Womens Fiction Writers Association
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February Webinar - Writing Diverse Characters: Build Your Diversity Toolkit
Thursday, February 16, 2023, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EDT
Category: Workshops/Webinars

February Webinar 

Writing Diverse Characters: Build Your Diversity Toolkit

Presenter: Eliana West

Host: Lisa Montanaro

Thursday, February 16, 7-8:30 PM ET

Join the Webinar

Description: 

 “Multiracial Americans are at the cutting edge of social and demographic change in the U.S.—young, proud, tolerant and growing at a rate three times as fast as the population as a whole.” - Pew Research.

Have you wanted to write more diverse characters but you’re afraid of making a mistake? This webinar will help you learn the basic tools to write characters from different racial backgrounds without falling into many of the common pitfalls that create caricatures instead of characters. Discover how to create realistic multicultural characters and worlds.

Topics include:

• Character identity. How does your character choose to identify, and why?

• Creating your character’s multicultural backstory.

• The Legend of Bagger Vance Effect and other tropes - how to avoid racial stereotypes.

• How to describe skin tone, hair, and physical traits.

• Diverse world building.

Through honest, thoughtful dialogue, this webinar will provide a space to question, learn, and grow as writers. All questions are welcome!

Bio: 

Eliana West is the founder of the Facebook group, Writers for Diversity. Since its creation in 2017, Writers for Diversity has provided a safe space for thoughtful and respectful dialogue, growing to over 1,000 members from around the world and encompassing all writing genres. Eliana’s life experience and DEI training fuels her commitment to an empathetic approach in her engagement with writers. She writes contemporary interracial romance, and her Heart of Colton series is published through Tule Publishing. Eliana holds a certificate in Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences at Northwestern University.

Free to all WFWA members.

Dates subject to change.