writingwithcolor

[writingwithcolor]

Happy Juneteenth, from WWC. Celebrate with joy.

This is a great post. Juneteenth is so important to recognize.

As a kid, I remember going to large celebrations for Juneteenth full of fellow Black folks. There was heaps of BBQ, lively music and local market goods. I didn't fully understand or appreciate it then. It also wasn't taught or mentioned at school either. I'm glad a light is now being shone on this important day.

Juneteenth (June 19): basic definition

"It celebrates the emancipation of enslaved [Black] people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation."

-Oxford Dictionary

Juneteenth marks the last of the enslaved Black American people being told they were free. This happened on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas.

This day is a powerful symbol of deferred justice. Justice, respect and the right to live in peace and love that we're very much still fighting for.

I encourage all Black people to celebrate this day in whichever way that looks like. Do something that makes you happy. And by "doing something" that could very well just be relaxing (as is my plan for today; after writing this, I'll be escaping into a book!).

Black joy and rest is important. Both are acts of resistance.

All can celebrate this day, today and well beyond, by supporting Black people in your daily lives.

In the stories you as writers, write (Include us as nuanced main characters! Give us our moments, love, happy endings!)

In the authors you read and recommend.

The artists, musicians, creators and makers you support.

The people, places and causes you put your time, voice and money towards.

It all makes a difference and is seen.

Happy Juneteenth.

Love to you all, from the WritingWithColor team and me

~Mod Colette & WWC

Well!

So first, let's clear a common misconception: no, President Abraham Lincoln did not love Black people nor see them as human equals. At best he was centrist about it (though, even his implication that 'exceptional' Black men ought to vote got him assassinated).

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do, it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union...I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."

The "freeing of slaves" after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was meant to kneecap the economic and military powers of the seceded South. Lettuce stop making a white savior figure out of Lincoln, or thinking that my people's shackles were unchained via anything other than desperate war strategy and extreme violence. Think on that, for a moment.

That being said!

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

Consider going through the Smithsonian website to learn about Juneteenth! Recognize why it's an actual day of freedom, versus July 4th and the independence of a select few.

[writingwithcolor]

Representing a Jewish Historical Figure in Fiction

@aaronthe8thdemon asks:

I'm writing a historical fiction around a real-life event (Chernobyl) and am basing the characters around real people rather than using actual names. During the catastrophe, a Jewish American doctor went to Moscow to provide aid to critically irradiated patients, and… concisely, I may be overthinking this, but I'm concerned about "how Jewish" to make the character. In his memoir he admits his Jewishness is kind of lax but I don't want it to look like I've skipped out on research and got lazy representing him because that's a problem in a lot of media. I'm currently converting to Judaism myself. But, AFAIK, he's still alive in real life and I don't want to be insulting by insinuating that he's "not Jewish enough" by making it too visible/going over the top. I haven't begun writing the pertinent parts of the narrative yet because this dilemma is anxiety-provoking, and I'd appreciate any advice/opinions the Jewish mods might have, even if it's just that I'm overthinking it. PS, thank you for running this blog, I know it's a lot of work and I've learned so much by following you.

If you do research and write a historical figure accurately and someone takes issue with your accurate portrayal because it doesn’t fit their needs for representation, that seems misguided of them. We don’t have the same control over reality and history that we do over fiction, where we get to make all of the choices.

I guess the key is to not make this person’s secular Jewishness/lax Jewishness “loaded”, like stop letting it take up space. You know how I’m half German? I’m also a good portion Polish, on the other side, but I never talk about it or think about it because that half of my family turned their backs on Poland entirely because of antisemitic abuse (if you want to get into why the German side didn’t considering they had even worse reasons, that’s a whole separate topic about German Jewish identity but anyway). But I don’t walk around like “oh I am DISCONNECTED from my POLISHKEIT i am SO LAX at being POLISH” it’s just not… relevant?

Him being secular or whatnot is reality (apparently; I don’t know the guy), but the slant of your writing, the way your writing interprets that secularness, is on you and your tone and your approach. So if you are looking at born-Jews who are whatever about Jewishness a certain way because you’re currently doing all that intense study just to join the tent, that might be a good thing to go back and filter out on an editing pass.

–S

It’s true that I’ve called for more representation of Jewish people who fall outside the false dichotomy of Orthodox/Secular, so I think I have a responsibility to clarify that neither of those are inherently bad representation OR bad ways of being Jewish. No single instance of a Jewish character being shown as either Orthodox or nonpracticing is the problem, and a narrative that frames either as being bad is engaging in antisemitism even if Jewish people are involved in the production. The problem isn’t that both of those extremes gets portrayed but that the majority that exists between them never does. That said, you’re portraying a real person, not inventing a fictional character.

If you choose to erase the complexity of his real-life Jewish decisions--and I hope that in the course of this project you’re doing much more research into the realities for Soviet Jewry than I could handily include in this blog post--then that’s not as much better representation of someone like me than it is an implication that there’s something wrong with being someone like him. It denies the dignity of a nonpracticing Jewish identity, and that feels to me like more harm than an accurate and respectful portrayal of a real-life historical figure who did not, in his lifetime, engage in Jewish ritual practice. 

It’s true that you’re fictionalizing the characters, and if your other characters are notably different than their inspirations it does less harm than if he were the only one fundamentally altered, but even so it feels like saying that ritually observant Jews are more “real” than nonpracticing ones. 

Instead, as you research for this project and your upcoming conversion, I encourage you to look for clues to a Jewish outlook in the words and life of the real-life person. This is a doctor, someone who traveled to try to save lives and give comfort, and I defy the idea that because he did not observe ritual practice those choices were without basis in Jewish values. 

-Meir

[writingwithcolor]

How do I avoid making white saviors out of a Black woman's rescuers turned found family?

Anon asked: 

One of my Black MCs for the first “season” becomes stranded in a mostly white portion of the world, and is taken in by a shady white family.  The entire community is somewhat shady and uncomfortable but she’s injured and doesn’t really have a choice.  She does end up legitimately bonding with two of the white family, who later flee the community with her when monster/fantasy stuff starts happening that puts them all in danger.  By the end of the season she’s reunited with her wife, another MC, who is Black and is with her for the rest of the story (I think, still storyboarding).   However her and the other two white people have formed a very close, family like bond by the end of the season, and refuse to be separated from each other.  Although they all help each other in different ways, I’m worried it’ll be like she “owes” the white people in her life, and that they are her saviors.  I hope to remedy this by making it clear the white characters are flawed and have sometimes put her in danger due to blind spots, and also that while they love each other, they don’t necessarily “like” each other.  However it seems like no matter what I do, it’s a thin line between friends and white saviors given they do have to give her medical care.  Is there a way to make this distinction clearer?

From what you’ve described, the established relationship between the Black main character and her found (white) family seems to be pretty equitable. Although white people have literally saved her, it doesn’t come across as them being her White Saviors on its own. 

It can actually be refreshing to have a Black woman character being in need of help sometimes instead of always doing the saving. As with all things, there is a need for balance, and you seem to be quite aware of that.

If you’re worried, add BIPOC characters of color

You say she is stranded in a mostly white portion of the world, so that means there may be some People of Color around, right?. Might there be other community members that she has that help her, even at least initially, so it isn’t only white people that have taken her in, give her medical attention and care.

For example, you say she is injured. Perhaps they bring her to a doctor or skilled medic who is not white. As for creating bonds, maybe there is another non-white person that she befriends or that mentors her. I think even adding one of these elements is helpful.

What if some of the chosen family members were BIPOC? Perhaps through a marriage, a cousin, re-marriage? And not just family members that they also saved and took in.

Although they all help each other in different ways, I’m worried it’ll be like she “owes” the white people in her life, and that they are her saviors.  I hope to remedy this by making it clear the white characters are flawed and have sometimes put her in danger due to blind spots, and also that while they love each other, they don’t necessarily “like” each other.

