How To Describe Skin Color In Writing

The Do's of Writing People of Color: Describe Your Characters

Diversity makes stories better, plain and simple. This year, we've partnered with the good folks at Writing With Color to get some advice on how to write stories populated with people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. In the third part of her "Do's of Writing People of Color" sub-series, founder Colette Aburime goes over how to describe characters of color in your writing:

One key to strong representation is making the race of your characters undisputedly clear. So clue your readers in! Not only is it nice for People of Color to read descriptions of themselves as awesome everyday people, but there's a consequence to being vague: Most readers will assume the characters are white.

Society ensures we view white people as the default. That default human is probably also straight, cis, able-bodied, etc. until proven otherwise. This way of thinking won't dissolve overnight.

When describing your characters

Make their races clear early on once they're introduced.
Sprinkle in a few more reminders throughout the story.

Ways to show race:

Physical descriptions - You can describe hair, skin tone, and facial features to create a picture for readers. It isn't foolproof, though. For example, dark brown skin and curly hair may point to a Person of Color, sure, but not an exact race or ethnicity. It's wise to pair physical details with other means.
Culture - Cultural elements can seamlessly indicate race. They're already part of your character's identity, so it's bound to come up! Think family names, clothing, holidays, traditions, language, food, heirlooms…
Social issues - What social issues directly affect the character? What about relatives in other countries? Even a national disaster could show background, like a hurricane affecting your character's family in Mexico.
Activities - The character could be involved or have met someone through a PoC-specific organization. Think student unions, activism, local businesses Facebook groups, professional meet-ups…
Cover art - If your book cover features your characters, I urge you to make sure they look the part. Even if you have little say in the final product, remind your publisher of their races and ask they take care to be accurate. Say no to white-washed book covers!
Say it in story - Don't be afraid to just state it. I highly recommend doing so at some point in the story. There's many ways to work in a mention. Create a situation that makes sense to the story. See these examples:

"The woman turned to face me. She was Black, I think, with a short coily afro and a dimple in her smile that took my breath away."
"It felt awkward, being the only woman in the room, let alone an Indian woman."
"I was born of a Korean mother and a German father."

Say it outside the pages - These days allow more interaction between authors and their readers. Use social media or a webpage to share character profiles, your celebrity dream cast, share commissioned art, and clarify questions.

Use one or more of these methods. At the least, I recommend a combination of physical descriptions and outright stating race whenever the story allows.

Characters of Color in Fantasy

Alternative or fantasy settings may have different concepts of race. Perhaps there's no word for human ethnicities or countries. Never fear—racial coding is here! Racial coding means providing hints that your character is the equivalent of a human race. You can use physical, cultural and geographical parallels to help readers make a conclusion.

Now, go forth and describe your characters. We wanna see them!