STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART VIII: HIRING AND SUPPORTING DIVERSE CREATORS While diverse characters are a great step toward inclusivity, diverse creators are vital for meaningful representation. Creators
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART VII: CONSULTING AND COMPENSATING EXPERTS At one point (or, more likely, at multiple points) during your creative process you will need to consult
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART VI: RESEARCHING FOR AUTHENTICITY Whatever category your marginalized character falls into – main, secondary, tertiary, or background – you will need to research
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART V: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT The secret to character development is to create real people. I know, I know, easier said than done, right? Actually,
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART IV: AVOIDING TROPES When you consciously avoid using tropes, you encourage yourself to build a character from scratch, without shortcuts. Nuance, development, and
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART III: TROPES AS A STARTING POINT Tropes are artistic tools storytellers use to convey information to the audience. Since the beginning of
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART II: PERSPECTIVE So you want to include diverse characters in your story. That’s great! We need diversity in media because we have diversity
STORYTELLING WITH MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION, PART I: INTRODUCTION Diversity is part of the human experience. As an autistic, queer, physically disabled, Indian-American human, I am always looking for