What you’ve described here is why I feel as if you have got a handle of things! She does not sound like she is worshipping the ground of her found white family members just because they saved her. It’s okay for her to be grateful and even thank them for their help in whatever way makes sense to her, but they should still stand on equal ground.

Example of a balanced scenario in which a character is rescued but gives back

The below situation involves all Black characters, but it may still help.

I recently read a story where the Black FMC, named Rielle, who lost her memory and was in a new world, was saved by a Black couple. From there, many town folks rallied around her and made her feel welcome and at home in their town.

For instance, they gave her:

Immediate medical attention and saved her from the danger they found her in

Emotional and mental support and friendship as she processed her reality

Food, shelter, clothing, etc.

In return, Rielle ends up working for one of the helpful townspeople, who takes on a protective grandmother-y role. Rielle also protects them by giving herself up to authorities that would otherwise do the people harm, showing loyalty and alliance to her found family. There is even a "return" in that loyalty as they absolutely did wish to let her go and even did her best to hide her and prevent it from happening in the first place, at risk to themselves.

Another great act of returned care is when she uses her healing powers to save a townsperson who was injured. In all this, she isn't just there existing to be saved the whole time. She is vulnerable at times, but also has agency.

(Book i'm referencing: "The General's Healer" by L.S. Bethel. This is a spin-off book, but I highly recommended her series "The King's Seer" in general!)

---

The fact that your characters are all flawed but love each other, and there is give and take, makes all the difference. 

~Mod Colette

[writingwithcolor]

Is a Jewish Necromancer using soul energy taboo?

WWC Follower Asks:

My character is Ashkenazi Jewish and living in modern America (raised in New York, moved to the Pacific North West). He has magical talent, which presents itself in auto writing (speaking with spirits using himself as a conduit), and necromancy/death magic. I understand the Torah forbids it, and the Talmud acknowledges its existence, and read a previous answer you did regarding it. I intended to add this aspect to my character because prior to writing this magical talent, as the plot unfolded while I wrote, the character was already established as Jewish and I did not wish to erase that from him. His personal arc/story itself has a strong point of residual hauntings and healing from the past, which was how the mediumship came to exist. At this point, I am writing it as he is learning his talent, and he intends to do as little harm to the dead as possible (he will not be reanimating people). In addition, necromancy can also work in this world as a form of animancy (using the soul) to do magic. My character is against taking that energy from others (as is it is common for necromancers to take the energy of the deceased by force), and instead will tap into himself, or utilize it if it is willingly donated by another person. It possible to make this work? Are there any severe taboos involved with the idea of using soul/life energy to fuel magic that I have missed in my research? What’s your personal threshold for this idea?

One very culturally Jewish way to handle it would be if he has to bulk up and eat a lot of nourishing Bubbe ("eat eat!!") style meals when he's gonna talk to the spirits or sheydim or whatever bc he's using his own life essence to fuel the connection like "if i want to do this i need to eat 2 helpings of brisket first".

That leans heavily into emphasizing that he is drawing on his own energy, maybe he has to eat enough food for himself and the dead person too, and not sapping the strength of another (an antisemitic trope)

-Shira

I absolutely LOVE the idea of him eating for the dead person, and I think it’s Jewish by vibes even if not drawing on something specific from text (that I know of). I definitely would be wary of any magic where the other souls are diminished by working with him even if he doesn’t do it intentionally, but it sounds like you’re already on that.

I wonder also if he might take upon himself the responsibility to recite Kaddish for the deceased people he works with, to make up for disturbing them--especially if rather than recite the prayer on his own, he attends a synagogue service or gathers a minyan (prayer quorum of 10 adult Jews) to recite the prayer “Correctly,” since, some very sweet Tumblr lore aside, Kaddish is one of those prayers not traditionally recited without a minyan.

-Meir

[writingwithcolor]

Does the way my alien character disguises himself as a POC perpetuate harmful tropes?

Anonymous asks:

"Hi all! I'm a longtime follower, first time asker. There's something about my current story that feels a little sticky, and I haven't been able to find any applicable information on the blog. I'm working on a queer monster romance. The setting is a modern one with supernatural elements. One of the main characters is an alien refugee, and his species has an ability to possess corpses and retain some of the last soul's memories to disguise themselves. It's morbid, but it's supposed to be a story about monsters, and he doesn't do worse beyond that. I've read a lot of posts by Latinx and Jewish people talking about aliens on Earth as a metaphor for immigrants, with the struggle of adapting to a new culture and being separated from the one you were born into, and since my story takes place in Southern California, which has a large population of Mexican immigrants, I thought it made sense to make his ""host body"" Mexican. However, the more I think on it, I'm worried that his ""disguise"" method could be viewed as a violation of a brown body. I'm also concerned that he's just TOO monstrous, and could play into a harmful trope of making POC inhuman. The other main character is white and more visibly monstrous, and there are other POC who aren't monsters, but is it enough? Should my alien disguise himself in another way? I know mods aren't answering questions about Latino culture right now, but I think this is more about harmful tropes against POC in general. Thanks for reading."

I appreciate that your response is about the Mexican community rather than the Jewish community, but still take a look at Mod Shira’s post on Jewish Monster Characters Doing Harm  as well as Monsters in General.

Consider the tension that your monsters create. As those posts suggested,  could you swap out “monster” and replace it with “immigrant,” “Latine,” or "Mexican" and see real-world conflict? If so, then the story could be veering towards a metaphor for race-relations, despite being a romance genre and not an #ownvoices narrative. 

You mentioned that some monsters disguise themselves in white bodies but are “more monstrous.” That’s interesting, but I’m still unclear: does your alien monster merge with its host, or is it just wearing their skin? In the anime Parasyte, the alien Migi and its human host have deep conversations about humanity, culture, and perspective. These are all things Migi doesn’t initially understand. This exchange gives the human host agency while preserving their cultural identity. Will your Latine MC receive that kind of humanization?

If not, and these aliens are simply using a Latine appearance as a disguise, that’s a problem. It effectively erases the Latino experience while using a Latine character’s face, which feels deeply unsettling. It risks reducing Mexican identity to an aesthetic rather than acknowledging its depth of culture, traditions, history, food, music, humor, or language.

Since this is a queer romance, it also raises another issue: if the alien is just impersonating a Latine person, then the Latine love interest is, in reality, falling for someone who isn’t actually Latine. Does the love interest teach the alien about Latino culture? That could work, or fall flat depending on execution.

Ultimately, if there’s no strong narrative reason for this alien to present as Latine, it might be worth reconsidering their ethnicity. Maybe your next story could have a Latine MC without this sort of ambiguity, or you could make the alien merge with a real Latine host, similar to Parasyte. Alternatively, the love interest could be Latine, allowing for meaningful cultural exchange. Personally, I’d pass on a book where a non-Latine entity is running around murdering and romancing in Latine skin. But that’s just me. 

~  Melanie 🌻

since my story takes place in Southern California, which has a large population of Mexican immigrants, I thought it made sense to make his "host body" Mexican.

This just sounds exactly like the aliens disguising themselves as Latin American immigrants in The Men In Black (1997) lol. In MIB, it is an intentional joke/play on the word “alien” that only worked in the 90s. That’s going to be the first thing audiences think of when they read this scenario. 

~ Rina

Rina and Melanie’s Required Reading/Watching Recs:

The Men In Black (Columbia Pictures, 1997) 

The Host (Stephenie Meyer, 2008) 😖

Parasyte (dir. Shimizu Kenichi, Madhouse, 2014)

Our prescription: more research and genre awareness.

[writingwithcolor]

how to convey arabic language in a specific dialect is being spoken without lengthy descriptions of how words/specific letters are pronounced?

Anonymous asks:

I believe my question revolves around linguistics, but please correct me if there’s something I didn’t take into account. I’m an Egyptian girl who speaks Arabic (the Egyptian dialect specifically), and I am currently writing an urban fantasy set in modern day Egypt. Naturally, the characters would be speaking Egyptian arabic (i even have a scene where my character converses with a tourist and struggles to speak to them ‘in english’)  But as the story is written in english, I found this is really hard to convey, especially with the entirely different alphabet, and the words that simply cannot be transcribed (sometimes in definition, and sometimes in letters that don’t have an equivalent). What would be a good way to send the message that these characters are by no means speaking English (unless stated) without having to hold the reader's hand through lengthy descriptions of how a word is pronounced at every corner?

