CloverReef

So I came across this article on facebook today and it got me thinking about writers, like me, who write about cultures other than their own. Barring the obvious like exploiting stereotypes and fetishizing a culture, or claiming a piece of that culture as your own and ignoring the history behind it, where do you think the line in the sand is? Between crafting a diverse world with fully fleshed out characters of existing cultures and appropriating and exploiting? How can writers avoid white-washing stories and still be 100% respectful? Are there certain things in stories you see that makes you happy? Or are there certain mistakes some of us make that piss you off? Or do you have tips to go by to avoid appropriating in your own stories?

My first thought was along the lines of what Melrick said. I think the scariest villains are the ones that fool the people around the protagonist, and maybe even the protagonist themselves. Someone charming and likeable who turns out to be really cruel and depraved or messed up in some way. Even more frustrating if they continue to fool everyone but the protagonist throughout the story so there's no one the protagonist can really turn to. Maybe they kill people indescriminantly, maybe they torment/torture in other ways, pervy ways, psychological ways; they could go all cannibal Hannibal. Villains are so much fun.

I think it becomes annoying when, in the narration, every second word is altered for dialect. It can work being all throughout the narration if the changes are consistent as others have said, and I think toned down a little bit - if it's a thick accent or thick slang. It becomes distracting when the reader gets pulled out of the story to decipher, or if the accent is too over-the-top/cheesy. On the other hand, dialects, accents and slang bring life and a new dimension to written works. I don't think it's something people should shy away from, especially in narration. I know, some people disagree with that, but I think it paints the world that much better and makes it easier for (some?) readers to be absorbed into the story. One of my favourite books has this character that, whenever he talks, talks like: "AyeMateYeLookWell." It was surprisingly not distracting at all, and a completely lovable character, but in narration might've been a little distracting, lol. I think you can get away with a lot more with accents and slang in 1st POV and some versions of 3rd than one might in 2nd or the see-into-everyone's-heads version of 3rd.. but you're a great writer and nothing I've read of yours, CL, has struck me as excessive. So in my humble opinion, trust your instincts.

Alrighty, thank you!

About a week ago, I found the formatting of an old story was off, so I edited it. It's a story written in 2006, that hasn't been updated since 2006. Tonight, I just noticed it appeared on the first page of the original, original - misc, slash archive: http://original.adult-fanfiction.org It was on the very bottom, last I checked, but between two stories written and updated in 2015. This is the link to the story: http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=544212780 I'm not sure if it just appears on the first page for me. But if it's like that for everybody, I don't want it to stay there to push others' more recent stories back.

Ah fuuu-someotherFwordthatsnotaswear! I just wrote a big, elaborate reply to everyone. All kinds of brilliant quips and beaming compliments. Then I pressed backspace and apparently the field wasn't selected and it's all gone! [insert overdramatic sob here] Anyway, the gist of it is, you're all awesome. After I had wrote this, I felt so awkward and weirdly exposed, I wanted to take a blackout marker to my screen. I'm glad I didn't, these replies made me smile. Thanks DG. I should probably rant more often, but then I'd spend all my time fretting over the rants themselves. And DA: Hells Yeah violence makes stories funner to write! BW no one surprises me as much as you when it comes to relating to people and reassuring and speaking/typing with skill and tact. And stroking writers egos. That's an important skill too. CL: I had originally responded to you with a metaphor of that fear of screwing things up sneaking in and mounting its victims. But now, since I lost it, I get to pretend I never got that weird, so yay! I think that's all I had to say... Um... Well there was more, but I can't quite figure out how to word any of it in a non-awkward way so... Walking away now.

Always makes me happy to see other M/M original writers on here. I smile and I think about where they've been hiding and I wonder if it's as hot there as it is here and then I think about winter and then a butterfly flutters by... I don't like butterflies. They look suspiciously like moths, and moths are definitely up to something... Wait... What were we talking about again? ... Anyway! I'm Chloe and I am Canadian. The most interesting thing about me is probably ... my pug. I've delegated all things requiring personality to him, so... maybe he should be writing this. Right, and I write M/M original stuffs.

They’re at it again. Two little creatures by the names of Distrust and Insecurity have been hounding me for months. They think they’re protecting me from the things I love to do, like writing and drawing, and sometimes I believe them. But I want to write. Do you ever get the feeling that your writing is inconveniencing others? Like you’re ramming chapters down the throats of a captive audience? Even though you don’t ask anyone to read your stories, there’s that overpowering anxiety that the ones who choose to read are reading out of pity and you can practically feel the disinterest exuding from your monitor. I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I don’t know if there’s anyone out there. I’m just having a bad month and felt like it might help to spew forth my soul-crushing fancies into the ether.

Can I stick my name on this card too and pretend I pitched in for it? Happy Mother's day to all the mothers on this site. Hope your kids spoiled you, and if they didn't, I hope they feel super guilty and you had fun anyway.

Thank you Magus! Omg I was waiting for someone to say that. I understand the frustration with so many writers doing the stereotypical top/bottom roles in gay relationships. I do. And they have every right to be frustrated when there's a lack of representation for the other relationship options. That being said, strict top/bottom relationships are valid. Any relationship style you want to explore in writing is valid, and I hope new and seasoned writers alike don't let anyone tell them otherwise. Pet peeves and frustrations are valid too. Just makes me feel bad to see writers told they're wrong about the subject matter they enjoy... I'm not talking about the obvious and hateful misconceptions, though. Screw those!

