The Writers' Lounge

I had a writerly experience (sort of a cross between religious and orgasmic, which is what writing is, come to think of it) reading this - it's like finding the holy grail, or at least the promise of 5 day delivery thereof. *You'll have to make allowances for my prattle, but it is your fault, since you insisted on drinks.

What I mean to say is this is EXACTLY what I was wishing for, hoping for in beginning my exploration of writing communities - seems I made a fortunate stumble into the right one. This post is so useful to me, and has me shouting "yes' yes!" in that writerly way.

I've had many discussions with a friend on what constitutes genres, how gay/ lesbian/ other/ both fit into the equation and how classifications are morphing as the market evolves. Something he pointed out is that lesbians read m/m fic, as do straight women. Women seem to get it. His theory is gay men represent a sort of equality in relationship that isn't well represented in fiction aimed toward women - that whole bodice buster routine you pointed out. Equal footing in gay relationships is inherent, whether or not the partners involved choose to exercise it. In fact, they need to consciously choose to create roles if they're going to do so, as opposed to het roles, which are pretty much set in stone - or so society tells us. That fiction can bust out of these mythological roles and introduce a wide array of relationship practices is such a boon to us as writers, particularly as society is being forced to pull down some very old constructions that free not only gay men and lesbians, but also straight women, transgender, questioning and everyone else along the path. What fun! And maybe, just maybe straight men will begin to feel jealous of the great time we're all having and join in on the fun, too.

Where that leaves us now is this confusing middle ground in which people are scrambling for labels and categorizations, even as we're actively working to eliminate the very same. It's a mess, and it's going to remain messy for some time, but we're all working to redefine society and art that reflects changes in society. It's frustrating and maddening, but it's progress.

I of course want no classification of my work, other than fiction. That my characters are gay is not a purposeful issue, in my own mind. They're gay, and that's that, now let's get on with the story. Someday we may get there.

And now I must admit that I'm perpetuating my own prejudices against classifications like romance by thinking in terms of Harlequin and failing to really look at what is truly happening. I'm selling myself short, in that I may well be missing out on an important piece of the developing market. I really need to open up and do some examination beyond my preconceived notions.

It's all an adjustment, from how we categorize work to how we meet up with our markets.