As some may know, I take part in a novel marathon every July. This July, I didn't quite finish the novel in the 72 hour marathon. But it's coming along. I just wanted to ask opinions on the topic...I'm worried I portray something wrong or maybe go somewhere I shouldn't go.
The title is THAT'S ME IN THE CORNER
My narrator is a wallflower (Hence the title). His best friend is gay and the two of them, along with narrator's girlfriend, make an inseperable trio.
The love story is really a friend story. My narrator kind of comes into himself when his friend is attacked at a party by bashers and the narrator is held back and made to witness the attack. It's not a novel about prejudices, but they are definitely a theme. The novels more about the friendship of the three main characters.
The 3 friends go to Kenya for summer holidays with the narrator's father and his 'trophy' wife. All three teens have issues. The narrator is in a cocoon, his girlfriend loves both boys but often grudges her inability to have alone time with the narrator and the gay best friend is often left alone while his rich parents are traveling or simply ignoring him.
In Kenya, they all come face to face both with their struggles and with how good they have it at home. Adam, the gay character, finds out the homosexuality is a criminalized in Kenya and that he could end up in jail just for being who he is. Christian and Sadie discover more about their relationship AND more importantly about how financially fortunate they are. Christian also discovers the woman he hates with a passion (the woman who destroyed his summer by insisting that he go to Kenya in the first place), his step-monster, is actually a wonderful person.
It's really about relationship discovery and self-discovery.
My fears...portraying the gay character. I don't want him to be cliche...but there are some big issues surrounding his character. Like it or not, his sexuality is one of the themes. I was going to just write a story in which one of the characters just happened to be gay. But when you sit down and write for 72 hours, there is no mapping. You just write what comes out. The fact that he was beat up at a party by bashers...and then that he discovered an even bigger intolerance in a foreign country...was a surprise to me as I wrote. (-:
Question...after the sprawling explanation. How do you keep from writing a cartoon cliche character when you really really don't want to? I think I'm doing it...but I can't really judge my own work.
The title is THAT'S ME IN THE CORNER
My narrator is a wallflower (Hence the title). His best friend is gay and the two of them, along with narrator's girlfriend, make an inseperable trio.
The love story is really a friend story. My narrator kind of comes into himself when his friend is attacked at a party by bashers and the narrator is held back and made to witness the attack. It's not a novel about prejudices, but they are definitely a theme. The novels more about the friendship of the three main characters.
The 3 friends go to Kenya for summer holidays with the narrator's father and his 'trophy' wife. All three teens have issues. The narrator is in a cocoon, his girlfriend loves both boys but often grudges her inability to have alone time with the narrator and the gay best friend is often left alone while his rich parents are traveling or simply ignoring him.
In Kenya, they all come face to face both with their struggles and with how good they have it at home. Adam, the gay character, finds out the homosexuality is a criminalized in Kenya and that he could end up in jail just for being who he is. Christian and Sadie discover more about their relationship AND more importantly about how financially fortunate they are. Christian also discovers the woman he hates with a passion (the woman who destroyed his summer by insisting that he go to Kenya in the first place), his step-monster, is actually a wonderful person.
It's really about relationship discovery and self-discovery.
My fears...portraying the gay character. I don't want him to be cliche...but there are some big issues surrounding his character. Like it or not, his sexuality is one of the themes. I was going to just write a story in which one of the characters just happened to be gay. But when you sit down and write for 72 hours, there is no mapping. You just write what comes out. The fact that he was beat up at a party by bashers...and then that he discovered an even bigger intolerance in a foreign country...was a surprise to me as I wrote. (-:
Question...after the sprawling explanation. How do you keep from writing a cartoon cliche character when you really really don't want to? I think I'm doing it...but I can't really judge my own work.
