MESSAGE BOARD TOPIC #25

[Comicality]

I don't think anyone would truly put their heart and soul into a story if it didn't really mean something to them. If it wasn't a part of themselves that they wanted to express openly and honestly in some way. Sometimes, writing out my bad and painful feelings is the only thing that relieves me. And when the story is finished, I feel like there's a piece of my soul left behind on that screen.

 

After digging so deep, I wish I could share it with the whole world. I'd LOVE to see it in bookstores, and movies, and tv shows! I'd love to get PAID for it! Hehehe! Hell yeah! But with mass exposure comes a LOT of responsibility, a LOT of criticism, a LOT of restrictions. And in the course of trying to structure your words effectively, a piece of that soul might get lost in the process.

 

The question this week is:

 

= Would you be able to do this for a living? Do you think you could fit into an 'industry' model and still do what you do? =

 

Honestly, if someone knocked at your door and offered you a bag of money to do what you already enjoy doing for free...would you be able to change it to make it marketable? Change the ages, change the names, cut out the sex, make it a girl and a boy instead of two boys? For you readers, would you much rather see the underground, more honest approach to what the authors are trying to say? Do you ever feel cheated by it? Which is more important, the original presentation of the message, or making sure that message reaches as many people as possible? Even if it takes a few...'adjustments'.

 

The board is open!

[Myr]

No. I don't think I could do it. You can tell when the writer is passionate about what they are writing and when they are only faking it.

 

Fortunately, we are much closer to the point where gay is mainstream. Look at the popular shows right now... Queer Eye for the Straight Guy... stuff like that.

[BillM]

I agree, if an author starts to fake parts of their story their story just doesn't click like it did before.

[ethan thorn]

no my story is that way for a reason why change it. so thoes holypeople can say they stopped another gay book or tv show. if someone wants to pay me for my story it will stay the same.

[Comicality]

I tend to be pretty loyal to what I want to write initially most of the time. And when I do rewrite stuff, it's usually just to fit it into something else that I want. I've changed stories that I thought were too angry, or too personal, or too long, or lacking details, etc.

 

But you guys are right. If I had to change the ages of my characters to 18 or over, I think it would have a different feel. If I had to change it to something 'heterosexual', then it REALLY wouldn't work for me. Cutting stuff out, or adding stuff that I don't feel belongs there, or anything like it, would drive me nuts! I'm sure any author that has their book made into a movie must pull half of their hair out by the time they even come close! Hehehe!

 

Now...if I had those 'limitations' presented to me first? Could I write a story to 'fit' them? I'd like to think I could. It would certainly be a challenge. But I wonder if I would be able to put as much emotion into it without it being mechanical and choppy.

 

You know....an experiment like this might make for a good "Library Contest" (We haven't had one in AGES!). Where the vague outline of a story is given to you, and you have to work around it to make a good story. What do ya think?

[WoodCarver]

I guess my answer (late I realize) is I've never read a story that I loved and a version that was 'toned down for the masses', It might be interesting to see both versions and compare. But if I read the straight version and knew there was a young gay version that I couldn't find, I might feel cheated (or rather disappointed) if I couldn't find it.

 

Not having been here for very long I've never seen a writing challenge. I'd like to try. But everyone should put on sunglasses (welding goggles) before they read and promise not to laugh afterwards.

 

It would be interesting to see a challenge where both an 'underground' and 'masses' version story were written so we could compare the feel one to the other, to see how the translation faired.

 

God what am I suggesting I'd be lucky to write a gay version, at least that I know about. My straight version would likely make Jerry Faldwell yearn to be gay.

[Guest sam_lakes]

I think it depends on the story.

 

I had a story - I loved the story. Not a gay story. Could I get people to read it? Only a few. So, I took the story, change the lead character - made him gay took away his girl friend gave him a boyfriend - posted it on Nifty. The plot of the story didn't change and it turned out to be fairly popular (based on the number of emails I received). I made the story more marketable and suitable to the audience I was addressing.

 

There are other stories that I have written that I could not and would not change because the whole meaning of the story would be lost. One story that I wrote I originally planned to change to being a generally marketable story - After I posted the story I went back to it to remove the gay parts - you know change it to boy -girl - I gave up. I can tone it down not say that the two main characters are gay but make one a boy and one a girl - I loose so much.

 

Imagine if the movie a Beautiful Thing was changed to be boy girl - it would never have been made and if they tried to change it it wouldn't have been a Beautiful Thing.

 

Well, that's my thoughts.

 

Sam

[Crackerwriter]

I just can't help thinking that if I was really honest and wrote a "straight" version of one of my stories, I'd have fallen asleep at the keyboard before I'd finished.

 

Frankly, I don't think I could be bothered.

 

But like Comicality says, if you were asked to write a story that was void of gay influence from the start, like him, I think I'd like to think that I could do it, because it would prove to me that I had better writing skills than I probably actually have. Maybe it would work, maybe not.

 

It's easier for us to write gay influenced material, because we know what the story content is likely to be before we start, let's be honest, and that's whatever happens to be on the boil in our heads at the time!

 

A shift in emphasis is not impossible, it just takes a lot more thinking about than we're probably used to.