Check-in: 25 and 26 May 2011

[charamei]

Sorry, everyone: I got back later than expected last night and didn't get much of a chance to post.

How's it going? Are you on track to meet your month's goals?

Discussion time:

[Background — a six piece pie style colour split in two shades of blue. Foreground — an excited-looking leopard cub.

Top text: Decide to write British character.

Bottom text: 'Allo 'allo darling apples and pears wotcher Bobby time for tea, guv'nor! ]

(Courtesy of the Writer Leopard.)

Writing for canons that are not set in your native country or culture can be a challenge. What's your favourite way of working around the issue? Does it bother you when fanfic writers (or pros, come to that) have obviously not done the research?

Comments

[curuchamion]

I should really be at home writing... but I'm leaving/losing my job next week (it's complicated), so was researching possible career changes. (No moar IT drone if at all possible! *g*)

Let's see - 16k more words to go, 6 days to write them in, and I've got Monday off... that's totally doable, isn't it? XD

[bay_alexison]

Haven't gotten much writing done at all the past few days due to busy with a million things. I was able to edit and post a story of mine Monday night and send a work to my beta eariler today. Got some plot bunny ideas forming in my head also, so I'm going to try to set some time for writing tomorrow.

Today's discussion I can't say much because the fandoms I have been reading/writing stories of are more or less made up worlds with hints of this country's culture here and there. If I were under that situation, I would research the country's culture as much as possible.

[jagnikjen]

I've been taking the time off. Part of me wants to write, but I have no plot bunnies what-so-evah!! So I've been reading--finished two books between Saturday and Wednesday. Went and saw Pirates 4, matey, last night.

Tho, I'm always still involved in fandom, so posted a couple of fics at a new archive and participated in land comm activities.

Well, I'm currently writing for a canon that takes place in another country. Luckily, a) I lived in that country once, b) I have many online friends from that country, and c) there are lots of sites to help me. So I do my best, though I don't think I always pull it off.

It does bug me when people can't be arsed to do at least a minimum amount of research. I mean c'mon, GOOGLE is your friend!!!!

[linaewen]

I took the day off yesterday and could have gotten so much accomplished with writing... But I lazed around and didn't do anything, alas. I actually feel like writing today, though, so maybe yesterday's laziness was of benefit. ;-)

Most of my writing takes place in a made-up world which is pretty established, but I have created new characters within that world that have their roots in real cultures, so I try to be sure to be true to that culture and language. In other cases, if I am not so familiar with the country or culture I'm dealing with in my writing, I research it thoroughly. Having lived in another culture and learned several other languages, I kind of know the things to look for that help make writing about a culture believable.

It does bother me when people don't do their research, because it's pretty easy to find information and make a few adjustments so that characters who are supposed to be of a certain culture become more believable. I'm not so picky that they have to be perfectly right language and culture-wise, but they need to be believable, at least.

[in_lighter_ink]

It's possible I might actually finish something this month! (Though, now I've said that...) Is it what I set out to finish? No. Is it something I might actually post eventually? Maybe! Progress: made.

I'm also currently writing for a canon set in another country -- but it's a country I've visited several times, my father currently lives over there, and there are scads and scads of resources available. So I'm quite lucky.

And yes, blatant examples of not having done proper research bug me. The information is out there, why not make use of it? I mean, I'm not super picky, and will generally give writers the benefit of the doubt, but when it's obvious that there's not been any effort put into making the character believable? That's irksome.

[anyssia]

I've been very, very bad and haven't written more than 500 words in a week ^^;;; I spent most of my time reading Stargate SG1 crossovers and Stargate SGA sentient!Atlantis fics xD

So, since there aren't any daily posts for the last few days, I just added to this one ;p

Hum, about the other country thing? For me, it's mostly about writing about an English character or such. But since English isn't my mother tongue already, I don't want to get mixed up by trying to twist my writing with a British English as well.
So I just keep using American English as I don't want to mangle another culture. ^^