How Do You Manage Diversity in your story?

[MermaWisdo]

Everyone wants a good diverse cast in a story that doesn't feel forced or leaves people left out. I'm working on a story for a web comic that has many POC characters and characters part of the LGBTQ community. I noticed how things will seem diverse but when you look at it, it's just like one POC or Queer person and they're left to be side characters who just pop up to support the MC. My story might start with a gay character but he's not going to take the complete spotlight of the story from the other diverse cast.

So, I'm curious, how do you make your own stories diverse?

[MasterValkyrie]

Dice.

I know it sounds weird, but diversity in humans are just as random as the results of a dice roll. Get a set of D&D dice and attach different nationalities, sexualities, genders, etc. to different numbers/die.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Actually take note of the real diversity around the globe, see how it fits your setting, and incorporate it to your series based on your study, rather than treating it like a quota?

The best diversity is the one that comes naturally, as we are naturally diverse. It also feels less pander-y and dishonest for the people who are not in the mainstay of representation.

Also some settings are inherently more or less diverse than another, for example you'd get a potentially more diverse cast writing about 2020 New York, than something like Heian era Japan. Nothing wrong with the more homogeneity of cast in latter case (unless you're adding your own spin, like make a black time-traveller stranded in Heian era, or just doing whatever you want).

[Zhengo]

Just based off my mood. I tend to choose skin color for characters based on a whim since I would get bored doing the same skin tones over and over.

For sexuality, well I kinda plan to not put any romance in my current series aside from maybe minor characters, so I guess that's harder on my front. Though same basis goes I kinda just choose based on mood. Since I'm ace I feel like it gets reflected on my characters as well

[BOMB]

I'm going to say something rather controversial, but considering I'm a black bisexual man, I feel I can say it without too much back lash.

Fuck diversity.

Don't create characters for the purpose off checking of diversity check lists. Don't feel obligated to add characters into your story just because a specific group isn't represented yet.

With that in mind-

Don't make "gay characters" make characters that are gay. Did you catch the difference? Don't make "black characters" make characters that are black. I did it again, did you catch it?

A person's race, sexuality, or religion isn't all that they are, so don't create those. Create characters that have those diverse traits. Stay away from stereo types, but don't go too far into the opposite direction either. A person race will affect their life mindset and ideas. The same can be said about their sexuality and religion. Understanding how the traits your giving people would actually behave in a real setting can help you understand how to write them into a character.

But don't be heavy handed about it either, because that's even worse. You should never have to outright say a gay character is gay. You shouldn't have to make them dress a certain way either. Be creative. Let the reader know the character is gay through his actions or ideas.

If a person is Trans, for the love of God don't call them a gender neutral or something like that. Instead, explain the way they dress, their hair, mannerisms, and voice. That way, the reader can imagine a gender neutral person rather than having to awkwardly read that's what they are.

What sounds better? Choice A:

"Dakota wore attire that didn't cling. Their hair was short, but their skin was so smooth. I couldn't tell if I was speaking with a boy or a girl. I was afraid to ask, so I avoided the question."

Or Choice B:

Dakota was a Trans woman.

You'll notice that while one might take a little more effort, it's definitely a lot less abrasive or stark. Choice A is more detailed and also avoids using any strict labels.

If your writing a black character.... he doesn't have to have an afro. His skin doesn't have to be night sky dark black. He doesn't have to speak in ebonics. But understand that different races have different experiences. Even a black republican has to admit, because of their race, they have to say or do specific things to .........

I'm beginning to rant here. I just got off work and this particular subject has so many layers to it I could probably write a thousand page book about it. If someone else can pick up my wavelength and continue my train of thought, I'd appreciate it.

But for now

Don't worry about diversity, but if you make a specific type of character, make them more than that one trait, and don't be heavy handed about letting the reader know they have that trait. Be creative and try to be nuanced.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

People have already raised a lot of good points, so I'd like to mention this specifically:

or leaves people left out.

Watch out for that kind of thinking. ^^; No single story can give adequate representation to EVERY single demographic that exists. Someone will inevitably be left out, and that's natural and okay.

