Writing Another Culture

[wee]

Well, I have been searching for this one for a while.

I have a story that has been giving me a headache (all crowded up in my brain as it is) for over 2 years now. The characters are no longer flat entities on paper; they walk around in my brain & run into things, argue with each other and occasionally yell at me, "when are you going to let us out?!"

I started putting this story on paper, finally, with no thought to whether it would be publishable. After around 5,000 words I had the buildup done & ready for the meat of the story.

The problem is ... this deals with a culture I'm only a little bit familiar with. I can think of at least 1-2 authors off-hand who are better qualified to write this. I can research, I can call on my limited experience, but I get worried I'll get it wrong, the heart of it. The underpinning themes are ones very familiar to me, but the culture is not firsthand (I'm not part of it).

The writing gremlins started whispering, "The comment editors make, when they say something should have been written, but not by this author? Yeah, this is what they are talking about". Now those gremlins are so loud that my characters are sitting around, too nervous to do anything else. This is the thought that kept me from starting it 2 years ago, but I had started out of inability to think about other stories.

So do I finish it & give it to a beta that can read it through the eyes of this culture? (I do have one.) Or understand that some stories I won't be qualified to write & just move on?

It's a story that I think is relevant & important, and possibly publishable -- but I'm not sure if it is publishable if written by me. When is it okay to go into another culture, and when is it not okay? No one seems to have a problem going into other cultures that are long past (i.e., Tudor England, the soup du jour) because if you get it a little wrong, who cares? All those people are dead anyway. What about when the culture is more current? What then?

Or is this all nonsense & I should just get on with it?


wee little problem ...

[JoNightshade]

First of all, what cultures are we talking about? What culture are you from, and what culture are you writing about? I think some situations would be looked upon with more skepticism.

Secondly, do you have experience with this culture? As an observer of human nature, I don't think writers have to be "part" of a culture to understand it, although there will ALWAYS be people who maintain that this is true. Have you immersed yourself in this culture and tried to know it as best you could? If so, then I say go ahead. As long as you're not making assumptions and not coming from a position of ignorance, I think you're fine.

I think your idea of passing it by someone from that culture is also a great idea. I would get as many people as possible, because different people are going to see it differently. There are as many different views about any given culture from those on the "inside" as there are from those on the "outside." Every individual is different.

Also remember that being an outside observer is sometimes good. If you are perceived as an outsider, people may tend to open up to you more about what they feel about their own culture. You may also have an overall perspective that someone from the inside might be too close to see.

I think the most important thing to remember is to be sympathetic. As long as you're not making judgments about the culture, but treating it with respect and admiration-- while portraying it realistically-- I think you will be fine.

[Azraelsbane]

No one seems to have a problem going into other cultures that are long past (i.e., Tudor England, the soup du jour) because if you get it a little wrong, who cares? All those people are dead anyway. What about when the culture is more current? What then?

Or is this all nonsense & I should just get on with it?


wee little problem ...

1) Surprisingly enough, people do care when writers get old cultures wrong. If they don't know anything about it, they don't care. If they know what you're trying to talk about, they care. The same goes for present day cultures.

2) You may not be able to construct the story right now, because you don't know much about the culture you're writing about, however, researching is an integral part of being a writer. It comes up no matter what your topic, and any writer worth his/her salt should be researching things they don't know enough to write about.

3) The research is not mandatory. There are plenty of published authors that are practically swimming in their own incompetence on their topics. Personally, I don't suggest being like them.

4) There's no reason you can't write any story you'd like, regardless of your background. Research, interview, even visit the culture you're planning to write on if it is at all possible. You can do this if you really want to. It's fiction. :)

Hope that helps somewhat, though it's just my opinion.

[Ravenlocks]

Research it is. Immerse yourself in the culture: eat its food, watch its movies and TV, learn its language if it's different from yours. Hang out with people who belong to the culture, if you can. And be open to the ways this culture thinks and acts.

In my experience, it's hard--probably even impossible--to completely understand a culture you don't belong to, but you can probably learn enough to convey it convincingly, and your beta(s) can correct whatever you get wrong.

[ClaudiaGray]

Ravenlocks is right. Start your research. That might be reading histories or watching foreign soap operas, depending on what culture you're talking about. The more you know, the better your story will be.

[veinglory]

It's hard to speak in the abstract but it seems to me that if the story is about people in the culture, really about them rather than using them as a gimmick or window dressing, you really need to know the culture well.

[maestrowork]

I agree with veinglory. If the culture is central to the story and the characters, then you do need to know the culture well -- either through experiences or extensive research. There's just no other way.

[wee]

I agree with veinglory. If the culture is central to the story and the characters, then you do need to know the culture well -- either through experiences or extensive research. There's just no other way.

I appreciate the input from everyone.

Basically, it is a culture I grew up around but not in. The culture is central to the plot -- if it was just window dressing, it would be easy to change.

The soap opera idea is great -- I've done quite a bit of research about the history of this country, filling in gaps there. I've also read a lot of native literature in the foreign language (which I speak passably).

I think I'll go ahead & get the story on paper, then go back through & make sure I've got the details right & the character motivations right --> then when I'm done with all that, have my native beta reader take a look at it. I wouldn't normally go through beta reading (I'm too shy) but this is important for this one.

If it isn't publishable, it isn't, but at least it will be on paper & I can move on to one of my other several ideas ...

thanks!



wee