Here's a new question. How do you represent yourself, your culture, in your writing when you're different than the majority culture? How do you create the bridge from your culture to others? I guess that's really two questions.

As an author of color I often find myself in a difficult place. Do I write to my community or do I write more globally? My desire is to do both in each and every piece. But the real difficulty for me is when I write something that is culture specific making sure I put it in a context that is readily understandable by all. What is most problematic is when things don't easily translate or their is no readily identifiable similarity.

When I write science fiction it is so much easier because there I am creating worlds, and not just worlds, but cultures within those worlds. When people read science fiction they expect to have to learn as they go along. I have to admit that's half the fun, whether reading sci-fi or writing it. However, I find that when I'm writing contemporary fiction people aren't so fluid in the willingness or ability to learn as they read.

The challenge then is to make my characters so compelling that the reader experiences emotion in that context. To do this what needs to happen is the same thing that I do for science fiction. Build an emotional bridge for the reader by creating an intermediate world with anchors in both cultures. Not an easy thing to do for contemporary fiction. But if doing that was easy everyone would be published.

The answer then, lies in finding metacultural anchors. The greatest metacultural anchor is emotion. And the trick is building up the scene around it so that no matter what language you use the emotion explains it all.

I'd love to hear what you think.

I talk about researching cultures to write authentic characters. Then it occurred to me that it is possible that someone might not know how to get started, particularly for cultures that are quite different from their own. Or you don't know anyone from that background. Here are my suggestions.

Start by asking yourself questions about how someone would get to know you or your family. How would you describe the area in which you live? What are the things that people assume about your background that irritate you? What stereotypes do you battle?

Then head for Google to get information about the country and read about the customs. See what you can glean from their mode of dress, celebrations, economics, and class system, if they have one. If they have a class system, can someone move from one level to another, why or why not?

From there take a good look at their news media. You can't believe what details you can get. Do not dismiss the minutia, that's what is going to give you the true flavor of what you're after. You want to see what you can pick up about the crimes that are reported and the emotional reaction to them, career offerings and how one achieves them in that area, the things they deem important enough to report, and what is popular right now.

Contacting a travel agency will lead you to a goldmine of information. Ask for brochures of that area and the best times for travel and why. These will offer you current pictures and common dress. It will also give you an idea of the weather and climate. Ask about entertainment and if there are any cautions for travel there.

And don't forget to look into their history; particularly if there have been civil wars or border disputes. A fount of information can be found about religions, political positions, and taboos. This will also give you insight into why certain customs and laws were formed.

And finally, try to find an elder of that community and interview them about their childhood and how things are different today. I haven't met a senior yet who isn't ready for long conversation about the good old days.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you begin your journey, you will begin to build your own list of questions. Make sure you keep a record of all interesting tidbits. They may not be useful for your current project, but you never know what you'll be writing next. You'll be surprised at what you can learn about yourself while you're learning about others. Enjoy the journey.

Today when I was wondering what I would write about it occurred to me that I am writing to a particular culture. One which I am in constant research of, young adults. This can be a fairly difficult culture to understand.

On the surface it would appear not to be a problem, especially since I had once been there. But it's been a while and things have changed quite a bit. Yet there are similarities. When I was that young, I can remember thinking that I was in two places at once. Being on top of the world with all of life's promise ahead of me and living in the pit of despair, never knowing if I was okay. Did I wear the right clothes, have the right boyfriend (or a boyfriend), did I use the right slang? In this way teens of today are the same as back then. But that is where the similarity ends.

Today's youth live in a different world than the one that existed for me. The pressures for them have a different flavor. And the expectations have changed. The language is constantly evolving as is the 'right thing' that gains one's acceptance. And there is always the possibility of being sanctioned against for having participated in one of the great taboos. These are the things that go into creating a culture.

So, if their culture is different than mine, how do I go about learning it? One of the greatest helps is in going to the source. Talking with teens every chance I get. Listening to what they are saying and listening for the things that they pointedly leave unsaid. Offering the respect and acceptance that I would want and honoring their hopes and dreams.

Where does writing come in and figuring out what they want to read? That one's easy. Everything. Just like in any other culture there is no one attribute that can be ascribed to everyone within that group apart from the similarity of age. Thinking about young people in any other way than acknowledging their individuality is slipping into stereotype and I guarantee it will mean a quick painful death of anything you write.

Then what do teens want to read? They want to read about kids just like them, kids different from them, kids with huge problems, and kids with everyday troubles. They want to read about adventures, those that lead them to different borders and those that lead them into their own backyards. They want to read about mystery, romance, fantasy, science fiction. In short, their desire for a good story is no different than our own. With one exception, if you, the author, trivialize their angst or cheapen their struggles, that book will die and so will your hopes of success in that genre.

The bottom line in writing YA is authenticity. Do your research and accept what you find. It will pay off.

What I love about the world is that there are so many different cultures. What a smorgasbord! There are the obvious ones that have to do with race and ethnicity. Then there are those cultures that are specific to families and regions. There are also cultures that are based on gender and sexuality, age, economic status, and profession. I would like to address professional culture with an emphasis on those who write.

