This is going to be the first part in a duology of tips. First is "Writing People of Color" and the next is "Write People, Not Tropes," so certain topics covered here might apply to the second half and thusly won't be mentioned there and vice versa, so understand that they go together.

Now remember that this is just a suggestion, but this is something I feel extremely strong about, because I am a PoC and I find myself in a constant struggle to find a happy medium whilst writing as well, so don't think you're on your own if you have some trouble, just keep these in mind.

¹ 𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖕𝖊𝖔𝖕𝖑𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘 — I cover this heavily in the next part (as it is focused on the idea of characters not tropes) but I want to emphasize it here, as it's important for people to acknowledge this for PoC especially.

Do not hyperfocus on fitting into stereotypes or completely defying them, because what could wind up happening is completely butchering your character's background and identity if you decide to follow standards to a T or completely demolishing them.

Write them as a person, not as a trope. Do not focus on what society perceives their race or ethnicity to be like, rather focus on who the character is. They will conform and break to stereotypes as they find themselves, but what you as the author need to do is understand stereotypes and how they can be negative, find the myths and the truths to certain preconceived notions, and then set them aside and make your character. Refer to the stereotypes and preconceived notions as guidelines to make sure you're not making your character offensively stereotypical nor are you completely erasing their identity.

Make a person, not a caricature.

² 𝖉𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖎𝖌𝖓𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 — just because you don't want to write a stereotype does not mean you forget culture. Unless you character's family is distanced from their culture for specific reasons (which would be an interesting topic to approach, but remember, don't write them as a trope) their culture is there and present in their lives, even if it's something as simple as what they typically eat, how they enter a house, small little habits and customs that might not occur in other people's homes.

³ 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖑𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 — I know it's tempting to want to really focus on the fact that your character is Filipino or Romani or Brazilian, and I get it, I really do, but the thing is, and this will be covered later, you're not writing a character if you're just writing a race. If your entire character's description and story is based around the fact that they're a certain ethnicity, you need to seriously evaluate why you're writing the story.

Ask yourself: is your character a certain race/ethnicity because you want to fill a quota or because your character legitimately presents themselves as this particular race/ethnicity? Because I would rather have someone have all their OC's be white than force themselves to write a PoC and have them be disingenuous and wholly inaccurate to the point of erasure.

⁴ 𝖕𝖔𝖈 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖊 — "at least I didn't use a white person" is not a valid response, I'm telling you right now. People of color are not one group you can lump every non-white person into, it is an umbrella term for many people of many ethnicities/races and it needs to be acknowledged.

An Asian woman can't play Maria from West Side Story, because the cultural significance is not the same. It's why a PoC can play a white character, but a PoC character must be played by someone of that ethnicity. Unless there is a specific reason as to why the character must be white (e.g. Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray) there is no reason why the character can't be a PoC, because their circumstances can be made for any person regardless of ethnicity/race (e.g. a girl in high school who tries out for the cheer team)

A white person can't play a black character, because the struggle isn't the same and it's erasure of a culture, and can even be even more offensive to the core point of the entire story (imagine having white people play slaves during the Civil War)

So just because you decided to use a Latina woman in lieu of a black woman does not make you correct. It makes you just as ignorant and offensive as a person who would use a white person in lieu of a black person. Because PoC are not interchangeable.

⁵ 𝖉𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖆 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓 — I often see this when it comes to gay characters that "you write a gay relationship the way you write a straight relationship," and while I understand where that is coming from, there are potential problems that can occur as a result, and the same goes for PoC.

The idea of being "colorblind" is not as progressive as some claim it to be. The concept of being colorblind in the sense of race is rooted in the idea of erasing background and culture completely, leaving everyone basically white. If you do this, you run the risk of erasing culture or interchanging PoC, because everyone is "equal" and the same and the cultural struggle and systematic injustices that befall them are no longer in consideration, which is a very negative and detrimental message to spread.

Of course, that is not to say that PoC can not be equal to white people, that is the hope and goal, but there is a difference in saying a PoC can move past the obstacles set before them and be successful, and saying that PoC have no culture or struggles unique to their own racial and ethnic identity. I am not talking about placing PoC beneath, I'm talking about not erasing background and culture in an effort to "erase color."

⁶ 𝖉𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖕𝖆𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖟𝖊 — something I've seen that people do when they're afraid of coming off as racist is coming off as patronizing. They make their PoC characters have no flaws and be the most perfect can-do-no-wrong characters ever without giving any explanation as to how they wound up like that, and there are characters who are generally well rounded, but do have flaws that appear, but might not be so dramatic so as to be major to their character, but I just want to pose the reminder to not be patronizing.

It's the concept of "positive racism," which is still just racism. It's the concept of "Asians are smart, why are you upset at the you have such a positive stereotype?" Because it is detrimental to Asians who are not naturally academically inclined, and it diminishes the work and effort Asians put into what they do, because they are overshadowed by the stereotype.

PoC can make mistakes, just like white people. Let your characters make mistakes. Let them be judgmental and rude and obnoxious and quick to judge, let them be who they are, because if people have a problem with you making a PoC that has bad habits and makes bad choices because they relate it to the concept that you're giving the entire race a bad name by the actions of a singular character, it is that person who needs to reevaluate their perception of an entire group of people.

𝖎𝖓 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓

Write PoC as people. Don't hyperfocus on avoiding or playing into stereotypes. Rather, make a character, then go and make sure that their existence doesn't give a bad impression, but don't let the fear of being harmful dissuade you from making a character that is real with flaws. Remember not to erase culture and background and historical significance when writing about their perceptions and experiences, but do not simply write your character being a PoC and nothing more, because they are much more, and their ethnicity/race should not be their defining characteristic. It can be a driving force, but there must be more to them for them to be a person.

If you have any more questions, please state them politely in the comments and I will do my best to answer.