Should I just dump story because its not own voices?

I think you are over-thinking the whole thing way too much. As long as it's believable than it's fine. Does the book focus on their race in someway that highlights it? Are you overemphasizing race versus say, finding food in apocalyptic Australia? People talk the way they talk. It ads character. I don't think anybody is going to chastise you for it, and even if they do, it's such a silly thing that it does nothing except call more attention to your story, and then more people read it. I'm not saying you should intentionally make it obnoxious, but people will shout and scream about anything nowadays. Just write the story that you need to write, and don't worry about what people "might" think.

Definitely write the story! I totally understand your concern writing about cultures outside of your own. It's quite the sensitive topic these days, and there are a lot of opinions out there about it. Unfortunately, "white" is the default in our literature, and writing anyone outside of that is usually subject to criticism, generally because so many have done it poorly and perpetuated stereotypes. But I think if you're doing research into that culture and writing about people, not just stereotypes, then that's the most that can be asked of you. Truthfully, when you share your story, it will be criticized. No one can write a perfect book. And even people within the same culture can have very different experiences (as you mentioned). So, I say just write the story in your head.

The Weaver said:

For a while now I've been working on a story set in a post apocalyptic Australia with two of the leads being Japanese, but I'm thinking of scraping the story entirely. I fear that no matter what I do, hiring sensitivity readers, doing the all the research, and avoiding stereotypes it won't be enough and I'm just stealing the voices and stories from Japanese people.

The problem could be solved by writing about black people only, I don't feel like I even have that right. Compared to other black people, my experiences are very different and I didn't have a lot encounters with racism. Will people pick those characters apart accuse them of not being really black and me by association? Or am I just overthinking it?

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When you talk about 'black people' in this story, do you mean Indigenous Australians?

It's up to you if you scrap the story. But the question is: is it finished? If not, I recommend finishing it first, letting it sit for a few days, then returning to it. If at that point you still feel you should dump the novel, do so. If not, edit, fix, polish, and submit to the appropriate publishers.

However, there's nothing to say you can't stop writing the novel right now and focus on something else. Put the current novel aside and return when you feel you should.

spottedgeckgo said:

I think you are over-thinking the whole thing way too much. As long as it's believable than it's fine. Does the book focus on their race in someway that highlights it? Are you overemphasizing race versus say, finding food in apocalyptic Australia? People talk the way they talk. It ads character. I don't think anybody is going to chastise you for it, and even if they do, it's such a silly thing that it does nothing except call more attention to your story, and then more people read it. I'm not saying you should intentionally make it obnoxious, but people will shout and scream about anything nowadays. Just write the story that you need to write, and don't worry about what people "might" think.

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I don't think it's about what people might think, or about people shouting and screaming at you.

The OP specifies a concern for taking voices and stories from Japanese people. That's a real concern. It's not a"don't worry about people being offended" thing. It's a concern that comes from empathy for other human beings, and the worry that speaking on their behalf, in a sense, may obscure their own voices and stories.

Sometimes people worry about "offending" people because they genuinely don't want to cause harm, and framing it another way, I think, doesn't help with the conversation.

I don't know the answer myself. I struggle with this a lot. I still put people of other races or skin colors or ethnicities in my stories, because I'm white, and the alternative is to only write white people, which I truly believe is more harmful in the end . . . but sometimes, if I'm honest, I wonder if the only way not to do harm is to just stop writing. The world has enough white American voices, doesn't it . . .

But, I still don't know. Part of me thinks that's not right, either, to just stop altogether, so I keep writing anyway . . .

All this to say--I don't really know how to answer your question, OP--but, I get a bit frustrated with the interpretation of the question "is this harmful?" as "will this make people mad at me?" . . . because it's a real question, this "is it harmful" thing, and converting it to the other question lessens the meaning behind it, and doesn't help it get answered . . .

Not to...go off on a tangent. Except I sort of did? Uh. Hm. Well. I'm going to shut up now at any rate

I would probably write the story, but...

In your research, read #ownvoices books about Japanese people. Buy their books and support their writing. Promote the ones you really love. Blog about them, tweet, etc. Make sure their voices are heard. #ownvoices stories ARE important, but not everything needs to be #ownvoices.

Disclaimer: I'm not Japanese, and I'm white.

With regards to taking stories from Japanese writers, I think the problem is more at a publishing and marketing level. I don't think that just writing about characters with a different racial/ethnic identity than you is inherently appropriative. I don't think writing such a story is stealing in the strictest sense because it doesn't limit other people's ability to write their own stories. But what can be a problem is when writers who don't come from a particular background receive more attention than writers who do.

That can be a tricky thing, obviously, because there are reasons other than race that one writer's book might be more highly received than someone else's book. And I think writers who identify as POC themselves don't have to worry about this quite as much since there isn't the same history of being the dominant voice in western literature for generations. But I think it's a valid thing to consider.

