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[CCBC-Net] Regionalism continued...
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From: Arthur Slade <arthur.slade>
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 09:26:03 -0500
Hello,
I've been thinking more about regionalism lately. Being a Canadian who is published in the U.S., one of the questions I often get asked is "Did you have to set your work in the U.S. to be published?" Thankfully, the only changes to my work that I've had to make for an American audience are to flesh out a few historical instances that are specifically Canadian (the Canadians taking Vimy Ridge in World War One for instance). Oh, and to use a word other than "toque" to describe the woolen cap thingy people wear in winter to keep their ears warm. I'm happy that my books are still set in Saskatchewan, even though most people wouldn't know exactly where it is...or whether it really exists. : )
Sometimes there appears to be a watering down of location to make stories or movies more acceptable to a larger audience. It's what I call the Mcdonald's syndrome--no matter where you find a Mcdonald's restaurant the layout is basically the same and you always know where the bathroom is. It's great if you're travelling and...uh...in a hurry to find the washroom. But it's not a new experience. It's comfortable. I see writing about a specific region as the antidote to this. It gives us a new experience and lets us know that the world is richer than we ever imagined.
Art Slade
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 09:26:03 -0500
Hello,
I've been thinking more about regionalism lately. Being a Canadian who is published in the U.S., one of the questions I often get asked is "Did you have to set your work in the U.S. to be published?" Thankfully, the only changes to my work that I've had to make for an American audience are to flesh out a few historical instances that are specifically Canadian (the Canadians taking Vimy Ridge in World War One for instance). Oh, and to use a word other than "toque" to describe the woolen cap thingy people wear in winter to keep their ears warm. I'm happy that my books are still set in Saskatchewan, even though most people wouldn't know exactly where it is...or whether it really exists. : )
Sometimes there appears to be a watering down of location to make stories or movies more acceptable to a larger audience. It's what I call the Mcdonald's syndrome--no matter where you find a Mcdonald's restaurant the layout is basically the same and you always know where the bathroom is. It's great if you're travelling and...uh...in a hurry to find the washroom. But it's not a new experience. It's comfortable. I see writing about a specific region as the antidote to this. It gives us a new experience and lets us know that the world is richer than we ever imagined.
Art Slade
-- ___________________________ **Art's Podcast: Writing for YA Enjoy the infamy at http://www.arthurslade.com/podcast.html **Monsterology: Fabulous Lives of the Creepy, the Revolting, and the Undead (rising from the dead this Octomber) http://www.arthurslade.comReceived on Fri 16 Sep 2005 09:26:03 AM CDT