Hi Anon! This is a tough spot. I’m no expert, just a mod and fellow writer trying to support your fantastic ask. Any bilingual readers, especially other Arabic speakers, feel free to chime in.

1- Disclose they’re speaking Arabic, even though you’re writing in English:

Example A: “Hey, Noor! Wait up,” he said in Arabic. 

Example B: “Habibti, I haven’t seen you in a while,” she reminded me. It was true - I had missed the lilt of her Darija-Moroccan dialect-so different from the Mesri, the Egyptian twang, that rolled off my tongue.

2- Consider using Arabic semantic structure or phrases and idioms used mostly in Arabic.

Example A: She reddened with embarrassment. // They whitened at the sight of it. ((English would probably say she ‘turned red’ rather than reddened, or ‘paled’ rather than whitened. Since Arabic has this natural and fun ability to let color be a verb, which English can but doesn't have naturally - make use of it! It will read differently in English because it’s an Arabic construct. Use other examples like this that you’d know better than me.))

Example B: Consider using “May the Gods smite her house!,” instead of the classic English ‘Fuck You.’ Or use “On my eyes” rather than ‘min ayooni’ or its English translation of ‘of course.’ Since Arabic language is beautifully expressive, you could lean into that when you can rather than using common English alternatives.

 Example C: Consider interspersing Arabic transliterations of common words/phrases like; habibti/habibi; yani; mashallah casually through the story.  

3- When speaking with English speakers, consider using informal text/chat speak (Arabizi?) to communicate the Arabic, since it’s already transliterated to the Roman alphabet. [disclaimer - I am atrocious at this, and will be surprised if anyone can read it… but for science!]: 

Example A: Instead of (انت طال�� بالجامعة) or “are you a student?” it becomes; 

“Ente 6albeh bel jam3a?” I asked, staring at the textbook in his arms. 

He looked at me confused. “I don't understand,” he said. “I can’t speak Arabic.” 

“Wain 3m tedrus? Where do you… y3ni… where do you study?” I tried again in slow, awkward English.

These examples may or may not work for you. It’s important to remember that there’s no single "right" way to do this, but it’s mostly about finding a balance that reads well, and feels good to you. Subtle cues like sentence structure, idioms, the occasional untranslated word, and natural context can help to show the language shift. Good luck and happy writing!

~ Melanie 🌻  

P.S. Mod Meir suggests checking out the book When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb, which handles this issue well. There's a lot of "He said in English" or "He repeated it in Yiddish for the old woman's benefit" or "It took him a moment to realize he had spoken in English" (( Thanks Sacha! @kuttithvangu ))

[writingwithcolor]

The protagonist of my story is pressured into killing, should I refrain from making her Jewish to avoid stereotyping?

@run-remi-run asks:

Hello, I'm developing a teen character living in Michigan and have been considering making her/her family Jewish; however I'm worried they'll fall into the evil Jewish person stereotype. The teen is the protagonist of her story, but she is pressured into killing at least one person. I understand that villains in media being portrayed as Jewish or with Jewish features has furthered antisemitism, and I understand my character isn't exempt from this just because I see her in a positive light. Should I refrain from making her Jewish?

This doesn't fit the stereotype

If the whole idea is that she’s pressured into doing bad things, that doesn’t fit the stereotype or trope at all because the trope has us as evil masterminds but in your scenario she’s the one being manipulated. The negative trope isn’t just “Jewish person does something bad” it’s a lot more specific than that. -Shira

Any Michigan influences?

Commenting strictly as a Michigan resident: is there any reason why you included the character’s Michigander origins in your question? Is there something about Michigan that’s influencing how you think a Jewish character might be depicted or viewed by others in your story? I’m asking not to be interrogatory, but out of curiosity and need for clarification.

–Jess

Evil Jewish person stereotype

Shira’s answer speaks directly to this and a lot more concisely, but I wanted to take a minute and go deeper into the phrase “Evil Jewish person stereotype,” for the sake of helping break down what’s actually happening and why it works the ways that it does.

There are two forces at work here, not unrelated to each other but not identical either. One is the portrayal of evil characters using tropes that suggest Jewish coding, and the other is a cultural suspicion of Jewish people’s motives and actions. They’re two sides of the same coin, perhaps, but I’d like to look at them separately, since the difference--that one refers to fictional characters and the other to actual people--matters in the context of reading and writing fiction.

Jewish coding in Villain characters

There are aspects of a character’s physical appearance that can suggest Jewishness even as we acknowledge that Jewish individuals don’t necessarily match those looks. Those might include a hooked nose, hair that is curly or red, a sallow complexion, an angular face. These attributes are not inherently bad: a text portraying them is antisemitic when these attributes are a visual signal of bad motives or are only present in bad characters and not good ones. Although not at issue here, it’s worth noting that these attributes can also raise questions in settings where all Jewish characters have them, because the flip side of these attributes being used to denote Jewishness is the erasure of Jewish people who don’t have these looks. 

 There are also aspects of a character’s personality that are repetitions of historical accusations against Jews, justifications for violence or persecution rather than reflections of genuine events. These might include greed, arrogance, bloodthirstiness, and a willingness to hurt or kill children for personal gain. These tropes have accrued over centuries in spite of the fact that every single one of them runs counter to any genuine Jewish values because ultimately, they’re not based on real-world actions by real-life Jewish people, but a product of leader after leader over time riling up their followers into dehumanizing a minority population, for the usual reasons people have for dehumanizing minority populations. 

Jewish coding in villain characters is not necessarily the same as stereotyping Jewish people as being evil. It does however support and maintain unconscious antisemitic biases. That is to say, when you meet someone who is Jewish, you’re not necessarily thinking “Mother Gothel was coded with Jewish tropes so this Jewish person probably is evil,” but if someone shows you a picture of a person with a hooked nose and curly hair and says “this person is greedy and hurts children,” exposure to Mother Gothel and other fictional villains on the same model might make you less likely to say “That doesn’t sound right.” 

Meanwhile, back in Michigan

Like Shira said, your character is not the mastermind of the murder she’s being forced into. Rather, she’s a victim of whatever character or circumstance is forcing her into it. As long as that’s apparent in your narrative, you’re not supporting an existing harmful trope or stereotype. I would treat the concept differently if this were, for instance, a dark narrative of a remorseless killer. In the current climate I would also advise against any imagery of a Jewish person of any age or agency killing a child or person of color of any kind, as that is the latest iteration of the medieval blood libel in modern times.  I would even have pause in this situation, where she’s not the author of her own act but does commit it, if she does not experience remorse or if she enjoys doing it. What matters here is her motive. 

If this character is Jewish, then that’s going to affect her approach to the incident in certain ways. While Christian and Christian-influenced secular culture regard “good” and “bad” as the ultimate thing to worry about, even at the cost of martyrdom or murder, Judaism places life as the highest value. There are very few of the laws and customs of Jewish life that one is not expected to break in order to avoid death, but one of those is murder. Now, Jewish characters make choices that aren’t perfectly consistent with Jewish law all the time, so what I’m asking is not to not write this, but to write it on purpose.

What does it do to your character?

Who is she before and after?

How many of us could truly choose to die rather than kill in her situation?

Does she own perhaps a necklace or decor item with the word “חי” on it?

What does seeing it do to her?

In what other ways does her Jewishness make her interesting and relevant as a character?

If it’s just curly hair and matzah ball soup on an otherwise Christian character, why bother. But if you’re willing to put in the time to research Jewish attitudes toward life and death and how they differ--even and especially in a teenager’s schema--from the Christian and Christian-influenced majority conception, then there’s room for an interesting narrative here. 

