Happy Father's Day!
I wasn't planning on posting today. There's cookies to bake, clothes to wash, floors to mop, Papas to visit, etc etc ad infinitum. But I was poking around 
metafandom and missing the various men who I can't spend Father's Day with. Wheels started turning, as wheels do, because one of those men is my godfather Ronny. He passed away last year, so this is really the first Father's Day I'll have when I can't call him up. I'll tip out a drink in his honor tonight, but that hardly seems like enough for someone who had such an effect on my young life.
So, thinking of my godfather (who I should probably mention was African-American), I'm going to jump ahead into my planned writing meta by a billion posts and discuss writing characters of color. There have been a lot of thoughtful, amazing meta posts on what not to do, and so I'd like to toss my two cents in from the other side of the well.
In accordance with the laws governing the internet, I'm probably about to put my foot in it while trying to explain how not to. As always when I touch on a topic that I have privilege in, calling me on my BS is appreciated.
The Simplest Equation in the World is...
People = People.
Skin tone comes with a lot of stereotypes for any character who's not Caucasian. When a character can be summed up by their racial stereotypes, I do not hesitate to say you're doing it wrong. Characters should never, ever, ever be the summation of a list of TV Tropes links. When they are, they're caricatures, not characters.
Even the most minor character is the hero of their own story, and there is absolutely no reason why race should change that. They have backgrounds, friends, loves and hobbies. Before Doc Ock dropped down on them in the middle of a busy street, they were going somewhere to do something, and once the fight's over they'll pick up where they were interrupted. Just because it's not necessarily written into the story doesn't mean this wealth of information isn't there. The more well-fleshed and considered a character is, the less of a racist stereotype they'll be.
Continuing the Doc Ock example, maybe the character drops their wallet trying to scramble away. What's in it? Credit cards, maybe. An ID, almost definitely. Money. Pictures of family? A business card? It only takes a sentence to drop details like that.
This is the how of writing CoC. Word and metaphor choices matter. These little details make the difference between an offensive cardboard cut out of a character, and a character that adds gracefully to the scene. This is where the difference between writing a "[race] character" and "a character of [race]" comes out. The first is writing to race, and the other is just writing. One thing I use that may not benefit everyone is that I think of the reactions of various PoC in my life, if I were to show it to them. That doesn't catch everything, but it keeps my focus where it should be: harm none.
Unpack Your Privilege
One thing that I think conscientious writers can't allow ourselves to forget is the one thing I think is, depressingly, most often forgotten. Caucasian is not default. The immediate response, I know, is "of course it's not", but we really need to learn, to sink that in to a gut level. Similarly, race is not character. It affects character, in the same way that gender, nationality or class does, by creating certain experiences that are unique to people of that race, but simply having a certain skin tone doesn't change personality. By now, I would like to think that everyone on the internet knows this, but I know better. So, the first step I suggest is to read Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.
As a writer, when I say "unpack your privilege" is a first step, what I mean is that unless you're writing an auto-biography, you are writing about people who have had different lives than yourself. Think about that. Examine it, turn it around and hold it up to the light. I don't use absolute terms very often, but it's impossible to write a meaningful character who you don't understand. A large part of racism comes from not understanding, and not wanting to understand. When that bleeds into writing, it causes a lot of hurt.
So think about it. Think about the history of these characters, through their own eyes instead of through a privileged lens. The farther you get from your own privilege, the harder you should think. Is the character from your country? Your class? Your gender? Do they speak your native language as their own? Every single way that the character isn't like you is something that, as the writer, you're not likely to be able to grasp easily. Work at it, in order to best serve both your characters and your readers.
Purposes
Every character has a reason. Every face picked out of a crowd sets a mood, every line spoken conveys information, and every action affects the plot. So, when sitting down to write, ask yourself what the purpose of that character is. What, precisely, is that character supposed to convey? Is this character the main character, which the story will revolve around, or a secondary character? Are they there for emotional support for the main character? To pass along vital information? What is the reader supposed to think of them?
What about the other aspects of plot? Why pick this setting, this style, this mood, this trope? What, exactly are you, the author, trying to say? When writing characters of color, really scrutinize those answers. How is your writing informed by privilege, or their lack of privilege? What tropes apply, and how respectfully are they written?
If it’s a choice between changing the plot or writing a hurtful and offensive story, change the story. Stories aren't set in stone, plots can mutate, and characters grow. Storytelling is a form of communication, and resides among some of the oldest human traditions. It's meant to pass along ideas, emotions, lessons and, sometimes, just a moment of enjoyment. If the story that is being communicated is an insult, is othering, is degrading and dehumanizing, then the story has failed. Flat out, no points for effort, the story has failed, and the only thing to do is to either fix it or (if it's already been posted) start apologizing and try to fail less.
This is Hard
I know, I know that some people are going to read this and think, "This is hard. I don't want to do this, because if I screw up, people will yell at me."
You want to know what hard is? Hard is being marginalized and degraded in the mainstream media, and then turning to fandom and seeing more of the same. Hard is being erased, because people are afraid you'll hurt their feelings if they try to include you. Hard is being told, day in, day out, in a thousand little ways that you are different, other, not worthy of being the main character or of even being depicted as more than a handful of stereotypes. Hard is looking at these discussions and seeing people put their moment of embarrassment over your lifetime of pain.
It is not hard to research and think about a character. It is not hard to treat characters as people, regardless of race. It is not hard to not write something insensitive. And it's definitely not hard to apologize when you do.
Everything I've listed is something that every author should already be doing anyway, for every character, regardless of race. I'm only saying to think about it with a little extra effort when it could cause harm. Research, thought, planning, care.
