writing a character in poverty PLEASE READ

Have you struggled with writing certain topics or am i just blehg?

Yes	55.8%	[ 24 ]
Nope	9.3%	[ 4 ]
You're an idiot	34.9%	[ 15 ]
Total Votes:			[ 43 ]

[Writingismylife]

Hey. I'm writing a story about two kids who meet one of then grew up in a wealthy family and another grew up with poverty. The only problem is i can't write anything poverty filled besides cliche's but i'd rather not be cliche.
What seperates them is a fence And i feel as if i know nothing realisticly about what i'm writing. I didn't plan it out i just started writing..and it showed up.
Oh boy.i sound stupid. Sorry for wasting your time. emo wahmbulance crying redface

[Sharoque]

Search and read news about poor areas of your country or others.

[plasterbrain]

Well obviously it'd be harder to write if you don't have those experiences.
If you put some time into researching life in poverty (documentaries? memoirs? interviews? dare I recommend naturalistic observation?!) and make an effort not to be heavy handed about it you should be ok. "Write what you know" doesn't hold water for all situations.

[BuiltWilt]

If you're talking about hardcore poverty, it's worse than cliches. And frankly, life is full of cliches. It really just depends on how well you write it, how well you twist it to your style; because cliches are nothing but brittle frames that needs adding onto.

Poverty is usually associated with a broken family. If you drive down Wall Street in L.A., it's really horrendous stuff. All the cliches are just blown out of the water. There are literally mobs just hanging around walls, all over the sidewalks, laying on the floor for just one block. No shirts, no shoes, garbage bags to carry their things--and all day, they just wander around there, very miserable and obsolete to everyone else who's better off. The age range goes from a young adult to an old man--the initial instinct for most when they see such a place is fear. Sad, but true. It's fear of what such a large group can do, and fear of how it's even possible for such a fate to happen to a great number of people.

I wouldn't recommend going out there to witness it yourself; it's not a pleasant experience to have if you're only going to write about it. It really leaves an ugly feeling when you get out of there and realize you can't do squat for them. But I do agree with those above: research it. That will give a better insight.

Also, the economy is bonkers. The gap between rich and poor is only further expanding; the middle-class is nearly non-existent now. Even professors who worked tediously for their PhD's are getting mediocre pay with little benefit (well, in California anyway). It's ridiculous. But anyway, that might be a good mention in your story.

Good luck.

[Kairi Nightingale]

Do some research. As it happens, I was watching a movie based on a true story of a girl who went from a house with drug-addicted parents, to being homeless on her own, to going to Harvard. It's called From Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. It gives a lot of insight on some of the issues faced by a teenager in poverty.

However, you have to remember that your character is a person. They shouldn't be defined by poverty just like the girl in this movie isn't. Just develop their character like any other, taking their background into consideration.

For example, what would they or their family do when they needed food, clothes, or other necessities? Did your character take a job at a young age? Did they ever run away from home? How did their parents handle taking care of a child and how did this affect your character? Did they ever have to steal what they needed? Did they ever steal what they just wanted but knew they would never have otherwise? How did this make them feel?

Nothing is inherently cliche. Cliches are just badly written tropes and tropes are everywhere. If you write the character well, then they won't come off as cliche.

[Kreepidoll]

If I may -
1) Never apologize for asking for help. That's what communities and forums are for! 3nodding
2) How impoverished is this person? Is it that they're living off of food stamps and minimum wage, or living in a shanty thrown together with scavenged materials and dumpster diving for dinner behind a second-rate diner?
3) Another idea might be to look into the great depression. There are pictures and stories a plenty about people's hardships, how some got so hungry that they would eat the leather from their shoes to stave off death by starvation.
4) I agree with the others that it also just depends on how well you write the character.
biggrin

[FindingJackie]

You've already gotten quite a few good tips, and research is key here.

Your post brought something else to my mind, though. You say they are separated only by a fence, and I would be surprised that a very big "rich quarters" house be right next to a poor area like that. Society tends to isolate its poor areas. However, that doesn't make it impossible.

Either you can just work with symbolics, or do some research about this: Some very poor people might not seem like it. They have a big house which might have been passed down, bought before a big financial problem or bought for a huge debt, and their money all goes into paying the house and taxes, leaving very little for food etc, so they struggle to survive without necessarily getting any trouble for debts. They live in a big house, but with the bare minimum inside, often makeshift furniture made out of boxes etc. I haven't seen this first-hand (I was told about this by someone who distributes help to the poor and was surprised at first to be sent to such rich areas of town), so I couldn't give you much more details, but it could be something interesting and different to show, if you can find out more.

Of course, you don't have to use this, but I hope it sparks your imagination and inspiration. Good luck with your story! If you do good research, you don't have to worry so much about cliches. Just write the story you wish to tell.

[Diabolicull]

I'd definitely do some research about areas close to you that are impoverished.
I also recommend looking into what sort of books your library has about poverty and whether they have any books by others who have written about poverty. ^^

[tea rexx]

Here's the thing about poverty: If you haven't experienced it first-hand, it's easy to stereotype and be offensive. Even library research and documentaries can be limited because they have an agenda. I do recommend research, but I encourage you to be a critical consumer. Always ask yourself what the author is trying to accomplish by portraying people in this way.

In the same way, you should ask yourself what your purpose is in portraying a family as impoverished. What's your agenda? Are you trying to uncover the injustice surrounding cyclical poverty? Are you trying to bridge the gap between social classes? Do you simply need a difference between your characters? You'll get a gist of poverty by simply watching movies or reading books, but your writing will be weak. It won't have the passion and personal experience that will entrance your readers.

I highly suggest getting real life experience. I lived in inner city Houston for a year with neighbors who were all well below the poverty line and I've never had such a blast in my life. People were friendly, helpful and genuinely concerned about their neighbors. Everyone helped everyone else stay above the water. I know that picking up and moving to a low-income community is probably not an option for you. But there are plenty of things that you can do that will give you a chance to get to know people in poverty in a more personal way. Look for local volunteer opportunities. Almost every town anywhere has a food bank. Always find those opportunities that allow you to actually interact with the people coming in. Have real conversations. Ask them how their day is going and spend time listening to them. Be a friend. Many people in poverty are dying to have their story heard but no one to listen to them.

If you want stories of extreme poverty, I'd find an opportunity to volunteer with a homeless population. Most people on the streets are temporarily homeless. They'll have real stories for you about how they hit a streak of bad luck, lost a job, couldn't pay the rent, etc. They're great stories.

If you do this, you'll make great friends. You'll have much more compassion for poverty, and it will come out in your writing. It will also make your story more genuine and creative. You'll have more stories and ideas to draw from so it won't seem cliche.