Trying to cram in as many characters of different nationalities and sexualities and etc. as possible will start to backfire really fast after your cast is filled out. Eventually you'll have to start throwing in minor/cameo characters to meet your 'quota' (another bad way to think about the issue, as people have already said) and it will quickly become clear to the reader that these people are just tokens, ways of proving how many demographics you are aware of. Which isn't valuable or particularly respectful.

If you do want to explore lots of different demographics, the best way to do it is to simply write multiple stories. ^^ Give the characters the care and attention they deserve, a few at a time.

So, I'm curious, how do you make your own stories diverse?

I mostly write fantasy, so for me it's pretty much a dice roll. :9 And with each new cast I create, I try to use more character design elements I don't see a lot of in the media I consume: Darker skin, curlier hair, thicker body types when it comes to adults, and smaller body types when it comes to minors (it really weirds me out when artists try to pass off these gigantic muscular/busty humans as 16-year-olds...I think fictional teens deserve to have awkward/lanky periods, too).

When it comes to sexualities, though...I leave that up to whims. ^^ It kinda depends on how the characters interact, and who I ship them with in my imagination; I don't do a lot of romance plots so I usually don't have to take it seriously. As a result, a lot of my characters are either bi/pan (could potentially be involved with any of the other characters) or aro/ace (would never be involved with any of the other characters).

[mcarrowolga]

I don't try to fill any quotas. My characters will be extremely diverse in a huge modern city but very homogenous in a tiny medieval village, it's just common sense. But I always include different age groups, they all matter in my stories, just like they do in real life. Sadly, usually creators focus only on one age group (teenage most of the time) and neglect all others. I think it hurts a story.

[BOMB]

This is a very good point, and I'll admit I sometimes fall victim to such a problem. It's rare that people take into account different ages or go far enough to make main characters older or younger. I think i have maybe 4 or 5 stories where significantly older characters play major roles, but I have more than a dozen stories.

[KhanSpring]

Just as 11keys said, diversity for the sake of diversity is just as bad. You can feel when it is forced.
I write fantasy, which gives unlimited freedom to write and create whatever you want, however the setting is inspired by my and countries in the region culture and mythology. I can't just throw random PoC from all over the globe to cater someone out of fear they will "cansel" me for not being inclusive. They do exist, their lands mentioned, some make appearances and tell about their culture to the main characters.

[Kaydreamer]

I don't go out of my way to make my cast diverse, it just sorta happens through the character design process, and through the writing process as I get to know the characters. I have gay characters whom I didn't initially expect to be gay. I have an ace character whom, when I realised that's what she was, I was like... "Oh, right, duh." Same with a trans-and/or-intersex character who will appear in the next chapter - though I'm not entirely sure of the details with her yet, female fauns don't typically have giant ram horns.

I'm also not typically explicit with any of this unless the story calls for me to be. I don't have a diverse cast because I'm trying to meet a quota of some sort. I have a diverse cast because that's what worked best for the characters. I think that helps me write them honestly and organically - they're just people, and I run with what works for them.

As for race, I'm writing a sci-fi, so most characters are aliens. But there's a wide variety of skin tones and such, because I love playing with different colours, facial features and so-on. So that's pretty easy.

[MermaWisdo]

I like how you think! It seems like in some stories or shows they dodge around what the character is when it's so much easier to say "the new couple, jim and jack, just moved in". It gets to the point and doesn't need all the fancy stuff describing them.

[MermaWisdo]

I try not to think that way too much.
I write fantasy too and I don't go into detail or even mention specifics of each person race and identity. It's just a matter of here's a girl who is clearly a POC but it's not referenced in the story or the subject of it. She's just there as a character to help the story continue.

[fleurravenbooks]

Now, don't put diversity for the sake of it.
Don't have black character, have character that is black , if you get me.
Im honestly sick of seeing people put token characters, like black loud bigger woman , petite smart shy asian woman, etc....same works for sexuality, gender or disability

[indagold]

The characters you add to your story should feel organic and not reaching a quota. If you look at your work as statistics you need to fill, you lose grasp of whats more important, character's personality and growth. You're not making a commercial, you're making a story. Don't get upset if you don't have x number gay characters, lgbt people are happy to have just one well written one as opposed to 30 poorly thought out chars.

