Comments | writing_cocs: Supernatural beings of color in my novel.

finmagik in writing_cocs

Supernatural beings of color in my novel.

Dec 20, 2011 15:41

I am currently writing an urban fantasy vampire novel. One the thing I'm doing is trying to subvert the 'normal' vampire novel with rich, ancient, mysterious vampires who are nearly all white and European. My protagonist and narrator isn't like that but he is white. Also I noticed many vampire novels if they have minority characters they aren't ( Read more... )

Comments 6

ideealisme December 21 2011, 01:00:49 UTC

Awful lot of information here, it's a bit overwhelming. Re your character that your friend had trouble with, did he do nothing else? If that's his one significant opening action, then I could see the problem. If he did and said other things then perhaps you could get away with it. But only my 2c since I'm not an African American.

finmagik December 21 2011, 01:50:29 UTC

Well the lynching is pretty much all he talks about. So maybe it is.

donald_r_oddy December 26 2011, 21:42:59 UTC

You're right, Lemmuel Babbcock is too much of the stereotypical black man who attacks white women. I also have a problem of a young black man in the 1920s Southern US being stupid enough to report a body. If you're just looking to show how psychotic an individual he is why does his victim have to be white? Also is this the only character you go into as much detail with? It won't look as racist if you show white characters acting similarly ( ... )

finmagik December 26 2011, 23:58:30 UTC

The thing is modern surgery couldn't repair it ever. Every night a vampire's body reverts to whatever it looked it when it was turned every day when they rest. So her feet are like that forever. And I have read that other classes who wanted their daughter's to marry well did it as well.

I'd like to point out that Juno isn't undervalued, everyone knows that whil Sky is older and has cooler powers Juno is the one with the taste sense and cool head. And he listens to her. I've decided to give her a bigger role. I also have to think of a last name. She doesn't for example talk in slang or sound black, ever more deadpan.

And the white characters are just as bad, but I supposed I should give more graphic examples.

As for Rufina, well the character we meet her through was her lover and isn't going to address her by her last name or.... her title ( most vampires of repute gain a title after a long time. The thing is I can't move her to another country she's PROUD of being French.

donald_r_oddy December 27 2011, 14:53:04 UTC

I can only comment on the basis of what you've posted here. So the impression you're giving of Juno is not what you intend and your readers will be influenced by well known stereotypes.

Sure Rufina's lover probably isn't going to use her surname or title although it's only a century or two since that sort of formality was common. So as the author you need to introduce it as a descriptive part of the text. Otherwise you fall into the sexist trap of showing women primarily as attachments to the male protaganists.

She may be proud of being French now but the French nation didn't really exist before the 15th Century and even up to the revolution most French people identified with their region rather than the country as a whole. So you've got about a thousand years from the fall of Rome where she could be neither Roman nor French.

finmagik December 27 2011, 17:00:34 UTC

Hmmmmm well ....I'll have to think of a title for her and a surname. And other things, She's stayed in France the thing was she's been trying to become the Master vampire of Paris for a very long time ( ... )