Today’s guest post is by author L.A. Darroch, a Christian author with a heart for writing about the persecuted church and other stories that touch the hearts of readers for God’s glory. She seeks to use her writing to encourage readers to “Speak Life.” She credits her late father with introducing her to a passion for reading. Darroch lives in Winnipeg, Canada, and is owned by a very smart cat named Bathsheba.
As the saying goes, write what you know.
What if you have an idea for a story set in another country? It would be great if you could travel to research your story, but it isn’t always possible. Travel, especially halfway around the world, can be expensive. Even more so with rising fuel prices and inflation. War or even a virus such as COVID-19 can make it dangerous or close borders to travel.
Don’t despair. Just because you can’t travel doesn’t mean you’re stuck writing boring stories based on what goes on at your day job or things you overhear at the grocery store. There are ways you can research stories with exotic settings and diverse characters with no travel. In this blog post, we will explore 5 tips to help you add other cultures to your story without leaving the country.
Tip 1. Reach Out
I know that it can be frightening. Even if you aren’t an introvert, contacting someone to ask them questions can be nerve-wracking. Sometimes reaching out to a local cultural organization or acquaintance may be the best way for you to do research.
Be courteous when reaching out. If you’re uncomfortable making initial contact on the phone, you can send an email. Let them know that you’re a writer and the project you’re working on. You can include more information if you wish. Most people will be flattered that you’re interested in learning about their culture. Even if they don’t want to help, they will let you down gently.
Tip 2. Immerse yourself locally
The best way to understand a culture is to immerse yourself in it. If you don’t know someone personally and are a little hesitant to contact a local group, you may feel more comfortable in a group setting. Many cities have cultural festivals that you can attend. For example, in my city, Winnipeg, Canada, we have a yearly festival called Folklarama. Folkarama runs over several days and allows people to travel the world without leaving the city by visiting different cultural pavilions. Each pavilion gives people a chance to enjoy entertainment and food from the host culture.
Though attending a cultural festival may not be as good as travelling, it can give you an understanding of a culture and may help you build connections. If you are interested in the food of a certain culture, you also may want to consider trying authentic cuisine from a local restaurant or taking a cooking class. It can help you discover which foods are common and how they are prepared.
3. Read Books About the Culture
Another way to glean information about a culture is to read non-fiction books. From contemporary first person perspectives to history books, there are lots of options to choose from. I recommend reading as many as you can as it can help you pick up on key cultural elements that may be useful.
For example, when researching my novel The Road from Damascus, a key element I picked up on was the importance of dreams in Middle Eastern culture. Middle Easterners take dreams more seriously than Westerners. Many Muslim-background believers often have dreams of Jesus as a part of their conversion stories. Therefore, I decided that the dreams and nightmares of my characters should be an important part of the story.
While I read lots of books about contemporary Christian persecution in Syria and Iraq, I also read a few books on the history of Christianity in the Middle East. It was important for me to understand the historical context to understand the strong faith of Syrian Christians. Even if you’re not writing historical fiction, you may want to consider reading a bit about the history of an area. It could be important to your characters or give you some interesting facts to weave in.
4. Watch documentaries or cultural films
Let’s be honest, even those of us who love reading sometimes need a break. Documentaries can be an excellent source of information. The nice thing is that you can often can stream a variety of documentaries for free if you have a library card or get access through streaming services you already have like Prime Video or Netflix. These films can often give you an idea of what the landscape or buildings look like, and they can also provide a perspective that you couldn’t get otherwise, especially in situations where travel is restricted or impossible.
For my research, I watched a few short documentaries and took notes. There were films available through the library that had transcripts. That made note taking easier. One or two gave me an inside perspective of what it is like living under ISIS’s rule. It was these films (along with a couple of books) that helped me develop the characters that are a part of ISIS and to understand the ideology that influenced their actions.
5. Find reliable online sources
The final tip on our list is to use reliable online sources. While you shouldn’t rely on Google or Wikipedia for researching, websites of cultural organizations, governments and other sources can be helpful.
In his book Writing for the Soul: Instruction and Advice from an Extraordinary Writing Life, best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins recommends using an almanac, an atlas and the CIA’s world fact book.
I used the CIA’s world fact book. I also referenced websites of charities such as Open Doors that work with persecuted Christians. In addition to articles, the charity websites often had podcasts, which included interviews with the persecuted or those in close contact with them. Listening to these people talk or reading their stories gave me a sense of how they felt during their experiences and allowed me to build emotion into my novel.
So as you can see, you don’t have to travel to another country to research another culture. Reaching out to people, local cultural festivals or restaurants, books, films, and reliable online sources can all help you in create a realistic and exciting world for your characters to inhabit.
Which tip or tips will you implement to craft your next story? Let me know in the comments.
About The Road From Damascus
Jihad versus Jesus
Driven to the outskirts of the city and forced to kneel, Pastor Yosep Sapra and his family are shot at and left for dead. A rising ISIS commander finds Yosep and his young daughter Nami unharmed and takes them hostage.
Now Yosep must trust Christ to protect him and Nami as he navigates life under the thumb of brutal thugs. Unbeknownst to Yosep, his fourteen-year-old daughter Istir escapes to Canada but is tormented by nightmares and an overwhelming burden for her family and her people.
Will Yosep and Istir overcome or become martyrs in this battle against evil?
To read the first chapter or purchase the book, visit www.ladarroch.ca. For more information about L.A. Darroch and her books, visit her website www.ladarroch.ca