-Meir 

[writingwithcolor]

Springtime patron

[writingwithcolor]

Black ghost wife and living husband: hesitant open relationship so she can have intimacy (NSFW)

Anonymous asked:

I’m writing a romcom where the leading lady is a black ghost woman, and I've made sure to write them as healthy a couple as I could. About halfway through the story, she goes to her not-dead husband (He's a WASP, and also big on fidelity because of the P part), tells him that she misses sex, and asks if he'd be alright if she started a friends-with-benefits thing with the ghost who's haunting the neighbors. He's not exactly thrilled at the thought of that, but they can’t have sex anymore, so they have a long chat where she makes it abundantly clear that there’ll be nothing romantic between her and and the neighbor ghost, and eventually the couple sort it all out and reach a compromise where he doesn’t feel like he’s getting cheated on and she can have her needs met. And I realize this is speeding headlong at 120mph towards the promiscuous black girl stereotype, and so I’ve done everything I can think of to try to negate it. She’s very affectionate to him, I make it clear they only love each other, and of course, they have that little heart-to-heart before she goes to the neighbor ghost, but there’s no avoiding it because she’s the one who brought it up in the first place. So is there any other way I can make sure I only breeze over the stereotype like a speedbump instead of plowing right into it?

On stereotypes

Going in while aware of the stereotype sounds like a great start. I think having them talk about their relationship in an open and candid way shows their intentions. It sounds to me like they are negotiating how to open up their relationship to a third party (on her side) and if they discuss rules over exclusivity with their partners that it would counter the promiscuity issue.

That would however also open up the promiscuity stereotypes around polygamy though and keeping that in mind, broadening the perspective of what relationships might look like and what they are okay or not okay with would be good.

Aside from that, you’ll need to be mindful of how sexualized she’s portrayed on the page too, so having her be fleshed out, including having more than a “horny mode” (excuse me for a lack of better words). ~ Mod Alice

Ensure both sides consent to the arrangement

I'm not polyamorous, but I've read quite a few anecdotes where opening the relationship, so one partner can have sex, when the other person is unhappy about it, becomes the beginning of the end. Of course, neither were ghosts, but the point still stands.

So, please ensure your Black ghost wife is NOT coercing her husband into giving his blessing for her to have sex with others. That is, unless she is intentionally meant to be seen as more villainous or a possibly disliked character.

The polyamorous part, in itself, is not the potential pitfall; it is the fact that the husband is not okay with it. If he’s barely agreeing, then yes that can absolutely paint the Black character in a negative light beyond just hypersexualization. Again, if that’s your intention, so be it and perhaps add a more positive or neutral representation of a Black woman as well.

Now, if he agrees and either does become fine with it or grows into being okay with it, I think that’s an improvement, and consider all the things Alice mentioned above regarding your Black woman ghost’s characterization.

If it is not your intent to put her in a negative light, please ensure:

She is not forcing him into agreeing

It is truly a mutual decision

Perimeters are set where they are both comfortable, happy and secure

Other ideas that may work

And this is an aside, but more of a story exploration, so take it with a grain of salt:

Is it possible she could possess someone’s body in order for them to touch and connect physically?

Meet on the astral plane? In dreams?

I’ve seen this done in a couple of works.

SPOILERS UPCOMING: The Lovely Bones and the Umbrella Academy

The Lovely Bones book by Alice Sebold comes to mind. The dead character, Susie, kisses and has sex with her crush. The living woman, that she possesses, consents to being a “vessel” for them to have this moment together.

Note: I do not support this author, as a person, and only share this scenario as an example.

There were also a few scenes in the Umbrella Academy TV series.

One of the dead characters possesses his necromancer brother in order to connect to a woman he has a crush on. There are other scenes where he happily experiences physical touch again, such as a hug from his other brother, eating fruit, and so on.

That is to say; there may even be platonic ways where your character misses touch and intimacy. Perhaps the husband is comfortable with her cuddling another to recreate that bond of touch. It does not all have to be about sex, although that may be part of it.

Also, how does, say, “autoeroticism” work in the ghost form? Is it possible? I feel like it’s something the husband would have brought up during the conversation, since he initially was not okay with the idea of her being with another person.

Possible resource for you

The video game Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden shows the complex relationship between a living and dead partner. This might be of inspiration when writing their dynamic overall!

Black and poly followers, feel free to chime in with any insights.

Mod Leigh adds some super key additions to this that should really help this story, so please check it out! 

~Colette

Commenting as someone nonblack but polyamorous, with permission from Alice and Colette.

Men Have Needs, Too

To echo Colette: the biggest thing for me here is the inequality in the agreement with the husband. In all of this discussion, you’ve never really explained how he views having a dead wife he can no longer have sex with. Has this impacted him much? Has he been silently suffering? What’s his view in all of this as someone sexual himself and his needs aren’t being met either? Men are allowed to have healthy sexualities, too, and I’d honestly love to see more of it.

And for me that’s a tiny bit of a problem; the “why” he is unhappy with it feels like it comes from taking a stock Christian archetype and then letting it sit there. Like, this archetype doesn’t come out of nowhere—a lot of Protestants are really, really, really serious about marriage and not divorcing, even though permission to divorce is kind of the foundation of Anglican denominations but I digress—but it doesn’t have to be such a stock trope. 

Because really—what does he feel about their life? Has he considered going out and dating because of this, but he hasn’t brought it up because of his own hang-ups? Does he have crushes, or does he want to use the oft-done “cheat pass” that some even devout Protestant couples set up? Is his bristling at change in the relationship dynamic give way to relief he has freedom to go get his own needs met, too?

He had life plans gone awry, just like she did. What freedom is he getting out of this, and how is this mutually beneficial? It has to be mutually beneficial for this to not look like the male character is being sidelined. He has grief, and needs, and plans too. What’s he going to get out of this other than “not feeling cheated on”?

WASP does not mean personality-less, and I want to see more development of his character. Devotion comes in many, many forms, not just rigid fidelity to someone who can’t meet all your needs.

Christianity, Marriages, and Ghosts

This section is written with the assumption of a devout lens, because you emphasize he takes marriage seriously from his faith. If this section feels like a lot for the story, consider dialing him back to a more Easter/Christmas Christian, or cultural Christian, instead of devout. The previous section about his needs and the following section about polyamoury still apply even if you do dial his faith back, however.

Marriage vows are typically “till death do us part” so what in this world’s structure has made it that those vows have been modified? Premise given as-is, it wouldn’t actually be a sin for either of them to have new partners. So I’m guessing there’s something about his character and situation you’re leaving out in here, other than the fact that you’ve kinda taken an assumed attitude.

Protestant relationships with marital boundaries, divorce, separation, and fidelity are complicated, and highly depend on the denomination and level of conservatism. I wouldn’t take it as automatic that their married relationship continued into ghost-ness, because… like I said, death is considered an acceptable reason to find a new partner.

What caused them to stay married when she’s a ghost, especially if there were other life plans in there that maybe included kids? Do people know she still exists? Does she go out with him, run a household with him, or otherwise just exist in his life as a solid force for him to even still feel like they’re married? These are all questions I’d ask to sus out the basic foundation of what leads to this conversation in the first place, and why the premise exists.

This isn’t even getting into how ghosts are kind of mistrusted in a lot of Protestant groups (I ran this answer by a couple devout friends of mine and one of them was straight up “I’d genuinely expect him to be more hung up about getting proof ghosts are real than introducing a new partner”). So there’s that to consider, too.

The dead are supposed to be hanging out with God, now, and marital love is part of the spiritual tradition where you’re supposed to care for your partner like God does (no I am not getting into how abusers manipulate this, I am assuming this is a healthy relationship because good Christian marriages do exist and I’d love to see more of the fluffy, caring side of this in media). So this “actual ghost, now gotta figure out how to have a very imperfect human covenant with just a soul when it’s supposed to be physical and spiritual” is a thing. Most healthy Christians I know actually have a huge emphasis on in person, reach-out-and-touch relationships, so I’d want to see him have one, too.

