What's the point of picking women of color when I don't even represent their heritage or culture that much in my writing.

That has come to my attention and that of my readers because like half of the people who read TSE probably didn't know Liza was Indian until I showed her picture and said it and that is my fault, I take full responsibility but I swear I have an explanation, my response below:

Thanks so much for putting out how you feel. I was notified about this before and it has brung up my attention to show more ethnicity in my different characters. It's said later on that Habiba (from Shapes) is Lebanese and Brazilian.

Why don't your characters have names that represent more of their culture??

I named Liza, Liza because that's actually the real name of the girl I based her off of and it really fit her
and Nat was from an old draft or idea I made in middle school so they all have meanings to me.

When I was a freshman in hs I made up a lot of stories aka Cliché and TSE just as ideas and I never picked a race for my main character because I didn't see a race, I just saw my character and I never imagined i would post my stories or let alone have people read them. So when I wrote the stories my main purpose was to deliver the plot and focus on that rather than culture or ethnicity of my female lead since in my mind (i really didn't have one).

That being said that was the goal for both my stories Cliché and TSE since it's focused more on character development and plot, along with the fact that Nat is adopted as well.

You may have noticed that I tried to brush on some spanish culture with Malu but I was only breaking the surface, by the time I was reminded that I should show more of her hispanic side my book only had three chapters left and I felt absolutely terrible.

I feel pressure now with Shapes as well, sometimes im too scared or apprehensive to post because I feel as if I may have made a mistake on a Arabic term or made a big no-no and was not aware.

Like I have no idea about this culture and have only tried learning it from you guys' help (thank you so much) and the internet in a few months.

I appreciate when you guys correct me please don't think I don't like thank you, that way I can edit and fix that but it just makes me feel so insecure about my writing at times like im constantly checking and rechecking that I'm doing these prayers and these traditions right and I'm sorry if it's not exactly correct but I really am trying.

Remember that I'm also like preparing for classes in my university, applying for jobs, and still finishing up senior year of hs while researching the whole Muslim religion and writing Shapes on the weekends.

Btw please keep correcting me if you see many mistakes i do appreciate it and learn.

But I promise from here on officially that this is a new era for my books and I'll put a lot more heritage and culture.

(btw i had a dark skin female lead in one of my stories aka You Again but I unpublished it to re-edit it cuz i made it in sophomore year and it's ejjdnswnsn cringe. It was Louis and Keke Palmer.)