How to write characters who are nothing like you.

I’ve always shied away from writing characters that weren’t, on some level, related to me. What I mean by this is any character that wasn’t a straight white male. I learned quickly that this leads to very one dimensional stories (or worse, retelling the same story just repackaged.) I realised that writing diverse characters is not only essential to my success as a writer, but it’s crucial to my actual growth as an author. 

But I was faced with a daunting question: what gives me the right to tackle a Point of View that is radically different from my own? How could I do justice to an underrepresented group without coming off as out of touch or out of my depth? 

This is the question that plagued me, so I did what any good writer would do, I started at the beginning. For my latest work in progress, Chrysalis, I knew I wanted a father and daughter dynamic that involved the two of them rekindling a relationship that was lost in a budding adolescence. To do this I had to first contrast the gap that had grown between them. Dad (Tyson) is a military man whose devotion to his special forces unit has driven a wedge between him, his wife, and his (at the time) 14 year old daughter. Fast forward 4 years and daughter (Helena) is facing a jeopardised school semester, a strained relationship with her father, and the risk of falling through the cracks as just another ‘product of divorce.’ 

Writing Tyson was easy enough (straight white male, check) Helena was a different story; how do I write from the perspective of an 18 year old girl without coming off as a hack, or worse, cliched? 

I needed to spend time with both of these characters to show the audience what was worth saving about the two of them, and why they should give a damn in the first place. 

One of the best tools in an author’s toolbelt is the ability to research both online and through the lens of everyday life. so I carefully went over what I’ve noticed from the younger generation who are in my life. I went over what they care about: seeing friends, working hard, social media, and staying current. I then turned to the internet to complete my research. I learned slang (which made me feel just about as ancient as the pyramids). I learned fashion trends, (Abercrombie and Fitch jean skirts are so Y2K) and I learned to identify what is important to a young person (turns out everyone just wants to FIT IN at that age) couple this with the unique pressures faced by young girls (online trends that may not be the healthiest, media messages about what beautiful looks like, and peer pressure to look and act a certain way.) I started to get a clear picture on how to write from a younger perspective.  

For those of you writing a perspective that is nothing like them, here are the takeaways that I gleaned after my research: 

1. Find age relevant slang, but understand that a little slang goes a long way. Cram sentences full of this and you run the risk of 

a) not using it properly and 

b) weakening the dialogue of your story.  

1. Find out what is important to the age range you are writing for and try to work that into your plot, for me finding people her own age motivated Helena to strike out down a sun scorched blacktop in search of a party. On that note remember that depending on the age you are writing they may throw caution to the wind if it means getting what they want (a lesson Helena learns too late as she runs into peril) 

2. Make references relevant to the age group you are writing. At one point a youth makes reference to Lizzo as a one word name. I could have used Cher, Madonna, or Prince, but those references would be lost on a group of youth today. (cue the ancient as the pyramids feeling again) 

3. Explore their personality. Helena introduces herself to a group of potential friends as ‘Lena.’ This is not a lie, this is just what she is used to being called by her peer group at school and she is trying to impress these people, so she opts for the shorter, more relevant name, rather than her stuffy  given name.

The biggest thing that I learned was there is no “secret sauce” when writing a perspective different than yours. The key thing is to understand that the character you are writing is simply a person. Flesh out who that person is (their needs, their desires, and what they care about the most) at their core and the rest will fall into place. Lead with the personality first regardless of the age. Allow this character to be an integral part of the plot. Everything else can come with a little bit of research into slang and current pop culture. 

I like to cover all my bases, so bonus points if you research cliches writers fall into when writing (insert age range) and take care not to fall into too many of these. For example, I learned not to write the younger generation as rebellious for the sake of rebellion. Everyone knows teens go against the grain to an extent, but make it make sense to the character and to the story as a whole.  

Next week you can read the chapter of Chrysalis that has Helena’s point of view, make sure to leave me a comment with what you think. Tell me if the chapter is fire, or if it’s giving the ick. 

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more, and remember: foster curiosity. 

See you next week

-Mark 

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