Do the races of your characters really matter that much?

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Youniquee, Jun 18, 2012.

  1. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    People can easily stereotype any of my characters based off of what their heritage is. And actually, I have said, do say and will continue to say "dark skin/skinned," though I usually try to add a bit more description as to just how dark. Compared to myself (I'm exceptionally pale) many people considered dark.

    So, yes, I do avoid saying things like "She was black," "He was Asian," or "They were a group of Hispanics." I would rather be descriptive because it, again, leads to less stereotype and also, in my opinion, can be made to sound LOADS better.
     
  2. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    But that depends how they come across in the story though...if throughout the novel they don't act like a stereotype, how are readers going to stereotype them? I'm a bit confused, sorry.
    Well, that's your preference I guess.

    By saying dark-skinned, isn't it the same thing? People will stereotype anyway, as they'll assume they're black (Well, I would). Same difference if you ask me lol. One is more descriptive and one is just straight to the point. In third person, that can work. But in first person, it sounds unnatural to me and the character's voice. Maybe I'm just over thinking things but yeah.
     
  3. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    True.

    I think, in first-person, it would just depend on how the character themselves wish to describe themselves as. If they want to describe themselves as African, or one with brown/dark skin, then that's what they do.

    Readers will probably apply SOME stereotype or cliche on a character just out of experience.
     
  4. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    Well, I was more thinking of them describing someone else though xD Not themselves. Like: 'An Asian boy appears in front of me, spiked hair and brown eyes...ect'

    I guess so...hmm. It can't be helped, right.
     
  5. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    Asian would work just fine.

    "The Asian man walked toward me, his brownish-black hair combed backward, his usual goatee now neatly trimmed. My heart fluttered. Akuji looked so charming in his black blazers, slacks, loafers..."

    But if you had to mention his skin color? I just go for 'olive-skinned'.
     
  6. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    Eh, if the character can easily see the character is Asian, I don't think I'd describe the skin colour to be honest. The character's name also gives a clue about what area from Asia they're from, so I think the readers can piece that together themselves.

    As for people of mixed heritage, to me, that's another ball game >_> I think it's better to stick with just describing the person's skin tone...I guess. Despite myself wanting to be consistent.
     
  7. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    That's what I figured. Just say the race or describe them, and let the readers figure it ot.
     
  8. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    I prefer not to use the term Asian at all. There are different kinds of "Asian." It's not like they all look the same, nor do they all have the same tone of skin or the same general facial features. Each country has it's own defining features. Some are pale, some are tan. Eye shapes vary and some are extreme in features while others have more subtle "Asian" qualities. So, personally, I choose not to say "Asian," unless I'm going to say, "I could tell that she was of some Asian descent, though from which region of the continent I couldn't be sure."

    And yes, Youn, people can develop a stereotype when I say "dark-skinned," but I feel as though it wouldn't happen as often. Likewise, the stereotype is being formed before they know anything about my character. I'm talking about initial reaction to the character. I don't want them to assume anything about my character based purely off their looks (with the exception of things like the way they dress). So I prefer to avoid words that are often attached to certain "types" of people.
     
  9. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    Yeah.

    And thinking back on my earlier example, if your character knows where the other person is from, he/she would refer to them by name.

    I had a Japanese professor in college a few semesters ago, and if I were to talk about him, I'd refer to him by name, not by his appearance, or "The Asian/Japanese man". I figured he was from Japan because of his name, and he did tell the class on the first day that he was, indeed, from Japan.

    So, really, my example is kinda weak. If your character knows another person from another race, they will refer to that character by name, not the race. That other example of the Hispanic officer? Yeah, my character knows her name, so I wouldn't write, "Helen walked up to the young Hispanic officer". Instead, it'd be, "Helen walked up to Amelia..." because Helen knows who she is. How, then, would she know if Amelia is from Latin America? Easy. Maybe when they first met, Amelia told her where she was from. Maybe Amelia has a strong Cuban accent and it is immediately noticed when she speaks?*

    There are ways, I think of letting the readers know the background of a character without having to rely on skin color and appearance alone. The name helps, the person's accent, or the person simply telling the MC where he/she is from will get readers to make up their own mind.

