Hi everyone,

I’m Alex Arch and I write stories with diverse characters to represent and mirror our beautiful world. It’s important to me when I create characters that people can recognize themselves in my art, no matter their background or where they come from. I would like to share how I try to do it as respectfully as possible from someone who is not part of a marginalized community. My goal when I write stories is always to be inclusive, and make everyone feel welcomed.

I think a crucial part is to create complex and multi-faceted characters who aren’t caricatures. Everyone you encounter has a past and goals, motivations, quirks, qualities, and flaws. Characters should be no different. I do not center a whole personality around one characteristic and leave it at that. It is just a part of what makes each character unique. It’s who they are, it doesn’t define them. And I feel like it’s a writer’s duty to showcase the complexity of every person and do the world we live in justice.

“I believe it isn’t my place to claim knowledge of the intricacies and feelings other people have gone through.”

I also like to abide by the old adage: “Write what you know.” What this means is that I will not try to center a story about struggles, or experiences that only a person with a certain history can understand. I believe it isn’t my place to claim knowledge of the intricacies and feelings other people have gone through. 

Every experience is different, and we have to acknowledge that it’s impossible to see life through someone else’s lens.

Which brings me to the last and most important point: Use sensibility readers and accept their input. They know better. Listen to their feedback with kindness and understanding because, seriously, no one is better at understanding a reality than someone who lived through it. In my opinion, this advice should apply to any character going through something you’re unfamiliar with. Research is your friend when you want to represent others with sensitivity. 

While this list is far from exhaustive for the sake of succinctness, I do hope it manages to address the important aspects of representation. And since I do not pretend to be above reproach, there might be better ways to do it. So if you have any suggestions on how to improve this, feel free to reach out to me. 

Thank you for reading.
Alex

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