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Multicultural romances developed like movie stars. Writers have been working for years then suddenly they're an overnight sensations. Since everyone is part of a culture, we define the subgenre as a romance in which the main characters embrace one of the minority races in the United States. At this writing these books only have African-American characters as the major players. There are several translations into the Spanish language of some category romances and Indian romances, which had previously been considered historical, are suddenly popping up in the multicultural classification.
The elements of a multicultural novel are the same as they are for any well written book; character, plot, setting, sexual tension, pacing, etc. Where the differences begin to verge off is that books written by African-American, Hispanic, or Indian women will bring with them a new perspective to the genre, a new view to a tried and true relationship. First and foremost it's a love story. At the core will be the one man-one woman romance. Around it, nurturing it, helping it to grow will be the culture, foods, clothing, lifestyles of the characters.
Just as there are different rules for writing contemporary romance versus historical romance, there are different considerations in writing the ethnic/multicultural contemporary versus the ethnic/multicultural historical. I have separated some of these considerations and for the contemporary have categorized the elements of Background, Traditions, Methods of Speaking, Expression, Description, Occupation and Setting.
In writing the contemporary everyday living is the open to use, but the difference between the ethnic approach and that in the novels we've been reading for years encompasses the following:
Background is probably the most significant difference. The life experiences which define character is part of the culture that formulates ethnicity whether it be African-American, Hispanic, Indian, Jewish, etc. For example, I have heard other writers say it's impossible to understand guilt if you weren't raised as a Catholic. Many African-Americans grew up in the Baptist Church which has it own set of taboos and restraints. If you grew up in a Southern Baptist community you probably spent from sunup to sundown at church on any given Sunday. Everything from three significant meals to courtship and marriage occurred at church functions. These experiences are used to give attributes to the heroes and heroines.
Growing up is different for every individual even members of the same household do not have the same experiences. These experiences are culturally separable and can be used in the definition of character.
Traditions can be used to further enhance the multicultural romance. These rituals usually revolve around a holiday. Many families celebrates holidays with a specific ceremonies or practices that are unique to them. Since 1966 the concept of Kwanzaa, a celebration in kinship for African-Americans, began to be practiced in addition to or in place of Christmas.
The eating of specific foods as your first meal on New Years Day is part of my family tradition. Each food has a meaning geared toward the coming year. In the Chinese culture there are many traditions which are practiced to ensure prosperity for the new year or to rid the family of bad omens that will cloud the future. These include beginning the year with no clothes in need of mending and owing no debt. Many days of preparation go into the celebration of the New Year. Making these elements which are taken for granted by one culture part of the character's adds flavor and make for a better read.
Methods of Speaking and Expression have been combined because they go hand in hand. While expression can be hard to describe, it can play a strong part in a story. You might think expressions are universal, but think of the use of hands in speaking my Italian-Americans and you've realize there are differences. Without question the feet apart, hands on hips stance is a patented gesture of the African-American female showing her disapproval or disbelief. And we cannot forget the mere raising of an eyebrow, the subtle turning of a head in a certain direction, or the lifting of an arm to curtail an action while sitting in church.
Speech patterns provide a wide range of colorful characters. There is street language, the "King's" English, proper American English, and African-Americans with southern accents. The use of slang words are sometime prevalent. We no longer call each other 'sister,' but we do use words like 'girlfriend.' Language is also different within setting. At home there is a more relaxed method of communication than will be found in the workplace or in a mixed cultural environment. While phonetics or dialect is difficult to read and write, voice is clear and when set apart can be quite identifiable.
Description can be easy or difficult to convey. Physical attributes can be anything. African-Americans run the full gambit of color schemes and features. They can be as patrician and angular as traditional heroes and heroines, but they can also be softly rounded. Color of skin is usually dark and often likened to food, such as coffee or honey. Coffee when mixed with cream ranges from black to blonde and this gives a huge variety of areas to draw upon. New words to describe color have cropped into the reading vocabulary were tanned used to be the only version of dark. Words like sienna, palomino and peanut butter have joined wheat, straw and porcelain.
Hair is another area that is as varied as the weather. Today African-American women have everything from chemically-straightened or relaxed hair to the natural look. Elaborate designs of braided hair and in a few cases even baldness can be done. Hair styles don't so easily become undone. They don't usually flow like curtains or panels to hide expressions, although this is not totally out of the question. There is also hair that is fine and flowing and needs little or no relaxation to it. These African-Americans may be the most difficult to describe since they have many of the features of traditional heroines.
Occupation is open. African-Americans occupy all levels of the economic chain in the United States and outside it. From industry Vice Presidents and CEO's of major corporations to social development agencies such as Manpower you can find African-Americans.
Setting can be any part of the world. The ethnic books I've read tend to be limited to African-Americans and to the United States or Caribbean Islands. Yet there is a large population of people with West-Indian heritage living in England. In Paris there are the war babies from the Second World War. The war babies are over fifty years old with children of their own. Any of these cultures can bring a new vision to the ethnic romance and create a love story. Not to forget the Vietnam, there is also a population of African-American/Vietnamese children who are in their twenties or thirties. They will bring an even greater cultural background to the multicultural romance.
In writing the historical all of the items on writing contemporary apply plus a few others:
Background. Of course, the time period used has bearing on the background of the character. Under contemporary, we mentioned the church's role in the life of a character. In a historical the church had a much greater impact. With characters in a farm setting, the once a week trip to worship was the only time contact was made with other people. It was a place to see friends, communicate with others, pass along gossip and meet men. The practice of reading the names of the sick and shut-in was developed as an explanation for absences and to encourage others to visit the sick and help with their needs.
Sunday's also had another significance. In the movie My Fair Lady Henry Higgins shows up at his mother's house on her "at-home" day. In the south they also had an "at-home day." People would come to visit then. It was the only non-work day of the week and after church the remainder of it would be spent traveling from one house to another to say hello and have a cool drink.
The Traditions outlined prior to this have significance here too. In addition to the ones mentioned under contemporary ethnic writing, there is the concept of storytelling. Oral history is a common practice we attribute to the hill people of Tennessee or the American Indian but, there are other forms of storytelling which can be set up in writing the ethnic romances. In other cultures the quilting bee is often described as a microcosm of life. People gather to make a single quilt and discuss their own histories. In my the family the making of a quilt was a singular process. My grandmother would sew the fabric while she told stories about family members. Each person she mentioned had a significance to the fabric being pieced together. While she sewed the wool World War I uniform fabric to the delicate lace of her wedding dress she told me the romantic story of how she met and married my grandfather. Quilts are treasures in my family. We hang them on the wall as if they were family portraits.
Taboos are also relaxed in the multicultural romance. Many of the taboos in other historical romances are not taboos in the ethnics. For example, it is perfectly all right to forego a chaperon. Women did not have to be escorted by maids or other family members to talk to a young man. They did not have to be "properly introduced" although it was desirable and not having a coming out party didn't constitute sacrilege. Women could own and operate their own businesses without being looked down on. Taboos can be used advantageously as long as reputation does not suffer.
Writing the multicultural romance is a challenge, but it is no greater than the challenge of writing a good book. It means viewing the world from another vantage point; adding a rich assortment of customs, traditions and lifestyles to the character's backgrounds. Begin by crafting a wonderful love story with the characters and cultures present in the world around us, whether it be the world of today, the historical past, or a future time period. Enrich that story with language and traditions, excluding stereotypes, and you'll have a book that appeals to everyone, regardless of their personal culture.