I’m very seriously asking what it is you’ve changed about Christianity to make it that one of the foundational principles of marriage—death parts you—has gone away? Sure, you can handwave it, but I’d suggest you look into things to see how you’ve decided to change Christianity or what faith stuff he’s had to wrestle with, having a ghost wife.

You also haven’t addressed her faith, either. Was this a mixed-faith or mixed-devotion marriage? That could add in an unintentional consequence of racism because look at him, the devout Protestant white man, marrying a non-religious person who then brings in a third person! This is why you must only marry other Christians, and also preferably other white Christians. It’s not a good look.

In short: Why does he consider himself still married to her, with all of those marital trappings, to the point he has this degree of possessiveness? (this is not bad possessiveness, I should add. Married couples and otherwise committed couples have a set of agreed-upon boundaries for how they behave with others, because partnership is, at its core, a set of agreed-upon boundaries for what is shared; in more secular terms: a polyamorous couple sharing fluids is going to have very strict rules over who they add in as sexual partners to avoid STIs)

Primaries, Secondaries, and Romance-Centricism

There’s this degree of relationship hierarchy I’m not necessarily thrilled with, honestly. Primary and secondary partners are definitely a thing in polyamorous spaces, don’t get me wrong, but this devaluing of the ghost partner feels… off? Like, it feels placating to the husband, because it seems like there are feelings there, as sex involves some degree of trust. As Colette said, this dynamic feels like the beginning of the end of them.

Also the whole valuing of romantic relationships above all else is… exhausting, as an aromantic person. We all share things with different people, and the heavy, heavy focus on romantic coupling can be a pretty isolating worldview. Yes, some people do a lot better when partnered with another human, and a lot of people pick marriage as that partnership they do a lot better with having, but it doesn’t mean your extended network of friendships is any less important? And some people elect to have their primary partner be platonic, or just sexual, whether or not they’re aromantic.

And yes, this “needs a partner around to function” thing could be a reason they’re still married! They both do better with other humans and don’t want to immediately rebound because of death. But is the relationship anything more than that, come the point she’s starting to miss sex? How has that immediate pang of grief evolved and changed and moved on, on both sides?

It basically feels like the whole justification for why he should be okay with it is she’s still like… spiritually devoted to him (using this wording because of his Protestant faith and her professing of romantic love as a metaphor of spiritual love), that makes this other partnership just… not important? And I don’t know if you really wanna set that up, especially since it does kinda feed into the concept that it’s only not cheating if the other partner is devalued. How would the neighbouring ghost feel, if they found out they’re chopped liver compared to her alive husband? 

A sexual bond is allowed to be important even if there’s no romance, and an exclusion of romance doesn’t mean the bond is worthless. I really don’t like the implications that the romantic bond is “better” and the only reason another partner gets brought in is they’re, well, being used.

In Short: Revise With A More Mutual Lens

Really, from a polyamorous standpoint and a Protestant standpoint, this is a mess. Protestant wise, I ask again why he’s acting like they’re still married even though she’s dead and usually death frees you from marital fidelity. Polyamorous wise, I’m annoyed that there’s no room to explore a relationship that is notably different from your primary relationship, and instead it goes into “oh this other person isn’t anyone you need to worry about, I don’t love him the way I love you” which is just the worst stereotype of being a third partner and gives many people who are friends with married couples complexes over being replaced.

My suggestion is genuinely to have this turn from what you have now to the husband also breathing a sigh of relief that he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by her being able to see he was moving on, but he also wants to go explore other relationships to get his needs met, and they learn to explore a dynamic of being still deeply in love, but admitting where they can and cannot meet each other’s needs and setting up a new relationship in more of a quad. 

This would fit the romcom vibes more, because honestly it sounds hilarious to me to watch a ghost couple and a living couple try to learn to cohabitate. It also allows for a much broader depth of feelings, because each partner is going to provide something different to the person? And instead of needing to shut down insecurity, jealousy, or all of these “eggshell feelings” to make things look shinier than they are to protect the husband’s ego, you can have open discussions that emphasize how love even works—you get different needs met from different people, and just because one person isn’t your everything doesn’t mean they don’t have value to you.

This also gives room for them to both wrestle with it, because adding in a new partner to a dynamic makes a lot of monogamous people have ruffled feathers. But having this whole scenario get more fleshed out where there is a history of them wrestling with their new dynamic would definitely help offset the ick of how polyamory is treated right now. If both sides are considering separating because of needs the other can’t meet, then there’s a lot less hurt to happen in the first place and it’s not just the Black woman wanting sex. It becomes a scenario of how to navigate pre-existing love with new love, which for me is a lot lighter, a lot more fun, and a lot less likely to land either of them into negative stereotypes. 

You have some good depth and drama with all of these interpersonal dynamics, but also the hilarity of being haunted by your primary partner. It really sounds like a lot of fun, but the way you have it right now would not work for me. I’d probably put the book down from a polyamorous perspective even if you managed to avoid the promiscuous Black woman trope.

~ Leigh

P.s.—yes I do identify as polyamorous and aromantic. The definition of “partner” is broad, and so long as everyone consents, who cares.

[writingwithcolor]

((( love you to the moon and back )))

[writingwithcolor]

Fairy Tale Retellings with POC

@anjareedd asked:

Hello, Writing with Color! First of all, thank you for all you do. Second, do you have any advice for a white person retelling fairy tales, both European fairy tale and non-European fairy tales? Is it okay to retell non-European fairy tales? I would feel bad if all fairy tales I retold were European as those are over represented, but given how much white people have erased and whitewashed other culture’s fairy tales I understand if that were off-limits for a white person. Thank you!

Fairy tale retellings are my favorite thing. I love reading, rewriting and creating new fairy tale-style stories with People of Color!

As you write, keep in mind:

European does not mean white. 

The possibility of PoC in European or Western historical settings tends to throw off so many. There are plenty of European People of Color, then and today. You can have an Indian British little red riding hood and it isn’t “unrealistic.” And we wanna read about them!

Still, research the history of your settings and time period. Use multiple credible sources, as even the most well-known ones may exclude the history of People of Color or skim over it. The stories might be shoved into a corner, but we live and have lived everywhere. The specific groups (and numbers of) in a certain region may vary, though. 

How and when did they or their family get there, and why?

Has it been centuries, decades, longer than one can remember?

Who are the indigenous people of the region? (Because hey, places like America and Australia would love to have you believe its earliest people were white…)

Is there a connection with the Moors, trade, political marriage; was it simply immigration?

No need to elaborate all too much. A sentence or more woven into the story in passing may do the trick to establish context, depending on your story and circumstance. 

Or if you want to ignore all of that, because this is fantasy-London or whatever, by all means do. POC really don’t need a explanation to exist, but I simply like to briefly establish context for those who may struggle to “get it”, personally. This is a side effect of POC being seen as the Other and white as the default.

Although, if PoC existing in a fairy tale is the reader’s biggest stumbling block in a world of magic, speculation, or fantasy, that’s none of your concern.

Can you picture any of the people below, or someone with these backgrounds, the protagonist of their own fairytale? I hope so!

Above: Painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle (1760s - 1800s), British Heiress with her cousin. Check out her history as well as the movie, Belle (2013).

Source: English Heritage: Women in History - Dido Belle

 Above: Abraham Janssens - The Agrippine Sibyl - Netherlands (c. 1575)

“Since ancient times Sybils were considered seers sent by god, priestesses foretelling the coming of great events. This model serves to depict the Sybil of Agrippina, one of the 12 that foretold the coming of Christ. Notice the flagellum and crown of thrones which are symbolic objects reminding the viewer of Christs suffering.”  X

Above: “Major Musa Bhai, 3 November 1890. Musa Bhai travelled to England in 1888 as part of the Booth family, who founded the Salvation Army.” X

Above: Eleanor Xiniwe and Johanna Jonkers, respectively and other members of the African Choir, who all had portraits taken at the London Stereoscopic Company in 1891. 