But I think maybe the best thing authors of any race can do, aside from doing their research and striving to write well-rounded characters, is to be a good ally and support writers from different backgrounds, especially when you aim for diversity in your own writing.

Yeah, this.

DancingMaenid said:

With regards to taking stories from Japanese writers, I think the problem is more at a publishing and marketing level. I don't think that just writing about characters with a different racial/ethnic identity than you is inherently appropriative. I don't think writing such a story is stealing in the strictest sense because it doesn't limit other people's ability to write their own stories. But what can be a problem is when writers who don't come from a particular background receive more attention than writers who do.

That can be a tricky thing, obviously, because there are reasons other than race that one writer's book might be more highly received than someone else's book. And I think writers who identify as POC themselves don't have to worry about this quite as much since there isn't the same history of being the dominant voice in western literature for generations. But I think it's a valid thing to consider.

But I think maybe the best thing authors of any race can do, aside from doing their research and striving to write well-rounded characters, is to be a good ally and support writers from different backgrounds, especially when you aim for diversity in your own writing.

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The Weaver said:

I want to thank everyone who posted in this thread. After reading all of your responses, I decided to keep the story. The question of who gets to tell these stories is not a easy one to answer, but looking at it now, I don't think I'm stealing stories. As DancingMaeind said, writing characters who are different from you is not appropriative by design but research, writing well-rounded characters, and supporting the group your writing about is key.

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I'd also second the suggestion of reading as much #ownvoices as possible

The Weaver said:

For a while now I've been working on a story set in a post apocalyptic Australia with two of the leads being Japanese, but I'm thinking of scraping the story entirely. I fear that no matter what I do, hiring sensitivity readers, doing the all the research, and avoiding stereotypes it won't be enough and I'm just stealing the voices and stories from Japanese people.

The problem could be solved by writing about black people only, I don't feel like I even have that right. Compared to other black people, my experiences are very different and I didn't have a lot encounters with racism. Will people pick those characters apart accuse them of not being really black and me by association? Or am I just overthinking it?

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I agree that you're overthinking this. You're black so write about YOUR experiences. I'm black and I'm marrying a white man. I listen to rock and metal. I watch anime. I hate rap and I think watermelon is a wasted fruit. The only "racism" I experience is from other black people (go figure).

Write what you want to write from YOUR voice. No one can experience your life through your eyes except you.

horrorchix89 said:

I agree that you're overthinking this. You're black so write about YOUR experiences. I'm black and I'm marrying a white man. I listen to rock and metal. I watch anime. I hate rap and I think watermelon is a wasted fruit. The only "racism" I experience is from other black people (go figure).

Write what you want to write from YOUR voice. No one can experience your life through your eyes except you.

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The OP was asking about writing from a Japanese perspective.

The Weaver said:

The problem could be solved by writing about black people only, I don't feel like I even have that right. Compared to other black people, my experiences are very different and I didn't have a lot encounters with racism. Will people pick those characters apart accuse them of not being really black and me by association? Or am I just overthinking it?

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horrorchix89 said:

I agree that you're overthinking this. You're black so write about YOUR experiences. I'm black and I'm marrying a white man. I listen to rock and metal. I watch anime. I hate rap and I think watermelon is a wasted fruit. The only "racism" I experience is from other black people (go figure).

Write what you want to write from YOUR voice. No one can experience your life through your eyes except you.

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buzhidao said:

The OP was asking about writing from a Japanese perspective.

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It is still important message for the OP to hear.

Too often I see aspiring PoC writers think they should not write #ownvoices from their perspective because their experiences are so different from other people of their group.

But your voice is still valid as a member of that group.

Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not Black enough or your experiences aren't Black enough.

I don't need to write about the Native American experience. That's impossible. There isn't one. Instead, I can write about my experiences as a Native person. Even if — especially if — they do not conform to the traditional narrative.

kuwisdelu said:

It is still important message for the OP to hear.

Too often I see aspiring PoC writers think they should not write #ownvoices from their perspective because their experiences are so different from other people of their group.

But your voice is still valid as a member of that group.

Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not Black enough or your experiences aren't Black enough.

I don't need to write about the Native American experience. I can write about my experiences as a Native person. Even if — especially if — they do not conform to the traditional narrative.

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That's absolutely true. Sorry; I wasn't thinking.

buzhidao said:

The OP was asking about writing from a Japanese perspective.

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The OP also said "The problem could be solved by writing about black people only, I don't feel like I even have that right. Compared to other black people, my experiences are very different and I didn't have a lot encounters with racism."

horrorchix89 said:

The OP also said "The problem could be solved by writing about black people only, I don't feel like I even have that right. Compared to other black people, my experiences are very different and I didn't have a lot encounters with racism."

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Yes, you're quite right, and made a valid point. Sorry, I had read with a certain focus, and that was wrong. I try, but sadly, am still often prone to stupid mistakes.