- Joined
- Jan 5, 2007
- Messages
- 993
- Reaction score
- 95
Okay, here's the deal. I notice that a lot of YA tends to involve romance in some shape or form, with it being a heavier influence when it's a female protagonist. However, I don't really care for romance. I can write relationships, sure, but those little nuances of heart fluttering and short of breath with some guy/girl walks into the room and they're described like living goddesses kind of just bores me. Especially when the description of said person never stops.
So, I want to make my main character asexual. For those who don't know, asexuality pretty much means no sex drive whatsoever. Asexuals can still form relationships however, it's just we're more focused on the mind and other features than just the physical ones. Meaning my main character won't go swooning over a guy/girl at first sight. They'd treat them no differently from anyone else until they got to know them better.
My worry though is that romance is practically expected in YA, especially for female protagonists, and here I am pretty much slapping it down. I'm also worried people won't understand or accept asexuality. I am asexual, and the responses I've gotten from people who found out have ranged from acceptance to disbelief (it's just a phase/you haven't met the right person/yeah right everyone wants sex) to hostility (that's unnatural/you definitely have some wires crossed/have you tried fixing it?) so I know a mixture of those responses will arise should this character be published.
So, I want to make my main character asexual. For those who don't know, asexuality pretty much means no sex drive whatsoever. Asexuals can still form relationships however, it's just we're more focused on the mind and other features than just the physical ones. Meaning my main character won't go swooning over a guy/girl at first sight. They'd treat them no differently from anyone else until they got to know them better.
My worry though is that romance is practically expected in YA, especially for female protagonists, and here I am pretty much slapping it down. I'm also worried people won't understand or accept asexuality. I am asexual, and the responses I've gotten from people who found out have ranged from acceptance to disbelief (it's just a phase/you haven't met the right person/yeah right everyone wants sex) to hostility (that's unnatural/you definitely have some wires crossed/have you tried fixing it?) so I know a mixture of those responses will arise should this character be published.