Quote by avrgblkgrl
I think that you answered your own question, professional writer's do it all the time. The student simply failed to do it well.
If you are going to give something like that a shot and it is beyond your familiarity, research it. So much is available now.
People share their experiences freely. A little imagination and empathy can go a long way. If you are not going to dedicate
the time and care it is going to take to do it well, then don't bother. That goes for anything outside of your personal comfort
zone of knowledge. What would not be socially acceptable is to misrepresent the lifestyle or the characters, to demean them
with ineptness. No one wants to see their culture misrepresented. I find that offensive personally. But keep in mind that even
within a labelled group there are individuals. Each individual's experience is different. It would be hard for someone to say
that's not possible if the writer has done a good job of telling his story. The reader feels whatever the writer wants them to
feel and beyond--if the writer is good.
Don't reach further than you are willing to stretch.
The roughly 600 drafts?!
Good advice. I've submitted a few stories but they have been autobiographical. I am working on my first story writing first person from a male perspective. I am using broad guesses as to a mans point of view. My first draft I had some one read and they said it was good but I feminized the character. it is harder than I thought.
