In my urban fantasy novel, I have two female protagonists who grow fairly close to one another as the story unfolds. I'm aiming the novel at 20somethings, and specifically toward the crowd that is sick of romantic subplots. (This market exists. I CAN FEEL IT.)
Imagine my surprise when one of my betas commented that he found it interesting that I was writing about a lesbian couple.
Blink. Blink. Mk. I've never explored either character's sexuality, beyond one of them lamenting that she'll never have a boyfriend, very early in the novel.
Like all feedback, I can do three things. Ignore it. Revise against it. Or embrace it.
And the more I think about embracing it, the more I like the idea.
I'm worried about a couple points, though. The first being that, as a male author, I think there's a perception that I have no business writing about lesbians. The second being -- if I have a character that is gay in addition to rebelling against societal norms, I'll have someone who could easily be construed as a crude stereotype, when that was never the intention at all. So if I do it wrong, I'm simultaneously alienating gay readers AND the strictly "hetero-normal = good" crowd. I don't mind purposefully excluding a certain type of reader, but not if I'm also excluding the type of reader I'd hope to attract!
But if I continue writing as if neither character has a sex drive, I'm leaving this massive gap in their souls. I could certainly have them be in love without adding a romantic sub-plot -- make their relationship a part of the character arc. I even like the depth that would give them, especially as an explanation for their actions later in the novel.
So... my question is, does an urban fantasy without a romantic subplot appeal to you? And if I decide to run with this beta-reader's idea that my characters are gay, will my own gender cause a disconnect?
I'm not asking if I, as a male, have the ability to write a lesbian relationship. I do. Love is love, and people who think that love has to fit into certain molds are grossly in error, at least as far as my opinion goes. I'm asking if the reader's perception of men in general will make a lesbian relationship in a male-written text taboo.
Thanks for the input.
Afterthought:
This is my first thread in this forum, and I feel like I'm stampeding over eggshells. So if my post is inappropriate, or offensive, I apologize.
Imagine my surprise when one of my betas commented that he found it interesting that I was writing about a lesbian couple.
Blink. Blink. Mk. I've never explored either character's sexuality, beyond one of them lamenting that she'll never have a boyfriend, very early in the novel.
Like all feedback, I can do three things. Ignore it. Revise against it. Or embrace it.
And the more I think about embracing it, the more I like the idea.
I'm worried about a couple points, though. The first being that, as a male author, I think there's a perception that I have no business writing about lesbians. The second being -- if I have a character that is gay in addition to rebelling against societal norms, I'll have someone who could easily be construed as a crude stereotype, when that was never the intention at all. So if I do it wrong, I'm simultaneously alienating gay readers AND the strictly "hetero-normal = good" crowd. I don't mind purposefully excluding a certain type of reader, but not if I'm also excluding the type of reader I'd hope to attract!
But if I continue writing as if neither character has a sex drive, I'm leaving this massive gap in their souls. I could certainly have them be in love without adding a romantic sub-plot -- make their relationship a part of the character arc. I even like the depth that would give them, especially as an explanation for their actions later in the novel.
So... my question is, does an urban fantasy without a romantic subplot appeal to you? And if I decide to run with this beta-reader's idea that my characters are gay, will my own gender cause a disconnect?
I'm not asking if I, as a male, have the ability to write a lesbian relationship. I do. Love is love, and people who think that love has to fit into certain molds are grossly in error, at least as far as my opinion goes. I'm asking if the reader's perception of men in general will make a lesbian relationship in a male-written text taboo.
Thanks for the input.
Afterthought:
This is my first thread in this forum, and I feel like I'm stampeding over eggshells. So if my post is inappropriate, or offensive, I apologize.
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