“The African Choir were a group of young South African singers that toured Britain between 1891 and 1893. They were formed to raise funds for a Christian school in their home country and performed for Queen Victoria at Osborne House, a royal residence on the Isle of Wight.” X

The examples above just scratch the surface. Luckily, more and more historians and researchers are publishing lesser known (and at times purposefully masked) PoC history.

More Sources 

PoC in History (WWC Search Link)

POC in Europe (WWC Search Link)

The Black Victorians: astonishing portraits unseen for 120 years

Hidden histories: the first Black people photographed in Britain – in pictures

Let’s talk about oppression and slavery 

There is a hyper-focus on chattel slavery as if the times when and where it occurred is the only narrative that exists. And even when it is part of a Person of Color’s history, that is seldom all there is to say of the person or their lives. For example, Dido Elizabeth Belle.

People of Color were not all slaves, actively enslaved, or oppressed for racial reasons at all times in history! Dig deep into the research of your time period and region. Across the long, wide history of the world, People of Color are and were a norm and also NOT simply exceptions. Explore all the possibilities to discover the little known and seldom told history. Use this as inspiration for your writing.

PoC (especially Black people) were not always in chains, especially in a world of your making. 

Don’t get me wrong. These stories do have a place and not even painful histories should be erased. I personally read these stories as well, if and when written by someone who is from the background. Some might even combine fairy tale, fantasy, and oppression in history. However…

There are plenty of stories on oppressed PoC. How many fairy tales?

Many European tales have versions outside of Europe. 

Just because a tale was popularized under a western setting doesn’t mean that it originates there. Overtime, many were rewritten and altered to fit European settings, values and themes.

Read original tales. 

You might be inspired to include a story in its original setting. Even if you kept it in a western setting, why not consider a protagonist from the ethnicity of the story’s origin?

For example: the Cinderella most are familiar with was popularized by the French in 1697. However, Cinderella has Chinese and Greek versions that date back from the 9th Century CE and 6th Century BCE, respectively. 

Choosing a Setting: European or Non-European?

I do not see anything wrong with either (I write tales set in western and non-western settings, all with Heroines of Color). There is great potential in both.

Non-Western Settings (pros and cons)

Normalizes non-Western settings. Not just the “exotic” realm of the Other.

Potential for rich, cultural elements and representation

Requires more research and thoughtfulness (the case for any setting one is unfamiliar with, though)

European or Western Setting (pros and cons)

Normalizes PoC as heroes, not the Other, or only fit to be side characters.

Representation for People of Color who live in Western countries/regions 

Loss of some cultural elements (that character can still bring in that culture, though! Living in the West often means balancing 2+ cultures)

Outdated Color and Ethnic Symbolism 

Many fairy tales paint blackness (and darkness, and the Other) as bad, ominous and ugly, and white as good and pure. 

Language that worships whiteness as the symbol of beauty. For example: “Fair” being synonymous with beauty. Characters like Snow White being the “fairest” of them all.

Wicked witches with large hooked noses, often meant to be coded as ethnically Jewish people. 

Don’t follow an old tale back into that same pit of dark and Other phobia. There’s many ways to change up and subvert the trope, even while still using it, if you wish. Heroines and heroes can have dark skin and large noses and still stand for good, innocence and beauty.

Read: Black and White Symbolism: Discussion and Alternatives 

Non-European Fairy tales - Tips to keep in Mind: 

Some stories and creatures belong to a belief system and is not just myth to alter. Before writing or changing details, read and seek the opinions of the group. You might change the whole meaning of something by tweaking details you didn’t realize were sacred and relevant.

Combine Tales Wisely: 

Picking stories and beings from different cultural groups and placing them in one setting can come across as them belonging to the same group or place (Ex: A Japanese fairy tale with Chinese elements). This misrepresents and erases true origins. If you mix creatures or elements from tales, show how they all play together and try to include their origin, so it isn’t as if the elements were combined at random or without careful selection.

Balance is key: 

When including creatures of myths, take care to balance your Human of Color vs. creatures ratio, as well as the nature of them both (good, evil, gray moral). EX: Creatures from Native American groups but no human Native characters from that same group (or all evil, gray, or too underdeveloped to know) is poor representation.

Moral Alignment: 

Changing a good or neutral cultural creature into something evil may be considered disrespectful and misappropriation. 

Have Fun! 

No, seriously. Fairy tales, even those with the most somber of meanings, are meant to be intriguing little adventures. Don’t forget that as you write or get hung up on getting the “right message” out and so on. That’s what editing is for.

–Colette  

[writingwithcolor]

Hi! So, one of my main characters is of mixed race(mother is Irish (and white) and dad from India) and he's a werewolf. I'm afraid this could come across as associating POC with animals, even if he's also the most sensible of the main cast (and the leader of the good guys). His 'werewolfiness' comes from his mother's side and he's not the only POC or the only werewolf, but he's the most relevant werewolf in the story. I've been told me to just make him white. What would be the best option?

Werewolves of Color - is it okay or dehumanizing?

Like most cases, it depends. Having a Werewolf of Color does not have to be a problem, but I implore you to have more Indian characters who are human, possibly more werewolves (at the every least mentioned) of various ethnicities and have his “werewolfiness” not linked to him being a Person of Color.

I’m going to add that “just making him white” is a very common but hurtful sentiment which allows for potential whitewashing, all-white casting and other problems. Avoiding these problems only switches them for others though. It is better to be inclusive, stray from stereotypes, be respectful and fully develop your characters and give them agency than to just make it another white cis-hetero boy or whatever.

Lastly, it reminds me a little of Tyler Posey who plays the lead in Teen Wolf as a werewolf and is a POC (his mother is Mexican). The show definitely has a lot of problems, but it’s been an interesting watch so far.

~ Mod Alice

Sounds like an interesting concept and I love BIPOC shifters!

In my animal shifters WIP, there are no non-shifter characters thus far in the cast, not counting say, a stray store clerk or casual interactions with non reappearing humans. In my case, the cast is very racially diverse. The bulk of the main and side characters are BIPOC of many groups, but there are also important white shifters who are in the cast that exist. So, being a shifter is not specific or associated with being a Person of Color and especially not with one particular race or ethnicity. 

In your story’s case, the wolf side comes from the Irish white mother, so perhaps we see the mother or more white wolf characters from that.

All that being said, there are ways to help the dynamic to avoid dehumanization.

Diversity in the were characters

Having a range of characters that are shifters / “Were” and not just one race/ethnicity of color are animal shifters/. As Alice mentioned, this is a good idea. 

This is where the book series Twilight by Stephanie Meyer fails. Only Indigenous people, specifically the Quileute Tribe, are werewolves. They can transform at will, but also without trying in a moment of rage, the power can be a bit uncontrollable and has lead to harm of loved ones (e.g,. one of the shifters scarred his fiancée on accident while shifting). 

In this story’s case, the nature of the werewolves are in deep contrast to the “perfect” white and pale, stealthy and more calculating vampires who also can keep a more human appearance.

The misappropriation of their cultures and having a very specific ethnic group of people become animals has real-life dehumanizing consequences for these folks and many have talked about it. 

So! If there are a variety of races who are, and can be werewolves, including white people if they are in the story (or even that just exist in the universe!), that would significantly help.

More reading: 

Truth vs. Twilight: Burke Museum

Twilight movie: cast of werewolf shifter characters

Human characters who are not were

As Alice also mentioned, having a human character(s) that is Indian (and possibly in your case, an Indian man) would help with the dynamics and help balance out any dehumanization implications. Sure, a passer-by character is better than nothing, but having some significance to the character is better. I think an way easy to do this would be to include family characters who are not were. In a limited cast, even if they only show up in memory, flashback, or are mentioned a lot, it’s better than nothing.

How the weres act

Now, i’m not sure if your werewolves are portrayed as uncontrollable, murderous and feral or more of a shifter like-were who changes at will and can control themselves for the most part and doesn’t necessary just destroy. That’s important, because yes, if these werewolves are very much animalistic, destructive and not in touch with their human side, and yet are only BIPOC (or, in your case, only Indian), there are dehumanizing implications. Whether it comes from the white side or not doesn’t make much of a difference because the character is still very much Indian.

