Respectfully implementing culture in a story is both easy and difficult but it can be done right without the fear of getting canceled. As a Black woman, I am very familiar with the misrepresentation that occurs when it comes to describing people who look like me. Rather than allowing myself to be upset, my goal is to ensure that others know how to implement cultures that are not their own alongside being proud to represent their culture in a way that can be understood. This blog reviews a few tips on how to go about implementing culture even if it is not your own.

 

Misrepresentation of Culture

Within the last few years, implementing culture has become a hot topic due to the insensitivity of many BIPOC cultures. Acknowledgement distasteful representations have increased in the last few years. Therefore, the need to tiptoe around misrepresentation of culture is long gone and BIPOC are infringed upon though we are the salt of society.  

Do not take this as an article that demands for you to not write BIPOC characters into your story. That is not what is meant. BIPOC are a part of society so of course they will be somewhere in the story whether they are included or not. The problem is the dark light they are painted in. For far too long BIPOC cultured has been equated to  a narrative of thugs, uneducated, incapable, and more adjectives that ironically, unironically can be said about every culture and race on this earth.

So if you are writing a person of color make sure the way you are representing them has more to do with the story and not society. If are writing a historical fiction novel this may be a lot more understanding rather than if you write a fantasy novel that takes place in an entirely different universe than the Milky Way. Because let’s face it, what are the odds of aliens being discriminated against due to their skin color, unless they land here.

I will say there is a fine line between appropriate representation and what is needed for the story. However, it is how the story is delivered that can make or break its success. I know this can be confusing but we are in a day in age where we are all learning and accepting one another and that involves being considerate of everyone’s feelings.

And with that said, if an author does decide to write about a character that is outside of their own community, it is detrimental to their writing to do heavy research into the culture and to have a team that will set them up for success in that area. Furthermore, I will say, if you are implementing a character outside of your own personal culture, that that character should be secondary and not a main character to avoid misunderstandings and offense.  I say this because it will feel as though the outside culture is trying to step in as a voice for the culture that is being highlighted and that is the misunderstanding that you would want to avoid.

3 Ways to Make Sure You Implement Culture the Right Way

I think the following steps will help tremendously with implementing culture, and this goes for authors that are in and not inside the culture. These are in no particular order.

1.       Sensitivity Reader

What is a sensitivity reader? A sensitivity reader is a reader that reviews your book for any possible offensive, stereotypical, derogatory statements within your manuscripts. Make sure you have a sensitivity reader. It is one thing to have representation and a voice for a culture and/or community, but if there is something inside the lines of your writing that could cause harm to that community/culture then you will want to have a sensitive reader to identify it before publishing. This will provide you the opportunity to perform a revision.

2.       Research

Make sure to do your research. Sometimes stories are passed down generation to generation, making it similar to a game of telephone. Therefore, it is quite easy to mix up information. You want to be as thorough and factual as possible when it comes to delivering a story, especially if you are taking the opportunity to teach something. Think of it as preparing a child for a task they have never encountered, you would want them to be as prepared as possible when repeating the lesson they learned. So fact checking is a must.

3.       Delivery

I believe when there is an important lesson to be learned, we must keep in mind how we deliver it to others because it can cause them to disengage with what is being taught. For example, it would be best for the lesson to have a “Did you know?” tone, because at that point it will feel a lot more welcoming. Rather than the opposite “You should know this” tone because you don’t know what you don’t know. When you put your reader in the position to feel ashamed it can discourage them to learn more altogether.

 

Conclusion

All in all, if you want to implement your culture or a new culture into your writing, it can be done. We all interact with one another, meaning we all come into contact with different people eventually.

So, if you are up for the task of implementing cultures, the 3 tips can all be summed up with the understanding that this can be accomplished by being considerate of your words, your delivery, and your motive. The way you deliver your message will determine the way the reader receives it. The words chosen will play a major role in the way a reader understands the lesson. And last but not least, your motive. Whether we like to admit it or not, a lot of our intentions are shown through our actions and delivery.