Reviews for Chapter 5: Thanks for reviewing guys <3 Your feedback provides endless amounts of motivation and inspiration. Mona Thompson: LOL I love your attitude. Seriously, I laughed out loud. I'm ecstatic parts of the story creeped you out - that's exactly what I strive to do. Gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling. I'm a little worried about your bed, though. Thank you for the entertaining reviews - I'm still snickering about that second one! Blue GhostGhost: I see where you're coming from. Rufus is a lot more reserved than the main characters I usually do. He's the kind of person it takes time to get to know. And I agree a writer has to make the readers like the characters, so I'm a little sad that you don't like them so far. This story is just beginning, and Rufus will remain the main character. I like to think there's still plenty of time for readers to get to know him and decide whether they like him or not. Thank you for your review - I appreciate your honesty. Kali: Thank you for dropping me a line! I'm happy you're intrigued and I hope you enjoy what's to come. Reviews for Chapter Six ssn: Hey! No worries, I took out the wrong review. Who Rufus is going to hook up with will become clearer in the next few chapters, but who would you like him to end up with? Don't worry about Lady Primrose. She has a part to play real soon. Lola: Hello Miss Lola! I'm glad you like Kett. He's an interesting character to write and try to unravel. What sort of closure would you like to see between him and Cedric? Kali: That confusion you're feeling is perfectly natural. Part of me is proud, part of me feels guilty and wants to answer the question and spoil it for you, but don't worry, I shall resist! I'll give you a hint though. One of your guesses is close, but there's a third option. Thank you for your kind review, I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Mitts: Thanks for dropping by, Mitts! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hear what you're saying about swearing in narrative. I did debate with myself over that very line in the editing process, and ultimately decided to keep it in. I like to make my 3rd POV narrative in the perspectives of characters, so it's kinda close to 1st POV to me, without actually being 1st POV. I'll avoid obscenities in narrative in the future, but I should warn you, scenes from Cedric's perspective are pretty rife with them! Thank you for your honesty - feedback like this is crucial and always appreciated.

I can't imagine going through a real professional editor. Christ on a cracker, Bronx, that must've been hard. Every single time I post a story - hell, even when I post to a thread or in the shoutbox - I'm a bundle of nerves. Even when it's something I'm proud of, that I've gone over a dozen times with a fine toothed comb and came out the other end loving the finished product. As soon as I click that submit/post button, the anxiety hits me. "Did it sound too stilted? Too clinical? Was that sentence too long? Did I start too many sentences with the same word? OMG is that what I call a transition?!" I usually end up doing a bazillion post-finished-product-edits. In case anyone's wondering: yes, it is entirely possible to over edit. I sympathise, KoKoa.

Ugh, I totally agree on the 'male'/'female' thing. I cringe whenever I see that or hear it on TV.

It's okay, I think, to use alternative/descriptive nouns consciously and in moderation. I still use them sometimes too, such as when the character's name is unknown to the perspective/narrator. I have a lot of insane pet peeves when it comes to writing. Not even grammatical ones either, I'm talking makes-no-sense-to-anyone-but-me stylistic pet peeves. But even with those, I can deal with tripping over them once or twice, but when they're peppered generously throughout, it's hard to keep my head from exploding long enough to press the back button. So yeah... moderation. Having the name Bob 4 or 5 times in one sentence is definitely overdoing it too. That's equally distracting and ideally there are other options to get around it without using those alternatives to pronouns. I would still avoid them, but that's just because I personally don't like them. I don't doubt for a second that some authors use them skillfully.

Speaking as someone who used to be frequently guilty of this sin... It was common in the fandom that was my training grounds. I've also noticed it a lot in original writing, and it definitely does drive me crazy too, even though that makes me a little bit of a hypocrite. For me, and I think for some others, it was a fear of repetition. Especially in slash fiction where most characters are male, using pronouns too much can get confusing, and I had been nervous about repeating the character's names too often. Of course I've since learned that repeating character names isn't nearly as distracting as those alternatives, especially if you use a character name that isn't, itself, too distracting. Like not Beezelborp. If your character is named Beezelborp, you might want to find a less distracting shortform... I think it's something that writers grow out of as they gain experience and confidence. For me it took a few years and a lot of research in writing techniques. It was all about insecurity.

Chapter 6 Review Replies: I am not officially pronouncing this story dead. It is not dead. I, however, have decided to put it on hiatus for two reasons. 1: I was stuck on chapter... 8, I believe. And 2: No beta. My beta is pretty busy and I'm forcing enough on her with another story. It makes me sad, though, even with just a hiatus. I really love writing to this. Anise: I thought Lekan needed a lil non-pissed-off moment or two before his head exploded. Hanging out with a baby seemed like the right choice. She doesn't talk, after all (not well enough to say something that annoys him anyway!) It made me laugh, though, that after all that happened, Lekan with a baby is what shocked you Fran Rie: Don't worry, I don't think anyone likes Lekan so far, but me I like a good love/hate situation. I'm glad you like Harley. He's the whole reason I keep going back to this story after many, many bouts of writer's block and self-doubt, because he's fun to write. The aliens, though... Of all the alien movies I've watched (and I've watched a lot) I always found myself rolling my eyes when the aliens appeared. They're always cruddy makeup or cheap CGI. Always tears me out of the story. It's the ones you don't see that scare me, so I'm trying to keep that feel. Kew: I miss it too. I miss writing to it.

31356