I am a children’s author who recently immigrated to Canada, coming from a background deeply rooted in Eastern storytelling. In many Eastern cultures, storytelling traditions lean heavily on oral narration and mythic structure, bringing the style closer to folktales than to Western short stories or novels. Eastern writers, especially those creating for children, often focus on tales with symbolic or legendary qualities rather than conventional narratives.
As I adjust to a new cultural landscape, I find myself questioning whether to adapt my work to fit Western literary standards. Should authors with Eastern roots, now working in Western contexts, mold their stories to align with Western storytelling conventions, or retain the essence of their traditional narrative forms?
If I stay true to Eastern storytelling, I risk a limited connection with Western readers. Yet, adopting Western norms could feel like a compromise, making my stories seem intentionally adapted. How would you suggest I navigate this challenge? Should I hold to Eastern traditions, or blend them with Western standards to broaden my stories’ reach?
Hi Nasser,
This is such an important and, understandably, nuanced question.
At the risk of simplifying this complex question, I think that all writers have to follow what's in their heart. If you feel passionate about staying true to Eastern storytelling, and that your story is best told in this format, then I would suggest that is what you do.
Good, quality writing is what rises to the top above all else.
It might interest you to know that there's a wide range of literature out there from published writers who have chosen to write in non-Western formats.
I recently read And Then She Fell, a book by Alicia Elliott.
https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/and-then-she-fell/
This book was shortlisted for the Women's Prize, one of the biggest writing prizes, and Alicia, as a Mohawk woman, wrote this book following traditional Native American storytelling formats.
I hope this example shows that commercial success is not dependent on writing to what might be viewed as more 'commercial' methods of storytelling.
As you are also a writer of children's fiction, many of the best tales from children have come from Eastern cultures and the mythic structure lends itself incredibly well to children's fiction.
I think above else, be kind to yourself. If you want to experiment with your stories in a more Western format then you must give permission to yourself to do that. It might be an interesting exercise to see how you feel about your story. Is there a way that you can blend your stories without compromising them? If yes, then great. If no, then that's also great. Focussing on the story that you want to tell is the most important thing. As writers, we are often guided by our gut.
I hope this helps and I will have a little think about any further resources that I can send over which might be of use. When I do so, I'll add them to this Discussion thread as a further comment.
Clare
W&A