Can a painter paint a landscape without being a landscape? Biases are inevitable. Even the best writers from fifty years ago make that clear. Writers should be more focused on “what they see” rather than “what should be”. One book I’m writing about at the moment is a powerful study of masculinity written by a woman. I can imagine a male sensitivity reader asking for it to be toned down, or a female sensitivity reader asking for woman to be given more significant roles, both of which would miss the point.

Writers should be critiqued rather than controlled. Committees always paint libraries white, it’s the only colour everyone can agree on. An interior designer may be less agreeable, but likely more interesting.