A Short History of Lesbian Pulp Fiction6/19/2021 LGBTQ+ novels have seriously come so far. Odds are, if you go into any major book store, you'll be able to find at least a few LGBTQ+ books. Sure, sometimes the bookstore won’t have a huge section, or it might just be Elton John’s best selling autobiography across the shelves, but the books are still there. Before LGBTQ+ celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Tan France, and Neil Patrick Harris were writing unapologetic memoirs about their adventurous gay lives, there was pulp fiction. More specifically, the subset of lesbian pulp fiction, a genre of novels which were equal parts secret and stubborn in existence.
Trigger Warning for discussion of homophobia, the bury your gays trope, and brief discussion of violence against LGBTQ+ people.
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On Writing Asexuality6/16/2021 Asexuality is probably not a word you are used to hearing often. Asexual characters are often ignored in the media and often neglected in real life. Doing a quick google search, only eight characters come up. From my own knowledge of the media there are not any that come to mind. The Wikipedia page lists a little over 63 total characters that either canonically identify as asexual or that the creator has stated after the fact.
The actual definition of asexuality is one who does not experience sexual attraction. This does not mean they do not like sex or do not want a relationship. There are many different types of aces out there. Sex-positive and sex-repulsed, relationship positive and relationship repulsed, and even polyamorous aces all exist within the community. I personally am sex-repulsed, so that is what I will be focusing on, but just because aces do not experience this type of attraction does not mean they have negative views on relationships of any nature. This article contains spoilers for the TV show BoJack Horseman.
There’s an ongoing debate in writing: how do you write honest representation when it means including experiences outside of your own? How can you be inclusive of other genders and sexualities in your writing? I mull over these questions a lot, trying to determine how I can best represent other communities and experiences. But as a straight white male, I do not have the answer. I have a limited world view, and will never fully understand the experiences of other people. Yet, I can’t just write a book about only straight white cisgender men. That would be awful, boring, shallow, and dishonest. So what do we do? How do we go about offering the best representation of communities we don’t belong to? Writers often fall short of realizing how different it can be to interact with the world as an LGBTQ+ person. Everything about you factors into this tangled web of worldview and interaction.
Sometimes, it’s radiant and accepting, and sometimes, it’s displacing and alienating. And every now and then, it’s both at the same time. While this article is less advice and more a distorted sort of inspiration, I hope it helps flesh out your LGBTQ+ characters and the experiences that shape them into who they are. [Contains spoilers for Supernatural by CW]
This is how it would go usually: Fingers impatiently tap on the counter and he is suddenly jolted from his stream of thought. “Are you done dreaming yet?” the customer demands. He rolls his eyes reaching out to prepare the coffee, not reacting to the fond smile that takes over the customer’s face. It’s a weird ritual of banter that they have between them and he wouldn’t give it up for the world. He wonders if one day, he’ll get to learn more about his customer than a single T written on the side of the cup. Beep! Beep! He immediately startles and swears. His superhero alarm is ringing. But, he could not leave right now! His identity would be exposed! And that too in front of his favorite customer? No! But, he had a decision to make… Or how it would go if I was writing a 25k, strangers to lovers, superhero secret identities, hurt/comfort, fluff, coffee shop au. We’ve all been there one way or another. Our favourite show takes a long, long time to come back on air or the romantic subtext between two characters is never addressed and the only way to let it all out is through fiction. And that’s where fanfiction comes in. LGBTQ+ representation is so important. Especially if you’re trying to figure yourself out, it’s important to know that you aren’t alone. I don’t believe that people should feel ashamed of their sexuality or gender identity (or even just questioning it) under any circumstances. That being said, there are many reasons why someone, especially if you’re a teen at home, may not be living in a safe enough environment to come out. If you’re living in a place where you feel like you can’t be openly and authentically yourself, take a look at these books. These are novels with canon LGBTQ+ characters and themes. However, these books don’t look like it at first glance, so if your parents happen to notice you reading them, you don’t have to worry about outing yourself. Coming out is an exceptionally personal choice: never feel pressured to reveal private information about yourself if it isn’t safe.
Quick Tips on Writing Homophobia6/7/2021 Recently, I picked up The Cruel Prince, a book that made it clear the sexual orientations of the characters did not matter. There were LGBTQ+ relationships in the background, and homophobia was only referenced after the characters entered the human world.
LGBTQ+ characters are vital in any novel (be on the lookout for a post explaining why!), but fantasy has a choice with homophobia. Most books set in the real world do not. Most LGBTQ+ people have to come to grips with homophobia, whether that be upsetting news about the consequences of being LGBTQ+ in another nation or living in an unaccepting area themselves. So, how do you write it? Categories
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