#brunch really

I mean, the truth is--I don’t think I’ll ever be able to “get it right” because it isn’t my experience and isn’t something I can experience. 

But just striving to not get it wrong feels like I’m letting readers who are in that culture fill in blanks while other readers are left with broad strokes. It also feels like it could very easily fall into tropes. And tropes can, all too easily, lead to stereotypes. They are not inevitable--tropes and stereotypes both--but you’d have to watch for them.

Trying to get it right opens up so many more opportunities to misunderstand and get it wrong. 

Then I think about how I write characters I didn’t create--I use signposts.

Ron Weasley (1) is loyal to his friends and family, (2) has an inferiority complex, (3) smarter than anyone--including Ron--realizes, and (4) is from a large family where he’s neither the oldest nor youngest.

Anne Wheeler (1) protects herself, (2) tests boundaries, (3) is proud of herself and her accomplishments, and (4) is a black woman in the United States. I’ve not actually written Anne yet, as I get to understand her character better (I feel like the moments when she challenged Carlyle at their introduction and when she was picking up tickets for the play are key), I will improve those signposts.

I don’t usually write these out, but they’re in the back of my head and guide as I write so I can try to keep a character feeling like themself. 

Maybe I should apply the Fate fractal and treat another culture like a character: the signposts and the characteristics others can see (e.g., Ron’s red hair and freckles, enjoyment of chess). It wouldn’t be exhaustive, but it might be enough?