Why and How to Write Unrelatable Characters
In reading the title of this article, you’re probably a bit confused. Isn’t the goal to make all characters relatable for at least some demographic? Well, yes. However, that target demographic...might not always include you. Here’s why it’s important to write characters that you can’t relate to, and how to do it without offending any person or group.
WHY
Let me use myself as an example. I am a Caucasian American teenager whose family is functional and quite well-off. No skeletons in the closet, no hardships, no grief. Doesn’t that sound like the worst story ever? Exactly. And I'm guessing a lot of people's lives are the same.
We have to write diverse and different characters if we want to write interesting books that people will love. Often, there will be aspects of these characters that we simply cannot relate to - and that's okay! It shows both maturity as an author and person if you admit to this and continue to develop the characters. Write outside of your comfort zone! It's the only way you'll create astounding content.
HOW
Now, I myself am guilty of having a history of making all of the characters in my books Caucasian. This is purely due to the fact that I am incredibly cautious of offending anyone. I'm slowly coming to accept the fact, however, that this is virtually impossible to do in 2017. I know you've seen memes about this situation, but it's a very real situation. No matter what you create, you're going to have to be prepared for over-reactive readers to find fault in it. Now, maybe you did write something offensive or a little risky, but as long as you admit to and learn from that mistake, it's fine! Well, okay, maybe not completely fine...but at least you're growing as a person.
I have been active on the internet for a while, so I have seen my fair share of offensive content, and have a fairly good impression (or so I believe) of what is offensive to a majority of any group. That being said, here are three foolproof ways to avoid being offensive.
1. Don't make racial jokes. This one's somewhat obvious, but if you are not part of a certain racial group, it is not your place to make jokes, and you will often come across as racist. In your stories, if you desperately want to have some jokes involving the race of someone, always make it at the expense of a stereotype surrounding that group - never a specific person, and never make it a hateful comment. For example, using the "N" word while describing a dark-skinned person is unacceptable if you yourself are not dark-skinned, but having them dryly quip about how they're treated by idiotic police is probably going to be fine.
2. Don't indulge in stereotypes. Your character shouldn't be built off of stereotypes. You're going to sound racist and like you support them. For example, don't make your one Latino character the drug dealer, or your Canadian unfailingly polite. Everyone is different, and while some people might fit into stereotypes (they exist for a reason), not everyone does. Make your characters "weird!"
3. Do a bit of research. Make sure you know at least some background information on the groups, how they prefer to be treated and referred to, and common problems they face. That way, you can handle your characters with grace.
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As always, this was a brief article, but I hope that you've at least gained a beginning of an understand about why you should include a diverse cast of characters in your stories, and how to go about doing so!
