By Jennifer Braddock – Editor
You’re staring at the page. Your character is taking shape. She could be a young Black woman in the 1940s or a Native teen today. He might be a transgender man in a small town.
Another possibility is an undocumented immigrant or an octogenarian Buddhist monk. And you? You’re none of those things.
Now what?
Writing across difference isn’t a literary crime, but doing it poorly might land you in stereotype prison.
Tokenism, or flattening a character’s identity to a label can sink your story and your credibility. There are ways to do it well, starting with craft.
Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Matters Here
“Show, don’t tell” isn’t just a workshop cliché. It’s a tool that helps writers step back and let the character live on the page. This avoids reducing them to what the writer says about them. For writers working outside their own identity or experience, this approach encourages depth, empathy, and individuality.
Tip 1: Let Identity Inform, Not Define the Character
Telling (weak):
Enrique was a fiery Mexican teenager who loved tacos and got into trouble at school.
Showing (stronger):
Enrique smoothed the foil around his mother’s tamales before shoving them into his backpack. Detention could wait. He wasn’t missing Mrs. Larsen’s pop quiz again.
Enrique’s cultural background shows up in specific details, like tamales and his family life, not broad generalizations. He’s a fully realized teen, not a cultural shorthand. His description moves the story forward.
Tip 2: Think “Person First, Context Always”
Build a whole person with desires, fears, and contradictions. Then think about how identity interacts with the setting. Determine how this person’s lived experience would affect how they move through the world.
Example (White writer writing a Black woman character): Rather than start with “she’s Black.” Start with: What does she want? What’s in her way? Now, how might her identity shape those obstacles or motivations in her world? Think about yourself. Show her neighborhood, places she shops, and the type of food she eats.
Tip 3: Dialogue Should Reveal, Not Reinforce
Avoid using dialogue to dump identity markers or, worse, exoticize. Instead, use tone, pacing, subtext, and conflict. Let dialogue express worldview, not stereotypes.
Bad:
I’m just a sassy Black woman. That’s how we are.
Better:
“You think I’m being loud? No, baby. I’m being heard.”
Tip 4: Use Specificity, Not Symbols
Instead of vague references like “traditional food” or “foreign dress,” use concrete sensory detail. That’s where lived humanity shows up.
Weak:
Josef wore tribal garb.
Stronger:
Josef adjusted the frayed kente sash around his shoulders, fingers brushing the embroidery his grandmother stitched before the War.
Tip 5: Research Isn’t Optional, but It’s Not the End
Read memoirs, essays, and novels by writers who share your character’s identity. Watch documentaries. You might want to visit places where you may feel uncomfortable. Talk to sensitivity readers. Remember, your goal isn’t to become that person, it’s to write one honestly and specifically.
Tip 6: Observe, Embed, and Be Introduced
Writing characters unlike yourself isn’t just about what you imagine. It’s also about what you witness.
- Observe the real world: Listen to conversations in public spaces. Watch how people interact with their families, elders, and institutions. What are the unspoken rules? What’s considered rude, tender, or powerful?
- Embed when you can: Attend community events. Be respectful. Volunteer. Sit in the back row of the church, the cultural festival, the open mic, to listen and watch.
- Find a Cultural Broker: This is someone who’s part of the community you want to write about. They can help you understand the nuance behind what you see. A good broker doesn’t just answer questions; they offer perspective, correct your assumptions, and challenge your narrative where needed.
Quick “Show, Don’t Tell” Checklist
You can’t shortcut trust. You can’t Google your way to nuance. You can build it with time, humility, and intention.
- Avoid generic labels (e.g., “Asian values,” “female intuition”).
- Don’t make identity the only thing interesting about a character.
- Let the character surprise you and your reader.
Writing Outside Your World Requires Courage, Craft, and Cultural Competency
Writing characters unlike yourself isn’t just an act of imagination. It’s an act of responsibility. It’s more than about checking a diversity box. It’s about deepening your empathy, expanding your narrative lens, and doing the labor to write truthfully, not just “accurately.” To do it well, you need more than facts and feedback. You need cultural humility.
That means:
- Reflecting on your own socialization: What assumptions were you taught about other cultures, races, genders, or communities? What did your education, media, or upbringing fail to show you, or distort?
- Unlearning harmful patterns: Even well-meaning writers carry unconscious bias. That doesn’t make you irredeemable. It makes you human. But it does mean that part of your job is to interrogate the lens you’re writing through.
- Expanding your empathy: True cultural competency isn’t performative. It’s about developing the emotional and intellectual agility to fully imagine others. This includes considering them with nuance, contradiction, and depth.
Your Call to Action
The toughest character of all is yourself. You can’t write what you haven’t taken the time to understand. If you’re going to write across race, gender, or ability, start with your own identity.
- Reflect deeply and be curious.
- Undo what needs unlearning in addition to research.
- Listen harder than you speak.
- Write with humility, not authority, and earn the right to tell the story.
Great storytelling doesn’t just represent the world. It reimagines who belongs in it. Write boldly and responsibly. You can do it. But don’t expect it to be easy. The words you put on the page will shape how readers see the world and each other.
Ready to do the work? Your story deserves it. So do your characters.
Do you have questions or comments? Ask Besty Bot about the writing craft and how to publish your book with Best Chance Media!
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