Writing Advice From The Romani Feminist.

Female/Bisexual/Writer/Screenwriter/Feminist/Wiccan/Romani~Just here to educate the children on issues within writing and film. Will take no shit, and will refuse to be stereotyped.

[pochowek]

Its a good day to never forgive this site for the send nudes culture targeted at 15 year olds back in like 2014

[pochowek]

imagine being 15 and being impressionable and groomed by your entire social circle. try again shitlips

[opinionatedromawriter]

REBLOG THIS SHIT BECAUSE THIS IS TOO ACCURATE

[elumish]

Unlearn internalized misogyny in your writing.

Femininity is not weakness 

Softness is not bad 

It is possible to enjoy both traditionally​ male activities and traditionally female activities 

Other women are not amoral temptresses or rivals 

There’s nothing wrong with a woman knowing she’s attractive 

There’s nothing wrong with a woman wanting to be attractive 

Attractiveness has no bearing on sexual desire or history 

Being sexually active has no bearing in a woman’s morals or character 

Not being sexually active has no bearing in a woman’s morals or character 

Weight is not a value judgment 

Attractiveness is not a value judgment 

Able-bodiedness is not a value judgment

The ability to bear children has no bearing on womanhood

The desire or decision whether to have children has no bearing on womanhood

Women can and do support each other, even when they’re working towards different goals 

Women can be friends even when they want different things 

Thin white women don’t have exclusive rights to femininity 

Butch women are just as validly women 

Queer women are just as validly women 

Women can be as vicious, cruel, petty, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and abusive as men, and they shouldn’t be excused from it because of their gender 

Being a woman has nothing to do with genitals, chromosomes, or physical presentation

[opinionatedromawriter]

‘Quirky’ WoC Exist

I recently found out that over half of Women of Colour represented in media are the stereotype of ‘angry ghetto Black woman’ or ‘mystical Native American woman’ or ‘nerdy Asian girl’.

And now I just want to see some actual fucking diversity within these groups. There are so many personalities and styles and ‘cliques’ to play with, why are you only choosing the stereotype?

There will be Chinese girls wearing ripped jeans and flannel shirts, listening to Nirvana. There will be girls of Native American descent who enjoy reading comics and debating what Infinity War will be about. There are probably loads of Black women who like heavy metal and wear all black.

Stop boxing your WoC into tight corners of stereotypes. You’ll find that they become fleshed out when you give them the unique personalities you give your fucking white characters.

[opinionatedromawriter]

Generalising Groups Is A Shithead Move

When you say you have a Native American character, that tells me jack shit. Are they Navajo? Sioux? Choctaw? Powhatan?

When you say you have an African character, where the fuck do you mean? Algerian? Are they Cameroonian or Kenyan? Do they come from North Africa? Maybe Central?

If you tell me about your Asian character, how am I meant to know if they’re Chinese or Vietnamese? Indian? Are they from Bahrain? Or are they from Thailand?

If you talk about your 'gypsy’ (shudder) character, you’re gonna have to be more specific. Are they Irish traveller? Or maybe they’re Sinti. Or are they Ashkali or Ursari or maybe even Lyuli? Maybe, like me, they don’t even say they’re Romani on paperwork to avoid the prejudice (a privilege us white-passing Rom have, but darker skinned Roma don’t)

See how this works? Generalisations fucking suck, man. And if you’re a white writer who can’t be arsed to do the fucking specific research, don’t write the character. Leave it to someone who gives a shit.

[writingwithcolor]

Writing with Color: Description Guide - Words for Skin Tone

We discussed the issues describing People of Color by means of food in Part I of this guide, which brought rise to even more questions, mostly along the lines of “So, if food’s not an option, what can I use?” Well, I was just getting to that!

This final portion focuses on describing skin tone, with photo and passage examples provided throughout. I hope to cover everything from the use of straight-forward description to the more creatively-inclined, keeping in mind the questions we’ve received on this topic.

So let’s get to it.

S T A N D A R D  D E S C R I P T I O N

B a s i c  C o l o r s

Pictured above: Black, Brown, Beige, White, Pink.

“She had brown skin.”

This is a perfectly fine description that, while not providing the most detail, works well and will never become cliché.

Describing characters’ skin as simply brown or beige works on its own, though it’s not particularly telling just from the range in brown alone.

C o m p l e x  C o l o r s

These are more rarely used words that actually “mean” their color. Some of these have multiple meanings, so you’ll want to look into those to determine what other associations a word might have.

