I have a couple questions about my WIPs, so I hope this is a good place to ask them.
First, I have a character in the modern day whose father is Japanese and mother is American. Her parents met in Japan, which is where her father grew up. But sometime after meeting, they moved to America, to her mother's hometown. Now, in Japan, this character would be considered a foreigner because she has a non-Japanese parent (even if she were born there, but she wasn't).
But, having grown up in America, I'm not sure how she would describe herself. She wants to call herself American, because she is, but she still wants to acknowledge her Japanese heritage. So I don't know if it'd be best to use Japanese-American, which I've always associated with people whose family has lived in America for at least one generation, or half-Japanese, which I'm not sure if that term is an insult or not.
I guess I feel really naive and don't want to offend anyone.
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The other question I have is about my science fiction WIP. It takes place in the far future where places like Africa, America, Asia, etc. don't exist, but my characters aren't all white. Aside from what I'm pretty sure are negative terms, like Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid, I'm not sure how to describe their skin tones and facial features, etc.
I originally used Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid as a sort of short-hand, but I don't want to offend readers. So I've tried to describe skin tones but I'm not sure how clear I'm being.
Here's an example from my WIP.
I guess the real question is, should I bother with short-hand or just go for the character's actual description? And, if so, how do I avoid making food-related comparisons? (Ex. a lot of books I've read that have a black/African American character give them coffee related skin tones. Or my own almond example above.)
Thanks for your help.
Yttar
First, I have a character in the modern day whose father is Japanese and mother is American. Her parents met in Japan, which is where her father grew up. But sometime after meeting, they moved to America, to her mother's hometown. Now, in Japan, this character would be considered a foreigner because she has a non-Japanese parent (even if she were born there, but she wasn't).
But, having grown up in America, I'm not sure how she would describe herself. She wants to call herself American, because she is, but she still wants to acknowledge her Japanese heritage. So I don't know if it'd be best to use Japanese-American, which I've always associated with people whose family has lived in America for at least one generation, or half-Japanese, which I'm not sure if that term is an insult or not.
I guess I feel really naive and don't want to offend anyone.
---
The other question I have is about my science fiction WIP. It takes place in the far future where places like Africa, America, Asia, etc. don't exist, but my characters aren't all white. Aside from what I'm pretty sure are negative terms, like Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid, I'm not sure how to describe their skin tones and facial features, etc.
I originally used Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid as a sort of short-hand, but I don't want to offend readers. So I've tried to describe skin tones but I'm not sure how clear I'm being.
Here's an example from my WIP.
No, the twenty-year-old in the mirror staring back at me wasn't me. Her brown eyes weren't my black ones. Her shoulder-length brown hair that curled around my ears wasn't my long red hair with its natural black highlights. Her bronze skin was a shade darker than my almond skin. Everything about Sombra Alara was an illusion, except for the clothes. But then, I was used to looking like anyone but myself that it didn't bother me anymore.
I guess the real question is, should I bother with short-hand or just go for the character's actual description? And, if so, how do I avoid making food-related comparisons? (Ex. a lot of books I've read that have a black/African American character give them coffee related skin tones. Or my own almond example above.)
Thanks for your help.
Yttar