Writer's Guide 101 (Wattpad Edition)

LXXXVIII. Writing POC Characters

Before I begin, I just want to give a huge shoutout to WritingWithColor (WWC). I remember stumbling upon their blog on Tumblr where they offer various resources and feedback to those who wish to include diverse representations into their works.
Also, a friendly reminder that this is just based on my own expertise and opinions so kindly take this chapter with a grain of salt!

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1) Try educating yourself about the culture or race you're trying to convey.

What are their set of beliefs and customs? How do they talk or behave? What do they tend to wear on a daily basis?
Let's take Kaira Faez from my book TCOTRB (The Case of The Red Bubble), for example. She hails from a Muslim family in Turkey, but they later moved over to the Philippines. Throughout the course of the series, I learned that:

✅ It wouldn't be acceptable to have her hair shown under her hijab in other places;

✅ She shouldn't be wearing tight overalls even if she's fully-covered;

✅ As a Muslim who later went to pursue a degree in fashion design, she wouldn't be allowed to draw human figures because it is haram to be depicting any living being. (Also, side note: Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the concept of drawing Muhammad as human or any explicit content haram?)

✅ Lastly, she wouldn't be able to go to a mixed school or university with her male classmates and instead attend a separate institution exclusively for girls.

I definitely try my best to do my due research and know that I still have a lot to learn. At the same time, I don't want her to just be a walking Muslim stereotype whose only main trait is being religious, nice and passive.
So I simply wrote her off to be a very rambunctious and outgoing character who doesn't care about her appearance who happens to attend an international school.
She also has a knack for dressing up albeit random to express herself. I imagine her going out with mismatched shoes, a shabby sweater and sometimes an animal fursuit. She often acts before she thinks and can be pretty headstrong at times.

2) Avoid harmful labels and stereotypes.

I am talking about how the only defining traits your Black character is known for is being "angry", snarky and talking like Tupac while the Indian or Asian character isn't allowed to be anything else other than be the nerdy kid who talks about honor through haikus and being good at kung fu.
Sometimes, you have the Italian mafias or Middle Eastern terrorists. Like seriously? Why not have a Japanese, German or American mafia in there as well? Do they know that there are also criminal organizations in different parts of the globe?
Why are the Russians always depicted as communist spies? Why not have them be the eccentric but sweet inventor or badass cop?
Before you say "Well, it's true anyway!" in regards to stereotypes, please ask yourself if it's even necessary. You may also acknowledge someone's background but treat them like normal people.
Yes, Asian football players do exist! Not all Arabs are evil terrorists. There are even Russian and Mexican teachers who at least been to Harvard and lived in the country legally.

3) Respect the culture and its people.

Now, back to Kaira. She is one of my personal favorite characters. Not only am I fascinated by Middle Eastern culture, but also want to learn more about its traditions, people and hopefully introduce others to them.
It's not solely because I added her there just for the sake of diversity. It is because I realized that I've never written an actual Muslim protagonist before in any of my works.
I wonder how it'd be cool for people like her who could see themselves go on adventures and take part in solving mysteries in the books.
It kind of reminds me of how a lot of Caucasian writers tend to see other cultures as exotic theme parks to play around in and be imagined in however they want to suit their sensibilities without actually caring to learn about their history, customs, values and its people.
To put it simply, they're not just aesthetics or entertainment.

4) You need to ask yourself whether including someone's race is important to the story.

Now, take a look at "Dungeon Meshi" for example! Aside from its vast world building, you also get to see a wide variety of characters of different backgrounds, color and sizes.
While they do occasionally tackle themes of discrimination among various inhabitants, the main focus of the series is surviving dungeons as they hunt down monsters for food.
You can still draw parallels to real-life ethnicities (e.g. Kabru looks like he could be of South Asian descent while Laios and Falin could pass as Ukrainians/Poles). The reason it works is because it's set in a fantasy world.
Now, this is just my opinion but in case your story is supposed to be based on real historical events and locations, then forcing diversity without any careful thought or research will end up taking your audience out of the story.
If Dungeon Meshi was instead inspired by the French Revolution, I would expect it to take place in a Eurocentric society that is highly populated by Caucasian folks.
Kabru would at least make sense in the sense if he was a kitchen boy of Romani background. He even reminds me of a genderswapped Esmeralda from Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

5) Lastly, be open-minded. Never be afraid to admit you messed up and that you don't typically know everything. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
Now, you don't have to necessarily travel far (though it'd be much better so you at least have a firsthand experience of the culture).
This is also why it's so important to listen to the voices from actual POCs and BIPOCs. Read books and watch movies or shows written by POC and BIPOC directors and artists.