So, that’s where having a variety of characters and BIPOC humans, if possible, would help!

More reading 

(We’ve talked about shifters a lot over the years)

Werewolves & Animal Shifters of Color

White witch mother, Black werewolf father

South Asian Werewolf as only representation

Werewolf Natives: Problems or Not?

~Mod Colette

(Updated: March 2025)

[writingwithcolor]

Vietnam War Era Latine Queer Romance

@theparadigmshifts asks:

Hi, thank you for the work you do! I had a question about my story - one of my main characters, who's Latino, works on his friend's family's dairy farm in Texas in the 70s. The friend is white, and it's a small farm with about 50 cows, so it's only him, his friend, and his friend's father, plus some seasonal workers. The character and his friend end up falling in love, and I want to make sure I don't play into stereotypes here. The character is not poor, but he is hardworking. He's also gay. There are a couple of other things at play - his friend offers him the job in the first place because it's set during the Vietnam war, and if you worked on a farm you could possibly get a draft deferment. He could get more money working for his father, but he ends up staying on because he really enjoys the work. I do want to be careful with any sort of power dynamic here as well, though - he and his friend both work for his friend's father, but obviously, one is the son and one is hired.

I’m not sure what your question is (#rubberstampapproved), but here are some thoughts on the premise. 

Latino man does farm labor to avoid war

This sounds like a great story, and I think you’ve steered clear of playing into stereotypes. Let’s explore what you shared:

Farm labor as an excuse to avoid Vietnam is a very compelling reason to volunteer to work on a farm, regardless of how hard the work is!

It sets up a valid motivation for the Latino-doing-hard-labor trope that otherwise is commonly unintentionally deployed and perpetuates negative stereotypes.

Also, when the Latino MC chooses to stay on, emphasizing his sense of agency and the things he enjoys about the work can mitigate some of that manual labor trope as well. 

The setting of Texas and having a mix of people around them like the seasonal workers and locals allows a good range of potential foils, and offers many opportunities to explore those power dynamics you mentioned. 

Consider cultural and gender dynamics

Additionally, consider cultural and gender dynamics around masculinity: If you’re writing queer characters in Texas in the 70’s, especially Latino queer characters, there will be more to be mindful of. I served in the Marines and my father and uncles have worked in different trades; the culture of masculinity around “hard labor jobs” like the military, trades, farm work, etc tends to trend towards straight passing “tough” appearances for better or worse.

It’s also worth noting that queer people can be, and often are, straight passing and thriving in these spaces - even if they do not announce it.

You may also want to consider Machismo culture, and how queer Latinos in spaces that center and celebrate straight-passing masculinity have to navigate that. Additionally, much of Latino culture is also heavily rooted in Catholicism from Spanish colonization, so that reinforces a culture of anti-queerness. These things may or may not factor into the MC’s relationship or development, but they are culturally significant enough to mention. 

Regardless of your focus, I think this is a fantastic setting and story premise and I’d love to hear back about the finished work. You did a great job setting up a story with lots of space for nuance and depth. Good luck! 

Melanie 🌻

[Note: this rubber stamp ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. We have chosen to publish it to prime our readers on Latine topics and tropes.]

[writingwithcolor]

Is my Character a Latino Mechanic Stereotype?

@engineering-a-better-world asks:

I often see media of Hispanic people being mechanics and am wondering if I am playing into this stereotype with one of my secondary characters. I did not find anything on your blog about this particular trope and do not know how harmful it is/why. The main five characters are all scientists specializing in different fields. My mc’s best friend is mostly Argentinian with some Nicaraguan ancestry. She is a mechanical engineer with a specialty in prosthetics and makes her own above knee prosthetic legs. There is a Mexican character shown later who is a captain of the city guard and very much a leader and not handy. Are there pitfalls to avoid in this representation? Does her specialty fit negative stereotypes and why?

Hi, thanks for asking. #rubber stamp approved (per Masterpost rules, I cannot give these out any more. This is sort of a joke, but really, this is a great ask to explore ideas of Latino-Americans and Labor stereotypes.) 

It sounds like you have a variety of Latino representation planned for your story. That’s fantastic (and the make or break for me.) You plan to showcase Latinos in different professionalized fields, which is positive. The “ethnic menial labor” trope or “Latino mechanic” trope become problematic when it’s the only representation given for Latino characters, or they’re showcased as one dimensional side-notes to non-Latino MCs. Having variety will offset the heavy (and often negative) overuse of Menial Labor and Hard Labor jobs.

I’m also not trying to reinvent the wheel, so you can check out more about the trope on this TVTropes page on “Ethnic Menial Labor”, and more about Latino representation in media in this Writeinclusion.org factsheet.

Important Note On Latinos and Menial Labor

Many of my Latino family members and friends are trades workers or do ‘hard-labor’ or ‘menial-labor’ jobs. My father was a roofer before he changed careers. My grandfather worked the racetracks. My best friend’s dad managed a restaurant. These jobs, whether ‘hard-labor’ or ‘menial,’ put food on the table and are not indigent. They take care of our families.

As long as Latinos in these jobs are not framed as less-than, I have no problem with the range of experiences being displayed. The fact that your characters fit into jobs across the socioeconomic spectrum mitigates your concern about stereotyping.

Seeing more professionalized Latino characters is great, and I can’t wait to read it.

Melanie 🌻

Notes:

Meet Melanie, our newest WWC mod (as of this post)!

[this rubber stamp ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. We have chosen to publish it to prime our readers on Latine topics and tropes.]

[writingwithcolor]

Top Fave Books from Black authors and/or Black MCs (2025)

Happy Black History Month from WWC!

In honor of BHM, we've compiled a list of some of our top favorite reads (thus far) that are either by Black diaspora authors and/or the main character is Black. Feel free to add your own to this list!

---

Colette’s picks

For my recommendations, I've focused on escapism and/or Black woman romances only, because we all can use a bit of joy. These are adult reads by Black authors.

The King’s Seer (series) by L.S. Bethel | Genre: Feudal, Fantasy, Romance, Alt World, BWAM (Hero is Korean-Coded) | Link (My new favorite series)

Voices and Visions by Lashell Collins (Touched Series) | Genre: Mystery, Psychic Detective, Romance, BWWM | TW: Escape from off-screen domestic violence, murder | Link (Love this series so far!)

Taken to Voraxia (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BWAlien &Alien) Coded race | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link

Taken to Nobu (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BW&Alien) | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link

Unfrozen by Regine Abel | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi BW&Alien/Monster | TW: Torture, experiments (briefly at beginning) Link

I Married a Naga (Prime Mating Agency, #2) by Regine Abel | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Marriage of Convenience BW&Alien/Monster | Link

Rescued by Her Relic by Paulina Woods | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, BW&Alien/Cyborg, Apocalypse | Link 

The Alpha Promise by Hayat Ali | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires, BWAM | Link

Deena's Deception by G.S. Carr | Genre: Western, Historical Romance, Mail-order Bride, BWWM | Link

Chosen by Tiffany Patterson | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, BWIM (Indigenous hero) | Link

Honorable mentions at the top of my to-read list

Death at a Seance by Carolyn Marie Wilkins | Link

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora | Link

The Gatekeeper by K. Alex Walker | Link

Melanie’s picks

A mix of fictional narratives, memoir, and politics/culture. All adult reads. 

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa | Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance | Link

*Kindred by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi | Link  (*Triple recommended by multiple mods!)

