{"id":290,"date":"2016-08-29T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2016\/08\/29\/whose-stories-we-tell\/"},"modified":"2021-11-16T00:41:33","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T05:41:33","slug":"whose-stories-we-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2016\/08\/whose-stories-we-tell\/","title":{"rendered":"Whose Stories We Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are making a thing about people who are not like you<\/i>, you should talk to people who are like that<\/i>.<\/b><\/p>\n

I can’t count how many game ideas or fiction ideas I’ve dropped completely because I couldn’t do the research, didn’t have the time to interview, or couldn’t read accurate accounts. People’s stories matter so much<\/i>. We should not fly off the cuff. We should not make assumptions based on media.<\/p>\n

If you’re working on something about people other than you<\/i> that those people could be emotionally affected by<\/i>,* pause and <\/b><\/p>\n

Consider whether you should do it at all. <\/b><\/p>\n

If you’re still determined to do it,<\/i> look for the people you are writing about<\/b> or people similar to them. Ask them if they will share their experience.<\/b> If they will not<\/i>,<\/p>\n

Consider whether you should continue.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you’re still determined to do it,<\/i> look for accurate and complete personal accounts. <\/b>If you can’t find them, or they seem unreliable, or they are confirmed to be inaccurate,<\/p>\n

Consider whether you should keep going.<\/b>

<\/b>If you’re still determined to do it<\/i>, review the available media regarding those people or their experiences.<\/b> If you can’t find them, or they seem unreliable, or they are confirmed to be inaccurate,<\/p>\n

Stop.<\/b>

<\/b>That’s right. Stop. Take a break, return to it later.<\/b> Think about why you want to tell these stories.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself:<\/b><\/p>\n