--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think there should be more black…" description: "\"“I think there should be more black characters, and more of all kinds of characters, in fiction. Almost all of the main characters in my novel Anansi B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/neil-gaiman-29_quote_i-think-there-should-be-more-black-chara_1969875.jpg" --- # I think there should be more black characters, and more of… ![“I think there should be more black characters, and more of all kinds of characters, in fiction. Almost all of the main characters in my novel Anansi Boys are black. And there are black characters in featured roles in all the other novels except Stardust and Coraline . (Something I was happy to see…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/neil-gaiman-29_quote_i-think-there-should-be-more-black-chara_1969875.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/neil-gaiman-29_quote_i-think-there-should-be-more-black-chara_1969875.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/neil-gaiman-29_quote_i-think-there-should-be-more-black-chara_1969875.jpg) > ““I think there should be more black characters, and more of all kinds of characters, in fiction. Almost all of the main characters in my novel Anansi Boys are black. And there are black characters in featured roles in all the other novels except Stardust and Coraline . (Something I was happy to see was not the case in Henry Selick’s film.)”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates for diverse characters, noting black representation in his work and gaps elsewhere. **In simple terms:** Calls for more diverse characters in fiction. Key Takeaway Promote inclusive storytelling. Themes diversity representation fiction Mood determined critical Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - publishing - screenwriting - casting decisions Key Concepts social justice media studies Questions to Reflect On - How can creators increase diversity? - What barriers exist? A Different Perspective Some markets resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [One of the things I'm concerned about is that I really want to make sure the races of all the characters are kept. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/one-of-the-things-i-m-concerned-about-is-that-i-really-want-to-make/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Good characters in fiction are the very devil. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/there-are-lots-of-great-characters-in-fiction-who-viewers-and-readers/) [Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/) > [When I was writing stories about Chinese American characters in my fiction classes, I'd get comments like, 'You should consider writing more universal stories.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/when-i-was-writing-stories-about-chinese-american-characters-in-my/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [People who are well-known, famous people, I think, make very poor characters for fiction. They make good characters for gossip columns. But not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/people-who-are-well-known-famous-people-i-think-make-very-poor/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I have to know the killer, the victim and the motive when I begin. Then I start to create the characters and see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-have-to-know-the-killer-the-victim-and-the-motive-when-i-begin-then/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. 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Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. 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In fiction, while we do not necessarily write about ourselves, we write out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/the-first-act-of-insight-is-throw-away-the-labels-in-fiction-while-we/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-believes-in-few-characters-in/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“Is it the freedom of characters in fiction that we find so inspiring, or the way that freedom transforms them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-levy/is-it-the-freedom-of-characters-in-fiction-that-we-find-so-inspiring/) [Marc Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-levy/) > [There are two kinds of characters in all fiction, the born and the synthetic. 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