How To Write Outside Your Race

Interracial couple holding hands

Interracial dating is a big deal for some people. While some wouldn't imagine dating outside of his/her race, there are others that are open to it.  But what about writing?  Should you write outside your race? Can you write outside your race?

I received a very interesting email a couple of days ago from a fellow author, who happens to be white. She shared with me that she'd received comments from her editor that the three black characters (a school teacher, a southern gospel singer and a gang member) who make "cameo appearances" in her novel were not "black enough." The editor went on to express that if the author didn't make said characters stereotypical, there was a chance that she (the author) could be perceived as being bigoted. Then my fellow author asked me to do a post on Ebonics. 

The Huxtables from The Cosby Show

Well, first of all - I don't know how I feel about that editor's line of thinking. Well actually I do.  Just her thoughts alone build tension for me.  What in the world is "black enough," and why must a black character be stereotypical? Did that editor never watch the wildly successful sitcom The Cosby Show? What was "black" about the Huxtables other than what we saw visually? Were the show writers perceived as bigots? 

Secondly - to be honest with you, I don't speak fluent Ebonics. Do I use slang? Sure I do. The word "ain't " is in my vocabulary and I can effectively use a double negative to express the exact opposite of what I've actually said:  

"It's raining cats and dogs so I ain't going nowhere!"

See?  I can do that. But Ebonics is not my first language. It's not my native tongue. I have great command of the English language and use it properly all day long generally speaking. So suppose my fellow author had been writing about me? I can't be black and speak . . . umm . . . white . . . without being a believable character?

Doesn't that sound quite silly? Honestly - doesn't it?

Here is a Five-Star review that someone posted on Amazon for one of my works, Bubblin' Brown Sugar, an anthology of love stories: 

"This anthology of prose and poetry was really wonderful and I was very impressed by it. Actually, it wasn't until I read You Are Married Now by Anthony Beedles and saw the line about jumping the broomstick that I even realized that the author was Black and it took reading Invisible Brother by Stacy Woods to be sure that all the works were by Black authors. I think that says a lot for the universality of love and the high quality of the writing that a Jewish woman like myself could identify so much with the feelings that were expressed across ethnic, gender, racial, and generational lines. I enjoyed reading Bubblin' Brown Sugar very much and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to spend some time reading about love."

Compliment or insult?

So . . . this reader didn't know she was reading works by black authors.  She was impressed, she said. I'd like to think that this reader has read "high quality" works before. Are all high quality works impressive to her, or was it just this one in particular? And as much as I believe in my work and appreciate the five-star review, what specifically was impressive about it? There is a part of me that is afraid of what that actual response might be, but somehow, I think I know the answer. I have to admit - for me, it is such an insulting compliment (how's that for an oxymoron) when someone tells me "you are so articulate!" Hmmm . . . What exactly do you mean by that? Do you say that to every articulate person you talk to; does everyone else besides me speak that poorly, OR were you expecting me to speak a dialect I really don't know that well - Ebonics?

Sophie Kinsella

One of my favorite authors is Sophie Kinsella, who happens to be a white woman. I love her work and have purchased every single one of her novels except her latest (because it's a whopping $13.99 for the Kindle edition and I just haven't come to terms with that yet). I don't have specific vernacular expectations of the characters based on their race. Nor do I look for them to exhibit specific behaviors that would give me indication of their race. There's no mental checklist to make sure they meet "white enough" standards. The characters just are who they are. As a matter of fact, I think I only know that the characters are not black by their descriptions. Something like pale skin, or flowing blonde tresses maybe, but heck . . . couldn't that describe Beyonce on any given day? 

Simply put, as a writer, you should write to fit your character, not your character's race. If the woman is a prostitute - make her a prostitute, doing and saying prostituty things. If a man is a political official, let him be politicky in his behaviors. 

Write the character not the color

Be creative and find another way (if it's really that important) to communicate to your readers that the character is black . . . or white . . . or Latino . . . or whatever. It's okay for you to write a black character who speaks in complete sentences, free from grammar blunders. I promise you; I won't take offense. After all, every black woman doesn't talk like Abilieen Clark - the maid from "The Help." 

But you knew that already. Right?

Now if you're feeling extra bold, click on the link to download (and read) Lisa's Dress, and see if you can determine the race of the characters. Click here to download on Kindle!


Kimberly T. Matthews

"I knew exactly how many condoms were left in his gym bag, in a little black box, wrapped in gold foil. Seven. Each time I randomly checked for no other reason besides I knew they existed, there'd always been seven. So I was taken aback that morning when I went to do his laundry, peeked in the box and only found three..."
 Lisa from - "Lisa's Dress" 
Click here to download on Kindle!

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