Pictured above: Umber, Sepia, Ochre, Russet, Terra-cotta, Gold, Tawny, Taupe, Khaki, Fawn.

Complex colors work well alone, though often pair well with a basic color in regards to narrowing down shade/tone.

For example: Golden brown, russet brown, tawny beige…

As some of these are on the “rare” side, sliding in a definition of the word within the sentence itself may help readers who are unfamiliar with the term visualize the color without seeking a dictionary.

“He was tall and slim, his skin a russet, reddish-brown.”

Comparisons to familiar colors or visuals are also helpful:

“His skin was an ochre color, much like the mellow-brown light that bathed the forest.”

M o d i f i e r s 

Modifiers, often adjectives, make partial changes to a word.The following words are descriptors in reference to skin tone.

D a r k - D e e p - R i c h - C o o l

W a r m - M e d i u m - T a n

F a i r - L i g h t - P a l e

Rich Black, Dark brown, Warm beige, Pale pink…

If you’re looking to get more specific than “brown,” modifiers narrow down shade further.

Keep in mind that these modifiers are not exactly colors.

As an already brown-skinned person, I get tan from a lot of sun and resultingly become a darker, deeper brown. I turn a pale, more yellow-brown in the winter.

While best used in combination with a color, I suppose words like “tan” “fair” and “light” do work alone; just note that tan is less likely to be taken for “naturally tan” and much more likely a tanned White person.

Calling someone “dark” as description on its own is offensive to some and also ambiguous. (See: Describing Skin as Dark)

U n d e r t o n e s

Undertones are the colors beneath the skin, seeing as skin isn’t just one even color but has more subdued tones within the dominating palette.

Mentioning the undertones within a character’s skin is an even more precise way to denote skin tone.

As shown, there’s a difference between say, brown skin with warm orange-red undertones (Kelly Rowland) and brown skin with cool, jewel undertones (Rutina Wesley).

“A dazzling smile revealed the bronze glow at her cheeks.”

“He always looked as if he’d ran a mile, a constant tinge of pink under his tawny skin.”

Standard Description Passage

“Farah’s skin, always fawn, had burned and freckled under the summer’s sun. Even at the cusp of autumn, an uneven tan clung to her skin like burrs. So unlike the smooth, red-brown ochre of her mother, which the sun had richened to a blessing.”

-From my story “Where Summer Ends” featured in Strange Little Girls

Here the state of skin also gives insight on character.

Note my use of “fawn” in regards to multiple meaning and association. While fawn is a color, it’s also a small, timid deer, which describes this very traumatized character of mine perfectly.

Though I use standard descriptions of skin tone more in my writing, at the same time I’m no stranger to creative descriptions, and do enjoy the occasional artsy detail of a character.

C R E A T I V E  D E S C R I P T I O N

Whether compared to night-cast rivers or day’s first light…I actually enjoy seeing Characters of Colors dressed in artful detail.

I’ve read loads of descriptions in my day of white characters and their “smooth rose-tinged ivory skin”, while the PoC, if there, are reduced to something from a candy bowl or a Starbucks drink, so to actually read of PoC described in lavish detail can be somewhat of a treat.

Still, be mindful when you get creative with your character descriptions. Too many frills can become purple-prose-like, so do what feels right for your writing when and where. Not every character or scene warrants a creative description, either. Especially if they’re not even a secondary character.

Using a combination of color descriptions from standard to creative is probably a better method than straight creative. But again, do what’s good for your tale.

N A T U R AL  S E T T I N G S - S K Y

Pictured above: Harvest Moon -Twilight, Fall/Autumn Leaves, Clay, Desert/Sahara, Sunlight - Sunrise - Sunset - Afterglow - Dawn- Day- Daybreak, Field - Prairie - Wheat, Mountain/Cliff, Beach/Sand/Straw/Hay.

Now before you run off to compare your heroine’s skin to the harvest moon or a cliff side, think about the associations to your words.

When I think cliff, I think of jagged, perilous, rough. I hear sand and picture grainy, yet smooth. Calm. mellow.

So consider your character and what you see fit to compare them to.

Also consider whose perspective you’re describing them from. Someone describing a person they revere or admire may have a more pleasant, loftier description than someone who can’t stand the person.

“Her face was like the fire-gold glow of dawn, lifting my gaze, drawing me in.”

“She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny.”

Even creative descriptions tend to draw help from your standard words.

