Best Way to Describe Black Characters

Learn how to develop a character through their. Rowling and many other authors have made in writing Native characters why they are a problem and offers writers strategies for avoiding them and doing better.

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If you treat your description of a dark person the same way you treat your description of a person with lighter comolexion youre home safe.

. Characters with black eyes often have sinister intentions or something to hide. But I also just felt like sharing. To vary the description of black eyes you can use the following terms.

He was commonplace in complexion in feature in manners and in voice. If the story is not particularly about ethnicity ask yourself two questions. Instead show how the characters behaviour starts to affect the way their face appears.

Some examples from my own writing submitted for your consideration. So dont use any such labels at all. You could say she had dark circles beneath her eyes which suggests tiredness and lack of sleep or you could say the circles beneath her eyes darkened with each night she stayed up to fill out job applications.

When writing about a character of colour ESPECIALLY if youre a white author visit sites such as. Those who defended the use of African-American noted it was rooted in history culture and personal choice. If your story is about ethnicity youre probably going to have to describe your characters accordingly.

Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness. All you need to do is be creative and find those natural openings for appropriate character descriptions. He was of middle size and of ordinary build.

There are some wonderfully evocative ways to describe people of color without being unintentionally racist or having to sacrifice your creative integrity. It is common to describe an individuals character in informal conversation and formal communications such as a character reference. In this seminar Native scholar and activist Debbie Reese talks about the missteps J.

Coal Black Comfortless Corbeau Dappled Dark Dingy Discouraging Disheartening Dismal Dreary Dusky Dusty Ebon Ebony Black Eclipse Black Ethiopic Eyelash Black Fuliginous Glaucous Gothic Black Greige Grey Gridelin Grim Hard Harsh Hearse Black Heather Hoary Hopeless Ink Black Isabelline Jet Black Joyless Kettle Black Liard Livid Lonely Mascara Black Melancholy Mica. But just because you know everything about them doesnt mean the. Secondly there are plenty of ways to describe POC with words like brown dark brown light brown sandy brown so many words that can be used to describe us that dont need to be related to food again its delicious but were not edible.

In creative writing describing a characters face can uncover information about who they are and how they feel. If you arent a. Characters and first-person narrators however are free to use them any way they choose.

When writing character descriptions its easy to get ahead of yourself. Give your story the power. 16 Keep the Description Balanced.

After all this is the first time youre introducing a character youve created from the ground up. 6 How to Describe a Characters Posture and Body Language. Choose your words carefully.

The following vocabulary may be helpful in describing character. 5 How to Describe a Characters Body. In a negative context they can make a character appear non-trustworthy insect- or reptile-like and downright evil.

17 Give them Something Special. Writers can zoom in on individual features like the eyes or mouth or describe a face in its entirety to paint a picture of a character. Another way to introduce a characters race is by using a racial grievance andor facing racism or microaggressions.

His eyes of the usual blue were perhaps remarkably cold and he certainly could make his glance fall on one as trenchant and heavy as an axe. 2 How to Describe a Characters Face. Dont just say that a character has dark circles.

There are a variety of ways to introduce a characters race and theres nothing wrong with being blunt just as i said earlier. Not a claim of correctness or The Best Way or anything of the sort. But in more recent years especially in the wake of the murders of Trayvon Martin and even Brown.

A human face reveals a lot about a person. Describe the character without thinking of the skin part. 3 How to Describe a Characters Hair.

4 How to Describe a Characters Clothes. Intellectually I knew the answer. Many decades ago the word thug referenced people who engaged in organized crime.

And yeah this is in part inspired by a certain very lengthy discussion of race representation and respect in the SFF community that took place recently in the blogosphere. 15 Use the Point of View. The intersection of race class and gender for Black women in this country has meant having to reconcile a legacy of slavery and the creation of dehumanizing tropes and stereotypes like the strong Black woman created by the white patriarchal engine to systemically control our reproduction destroy our families and distort to.

Then go back and put in one sentence about the dark complexion using tone and style similar to how you would describe any other skin colour. Others offered up alternatives.

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