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby  | Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense | Link

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely  | Genre: Mystery | Link

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor | Genre: Mixed/Meta | Link

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates | Genre: Bio & Memoir | Link

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon  | Genre: Memoir | Link

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link

SK’s picks

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | Genre: Fantasy, Romance | Link

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib | Genre: Nonfiction, Essay Collection | Link

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaoabi Tricia Nwaubani | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | CW: violence and sexual assault | Link

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | Link

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper | Young Adult Historical Fiction | CW sexual assault and slavery| Link

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson | Young Adult Realistic Fiction | book deals with racism, incarceration, and the foster system | Link

Jaya’s picks

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste | Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult (violence against activists) | Link

Each of Us A Desert by Mark Oshiro| Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy | Link

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas| Genre: Young Adult, Realistic (racial profiling, Black Lives Matter) | Link

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas| Genre: Fantasy | Link

Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat| Genre: Short Stories (violence in Haiti) | Link

Monster by Walter Dean Myers | Genre: Young Adult (racial profiling) | Link

Meir’s picks

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link

This is a two-part series taking place in a sometimes uncomfortably realistic near-future climate apocalypse. Lauren Olamina is a young woman with a hyperempathy disorder who is determined not only to survive, but to make sure her loved ones, her greater community, and humanity as a whole survive as well. To do this, she will have to found a settlement and a religion.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin | Genre: Fantasy | Link

I’m still in the middle of reading this one, but it’s already a compelling and suspenseful story of dynastic succession and powerful but unpredictable magical beings. Don’t spoil it for me!

Jess’ picks

Raybearer duology by Jordan Ifueko | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson | Genre: Gothic/Horror, Fantasy | Link

James by Percival Everett | Genre: Historical, Literary | Link

Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link

The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link

Buy local when you can!

We recommend buying your books at your local bookshop (esp. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ friendly spots) when you can, smaller online bookstores or checking them out at your local library (the Libby app is great for ebooks and audiobooks) or of course at the author's first preference. Also: if a store doesn't have a book, sometimes they can order it for you.

As for online book trackers, The StoryGraph is Black-woman founded!

Happy reading!

~WWC

[writingwithcolor]

Happy New Year 2025 from WWC

Hello everyone,

Merry, cheery holidays! The WWC team and I have been making many silent strides closer to a writingwithcolor.org.

What we've been up to

While the going has been slow, we've made a lot of progress since raising donations from you guys to go towards a .org, which we've secured ever since. With this support and encouragement, we plan to maintain the blog as a permanent resource.

As for progress and use of donations

Times have been busy and oh, so trying, but we're trying harder. Also, donations (and free time) have been going to good use.

For instance, we've:

Cleaned up (Added, removed, renamed, combined) WWC post tagging for clarity and consistency.

Created mirroring pages on new blog (e.g. navigation, stereotypes and tropes navigation, etc.)

Migrated all blog posts to our standalone blog (4000 some posts)

Maintained the URL ($12 a year, Writingwithcolor.org, hidden from view lately as we get closer to launch, although we've had it redirecting to Tumblr only until recently)

Overall building out blog content on the host site ($15.99 a month)

Next steps are to:

Finalize our theme (The fun part)

Finish blog post cleanup on the migrated posts (WIP!).

More actions at a latter date after publishing

Currently, I have been going through each and every post, one-by-one, to:

Edit, update and refine content

Fix broken links

Improve accessibility, particularly on image-heavy posts

A lot of changed in the world since 2014, so we want even our earliest posts to reflect today's standards or at least note if something is olden days or we have a more helpful post or resource since.

Example of a post on the .org. Final theme and colors not applied yet

Soft launch and new hopeful publish date

This is the end stretch before we have an official SOFT LAUNCH!

We're considering it soft since there are just some things we can't easily correct yet or will just make everything take even longer to wait on. We'll continue to cross-link between here and there as we work on getting it all centralized, though.

But to be clear, as intended, we'll continue to post on tumblr as well as long as it sticks around.

Our new prospective publish date is for Spring 2025, in which we can also re-open to questions, release new guides, invite new members, etc. etc.

But who knows - perhaps we will get a chance to answer some questions in between then.

Thank you and let's catch up!

All of your support and patience has been so appreciated. Thank you for sticking around throughout the extended hiatus. Nonetheless, I do hope our robust depository of existing answers, detailed guides, recommendations, reblogs and so on has been helpful with your creative, professional and academic pursuits.

What have you all been up to? What strides have you made in 2024 and what goals do you have for 2025? Have you published any works? We want to hear it all. Share with us on this post!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2025,

~Colette and WWC team

[writingwithcolor]

Desi Parenthood, Adoption, and Stereotypes

I have a story set in the modern day with supernatural traces, with three characters: a young boy, his bio dad, and his adoptive dad. The boy and his bio dad are Indian, the adoptive dad is Chinese. The bio dad is one of the few people in the story with powers. He put his son up for adoption when he was a child because at the time he was a young single father, had little control of the strength of his powers: he feared accidentally hurting his child. The son is adopted by the other dad, who holds spite to the bio dad for giving up his son since he lost his father as a young age and couldn't get why someone would willingly abandon their child. This also results in him being overprotective and strict over his son. When the child is older, the bio dad comes to their town and the son gets closer to him, which makes the adoptive dad pissed, mostly acting hostile to the other guy, paranoid that he'll decide to take away the child he didn't help raise. Later when they get closer he does change his biases. I can see the possible stereotypes here: the absent father being the darkskinned character, the light-skinned adoptive dad being richer than the bio dad, the lightskinned character being hostile and looking down on the darkskinned character, the overprotective asian parent, the adoptive dad assuming the bio dad abandoned the son. The reason for his bias isn't inherently racist, but I get how it can be seen that way. Is there a way to make this work? Would it be better to scrap it?

Two problem areas stand out with this ask: 

You seem confused with respect to how racial stereotypes are created, and what effect they have on society.

Your characterization of the Indian father suggests a lack of familiarity with many desi cultures as they pertain to family and child-rearing.

Racial Stereotypes are Specific

Your concern seems to stem from believing the absent father trope is applied to all dark-skinned individuals, when it’s really only applied to a subset of dark-skinned people for specific historical/ social/ political reasons. The reality is stereotypes are often targeted.

The “absent father” stereotype is often applied to Black fathers, particularly in countries where chattel slavery or colonialism meant that many Black fathers were separated from their children, often by force. The "absent black father" trope today serves to enforce anti-black notions of Black men as anti-social, neglectful of their responsibilities, not nurturing, etc. Please see the WWC tag #absent black father for further reading. 

Now, it’s true many desis have dark skin. There are also Black desis. I would go as far as to say despite anti-black bias and colorism in many desi cultures, if one was asked to tell many non-Black desis from places like S. India and Sri Lanka apart from Black people from places like E. Africa, the rate of failure would be quite high. However, negative stereotypes for desi fathers are not the same as negative stereotypes for non-desi Black fathers, because racially, most Black people and desis are often not perceived as being part of the same racial group by other racial groups, particularly white majorities in Western countries. Negative stereotypes for desi fathers are often things like: uncaring, socially regressive/ conservative, sexist. They are more focused around narratives that portray these men as at odds with Western culture and Western norms of parenting. 

Desi Parents are Not this Way

Secondly, the setup makes little sense given how actual desi families tend to operate when one or both parents are unable to be present for whatever reason. Children are often sent to be raised by grandparents, available relatives or boarding schools (Family resources permitting). Having children be raised by an outsider is a move of last resort. You make no mention of why your protagonist’s father didn’t choose such an option. The trope of many desi family networks being incredibly large is not unfounded. Why was extended family not an option?

These two points trouble me because you have told us you are writing a story involving relationship dynamics between characters of both different races and ethnicities. I’m worried you don’t know enough about the groups you are writing about, how they are perceived by each other and society at large in order to tell the story you want to tell.

As with many instances of writing with color, your problem is not an issue of scrap versus don’t scrap. It’s being cognizant of the current limits of your knowledge. How you address this knowledge deficit and its effect on your interpretation of your characters and the story overall will determine if readers from the portrayed groups find the story compelling.

- Marika.

I have one response: what? Where are the father’s parents? Any siblings? Is he cut off? Is he American? A Desi that has stayed in India? 

Estrangement is not completely out of the question if the father is Westernized; goodness knows that I have personal experience with seeing estrangement. But you haven’t established any of that. What will you add?

-Jaya