Writing: culture clash

[Note: this is a copy of an article originally posted at Britwriters.]

The US and the UK have a lot of things in common, including (more or less) a language. But now and then you trip over something where the culture is so wildly different that people on one side or the other may not even be able to grasp how utterly different the other culture is. That can be a significant issue in writing for an audience on both sides of the Atlantic, because you can end up leaving one half of the audience scratching their heads and thinking your writing is sloppy, when what they see as a plothole is an accurate reflection of the culture the story is set in.

Writing: Britwriters blog

A group of British writers, including yours truly, have a new group blog at Britwriters. To quote one of the fine people who came up with the idea for the blog:

If you’re from the UK and you’re a published author, and you’re looking for a place to promote your books, then the new Britwriters Blog might be for you.

http://wulfwaru.wordpress.com/

If you’re not from the UK, but you’ve considered writing a book set in Britain – whether a contemporary or a historical – then this blog should have something to interest you too. And if you’re not a writer but you’re just interested in our peculiar little country, I’m hoping this will also give you an occasional giggle

More details here: http://alex-beecroft.livejournal.com/28328.html

I’ve just posted my first article, a piece about considering cultural differences when writing for a mixed US/UK audience. I’ll mirror it here and on my main blog, but you’ll find the original here: http://wulfwaru.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/writing-culture-clash/