There is a definite culture for those individuals who write and there is a subculture for those who write for children. We are a different animal all together. Those outside the writing arena believe that we who write for children do so because we lack the talent to write books for adults. It is as if writing for children is a representation of our intelligence, or the lack of. I had a fellow writer relate an encounter recently that exemplifies this viewpoint. When she told this person that she writes for children, their response was, 'Don't sell yourself short, you're a very bright person, with a little effort you could write for adults.' In the words of Bugs Bunny "What a maroon!" (yeah, I just dated myself)

Then there are those who think we write for children only because we have them and that's all that we can think about at the time. Yes, there are people who write for children that have children, but not all of us, and that is certainly not the reason. I can't speak for everyone who writes in this genre, but I can tell you why I choose it. I write for children because it is more challenging and offers a different kind of freedom.

The challenge is that I must think like those I am writing to, even though I left that age behind, and I won't tell you how long ago. I must come up with believable problems, difficulties, and conflicts. The dialogue must be fresh, but have a quality that is true for age and the time period in which the story takes place. And I must carefully build characters that can be identified with by either gender.

The freedom is that given all of the challenges, I get to write to the impossible and make it probable. I can express what many children wish they could say, but don't have the avenue or liberty. And, most importantly to me, I can create and encourage a respect for children everywhere.

Within the culture of those who write for children is an acceptance that is extended to all participants. Yes, we have particular customs, traditions (though these are very fluid), and social norms, but they are explained readily to any neophyte. Writing and getting published is a very competitive business. Yet, it is extremely rare that when one of us asks a question there aren't more than a few, if not hundreds of responses. There is, without a doubt, a brotherhood within this arena.

Sit with a group of us for very long and it will become quite evident. We speak a common language when talking about children's publishing. We have various unspoken expectations that are specific to children's literature. There is even a set of rules and mores that cannot be violated without careful thought and an understanding of the possible repercussions.

This brings up a question for me. Are the other genres similar in cultural uniqueness?

Thank you for your comments. They were not only interesting, but thought provoking as well. They make me think of all of the books I have read over the years (and believe me that's more than a lot!). Some with characters of color and some that included only characters of the majority culture. What stands out most in my mind is the quality of their writing.

The temptation is then to assume that if the writing is good, then nothing else matters. I don't think that is so. So then what does matter? Do I expect all books to include characters of color? Should books only be about things that address ethnic and racial differences and be a vehicle to social change? The answers to these questions are: quite a bit, no,no, and no.

Of course I can't let it just go at that, I have to tell you what I think. I'll try to be as brief as possible. Let me start with the first question, what really matters in writing.

A good storyline, good writing, and believable characters. That means if the author attempts to include characters of color then that author must be careful to do their research. Nothing irks me more than for any character to be presented in a stereotypical manner. Part of that ire is due to stereotypes being, for the most part, false, or at best a misunderstanding of a half-truth. What it tells me is that the author does not respect the culture that is being portrayed nor does that author respect the readers. In short, I wouldn't read much more of that book and I would be loathe to read anything else written by him or her.

I do not expect all books to include characters of color, however if the setting is metropolitan and the scenes revolve around more than four characters then the likelihood is that in real life someone of color would be involved. Unless of course the story happens to be about a bigoted individual that orchestrates his or her life to take place only around people like themselves. Even then I have to think the author would include someone of color if only to enhance the portrayal of the main character's prejudice. After all ever story needs some conflict (she says, tongue in cheek).

If every book had as its plot the workings of or even the changing of ethnic and racial differences, I have to tell you my reading would slow down considerably. As for using plot line as a vehicle to right social injustices, OMG! give me a break. A story should be just that, a story. It should come from the author's imagination, yet contain enough of a connection with reality to hold the reader's interest.

So I guess the bottom line is we should write what is real to us and at the same time be respectful of those cultures we represent in our writing.

Welcome all who enter here. I've always wanted to say that. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get up and running. And with that said I would like to start with my first topic.

Being a writer of color brings about different ways to think about story, who I am and what I represent. At first blush, one would say that being of color would have little to nothing to do with what and how I write.

Quite the contrary. I must think about my characters in a way that those of the majority culture can take for granted. An example is the description of beauty in most novels and literature. This applies to male and female alike.

Often the most attractive 'people' in these works of art are described as being blond with long, flowing hair, having eyes as blue as the sea, sky, pools of water, straight patrician noses, etc. When I think of beauty, this is not what readily comes to mind. I think of the many shades of brown, for skin, hair, and eyes. I think of curls, whether tight and springy or loose and dangling. And noses are never straight or upturned.

So when I write, should my characters emulate the popular depiction of what is considered beautiful or should they reflect the beauty in my world. And should I choose to represent the beauty from my world view am I relegating myself to a particular audience and genre.

These are questions that I struggle with every time I put pen to paper, or keystroke to laptop. My choice so far has been to represent characters that my grandchildren can identify with. By doing this am I limiting my audience? I don't think so. My plan is to become so good at my craft that whoever picks up one of my books is so taken with the story that they see themselves in it, no matter how I describe the characters.

I would welcome your thoughts on the subject. Let me hear from you.