fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2716 ]

[ SECRET POST #2716 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2716 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 044 secrets from Secret Submission Post #388.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - this is getting too obvious now, anon ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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that's basically what i'm trying to do (for myself, i'm never going to try to publish that thing), and i wanted to know how you guys feel about it.

Not bothered?

I don't see why it matters, tbh. Enjoy yourself?

Just get yourself an American beta to catch the small details in vocabulary and spelling. I have no problem with it in theory, but it is a bit jarring to see something like an American character talking about her "favourite colour."

Dude, spelling shouldn't matter at all unless said character was specifically telling another character how to spell something. THEN "favorite/favourite" can be called out. Otherwise? When speaking to another character, said characters wouldn't know whether "favorite" or "favourite" was the right spelling.

What would get me would be, say, if the writer tried to set a story somewhere in the American South and they got landmarks wrong or used slang wrong or something. THAT would get to me.

If you're not planning on sharing it, nobody will care. And even if you were, as long as it's not so blindingly inaccurate that it makes people want to punch things they will still not care.

And even if you were, as long as it's not so blindingly inaccurate that it makes people want to punch things they will still not care.

This made me chortle given how often Americans craft/buy amazingly inaccurate perceptions of other cultures. If America(ns) gets an inaccurate portrayal, I'd be amused because we've had it coming for quite a while.

Like anything else, as long as it's researched, it's fine. :)

Do it! If you're worried about accuracy for your own sake, you can always fish for beta readers on fs later.

Cultural appropriation.

Hdu you misrepresent the US to add exoticness to your fic.

Go for it! Anybody would would be bothered by this is pretentious and needs a hobby. Just, like others said, get a beta for accuracy of little details/vocab/spelling.

Edited 2014-06-11 01:06 (UTC)

Go for it. Make you do enough basic research that someone from New York isn't talking like a cowboy without proper backstory and no one does a day trip from Massachusetts to California like some shows scene changes imply you can, you're good. As long as the story's good you can have all the u's, biscuits, boots, bonnets and jumpers you want.

What I'm mostly worried about is geographical/practical stuff. Like; does this city have suburbs? How far are they from the center? Where would you eat for cheap? Where to hang out if you're young? etc.

yes! i'm very worried about that, especially the kind of thing you'd have to be a local to know. it's making me want to create a fictional city just to avoid dealing with it.

Re: non-americans writing a story set in america

shortysc22 - 2014-06-11 01:42 (UTC) - Expand

Re: non-americans writing a story set in america

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-11 01:52 (UTC) - Expand

Re: non-americans writing a story set in america

tabaqui - 2014-06-11 03:39 (UTC) - Expand

Pretty sure if you asked someone here, they'd be willing to help out. Even if I don't know the fandom, I'd be willing to help out if I knew the area.

Re: non-americans writing a story set in america

kallanda_lee - 2014-06-11 01:45 (UTC) - Expand

Go for it. I know I won't be crying "Appropriation!" ;)
What's it about, pal?

the bare bones: the co-founder of a big and mysterious company tries to keep things under control after one of her employees commits suicide. a lazy and underachieving private detective is hired to investigate and teams up with a curious investor.

it's an idea i've had for some time and i need to write it down because it's gonna frustrate me otherwise. it probably sound really crappy, but i don't intend to post it anywhere, so whatever.

Re: non-americans writing a story set in america

(Anonymous) - 2014-06-11 03:30 (UTC) - Expand

Good luck and have fun! And apparently what a lot of non-US-Americans forget when writing the US is that it's BIG. Texas alone is bigger than like half of Europe. So...remember that, I guess, haha.

Eh, go ahead. I'd recommend getting an American to double check it for the vocab and/or particularly large inaccuracies. If it's possible, I'd suggest getting one from the region that you're setting the story in since there can be some pretty obvious changes between regions - or even within a state [or just flat out ways a particular state is portrayed that is glaringly different from the reality you may not realize].

But yeah, go for it!

Not only do I have no problems with it, feel free to message me if you want with random-ass questions. I've lived on both coasts as well as in the middle, and I have friends I can hit up for the Southwest.

But yeah, as someone said above, make sure you have all of your travel distances worked out relatively correctly (Google Maps is a godsend for this.) It's true that many Europeans think that American cities are a lot closer together than they actually are, but it's equally jarring to see someone say that New York City and DC are 10 hours away from each other when it would take maybe half that time. Also, if at all possible try to contact somebody from where you're setting it just to get the basic slang and geographic references worked out.

thank you for the offer! i might take it if google doesn't bring up any satisfying answers.

and i will definitely use google maps in the future.

I don't think it's a problem. I'm Canadian and all my stories (so far) are set in America. I always make up fictional towns/cities though.

Go for it. Just do your research thoroughly and try to find good betas to doublecheck your work-- not just spelling and grammar, but geographical fact-checking, cultural issues and speech patterns, etc. But then I'd recommend that no matter what an author was writing about.

Honestly, if it's just for yourself, what does it matter what anyone else thinks about it? Have fun and enjoy yourself!

Don't care so long as you do cursory research. Like - no, you can't drive from New York to California in a day, that kind of thing.

Especially for yourself I'd say go for it...although I understand the impulse to compulsively fact-check even my most absurd id-fic.

A great resource is the NaNoWriMo forums; they're not so active outside of October/November, but people ask the randomest questions and get answers, so if you were to pop in and go "I need someone living in X-type of American city to describe xyz to me", someone would doubtless be happy to help.

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