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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/41594
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Just want to add to @xyn's excellent answer, it isn't necessarily out of any bad will or intent that white people might be alienated. The more different a character is from me, the more difficult it is to relate to him or her. This goes for almost any aspect of characterization. Having a different colour of skin is just a slight "dent" in being able to relate to him. Meant with respect. It just depends on the fact if that is everything the character is. If he is just a character with a different ethnicity, and that is all he is, I will have difficulty relating to him. If he is from a different ethnicity, and has many other aspects that influence his character, I almost certainly won't notice.

Think of Jules Winnfield from Pulp fiction. He isn't different from Vincent Vega because he is black, but because his entire character is different. I can relate to many aspects of his character, because he has so many things that make him interesting. Him turning religious after him apparently being part of a miracle. How he handles it. What that means for the story. Him being or not being black barely changes his character.

Think of Captain Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. You would think he would be the most box checking character there is. He's black and homosexual. But it doesn't feel like that, because it isn't the only thing he is. He's tough, a hard worker, very precise, all things people can relate to or aspire to be. His sexuality or ethnicity influence his character, but don't dictate who he is. His character dictates how he deals and shows those things.

So what I'm trying to say is, good characters don't rely on what they look like or what they represent. They rely on their interesting aspects, the things that breach the stigma. What it means for them, and makes them who they are. How they handle it. In the end were all just humans with similar problems and struggles. And these problems come in many different packages, but often are the same deep down in the core.

So you shouldn't worry too much about your characters being non white, worry more about who they are as a person.

Original score: 6