers. You don’t want to be sending money to someone who will not do their work in return. Follow these and you’ll be on the right track!

So there you go, my sensitivity reader experience! I hope you enjoyed exploring the steps and perhaps are now motivated to reach out yourself. I would definitely recommend it! Just make sure you keep that respect!

See you in December’s entry where, hopefully, there’ll be new developments in my writing/working life!

Until then, stay safe and enjoy the festivities as Christmas approaches!

Emily