How to Write Sapphic Characters with R.C. Thomson

R. C. Thomson, whose first name is Rose, is an accuracy and sensitivity reader of many topics, including for sapphic characters. She was recently the accuracy reader for Amy Jane Lehan’s upcoming queer novel “Who Could Love You, Astor Price?” The book will be released on August 8, 2023.

Jackson: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Rose! What drew you to becoming an accuracy and sensitivity reader, specifically for sapphic characters? Why is it a good idea for writers and publishers to hire accuracy and sensitivity readers?

Rose:

I started out doing Advanced Reviewer Copy or ARC reviews with a few different places including an Instagram "book tour" organisation, where I got to read books in their final form prior to publication. While this really excited me, I kept finding things which disturbed me such as harmful portrayal of mental health, MCs buying into hurtful stereotyping which the authors did nothing to correct or clarify, etc. My reviews stated to take on a more critical look to them until around October/ November of last year I finally googled if there was a type of editing which addressed this. I put the call out right at the start of 2023 on my relatively small Instagram platform (part "Bookstagram", part "Writergram") and found several people willing to let me practice sensitivity and accuracy reading for their novels.

I specialise in the areas I'm most familiar (my own personal niche communities) and which I have enough experience with to read critically, but have done enough work within myself to be able to read without becoming distressed by. As someone who came out "late" at 23 as a lesbian, this is a topic I'm passionate about supporting others through, along with some related topics you may have noticed I promote as specialising in (i.e. other LGBTQIA+ identities and religious trauma, which commonly go hand in hand along with internalised homophobia depending on one's upbringing).

I'm here for those writers who don't have the experience in their own lives, but are inspired to represent those minorities of which I am a part. It's like a phone a friend service, except I read critically and have 7 broad topics I'm able to cover, thanks to my own experiences and being a part of those communities myself, including queer identities.

Jackson: What are some harmful tropes around sapphic characters writers should avoid?

Rose:

I think for me the first thing that comes to mind hinges around the harmful and just plain wrong ideas that bisexuals are "selfish" or FTM transgender people are "misogynistic" -- that is, that lesbians or people who tend to date towards the femme end of the spectrum hate men. Similarly, not all lesbians or sapphic relationships occur due to trauma from males. I've heard someone summarise (from their own story!) a culture of women who all live together and support each other separate from the male community as "a cult of lesbian man haters". (Needless to say, I put the book back immediately and tried to sit as politely as possible through the rest of the "in conversation" with the author, haha. But it most certainly clouded my judgment of the author.)

Jackson: What would you like to see more of when it comes to sapphic characters and sapphic stories?

Rose:

This could just be a "me" thing, but I get a huge dorky grin when people write the harmless, cute stereotypes associated with sapphic romances or relationships. I'm talking the little internet jokes like how "all gays love space". If a queer character wears a NASA sweatshirt in one scene of the book, I'll eat it up. I love the subtle nod to those inside jokes. Or "U-Haul" jokes about how lesbians move super fast in a relationship -- maybe one buys the other a puppy after just a month together? That gets me! Trauma dumping will almost always be a part of a sapphic or queer book, it's just the way the world is unfortunately that queer people will be targeted in some way, whether by society, family, online communities, etc. But I'd love to see equal parts trauma and slice-of-life cuteness.

It's definitely one of the reasons I loved Who Could Love You, Astor Price?, for example. Anyone who's read it will say it's heavy, but it had me unable to put it down, "working" long sessions on it because I just loved how pure a lot of the relationships were. Judgement was there, sure, but for Astor, her best friend Megan, and even the majority of the larger friend group, it was so supportive and immediately accepting. Who cares if Astor's hooking up with a boy or a girl, tonight, you know?

Jackson: For writers who are not sapphic, what advice would you give them for writing sapphic characters?

Rose:

This one is so difficult to me -- I've been tossing up if I should broach the subject on my own blog but I'm still up in the air. So I'll simply present the two sides here for writers to toss up for themselves.

Half of the queer writers out there will tell their peers "write it like any other relationship", and I wholeheartedly agree. However there seems to be equal push to NOT write a sapphic or queer romance the same as a straight/ hetero relationship, due to the fact that society views it so very differently. I think both have their merit and it's about finding a happy medium.

In practice, I'd say this means writers can write what they feel "should" happen in a first draft. But second go around, do some more in-depth research. Stereotypes that aren't harmful like how sapphic relationships move fast can be honoured in your writing, and it shows you've taken some considerations in writing specifically queer characters. In portraying queer individuals, speak with the community. Different people will prefer different umbrella terms or labels, will hide rainbows in their outfits like an Apple watch band, and will avoid certain communities out of fear. But others will be more fearful, never associating with anything rainbow so nobody suspects, pretending not to know the labels, etc. Every journey is different and I think it just depends what kind of PERSONAL JOURNEY a writer wants to represent in their characters, more so than the relationship -- that comes secondary, based on the individuals.

Jackson: What should writers keep in mind when looking to hire an accuracy or sensitivity reader?

Rose:

The first thing to look at is the list of topics that your writing represents, to compare with the topics the accuracy/ sensitivity readers at your disposal cover. If you can find someone with personal queer experience, that's going to be better than someone who has a broad knowledge but no lived experience. Many will openly list their areas of expertise and then give a bit of a disclaimer or blurb about what else they're comfortable critically assessing without having lived it, in order for writers to narrow down who is most apt for the job. It's also not a bad to hire more than one accuracy or sensitivity reader, especially if you cover a few heavy topics in your writing. Also remember that everyone's experiences and preferences differ. A reader like myself will think broadly about what's appropriate language for a community or issue, however everyone will also have opinions based on their personal experiences. An accuracy or sensitivity reader's word isn't gospel, however it is valuable and most readers will be able to tell the difference!

Thank you so much, Rose!

Learn more about R.C. Thomson and her accuracy reader services on her website at https://www.rcthomson.com/ .

Find information on “Who Could Love You, Astor Price?” by visiting Amy Jane Lehan’s website at https://www.amyjanelehan.com/ .