"Writing What You Know" in the Age of Cultural Appropriation | Dear Writer #8
101 Writer Questions Answered!
So I'm writing a fiction novel about Japanese people.
I chose Japan as the setting because I thought it was different from my native USA. I read once that many novels take place in the Anglophone world and are therefore boring. And I thought it would be interesting to explore Japan for a few other reasons that I won't go into here.
If you were writing a story that was a bit out of your wheelhouse, how would you do it? Would you just give up writing something you didn't know, or persevere?
Dear Writer,
"Writing what you know" isn't about only writing about things you understand or have experienced.
What writers typically mean when they repeat this phrase is, "Follow your passions in writing." When a writer writes passionately, there is an evident vibrancy to the writing that can't be fabricated.
It seems, based on your question, that what you're really asking about is (1) research and (2) fairly representing a real-life culture you're unfamiliar with.
I think you're correct to seek understanding. Robert McKee (Story, 68-70) says that one of the sources of cliche is a writer's unfamiliarity with their story world.
Unfamiliarity causes a writer to turn to "what they know" in the worst way. They’ll rely on phrases we've read before, characters we've met before; story beats we know by heart. It’s one of the main sources of cliche or triteness in writing.
Every trope, of course, has been done by now, but the writer's goal should be to weave a story that can be felt uniquely. You can do what’s been done before yet make it uniquely yours.
There’s no shortcut when it comes to understanding real cultures and accurately representing them in prose. I commend to you the book The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently...and Why by Richard E. Nisbett. If you're serious and are able, consider moving to Japan for a time or doing a work or exchange program. There are also copious analyses of Japanese games, shows, literature, etc., by Westerners. Check this one out.
You need a level of familiarity with this other culture that is suited to writing your story—nothing more, nothing less. Many Americans can't explain how or why certain historical events took place, or where a mindset or ideal came from, yet they live in the US and get on fine.
A fish doesn’t know it swims in water, and it's easy for a writer, having done copious research, to drop an elevated level of knowledge into their characters when this very likely doesn't reflect how most regular people live. Not properly handled, this could lead to the dreaded info dump.
Almost all healthy human beings have the same core concerns in life, regardless of culture, era, or whatever else distinguishes them. That’s why stories are universal even if the language and culture differ. Remember this in building your characters.
Books are "boring" for a variety of reasons. Stories written in by native English speakers directed at their home culture is something which can only be complained about from a luxury of excess; places where English language stories aren’t everywhere likely don't suffer from this perceived malaise.
If you live in the East, your stories will mostly be Eastern. The West, Western. France; French. Etc. Cest la vie.
Especially If you’re just starting out, my advice is not to concern yourself with what literary professionals insist is really hot right now or what some person said you need to do.
In all likelihood, by the time you develop the skill to write something that’s actually publishable, the trend you’re going after will have shifted. That’s why true originality never dies and never ceases to draw a faithful audience.
Write whatever you want whether or not other people might think it's boring because of the requisite culture and language. Though it seems like you’re doing just that by pursuing this Japanese-influenced story! Enjoy the process, worry later about selling.
Best,
DRM
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DANIEL RODRIGUES-MARTIN is the author of books, articles, essays, poems, reviews, and countless rants since 2004. His debut novel, GODDESS FROM THE MACHINE, is available from most major carriers.
Write what you know is a cliche all by itself anymore. I agree with you that it is misunderstood. To me, it comes down to using things I do know to inform my characters and their human reactions to things. The better you understand your characters the more real you can make them, the more compelling. Great piece!