    I'm sorry if I'm not making any sense at all. I had four cups of coffee. xD

    * The accent would be implied, mind you. I wouldn't try writing an authentic Cuban accent unless you yourself were Cuban or are a master of mimicing Cuban accents. Nothing irks foreign readers more than you trying to mimic their accent in your story and failing miserably at it.
     
  10. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    And if you're comfortable with simply referring to someone as Asian in general, than using an obscure Asian name would even be alright. Introducing a male character named Deshi with pale skin and dark hair would, I think, be enough to imply to the reader that the character is of Asian descent without saying it plainly.

    But at the same time, you have a lot of people today who are of Asian descent (and other ethnic backgrounds) that have "normal" American names. The main character of one of my books is named Jayden and I do go into description (from first-person) of how she's of Japanese descent on her mother's side. Because it's the characters' own background, I have no problem with revealing it like that. We had already gone through three or four chapters before I got into a description of her physical appearance, so I felt comfortable with revealing the information, because I knew that her personality had already been displayed.

    Anyway, my point is that, sometimes, names also aren't enough, because not all Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. Americans will have names from their country. Possibly their surname will be, and that might help. But I think that a description of their appearance would still be necessary.
     
  11. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    My story isn't set in America though. The same doesn't go for Southern Asians (Pakistani/Bangladesh) or most ethnic backgrounds where I live . A lot of them (including me, who doesn't have a English name) go my school and I've barely seen anyone of them with just a normal English name. It's rare.
    Yeah, I understand that. One of my characters is called Yaseem. I think that name gives off a more Southern Asian feel rather than Yukio, which gives off an Eastern Asian feel. Of course I will describe his appearance but I think the name still helps.
     
  12. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    Of course the name helps. I agreed with that. I'm only saying that in some settings, particularly in America, England or similar countries, their name may NOT give a clue as to what their heritage is. My name is Dillon. From that, you couldn't really guess what country my grandfather was from.
     
  13. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    Exactly.

    And while I am American, my last name is European (Switzerland). If I, in all my time here, didn't tell anyone here that I was from the USA, either in posts or in my profile, but I gave you all my first and last name, you might have some difficulty figuring out where I really am from because my last name is an obvious European/Switzerland name. It helps that most people I run into don't really know how to spell/pronounce the last name.

    Dillon, just out of curiosity, which country did your grandfather come from? My ancestors came from France and Switzerland.
     
  14. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    Yeah, I agree with that:D I think 75% of the time it does, though. From my experience. I'm sure if I gave you my first name, you'd recognise straight away my heritage is far from English. :3
     
  15. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    Sure! Sometimes names are a dead giveaway. Take my Japanese professor. I hadn't even seen his face, yet by looking at his name when I registered for the class online before the school semester started, I knew at once that he had come from an Asian country/had Asian heritage. Most likely Japanese, if the name told me right. Turns out, I guess right when he told us he was from Japan.

    And I once had a friend from the Middle East named Muhammad Baitey. Again, just looking at his name told me he was likely from there. (He is, and he's a totally awesome dude! I exchanged notes with him, as English wasn't his strong suit, and he knew I typed wicked fast. I enjoyed that semester, I did! :3)

    Some names are dead giveaways, and others aren't.
     
  16. marktx

    marktx New Member

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    I am writing a novel in which my protagonist and many of the characters in the first part of the book are African American. Now, how can I get that across without being ham-handed about it?

    The trick is to use a mix of techniques:

    1. Name choice can be used a little bit, but hit that too hard, and the effect becomes insulting.
    2. Drop a few hints about appearance when it fits naturally into the narrative--that is, when there is a legitimate story reason to do so.
    3. Since my characters are from the 'hood, some speech patterns creep in around the edges--but again, we give it a light touch.
    4. And when there's a white character in the scene, the fact that he is white is explicitly mentioned, which has the subtle effect of pointing out that the other characters in the scene are not white.

