Part One – Summer – Page 085
Last week, a reader on Tapas expressed discomfort over a black man being depicted as violent. Fair enough. I can understand why someone would dislike that. It was never my intent to hurt anyone, and I apologize if I did so, even inadvertently. I hope that this week’s page helps shed light on the way I write. One of the cornerstones of this series is revealing that the “bad guys” are in truth flawed human beings who have their own reasons for their actions. In the case of Mr. Cross, we have someone heartbroken over the loss of his wife. He’s tried to kill the pain with alcohol, and now he’s at the point where he’s lost control and isn’t fully aware of his actions. Skin color never factored into this for me, but I’m happy to explain why it’s Mr. Cross who plays this role.
When coming up with the character of Allison, I borrowed elements from all the best gal pals I had over the years. Allison’s physical appearance is based off one such friend, including her skin color. It was another friend of mine who showed up at my doorstep after being hit by her father. I’ve been in Ben’s situation. It was a very upsetting experience. I felt helpless. My friend stayed with me, because she didn’t want to go home, but I was never as brave as Ben. I always wish I had done more, so when I retold the story, I let Ben confront Mr. Cross like I wanted to. My real-life friend with the abusive father wasn’t black. I don’t think her race matters. I only mention it so you know that the abuse sub-plot wasn’t inspired or influenced by skin color.
Diversity is important to me. Yes, the characters in my stories are predominately white, but that’s the world I grew up in. I’ve tried to include more color anyway. There are black characters you have already met and many that you haven’t yet. Some are jerks. Some are sweethearts. Most of them are somewhere in between, like you and me. All that having been said, I’m always open to hearing what people think about my efforts so I can learn and improve. Your turn!
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