I know that the title of this thread is a little confusing — apologies! What I'm struggling with right now is this:
I'm in the process of outlining my next project while querying another novel. It's a YA fantasy inspired by ancient Japan, but not set in Japan. Somewhere along the same lines as Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes or Renée Ahdieh's The Wrath & The Dawn, where the fantasy settings have clear historical influences. The world I'm slowly diving into creating has a lot of Japanese elements in the plot, like samurai warriors, sohei warrior monks, an emperor, a ryokan, temples, festivals, kanji. And the main character is a pearl-diver, which actually ends up tying into the magic elements of the novel. But the setting is all fictionalized (i.e. the country is called Nayoko, not Japan).
And here's where I need help deciding if this is okay. I'm a young white woman. I know and appreciate that there is a need for diverse characters and worlds, and there is also a tremendous need for diverse/marginalized/#OwnVoices authors. But I'm not one — not for my pseudo-ancient-Japanese world, at least. I have no East Asian heritage or influences of any kind in my family, but I appreciate history and culture of all countries, and I really want to write this novel.
Is this too much? What is your opinion on non-minorities writing characters who are inspired by a minority race and culture? I would love to hear from authors from all walks of life and backgrounds, if possible.
I'm in the process of outlining my next project while querying another novel. It's a YA fantasy inspired by ancient Japan, but not set in Japan. Somewhere along the same lines as Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes or Renée Ahdieh's The Wrath & The Dawn, where the fantasy settings have clear historical influences. The world I'm slowly diving into creating has a lot of Japanese elements in the plot, like samurai warriors, sohei warrior monks, an emperor, a ryokan, temples, festivals, kanji. And the main character is a pearl-diver, which actually ends up tying into the magic elements of the novel. But the setting is all fictionalized (i.e. the country is called Nayoko, not Japan).
And here's where I need help deciding if this is okay. I'm a young white woman. I know and appreciate that there is a need for diverse characters and worlds, and there is also a tremendous need for diverse/marginalized/#OwnVoices authors. But I'm not one — not for my pseudo-ancient-Japanese world, at least. I have no East Asian heritage or influences of any kind in my family, but I appreciate history and culture of all countries, and I really want to write this novel.
Is this too much? What is your opinion on non-minorities writing characters who are inspired by a minority race and culture? I would love to hear from authors from all walks of life and backgrounds, if possible.