F L O W E R S

Pictured above: Calla lilies, Western Coneflower, Hazel Fay, Hibiscus, Freesia, Rose

It was a bit difficult to find flowers to my liking that didn’t have a 20 character name or wasn’t called something like “chocolate silk” so these are the finalists. 

You’ll definitely want to avoid purple-prose here.

Also be aware of flowers that most might’ve never heard of. Roses are easy, as most know the look and coloring(s) of this plant. But Western coneflowers? Calla lilies? Maybe not so much.

“He entered the cottage in a huff, cheeks a blushing brown like the flowers Nana planted right under my window. Hazel Fay she called them, was it?”

A S S O R T E D  P L A N T S &  N A T U R E

Pictured above: Cattails, Seashell, Driftwood, Pinecone, Acorn, Amber

These ones are kinda odd. Perhaps because I’ve never seen these in comparison to skin tone, With the exception of amber.

At least they’re common enough that most may have an idea what you’re talking about at the mention of “pinecone." 

I suggest reading out your sentences aloud to get a better feel of how it’ll sounds.

"Auburn hair swept past pointed ears, set around a face like an acorn both in shape and shade.”

I pictured some tree-dwelling being or person from a fantasy world in this example, which makes the comparison more appropriate.

I don’t suggest using a comparison just “cuz you can” but actually being thoughtful about what you’re comparing your character to and how it applies to your character and/or setting.

W O O D

Pictured above: Mahogany, Walnut, Chestnut, Golden Oak, Ash

Wood can be an iffy description for skin tone. Not only due to several of them having “foody” terminology within their names, but again, associations.

Some people would prefer not to compare/be compared to wood at all, so get opinions, try it aloud, and make sure it’s appropriate to the character if you do use it.

“The old warlock’s skin was a deep shade of mahogany, his stare serious and firm as it held mine.”

M E T A L S

Pictured above: Platinum, Copper, Brass, Gold, Bronze

Copper skin, brass-colored skin, golden skin…

I’ve even heard variations of these used before by comparison to an object of the same properties/coloring, such as penny for copper.

These also work well with modifiers.

“The dress of fine white silks popped against the deep bronze of her skin.”

G E M S T O N E S - M I N E R A LS

Pictured above: Onyx, Obsidian, Sard, Topaz, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Rutile, Pyrite, Citrine, Gypsum

These are trickier to use. As with some complex colors, the writer will have to get us to understand what most of these look like.

If you use these, or any more rare description, consider if it actually “fits” the book or scene.

Even if you’re able to get us to picture what “rutile” looks like, why are you using this description as opposed to something else? Have that answer for yourself.

“His skin reminded her of the topaz ring her father wore at his finger, a gleaming stone of brown, mellow facades.” 

P H Y S I C A L  D E S C R I P T I ON

Physical character description can be more than skin tone.

Show us hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands…body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.

Describing features also helps indicate race, especially if your character has some traits common within the race they are, such as afro hair to a Black character.

How comprehensive you decide to get is up to you. I wouldn’t overdo it and get specific to every mole and birthmark. Noting defining characteristics is good, though, like slightly spaced front teeth, curls that stay flopping in their face, hands freckled with sunspots…

G E N E R A L  T I P S

Indicate Race Early: I suggest indicators of race be made at the earliest convenience within the writing, with more hints threaded throughout here and there.

Get Creative On Your Own: Obviously, I couldn’t cover every proper color or comparison in which has been “approved” to use for your characters’ skin color, so it’s up to you to use discretion when seeking other ways and shades to describe skin tone.

Skin Color May Not Be Enough: Describing skin tone isn’t always enough to indicate someone’s ethnicity. As timeless cases with readers equating brown to “dark white” or something, more indicators of race may be needed.

Describe White characters and PoC Alike: You should describe the race and/or skin tone of your white characters just as you do your Characters of Color. If you don’t, you risk implying that White is the default human being and PoC are the “Other”).

PSA: Don’t use “Colored.” Based on some asks we’ve received using this word, I’d like to say that unless you or your character is a racist grandmama from the 1960s, do not call People of Color “colored” please. 

Not Sure Where to Start? You really can’t go wrong using basic colors for your skin descriptions. It’s actually what many people prefer and works best for most writing. Personally, I tend to describe my characters using a combo of basic colors + modifiers, with mentions of undertones at times. I do like to veer into more creative descriptions on occasion.

