On February 26, 2012, an unarmed 17 year old young man, by the name of Trayvon Martin, was senselessly killed because he was deemed “suspicious” by man that shot him.  It is assumed this is in part because of his race (he was African American) and the fact he was dressed in a hooded sweatshirt (hoodie).  This case has sparked a nationwide outrage because of the circumstances under which Trayvon was killed, the rationale behind the shooting, and the fact the man responsible has not been arrested, at the time this blog was written.

Now, my intent with this post is not to discuss whether or not I believe a miscarriage of justice was performed in this situation (just for the record, I do); nor to debate whether or not I feel the shooter based his decision to pursue this young man on a stereotype (because just for the record, I do).

It is to discuss something we, as writers, do on a regular basis as part of our characterization and storytelling.  Writers of all walks of life and genres tend to use certain widely held beliefs (and misbeliefs on occasion) about people, groups, places, etc. to make our writing more relatable to our readers, to assist with pacing, and to help drive home certain connections, feelings, and attitudes we wish our readers to develop about our characters.  Using certain widely held beliefs, whether they are true or not, helps us add humor and assists us in establishing reader expectations as to how a character looks (feature wise) and provide believable motivations for their actions, goals, etc.  In my opinion, this is kind of, sort of like using stereotypes, or at least bits and pieces of them, to make our job easier.

I mean, if I wanted to paint a character as a thug, I may dress him in baggy pants, a hat pulled down so low it covers his eyes, and a sweatshirt.  If I wanted to paint a character as a prep, I may dress him in khakis, a polo shirt, and some loafers.  Using a few generalities and commonly held beliefs about these two groups of individuals, I am able to give them the appropriate flavor. My gangster character may have some from a low income background; my prepster may have come from an upper middle class.  And given the social circles  they each hung out with, I can come up with goals, motivations, and conflicts for them that will be believable and true to the characters I created.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I did not point out that there’s a balance to using this technique.  All good authors I know, whether they are published or not, know that you run the risk of creating an unintended caricature or being offensive to the group of individuals (be them bound by race, ethnicity, hobby, lifestyle choice, etc.).  Speaking for myself, I take care to not use sweeping judgments of any one, or group of, people, places or things in my stories.  Why? Because it’s not my style, unless, of course, my intent is to purposely showcase a prejudice or misbelief to prove a point.   In fact, one of the tenets of my author’s voice is the  acceptance of others and their choices, whether or not you agree with it.

Let’s be real, making judgement calls and assumptions about people we don’t know is a part of life.  It’s one of those things we, as hiring managers, parents, etc., do on a regular basis.  There is a reason you dress a certain way for a job interview.  There is a reason some people dress a certain way when meeting the parents of their girlfriend or boyfriend.  There is a reason criminals use disguises.  It helps them better fit certain roles so they can get into a position to take or destroy the object of their fascination.

This got me to thinking, is it really fair to judge anyone just because of the color of their skin, their religious beliefs, the way they dress, or their lifestyle choices? No, it’s not.  It’s one thing to make an informed decision based on information you’ve gathered visually and verbally, yet quite another to take any type of action based solely on just one factor.  Heck, my gangster character could just as easily wear a shirt and tie; my little prepster could have a penchant for jeans and hoodies.

The Martin case has touched me in many ways.  I will limit my observations here to as they pertain to me, the author.  As a writer, I will remain cognizant of how I choose to shine particular lights and shadows on my characters.  I also plan to be more focused on my craft and the stories I want to write and the characters I want to showcase.  I’ve met some resistance in the past with one of my manuscripts because it features predominately African American characters and an interracial romance.  But why should the “mainstream”  pass on it just because of the race of my characters?  Why should the marketing and selling of any book be radically harder just because it features minorities or special interest groups?

And lastly, what right does anyone have to judge my writing, your writing, you as a person, or your characters just because of … well, anything?