Writing POC 101

African-American Characters - @Avanseyebrows

I would like to start off by saying I've recently began to see an influx in African American characters here on Wattpad and I absolutely love it! When I first joined Wattpad two years ago I hardly found any but now the app has began to flourish with a diverse mix of characters.

As we all know black/AA people are very diverse. Just like you we come in all shades, sizes and personalities. In this chapter I will teach you how to defy stereotypes and give you new ways to write your AA mc's.

Hair

Hair is a huge part of our community! Some of us have long straight hair, some of us have kinky curls and some of us are bald or have locs! All hair (or no hair) is good! Don't feel like you have to describe her hair one certain way to capture the "true" essence of a black male/female (or any gender).Wearing weave is ok! There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I've read so many books on here with AA characters and the author's are so pretentious. Wearing weave/wigs doesn't make your character "less black" or less "proud" than anyone else. However I will say if you're putting two characters against each other and you make the antagonist wear weave and describe her in a negative light (ex. Making her "ghetto") then we know what you're doing. You're intentionally portraying the almighty naturalista vs the "ghetto" weave-wearer and that's not cool.

I would also like to touch on natural hair. We all don't have the juicy wet bouncy 4c curls as they always showcase as the women behind the natural hair movement. Some of us have natural hair that's short and coily. Some of us have a mixture of two types. Either way our hair is still our being and we shouldn't be limited to one portrayal or shamed for not having the "acceptable" kind of natural hair.

Give your black girls eccentric hair! Give her a pink bob, green twists, a blonde fade or tip-dyed locs! (Note: A lot of people prefer the term "locs" over "dreadlocks" because dread insinuates something negative). Yes, black people can have natural blonde hair. Now if you're doing that to be a ~I'm not like most black girl~/edgy/annoying author than do it. We all hate those authors who try too hard to be different.

Skin tone

It should go without saying that we are all different skin tones. Colorism is unfortunately a huge part of our community. For those who don't know colorism is in simple words, quite similar to racism but within your own race. It's the typical lightskin vs. darkskin trope. The light skin girl is the angel who gets all the athletes while the darkskin girl is the sidekick "ugly" "fat" friend. It needs to stop. Being dark skin or light skin doesn't make you "more black" than anyone else, however there are certain privileges that come with being light but that's a rant for another day. I am on the lighter side but in order to give as much representation as possible my rule of thumb when writing is if I have (for example) two black characters I will make one light and one dark BUT I will have that dark skin character have a vital role. If I do cast a dark skin woman who doesn't have a big role I make my next book star a dark skin fmc. All of my books contain black FMC's are I make it my mission to give women from my (and other poc) community representation. Make your dark skin girls the main character. Give her eccentric hair. Give her personality because she is just as valid.

Personality

We all know everyone has different personalities and I'm not here to tell you water is wet. You know not to make you're only black character the villain or use the angry black girl trope in a negative light. We see your microaggressions and I have no shame in pointing them out if I read your book. However I do want to say all feelings are valid. A lot of us were raised to be superman but in all honesty, it's ok to be weak. It's ok to have your character vulnerable. Don't be afraid to make her/him have a disorder (only if it adds to the plot and not just to be ~edgy~), have them struggle financially, make them have a disconnect with their family. All those things happen to us as well. We all aren't this indestructible beings who never break down. We have our weaknesses too.

We can be bad girls. I have a series of books dedicated to bad girls and they're all black. I don't do this to portray us in a negative light but I do it because for one, I personally love women villains but also to show the many dimensions of black woman. Just like you some of us are bad girls who don't need validation from anyone while others are good girls. Now, keep in mind what I've said before. Don't make your ONLY black character the villain because "no one else fit the role". I read a book where all the characters, even the not important ones were white but the villain was black and all the good,heroic white (or nonblack poc) took him down. There's a proper way to do everything.

Some of us are religious and some aren't. Yes, there are black Muslims,black Jews, black Christians, black Atheists and black Agnostics. If it's a belief/lack of we can be a part of it. No religion is exclusive to one race.

Give your black girl a septum, have her listen to 80's punk rock and also trap music. We are as versatile as our hair. I just beg of you to go about it the right way and not make her seem "better" than anyone else for being an alternative/rock/indie black girl. I see too many books about the AA FMC who likes 1D and "cringes" at rap music. Don't be that person because we all know what you're doing.

Your black girl can be loud! Stop trying to tone police our girls. Not all of us want to be seen and not heard. Her name can be La'Shay and she can date inside or outside of her race. Give us unique names or stick to plain jane ones. She can be born and raised in the bronx. She can say "yall" and "finna" and still be interested in politics. She can be fluent in spanish and she can have no rhythm. She can have freckles and she can be transgender. We are diverse.

Stereotypes/Culture

Your AA character is allowed to eat fried chicken. Yes she can like watermelon and yes she can be a single parent. People who fit into those stereotypes are still black and they are still valid. Once again I see too many "I'm not the average black person" stories on here. Here is how you can use a stereotype but not but an asshole about it.

Acceptable: Lanette's invited me over for dinner Saturday night. When I arrived to her humble home I was greeted by her hardworking mother and three precious younger brothers. The delicious smell of southern fried chicken, buttermilk mashed potatoes and baked macaroni flooded the house and made my mouth water.

Vs

Lanette's family is your typical black family. They live in the projects so it's roaches everywhere and it's her and her three brothers. Her father is in jail for selling crack. They eat fried chicken everyday and drink grape kool-aid. When her mom served our plates I almost threw up. The chicken looked greasy and dry and there were nasty looking green beans on the plate.

Do you see the difference? Even if you don't seem interested in the food there's a way to portray it to not come off as an insensitive fuck and since I only mentioned the mom and brother that gives you the idea that the father isn't present. If it doesn't add to the story plot then don't add it. In this case mentioning her dad went to jail did what? Absolutely nothing so there's no need to directly say it.

Overall

Saying you can't write an African American character because you aren't African American is a bunch of bullshit. If you can write about fucking Harry Styles and I'm 100% none of us have, then you can write outside your race. We fall in love, go to school, hang out with friends and all that just like you do. If you're wary for whatever reason at first write your story and then any time you described her skin as pale change it to a descriptive brown shade. (and for the love of god don't compare us to chocolate or something weird like tree bark) Romanticize her lovely brown eyes and cute curls. The same beauty you would give to any MC give to your black girl. We deserve a place on this site. AA people are all around you,there's no excuse. Stop only using stereotypes and stop only trying to be an "I'm not like most black girls" author. Mix it up. We are multi-dimensional.

*NOTE: Black and African American aren't always interchangeable. Not every black person is African American; they can be Haitian, Dominican, Scottish, Brazilian, British. Remember black is a race and AA is an ethnicity.