S9E7 - Cultural Appropriation

There are some crimes people can commit that aren't punishable by law. This series is dedicated to those involved with writing, whether they be committed by the author or the readers. To be clear, this series isn't designed to help writers better create crimes (murder, theft, etc.) within their novels. The kinds of crimes we'll talk about range from boring the readers to abusing the control you have over the book and characters.

Cultures across the world are rich and great sources for inspiration for authors. Traditions, styles, religions, and folk tales can all play a part in creating an interesting world, whether it's a fantasy or real setting. It can be dangerous, though, to misrepresent real cultures. We talk in this episode about how to avoid crossing from inspiration to negative appropriation.

First aired April 23, 2020.