How is that so hard?
metafandom and missing the various men who I can't spend Father's Day with. Wheels started turning, as wheels do, because one of those men is my godfather Ronny. He passed away last year, so this is really the first Father's Day I'll have when I can't call him up. I'll tip out a drink in his honor tonight, but that hardly seems like enough for someone who had such an effect on my young life.
So, thinking of my godfather (who I should probably mention was African-American), I'm going to jump ahead into my planned writing meta by a billion posts and discuss writing characters of color. There have been a lot of thoughtful, amazing meta posts on what not to do, and so I'd like to toss my two cents in from the other side of the well.
In accordance with the laws governing the internet, I'm probably about to put my foot in it while trying to explain how not to. As always when I touch on a topic that I have privilege in, calling me on my BS is appreciated.
The Simplest Equation in the World is...
People = People.
Skin tone comes with a lot of stereotypes for any character who's not Caucasian. When a character can be summed up by their racial stereotypes, I do not hesitate to say you're doing it wrong. Characters should never, ever, ever be the summation of a list of TV Tropes links. When they are, they're caricatures, not characters.
Even the most minor character is the hero of their own story, and there is absolutely no reason why race should change that. They have backgrounds, friends, loves and hobbies. Before Doc Ock dropped down on them in the middle of a busy street, they were going somewhere to do something, and once the fight's over they'll pick up where they were interrupted. Just because it's not necessarily written into the story doesn't mean this wealth of information isn't there. The more well-fleshed and considered a character is, the less of a racist stereotype they'll be.
Continuing the Doc Ock example, maybe the character drops their wallet trying to scramble away. What's in it? Credit cards, maybe. An ID, almost definitely. Money. Pictures of family? A business card? It only takes a sentence to drop details like that.
This is the how of writing CoC. Word and metaphor choices matter. These little details make the difference between an offensive cardboard cut out of a character, and a character that adds gracefully to the scene. This is where the difference between writing a "[race] character" and "a character of [race]" comes out. The first is writing to race, and the other is just writing. One thing I use that may not benefit everyone is that I think of the reactions of various PoC in my life, if I were to show it to them. That doesn't catch everything, but it keeps my focus where it should be: harm none.
Unpack Your Privilege
One thing that I think conscientious writers can't allow ourselves to forget is the one thing I think is, depressingly, most often forgotten. Caucasian is not default. The immediate response, I know, is "of course it's not", but we really need to learn, to sink that in to a gut level. Similarly, race is not character. It affects character, in the same way that gender, nationality or class does, by creating certain experiences that are unique to people of that race, but simply having a certain skin tone doesn't change personality. By now, I would like to think that everyone on the internet knows this, but I know better. So, the first step I suggest is to read Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.
As a writer, when I say "unpack your privilege" is a first step, what I mean is that unless you're writing an auto-biography, you are writing about people who have had different lives than yourself. Think about that. Examine it, turn it around and hold it up to the light. I don't use absolute terms very often, but it's impossible to write a meaningful character who you don't understand. A large part of racism comes from not understanding, and not wanting to understand. When that bleeds into writing, it causes a lot of hurt.
So think about it. Think about the history of these characters, through their own eyes instead of through a privileged lens. The farther you get from your own privilege, the harder you should think. Is the character from your country? Your class? Your gender? Do they speak your native language as their own? Every single way that the character isn't like you is something that, as the writer, you're not likely to be able to grasp easily. Work at it, in order to best serve both your characters and your readers.
Purposes
Every character has a reason. Every face picked out of a crowd sets a mood, every line spoken conveys information, and every action affects the plot. So, when sitting down to write, ask yourself what the purpose of that character is. What, precisely, is that character supposed to convey? Is this character the main character, which the story will revolve around, or a secondary character? Are they there for emotional support for the main character? To pass along vital information? What is the reader supposed to think of them?
What about the other aspects of plot? Why pick this setting, this style, this mood, this trope? What, exactly are you, the author, trying to say? When writing characters of color, really scrutinize those answers. How is your writing informed by privilege, or their lack of privilege? What tropes apply, and how respectfully are they written?
If it’s a choice between changing the plot or writing a hurtful and offensive story, change the story. Stories aren't set in stone, plots can mutate, and characters grow. Storytelling is a form of communication, and resides among some of the oldest human traditions. It's meant to pass along ideas, emotions, lessons and, sometimes, just a moment of enjoyment. If the story that is being communicated is an insult, is othering, is degrading and dehumanizing, then the story has failed. Flat out, no points for effort, the story has failed, and the only thing to do is to either fix it or (if it's already been posted) start apologizing and try to fail less.
This is Hard
I know, I know that some people are going to read this and think, "This is hard. I don't want to do this, because if I screw up, people will yell at me."
You want to know what hard is? Hard is being marginalized and degraded in the mainstream media, and then turning to fandom and seeing more of the same. Hard is being erased, because people are afraid you'll hurt their feelings if they try to include you. Hard is being told, day in, day out, in a thousand little ways that you are different, other, not worthy of being the main character or of even being depicted as more than a handful of stereotypes. Hard is looking at these discussions and seeing people put their moment of embarrassment over your lifetime of pain.
It is not hard to research and think about a character. It is not hard to treat characters as people, regardless of race. It is not hard to not write something insensitive. And it's definitely not hard to apologize when you do.
Everything I've listed is something that every author should already be doing anyway, for every character, regardless of race. I'm only saying to think about it with a little extra effort when it could cause harm. Research, thought, planning, care.
How is that so hard?