Every writer worth their salt knows that a good story needs a diverse cast of characters. Reading the same stories about the same types of people gets boring really fast, and today's media has an abundance of plot lines involving white people and their white friends facing off against white villains with an occasional stereotypical POC sidekick thrown in for comedic relief. If you want to diversify your characters, you need to learn how to write people of color. Unfortunately, too often, white writers skimp out on doing the work required to write well-developed, authentic people of color and instead rely on racial stereotypes. But writing people of color doesn't have to be like that--all you need to do is put in a little effort. Here are a couple tips for writing three-dimensional POC characters that don't rely on stereotypes to get you started:
1. Research
Writing a fictional POC character without doing the proper background research is like writing an academic paper with no sources. Writing a character who is ethnically and racially different than you requires thorough, thoughtful research. You don't know or understand what it's like to belong to the same social categories as your character; thus, creating their background sheerly out of what you think you know makes them feel inauthentic. Doing so often causes characters to become stereotypes--after all, if all you know about a racial group is from what you've seen on TV, then chances are, without research, your character will reflect some of those negative traits. If all your Asian characters are math geniuses or tiger moms, then you're not working hard enough to create authentic characters. Do your research! Looking beyond stereotypes will help you create more realistic and relatable characters. I would recommend starting at places like Writing with Color and WriteWorld, both of which are writing blogs with tons of sources for creating accurate characters of color!
2. Don't Use Google Translate
Although it's tempting to churn out some foreign language fragments from sites like Google Translate and stick them in your writing to make a character feel more real, doing so often has an adverse effect. Google Translate and other online translators translate very literally; using one dishonors the authenticity of a language. Using an automated translator takes away the feel of a language. It butchers phrases, puts words in the wrong order, and immediately puts up a red flag to any reader who actually speaks that language that it's inauthentic. Using Google Translate is lazy and reduces a language to a gimmick. If you really want to put a language you don't speak in your work, go back to my first point and research it! Get in contact with someone who does speak it, or find a source written by someone who does. Additionally, make sure the language you're using is accurate--don't make assumptions! For example, don't say your character is Latinx and thus must speak Spanish--not all Latinx people speak Spanish!
3. Don't Make Their Story Arc About Identity
Every writer should strive to include diverse characters--but you should never, ever write a character with an arc about an identity you don't share. There simply isn't a way for a white person to accurately write about how a person of color feels about their identity. No matter how much you research, you will never be able to write an authentic piece about someone else's identity. Instead, include diverse characters with diverse story arcs. You don't know what it's like to be Black, or Latinx, or Asian. But, maybe you do know what it's like to to struggle academically--so write about a person of color who's story arc revolves around that! Stick to what you know. Trying to write an introspective piece about something you have no inside knowledge on never turns out well. Leave the racial introspection to writers of color with actual real-life experience.