[fleurravenbooks]

yes yes, small rep is WAY better than forced bad rep

[yumeryuu]

Diversity came slowly as a reassessed and edited the manuscript. I have a gay character although it is never stated but if someone asked, I would say certainly they are.

I also took a step back and assessed that perhaps my cast was not as diverse as it should be. And so I changed one of my major OC's to African American descent and I am so glad I did because that character became such an important role in the story that I wrote during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests last year that I can't imagine her differently. It is important to represent in literature and not stick to one type of cast.

My first book the ENTIRE cast was white and I don't think I could ever create such a flat cast anymore.

THE SOUL COLLECTORS | Tapas

[skicoak]

There's also a very real trap of reflexive OVER diversity based on fictional narratives vs real life statistical data.

I once looked into racial/sexual statistics for background crowd scenes on a story and was really shocked by the actual statistical data versus what I thought the numbers should be.

[IndigoShirtProd]

While I agree with a lot of what being said here, I still don't want to believe in the concept of "forced diversity." Stereotyped, unresearched, and overall poor representation, sure. But "forced diversity," no. (I think the only times would say diversity is forced is when a character is already established as one thing, usually a race, then in any reboots or remakes, they are changed to something else).

"Forced" just implies that any diversity, whether it be race-related, ability-related, or identity-related, is inherently unnecessary and is only in place to fill a quota as a opposed honest (or frequently inauthentic) attempts to showcase individuals or groups that exist. But it's not as though I don't understand why people would qualify these instances as 'forced' or as 'meeting a quota,' though I still would rather choose to see the silver lining in poorly represented minority groups. Poor representation is a great reference for what not to do. But I also understand the pain and perpetuation of stereotypes and the general negativity that comes about from poor representation, so it's not wholly without issue. Although, poor representation is still representation.

But it's a double-edged sword with no real correct answer as to whether "forced diversity" is worthwhile in the long run.

[rajillustration]

I totally agree with what everyone else is saying. I'll add that it also depends on the genre your story is. If you have tagged your story as LGTB+ the online expectation is going to be that your audience wants you to get in depth about that aspect of their lives most of the time. It'll be different than "this is my character, subnote, he is gay" like it'll be a large part of their character arc.

Like I had a main character to a book I write who is bi, and initially I was like, of course it's LGTB+ genre, he's bi. But, because the story is actually a fantasy, and because he does not date through the entirity of the story, it comes up in one chapter halfway through that he kissed a guy once at a party. Since he's like 14 and doesn't have dating experience, and everyone in the story already knows that about him and doesn't have any issues with that, that is certainly enough to say "ah, this character is bi" to my audience. It is not enough to be in that genre, however, so I quickly moved my story out of the LGTB+ genre when I realized it would be such a small amount of plot-time. Doesn't mean he's not bi enough, just means that my story was about fantasy plots.

[LadyLily]

As important as it is to me to be descriptive, I have very rarely even mentioned skin color in my stories unless it's an absolute must pertaining to heritage. I don't go out of my way to avoid it. I just don't see why it's important if it isn't part of the setting or plot.

My newer ones are based on ancient China, so that's a given on race. Older ones, however, that are modern day? You don't know what color the person is because it isn't important to the story. Why should it be? Unless it's my viking girl or my slavic guy in one of my romances, who cares? As long as the emotions, actions, important role they play in the plot are written well, their race doesn't and shouldn't matter.

As for sexuality, I've had a gay couple in one of my stories. They weren't there as filler or the mere sake of diversity/inclusion or as a stepping stone for the other characters. They were major characters. I didn't have to explore their sexuality. They were who they were and none of the other characters made an issue of it because it wasn't part of the plot.

Just write a good story. Don't get caught up in diversity. Give your audience the ability to insert themselves into the story so they can have that connection by not making an entire issue of focusing on one group. Treat your characters the way you should treat people in the real world: Don't see color and don't worry about what others do in the bedroom (unless that's the story genre you're going for lol).