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If it's not important to the plot, setting, or characterization Then don't mention it. Mention relevant details, whether those are age, gender, mean- or friendly-looking, etc. If it does matter t...
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#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43330 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
## If it's not important to the plot, setting, or characterization Then don't mention it. Mention relevant details, whether those are age, gender, mean- or friendly-looking, etc. ## If it does matter that the reader knows their skin color Then just call them black. Or brown. Or dark-skinned; whatever provides the most important details. If race is a key point, call them black. If sun-burn is going to be a factor, call them dark-skinned, etc. Still include other relevant details like age, gender, clothing, disposition etc. Also describe the other people; if it's important that the elderly man is black, it stands that the skin color of the other two likely matters, whether Caucasian, black, Indian, etc.