1/2 Hi there. I love your blog. I really appreciate what you do and I thought maybe you can help me w/ a problem. I'm writing a story of 4 friends in their late teens who commit small crimes to right bigger wrongs. The police finds out, the leader of the group wants to take the fall, but her BF stops her as one of their 'victims' are her parents and she thinks it would have smaller consequences for her (they wouldn't press charges against their own daughter).
2/2 My problem is that in my draft the leader is a clever black girl and her BF is white (the other is white and one has an Indian BG). The story isnāt really about racism, and I only noticed towards the end that this could be a really problematic issue. Should I change the dynamics? Iām sorry if this sounds dumb or ignorant, I just donāt know what to do. Thanks.
It doesnāt sound dumb or ignorant at al! The fact that youāre concerned tells me that you really care about diversity in fiction, which is awesome.Ā
Whenever I answer a question about racism or writing PoC, I think itās fair to come right out and say that Iām a young white woman, so my perspective may be far different than a PoCās. But hereās what Iāll say on the subject.
First, your story doesnāt need to be about racism, but keep in mind that racism is something that PoC deal with, so itās something that you may not want to overlook, even if itās something subtle in how theyāre treated by strangers, or assumptions that are made about them. It could be that even though your black girl is the leader, a stranger addresses one of the white characters when speaking to them as a group, assuming that this white character is in charge. Thatās racism. And youāre commenting on it without making it an overall theme in your book, because racism exists in so many little ways that we often donāt realize.
Are you going to give your PoC character both good and bad traits? Are you going to show her as a real human being with desires, goals, fears? Are you going to give her decisions that she will make all on her own, which in essence gives her agency and some control over how the plot unfolds?Ā
Based on your synopsis, these teens must be tough and brave. But will you also show your PoCās softer side? At least in her thoughts and reflections? Because even the toughest people have them.Ā
Basically, write a good, independent, fully developed character. Because thatās important regardless of the color of her skin, and then write your plot the way you want to write it. You have to love the story first, and if this is what you want to happen, then thatās what you need to write.Ā
Writing is subjective, and while there are many things that are blatantly offensive, like slurs, overt stereotypes, tokenism (watch out for this), ect., there are also many times when it all depends on the reader, and that readerās own experiences and background. Right now, your reader is you, so you do what you feel is best for the story. Later on, when your draft is complete, seek out many different readers to get an overall feel for how your dynamics come across.Ā
Iām also going to direct you, and all of my followers, to Writing With Color. This blog is run by several PoC with different backgrounds, so if you have concerns, they are a good group to get in touch with.Ā