I was wondering: Is there something a straight writer should keep in mind when writing gay characters, aside from the obvious "no cardboard stereotypes"? Are there any non-obvious things in fiction that tend to annoy or offend?
Same advice for men writing women, women writing men, white people writing POC and so on.
One thing. Write the character as a person first, and as a ___ person second.
But I'm going to follow the AWWC golden rule and assume you ask it with the very best intentions and willingness to accumulate knowledge
Yeah, I would consider that one of those "obvious" things. Same with the notes in those links, but thanks all the same.But one of my personal annoyances, and the cause of me tossing more than one book across the room, is the idea that gay characters must ultimately be punished for being gay (either through death or ostracization, etc.). That's not to say gay characters can't suffer or die (a major gay character suffers a horrible death in the Obsidian Man), they just shouldn't suffer these things because they are gay. (Conversely, it is perfectly acceptable to me for gay characters to suffer because society et al does not "like" the fact that they are gay, as long as I feel confident the author is fully aware of what s/he is doing.)
Interesting question, responses, and link. I like it when a character is "different" in some way (gay, in an interracial relationship, physically disabled, etc.) and the story isn't about the characters' struggle with the situation.
Same advice for men writing women, women writing men, white people writing POC and so on.
One thing. Write the character as a person first, and as a ___ person second.
First of all, I'd like to say, this, this, a thousand times this.Same advice for men writing women, women writing men, white people writing POC and so on.
One thing. Write the character as a person first, and as a ___ person second.
I was wondering: Is there something a straight writer should keep in mind when writing gay characters, aside from the obvious "no cardboard stereotypes"? Are there any non-obvious things in fiction that tend to annoy or offend?
Speak for yourself....they go grocery shopping, not gay grocery shopping...
You should start a separate thread about this. It's fascinating and fun but makes me want to ask you a flurry of questions!Not that I'm self-promoting or anything, but I just kind of blogged about this...
...I also strongly recommend research. Ask questions, check out message boards, do your homework. It will help you avoid doing something that is horribly offensive and/or stupid.
Same advice for men writing women, women writing men, white people writing POC and so on.
One thing. Write the character as a person first, and as a ___ person second.
A great idea, but it's not as easy as it sounds. On one forum, people seemed more willing to help with a personal matter than writing. The first time, I said up front I was asking because I was writing about it (not about being gay, BTW, since I used to be a lesbian) and that bothered some people. Plus, it takes time to meet the right people if the information is about something general, like culture and sensibilities. If you just want to know how many men enjoy both topping and bottoming, for example, that's not too difficult. I spend a lot of time on a gay forum (predominantly men) - at first it was for research (since I'm female).
Is it unusual that I find myself cringing at the words "gays" and "straights"?
Is it unusual that I find myself cringing at the words "gays" and "straights"?
OK...I started a Queer Matrix thread.
To Medievalist, I hope I'm not contributing to the grouping/language issue. People might notice that I use terms like non-gay, or non-queer a lot, and it's a habit and intentional: to subvert the norm and make people think. Can gay/queer be a "predominant," or "normal," or "mainstream," or "majority" worldview?
I most definitely agree that "openly gay" is judgmental, imprecise and just ridiculous.
You use herstory, or womyn and I'll mock you unmercifully. That there's language abuse.