Want some alternatives to “skin” or “skin color”? Try: Appearance, blend, blush, cast, coloring, complexion, flush, glow, hue, overtone, palette, pigmentation, rinse, shade, sheen, spectrum, tinge, tint, tone, undertone, value, wash.

Skin Tone Resources

List of Color Names

The Color Thesaurus

Things that are Brown (blog)

Skin Undertone & Color Matching

Tips and Words on Describing Skin

Photos: Undertones Described (Modifiers included)

Online Thesaurus (try colors, such as “red” & “brown”)

Don’t Call me Pastries: Creative Skin Tones w/ pics 3 2 1

Writing & Description Guides

WWC Featured Description Posts

WWC Guide: Words to Describe Hair

Writing with Color: Description & Skin Color Tags

7 Offensive Mistakes Well-intentioned Writers Make

I tried to be as comprehensive as possible with this guide, but if you have a question regarding describing skin color that hasn’t been answered within part I or II of this guide, or have more questions after reading this post, feel free to ask!

~ Mod Colette

[iamatinyowl]

@ other white authors:

If you do not mention your characters being specifically non-white? Your white readers will view them ALL as canonically white.

It is our responsibility to make it very, very clear that our characters are POC.

Just look at the horrifically racist Hermione debacle. She is canonically described as having big hair and dark skin. And yet, the white supremacists in the fandom are ripping apart any person who canons her as black. Despite the fact that a Black Hermione makes her being called slurs, and her commitment to SPEW SO much more significant and powerful.

We NEED to specifically and explicitly state that our characters are not white. We also need to make one million times sure (I’m talking aggressive paid and volunteer editing from any marginalized group you don’t belong to) that we are not enforcing racist stereotypes or damaging marginalized people.

POC representation by white authors doesn’t fucking matter unless theyre respectful, reoccurring, diverse, realistic, and humanized characters.

Even if you’re writing a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel where humanity doesn’t care about race anymore (yikes), you need to think long and hard about why the “skin colour doesn’t matter” villain who betrays them all just happens to be Black.

[opinionatedromawriter]

So true. I made a point of specifying that two of my main characters were not white within Chapter One. Otherwise people just assume that British = white.

[opinionatedromawriter]

Romani Stereotypes To Avoid When Writing

1. We all look exactly alike

This is one that will likely piss me off for years to come. The Roma are an incredibly mixed, diverse culture that spreads all over the world. As such, we’re pretty diverse in appearance too. You will find Roma that are black, brown, white, and every other skin tone going, because we have a tendency to assimilate into the countries we live in.

I’ve met Romani folk online from Vietnam, Nigeria, India, Romania, Scotland and so many other countries. And I can guarantee you couldn’t put us all in a room and assume we were all from the same culture.

2. We’re so free spirited and mystical

Fuck off. Seriously. Fuck. The fuck. Off. As a Romani (or ‘gyspy’ as some gadje call us) I can honestly say most Roma I know are not these witchy, tarot card reading women. All those people at fairs asking to read your palm? Mostly bullshit. We’re not idiots; we can make a living by playing up the schtick, but once at home, most modern Romani folks follow a religion. A lot of Roma I know are devout Catholics.

I’m witchy, but that’s because I’m Wiccan. And there is the Drabarni: a sort of ancient Roma medicine woman role some elderly people take up. I incorporate Drabarni culture into my Wicca, but it’s not always necessary for Rom people to believe in it. Most modern Roma don’t even use Drabarni because it’s ancient as shit.

3. We all travel the world in caravans and are super hippie

Ahaha I fucking wish. I’ve been to Spain and Scotland. That's it. Also, Turkey in August.

We don’t all live in caravans. Some of us gained the luxury of having actual houses, when the government actually deems us as worth the time. And we certainly don’t travel because we’re so free. Its because no fucker will let us have a home. Do you know how many of the Rom are homeless? We’re a hated minority. In the UK we’re often denied land purchase, and then kicked off areas we try to house in.

4. It's apparently okay to call us gypsy

The frick frack fuck it is. Its derogatory as fuck, and you’re essentially calling us thieves. I’m Romani. Not gypsy. The only people allowed to call me gypsy are my Irish traveller relatives, because the Irish use it to separate themselves from the Roma (for those that are confused by that statement: I’m from both Irish traveller and Latvian Roma descent).

I don’t like it. I fucking hate it. So don’t use it.

In Conclusion: The Romani people are an ethnic minority with so much culture and tradition behind it. We’re not a hashtag for your fucking Coachella Instagram.