: Re: How do I write for the majority, without alienating my minority? This is something of a companion question to How does one write from a minority culture? A question on cultural references I

@Yeniel532

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There's no reason you can't do it the same way you would for a completely fantastical culture. These usually have the same problem - you need to write for the majority, who are completely unaware of the made-up culture, and although they don't have the downside that you find problematic, they nevertheless handle exposing that culture in ways that do not alienate.

The method I prefer is to just dump the reader in head-first without explanation - explicitly avoiding both narration and a stand-in for the reader's ignorance to allow in-story exposition. It is generally confusing at first, but the reader eventually figures out what most things mean, even if some of it remains mysterious.

Some other methods I've seen used in fantasy that potentially handle your problem include:

Using the author voice instead of a character as the narrator - your problem is then less alienation but potentially patronising people who already know what you're talking about. YMMV, you might find this alienating too!
Footnotes (e.g. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Discworld) or appendices (e.g. Lord of the Rings) to explain points - this also allows people who don't want to read it to skip it entirely.
Any of Amadeus's suggestions in this answer.

The style in Spinning Silver seems (I haven't read it!) to be using the protagonist's voice for exposition for literary effect; and in this case, although the narrator's voice felt alienating to you, it's also revealing something about the narrator herself - that she perceives herself as a minority that needs to explain these things more often than not, and that most of the time the people around her will not be fellow Jews who will understand.

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