    Taken together, the result is that you're pretty clear on the character's race even though at no point did anyone say: "This guy's black."
     
  17. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    I don't see how this makes it more clearer that the character is black lol other races can speak colloquialisms and be influenced by the 'hood'.
     
  18. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    Link, my grandfather was an Irish immigrant. ^.^

    And Youn, while it's true that there's a variety of different races that live in the "'hood," the vast majority remains, to this day, African American, and I can almost guarantee that if you tell someone that your character is from the 'hood, they'll assume, if not given any other facts, that the character is black, at least initially.
     
  19. Nightchaser

    Nightchaser New Member

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    I think it depends on what exactly you're writing. I'm currently writing an epic fantasy based in a world of my own making, its based on a medieval Europe and whenever most people think of knights and dragons naturally they think of white people (hence Game of Thrones). Saying that I describe people of other races to make it known that they are from lands far away or the more exotic parts of the land.
     
  20. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    This is true, Nightchaser. I'm currently reading a novel set back in 1865, after the Civil War, and unless someone is a freed save, they don't mention their skintone, because, of course, they were all white.
     
  21. s33point1

    s33point1 New Member

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    I think it only matters of you make it matter. I think when writers Imagine there characters there race in what ever race the writer is. There are more white writers so there are more white characters.
     
  22. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    Seems I'm anomaly when it comes to that, excluding a few characters lol
    But yeah, I guess.
     
  23. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    I think, more often than not, a writer will choose their own race. It goes back to what someone said earlier (apologies, I can't remember who): You write what you know.

    Personally, I grew up in a VASTLY white community; small town. In my high school there's only ever been a maximum of MAYBE four non-white students, and they were usually black. So what do I know? I know about white kids; I know about growing up in a small town; I know about being in a community where everyone knows who you are and who you're related to and what you did last Saturday. As a result, most of my characters are white kids (usually girls) that grew up in small towns. Because that's what I know.

    Now, that's not all of what I write, and I know that the color of skin won't normally make too much of a difference if you grew up in the same environment. But the fact of the matter is, skin color can often effect environment, and how you're raised. This is in no way meant to be racist, but many Chinese Americans keep with them the same sort of mentality that their parents and grandparents had: that if you want to succeed, you work hard. You become good at, not just one thing, but many. As a result, Chinese American students often have some of the best grades and are avid readers that know how to play some sort of an instrument. They're encourage to take part in sports, do the school newspaper, do yearbook... You get the general picture. (Again, this is not meant to be racist, nor am I trying to stereotype all Chinese Americans. I apologize if that offended anyone.)

    The fact of the matter is, that race can have an impact on your character. Different races come with different cultural backgrounds, and even if that cultural background is a few generations removed, it can still easily have an effect on your character, because it's reflected by their (grand)parents.
     
  24. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    Yep, write what you know. Since I've hung out/talked to/been close friends with the races I'm writing about, I'm not scared about getting them wrong. In fact, I don't think race should be their defining factor anyway. It's just another thing to me like how gender might influence a character.

    In contrast, where I live is quite multicultural~ So yeah, it'd be weird if I didn't include over races xD In my other story, the main characters are all white but then again, 2 aren't even human (So they can' be considered white I guess lol) but then again, that's not even set in a multicultural area.

    Of course culture affects how they act :3 Race affects how they act because of their culture, yes? but if you grew up in an area that's multicultural, you're very likely to get influenced by other cultures too (slightly). Example: I'm influenced by the culture of my parents to an extent but to be honest, I'm influenced a lot by the English culture like most of my other friends are.
     
  25. Thornesque

    Thornesque Senior Member

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    Most definitely. And, of course, I was mainly referring to home experience, which varies among everyone, not just people of different races. For example, someone who grows up with a single parent instead of two, or two gay/lesbian parents, or with a step-parent as opposed to both biological parents... The actual place you grow up. The school you attend. The teachers you learn under. The other kids you interact with...

    I was just referencing the fact that race and cultural background can have an effect on your characters' behavior in the way that anything that you're exposed to as you grow up can.
     

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