3 Steps To Writing Diverse Characters

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It���s official ��� Audiences have voted with their
wallets and proved they WANT more diverse characters as standard. Novels lead
the way, with breakout successes like Gone Girl and The Hate You Give
making huge cultural impacts.

Now the screenwriting world has undergone a
radical overhaul, too. Massive movie franchises like Disney���s, Marvel���s and DC���s
through to streamed shows like Russian Doll, Good Girls and Dead to
Me have followed suit. And this is just the start!

So, it���s a fact that audiences want a greater
variety of characters in books, movies and television that feel both fresh AND
authentic. Whether it���s protagonists and antagonists, supporting or peripheral,
audiences and readers just don���t want the ���same-old, same-old���.

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Writers too are taking up the challenge. But as writers, we are also told to ���write what we know��� …  And we can���t KNOW EVERYTHING. *Supersadface*

One of the reasons I wrote my book,  Writing
Diverse Characters For Fiction, Film & TV is because somany
writers contacted me worried about this. They would say they���d LOVE to write
more diverse stories and characters BUT …

… They ‘don���t know where to start��� and
… They’re ‘afraid of getting it wrong’

So now what?

Well, start here with this handy flow chart … And to avoid ‘getting it wrong’, pay close attentions to what it asks of you as a writer. LET’S GO!

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STEP ONE:

EMOTIONAL TRUTH

Emotional truth is the first stop on the flow
chart. Authenticity is the antidote to samey tropes and stereotypes. True fact!
Start with these questions, below.

1) Why this story?

This part asks the writer to consider WHY they
feel the need to tell this particular story. It helps us connect with our own
motivations and identify that element that really connects us to both the story
and our target audience.

However, sometimes we have to face we are not
the best writers for the job. For example, maybe it���s time now for disabled
people to tell THEIR stories from their POVs, instead of able-bodied people doing
it for them?

2) Why this character?

[image error]happy young multiethnic couple painting interior wall of new house

Note the character spotlight on the flow chart.
Connection is key to a diverse character feeling authentic.

Is this character like me?
Why/why not?How can I make this
character���s struggle or motivation meaningful to the most people possible in my
target audience?Can I bring authenticity to
this character? How can I access his/her world?What research do I need to do?
What do I already know?

TOP TIP:
Writers fall into the ‘same-old, same-old’ when they don’t SCRUTINISE their
ideas and assumptions at foundation level. If you do the above however, you can
find a fresh take.

STEP TWO:

WRITING CRAFT

STORY OVERVIEW

Next on the flow chart: check your initial
logline/idea, with the following questions in mind.

 3)
What is LIKE this story?

What has gone before in this
genre, style, tone in various mediums?How is yours the same ��� but
DIFFERENT? What is your twist, or unique selling point?Who is your target audience?
(It���s not ���for everyone���!).How do you know they will like
YOUR story, or at least are likely to pay $$ to watch it?What does your target audience
want? What research do you need to do on this?

4) What type of diverse story do you want
to write?

Diversity as catalyst.  The most common type of diverse story. The
main characters��� diversity serve as the REASON for the story occurs (ie. had
they not had some kind of ���difference���, they would not be part of the story). Examples:
GET OUT, MAD MAX FURY ROAD, THE HANDMAID���S TALE.Diversity as backstory.
In this story world, diversity is the standard. The lead characters and their
secondaries are not the REASON for the story. Instead, characters live in a diverse
world where their individual heritage may or may not be important eg. PITCH
PERFECT, OCEAN���S 8, EMPIRE, THE 100 , GRAVITY, BROOKLYN 99 etc).

CHARACTER

Back to characterisation on the flow chart,
with the following questions in mind:

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 5)
What is LIKE this character?

Who is your protagonist? What
does s/he want? Why?Who is your antagonist? Why
does s/he get in your protagonist���s way?Who are your secondary
characters? Are they ���Team Protag��� or ���Team Antag��� – Do they help or hinder
your main characters? Why?Are your characters
archetypal? Cross-reference with your story notes. Are your characters a fresh
twist on those ���usual��� archetypes we see in their story���s genre/type, or
rehashes of what we have seen before?Where does your protagonist
live? What is the status quo in his/her storyworld? Is this a world where
diversity is typical ��� or untypical? Why?

6) Type of Protagonist You Are Writing

Next up on the flow chart … Protagonists are
most often the character driving the story, making them vital to the success of
your story.

Protagonist as The Educated ���
the most common. This type leads to the protagonist changing his or her
viewpoints via her actions in the narrative, thanks to the actions and
teachings of other characters (usually secondaries, but also the antagonist.
B2W calls this ���The Transformative Arc���). ‘The Hero���s Journey’ is a classic
example of the transformative arc, so most superheroes follow this route.Protagonist as The Educator
��� There are many ways to do this, but here are 3 of the most common ways to
write a protagonist who does not undergo a transformative arc ���



���The Change Agent���
is when a protagonist does not change him or herself, but may inspire other
characters to change, such as the antagonist or secondary characters, ie.
Forrest Gump, Mary Poppins. MORE
HERE.The Voyager.
This is a character who is already capable and doesn���t need to change so much,
as solve a significant problem presented with skills and attributes they
already possess, ie. John McClane, Ellen Ripley, Furiosa, John Wick.
Secondary characters may have to decide to ���fall in��� with the protagonist and
see the mission his/her way ��� They must help the protagonist, or they are the
enemy. You could say The Voyager���s motto is ���join me or die���. MORE
HERE.The Passive Protagonist.
A passive protagonist will resist all efforts to make him or her do ANYTHING ���
which is why a secondary character or antagonist MUST ���take the reins��� FOR the
passive protagonist and drive the story forwards. Usually, a passive
protagonist will take some kind of last-minute action in the final moments of
the story *for some reason*, often under sufferance (especially comedy), ie.
THE BIG LEBOWSKI.



STEP THREE

7) Write A New Logline / short pitch for
your book or screenplay

Now return to your notes/ original logline /
outline and use what you have broken down here to INFORM your story in a NEW
logline ��� with your diverse character at the heart of it!

Try the 3 Cs ��� clarity, character,
conflict. The model reminds us a good logline makes it
obvious what is at stake for a character by using clear language, such as
active verbs and focusing on WHO does WHAT. This prevents us from describing
���around��� the story and/or falling back on cliched language.

Another good model for loglines to use in
conjunction with the above:

When (inciting incident occurs), a (specific  protagonist) must (objective) or (this happens –> stakes).

Download your free cheat sheet on How
To Write A Logline.

Good Luck with your writing!

Lucy V. HaysResident Writing Coach

Lucy is a script editor, author and blogger who helps writers at her site, Bang2write.com. To get free stuff for your novel or screenplay, CLICK HERE.��
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