Culture Shock

Okay, okay. Luna says I've been slacking so I'm going to do a more serious post today about writing and... stuff. One that might actually be helpful.
Big shock, I know.
Today's focus is going to be about beliefs and culture in writing. In many ways this all contributes to background and stuff, and it's something that will also go towards forming your characters and in a subtle way, the plot of the story. Believe me, ponies up north would react a lot differently than ponies from the far south to things. So let's uh... start with this topic, lay a few ideas out, and see what happens.
One good thing to start with is not to write your own personal beliefs into the characters. One or two, yes, but try and keep in mind precisely who and what you're writing about, and think about things from their viewpoint. And don't let your personal beliefs intrude into the story too much here and there: say for example that you don't like swearing. Depending on the story and the characters, it might not be entirely feasible to cut out all the bad words that might be said just in the course of a normal conversation.
And that leads into another important idea. Write opposing viewpoints when you can, and characters who don't just act as foils to each other - you know, play off each other and help make different characteristics of themselves stand out - but also who conflict, even if subtly. Or hell, maybe they just have very different views on the world: either way, it'll help add another layer of depth to the overall story. After all, we often do tend to gravitate towards other people who share the same viewpoints as ourselves, but we almost always have friends, family, or just people around us who have at least one or two conflicting ideas/quirks.
It's also a good idea to use your writing to explore different concepts, as long as you keep one thing in mind: be fair. Even if an idea is vile, or something you violently disagree with, try and be as fair as possible with its presentation: particularly if the character or entity putting it forwards is presenting it. Remember, how many bad guys actually think they're bad guys, after all? Furthermore, how many would distinguish between 'doing bad things because' and 'I am a bad person...' not to mention what we'll call the line of actual belief. Lots of people talk tough or say they're quote-unquote 'evil:' how many really believe it and really would be willing to live under that shadow, given the choice?
Believe me. It's harder than a lot of people realize.
Anyway, let's look at this, and bring up an example. Mr.... Stally Stallion has a reprehensible opinion about mares. Well, that doesn't automatically mean he has to be some giant dumb brute lummox. I've known lots of ponies with horrible opinions about mares: many of them didn't even realize they had horrible opinions about mares, too. If something works its way into your system of beliefs, it's normal for you, after all, and the surprise only comes when someone tries to tell you the opposite: for example, maybe Stally Stallion has been raised to believe that mares can only cook, clean and waitress.
Luna can't do any of those things, by the way.
So Stally Stallion finds himself confused and maybe feels like someone's joking when he meets... uh... a mare engineer. A rude mare engineer, because one just recently moved into Ponyville. When he tells her that he doesn't believe she's actually a mechanic or whatnot, in his mind, he's not being rude: he thinks that he's the victim of a joke or this is some impossible, exotic occurrence. Now this is where the stupidity level kicks in: generally, people who are smarter but prejudiced become wary, make assumptions, and study whatever has just kicked their world view. People with less intelligence - or just less tact - tend to start trying to "reason out" what they're seeing and usually conclude something particularly offensive, or try and argue with said pony.
If you want to do justice to a character, then you have to present even the ones with the most vile of views as... well, not necessarily as sympathetic, but in a way that makes them seem like they honestly believe this is how the world works. Yes, there are vile people with vile views out there. There are also vile people with good views, and good people with vile views. Or, even simpler, people who you personally may disagree with, but still like the person, and vice versa.
If you're serious about writing it from their angle, or trying to present unfriendly or less-than-common views, I recommend reading into it from the viewpoints of said ponies. It's hard to do, yeah, but it's worth it. And it not only helps you build up a better knowledge and tolerance of whatever makes you feel uncomfortable, it helps you sharpen your mind and even find ways to argue with it. So really, it's a win-win. And it's just good to do, to help yourself remember... there's a whole world of different viewpoints out there.
The last thing I want to talk about is not to be offended if someone reads what you write, and makes all kinds of assumptions about you from it, good or bad. I mean, I've written some pretty nasty stuff, from some particularly toxic viewpoints. And sometimes that comes back to bite me in the ass, yes. But you know - and this'll be weird coming from me - ponies aren't always so bad about it. Sometimes all you have to do in response to some long, drawn out rant is say: "I don't believe or condone that myself, but it was important for the character." Or something along that line.
Don't say: "Yes, clearly I'm a firm believer in eating babies. I eat babies every single day. There's nothing better than eating babies." Because even if they know you're being sarcastic it really tends to piss them off even more and then they might punch you.
Just because you write about something doesn't mean you condone it or encourage it, remember that. And most people will recognize that, even if you try and write it in the most warped positive light you can. So try not to worry about that too much, or go and present something uncomfortable from a purposefully-uncomfortable viewpoint just because you're afraid of offending people. Try to stay true to the culture and ideas of the character you're presenting. Believe me, it'll make the impact that much stronger, and improve your own writing by that much more. Your writing may often end up reflecting you, but that doesn't mean every little idea represents you, or you have to use wholly your own viewpoints for every little bit. Use it as a tool to learn, to grow, and just to explore things you might normally not. It'll be worth it.


~Scrivener Blooms