So I'm working on something where the protagonist and his sister (who is a side character) are mixed: their father is white and their mother is African-American. However, I am a pasty-pale white girl so I have no idea what this is like. Does anyone have any advice on writing mixed characters?
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I could help possibly if you give me some background info about your universe.
Well, I’m white, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but study the cultures you’re representing, and see how cultural beliefs and values would mix. See how aspects of your world could potentially affect your characters. You said African-American, where in Africa did the mother come from? Or does she not know? The basis of the last two questions is that because of slavery, a lot of Black Americans don’t know their history or their roots and DNA tests only get you so far, plus they’re expesive and difficult to come by if you’re lower-middle-class or below the poverty line like many disadvantaged Black Americans are. Is the mother from a specific culture? Do your research on Black history and culture and you’ll be surprised at what you find! writingwithcolor.tumblr.com is also a valuable resource and you’ll probably find a lot of the answers to your questions there, they can tell you a lot! And if you have any Black friends/relatives/aquatinces who would be willing to talk to you about culture and history, go and talk to them! And like, listen. Don’t just slap some melanin on an otherwise culturally white character and call it a day.
I’m mainly focusing on the POC aspect of your character(s) because that will likely affect how the world views them and how they view the world, and since you’re white you probably already know about, well, being white. Hope I helped!
I could help possibly if you give me some background info about your universe.
They won't be spending too much time in our world, as the premise is that they get pulled into a different dimension. But they are originally from modern-day Earth and are solidly middle-class. Is there any other information you need? Sorry if I'm not being very helpful.
Okay I’m half Saudi so I can help. Just remember that this is only one person and nothing definitively true. They would go with African American as cultural identity. If they live in higher middle class they would have some struggles about being white, maybe feeling that they were somewhat fraudulent in their identity (not really black) because of not having a hard life. Definitely will have a prominent feeling of black vs white culture. Probably joke about racism a lot. Family will be important. Brown people generally are more family oriented.
Ask more questions and I’ll try to answer.
I could help possibly if you give me some background info about your universe.
They won't be spending too much time in our world, as the premise is that they get pulled into a different dimension. But they are originally from modern-day Earth and are solidly middle-class. Is there any other information you need? Sorry if I'm not being very helpful.
No this is perfect. Since they are mixed and solidly middle-class I'm going to guess they are Democrat (not trying to compete with your political beliefs). They most likely hold a Democrat set of beliefs such as LGBTQ+ rights, increased gun control, and seeing climate change as a major issue. I do not own your character nor am I assuming their political views, I'm sort of just spitballing ideas here. They will be significantly more "white" than a true African American due to their interracial parents (hope that makes sense). I would try to avoid the "black gang member" stereotype if they grew up somewhere other than Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore, Chicago, or Detroit. Since they are mixed they may get called racist slurs or be subjected to hate crimes, if this makes you uncomfortable you don't have to write about it, however I think it would add an all too real perspective to your story. They should also stay true to their culture (assuming they know where they came from) because no African culture is the same. Moroccan culture is very different than Kenyan culture. There's more I want to say but I honestly can't think of it right now. I hope I helped you, good luck with your story.