Ask Yourself, Who Is Your Character?

What is the key to writing unique characters that are dynamic? How do you prevent writing token characters in the name of diversity? NaNo Participant Bee Rollason shares three amazing points to help you out this November.

The thing with “writing diverse characters” is that, when one puts it like that, it almost reads like an equation.

Writing + Diversity = Character

Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that easy. While we humans are all different - unique, as my grade-school teacher would put it — diversity is something else. It cannot be quantified, nor is there any sort of equation to show what it might actually look like. Diversity is, at its most fundamental, differences. A whole heaping pile of them – one “difference” does not usually suffice.

You may ask “why is diversity in characters important?”. From a reading standpoint, they can make your world more believable, interesting, and varied. The thing with being different is that, statistically speaking, people are more likely to be some combination of queer, disabled, or marginalized, than they are to be straight, white, able-bodied, and male – the “norm” most frequently seen in media, but less frequently seen everywhere else. From a human standpoint, having to put ourselves in the shoes of people who are different than ourselves is invaluable and educational, teaching us empathy of others – and other perspectives – that perhaps we hadn’t ever had to face before. Not only that, but it is empowering and affirming for those in marginalized or often-overlooked groups; an acknowledgement of “we see you; you do exist; we do care.”

So how does one write characters who are different than yourself? How does one even choose what type of diversity to add?

1. Ask (Different) Questions

Instead of asking the questions above, ask your characters who they are. What if your character were gender-nonconforming, or gay? If they were Black or Latinx, or Jewish or Muslim? What if they require a wheelchair, or hearing aids (or perhaps they’re Deaf and use sign language)? There are so many options from which to choose!

2. Research

Talk to people who are from the communities you want to write about, trawl through subreddits where people discuss their successes and experiences, and remember that people who get labeled as “diverse” are still just that: people. They have strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams. They also have identities that go beyond just “diverse”. Their diversity, their differences, form part of them; it is not the piece that determines their entire identity. It may shape them; it may even change things that we may not expect. But their diversity is not them.

3. Be Genuine

No one ever expects perfection at first, and if you are an author who has not ever really thought about diversity, or how to show it, then it will be no surprise if it is difficult. It is by being genuine that we share genuine stories; that we develop genuine characters whom our readers can connect with and believe in. In the research process, be sure to also look up how to discuss diversity in sensitive and respectful ways: what terms are okay to use, and when and how, and what are not. Authenticity must always be respectful.

There will be some who say “you can’t write that”. After all, some of the most oft-cited advice is “write what you know”. Be sure, though, to understand what type of story or character you are writing; there is a difference between including diverse stories, and writing a story about being diverse – especially in ways that you are not. Anyone can tell stories that include diverse characters. Stories about being diverse should always be left to those to whom it applies. Simply put, that’s not your story to tell.

However, if you are writing the former and taking that authentic approach to your characters, and you are doing the research to ensure that your portrayal of a diverse character is fair and representative (as opposed to stereotypical or even harmful), then there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to include them. None at all. Your portrayal may not be perfect, but sometimes (frequently) the point is not perfection. The point is to learn, and grow, and try, and to use allyship to help amplify these people’s experiences. The inclusion of characters who are considered “diverse” normalizes it, and it becomes less unusual to see them. Positive representation of this diversity, too, can be and is an inspiration for people who see themselves in these characters.

Instead of the stagnant narrative of “straight white man saves the day”, we get heroes who are different. Heroes who may not be the ‘typical’, or the ones we expect. And those heroes are beautiful, every single one. Wanna know how I know?

I know because those heroes are us. We are absolutely stunning.

Bee Rollason is an experienced NaNoer, having participated for almost a decade (though not always winning) since high school. After stumbling into a Linguistics degree and learning Mandarin Chinese, they travelled to England for a spell before returning home to Australia. Being a queer young adult, they find a lot more joy in reading stories that have characters who are queer, as opposed to reading queer stories.

Top photo by AllGo on Unsplash