It isn’t much of a place, but what I choose to afford, and the landlords keeps it in good repair. It’s the entire third floor of a three story home, and Luke and Joe have the bottom two floors. They are getting older so I help them out with basic maintenance and they keep the rent low. (from The Marquesa’s Necklace)
Were they a couple? At that point, I wasn’t sure. But some gay men of their generation weren’t open about their relationship status. The neighbors could pretend they were “just” housemates, and ignore the implications. Sure, society has become more accepting, but if that’s the way Joe and Luke wanted it, I was glad to oblige. Their love of old houses is what defines them in the series, anyway.
In contrast, I wanted there to be no question about Detective Horace from The Ranger’s Dog Tags being a black American, because it would play into the story. (and he insisted on it.) I modeled him as a combination of several men I’ve worked with. Here’s his intro:
I didn’t anticipate being greeted by a brick wall of a man with deep brown skin when I opened the door. If I wasn’t mistaken, that was a gun in a holster under his left arm. And a police badge attached to his belt. (from The Ranger’s Dog Tags)
Again, I didn’t want Detective Horace to be defined solely by his skin color, and it never gets mentioned again. His position as a detective for the Orlando Police Department was the more important characteristic. That, and his size. His size gets mentioned throughout the story, almost as a running joke. For example, “I was afraid that Horace would break any of the furniture, all of which had seen better days.” That, plus Harmony’s nickname for him, ‘The Mountain.’
The second part of the question is easy and tough. How do I avoid cultural insensitivity? The easy part is by treating my characters the same as I treat my friends from similar backgrounds. But I’m not perfect, and I’ve been known to mess up. Phrase something poorly, or miss the point. I try to be cognizant of what I put in writing, and I think seeing the words staring at me help me to be more aware. (Plus, I have time to think about what I am saying, instead of blurting out the wrong words!)
Over the years, I’ve interacting with people from a lot of different backgrounds, and learned a lot from them. I try to let that flow into my writing as I populate my stories. That way diversity happens naturally and isn’t forced. You know, like would happen in the real world under the best of scenarios. (Which, I’ll admit, don’t happen nearly enough.)
Let’s find out what the other authors in this hop have to say. Hopefully, there will be links you can follow below. (This feature hasn’t been working right lately, and it’s making me crazy!)
Anyway, until next time, please stay safe.
It can be a tricky subject, the less you mention any personality trait or lifestyle that isn’t relevant to the story, the more you can accept that it doesn’t matter. After all, anyone can do anything, without needing a label.
It’s a fine line, Richard. I would be doing my characters a disfavor if I wrote a Latina who ran from Castro’s Cuba the same as an immigrant from Mexico. They have different experiences and and face different challenges.
Brilliant – “Quietly. That’s how I write diverse characters. They’re people, first and foremost, and although their diversity shapes them, it doesn’t define them.”
You put into words what I hadn’t been able to about how I write my characters.
Tweeted.
Thanks, Daryl. I try to give my characters the same respect on paper as I’d give them in real life.
I think there are layers when it comes inclusive representation, which lends to enriching the culture of a stories characters just by “being” in a way that respects background. An author does not have to always give “voice” to a background or experience, and they can not for a culture to which they don’t belong. I do think it’s important to remain mindful and not draw in things that may be problematic, for instance, having the only domestics in a story belong to one race, reinforcing stereotypes.
And we all drop the ball sometimes. The thing is to continue to learn and grow as authors.
I re-read some of the old Nancy Drew (yellow cover) editions, and the casual racism in them threw me for a loop. Why didn’t I see that as a young teen?
“Quietly” — I love that!
I think the best way I introduce diversity in my books is casually. Does it matter that Lila Barrett is black? It didn’t. When she was introduced the first time, the POV character didn’t care, so I didn’t either. When I pictured her in my head, I saw a black woman and I heard a “black American” accent, but I don’t generally give a full physical description of my characters when they’re first introduced, so I think it was her third appearance before the POV character of that scene said she was black. I’ve taken a similar approach to a lot of other characters. You can guess Mike Sanchez is Hispanic because of his occasional use of Spanish endearments, but it’s really not until Shane is called upon to translate Spanish and says his long-time work partner was Chicano that you know Mike is Hispanic. I felt good when a beta reader said “Whoa, I didn’t know that. Shouldn’t you make that clear when you introduce him?”
No, why would I? It’s a part of who Mike and Lila are. It doesn’t need to be the center of their universe, so I strive to be as casual about their race as they are.
And, that, frankly, has been my experience with race in real life growing up in a very diverse community. We make too big a deal of our differences and that builds walls between us that are utterly unnecessary . At the same time, writers should strive to be realistic if we’re dealing with a fictional story set in the real world.
You said “We make too big a deal of our differences and that builds walls between us that are utterly unnecessary ” I disagree. I believe that acknowledging and accepting our differences even if we don’t fully understand them is what makes us stronger. There are no walls unless we erect them.