Message Board Topic 9/8

[Comsie]

Despite the fact that the overall 'theme' of these stories online is typically 'boy meets boy'...it's pretty safe to say that not ALL cute boys that teenagers fall in love with are going to actually turn out to be gay. It's just not believeable to assume that everyone in your high school classroom is going to like boys, or that everyone in the gym locker room, everyone in the cafeteria, or everyone you share a tent with a summer camp...is going to be a homsexual, and instantly infatuated with your main character. So, sometimes...heterosexual characters (affectionately referred to as the "normal people" get added into the storyline.

 

It might be a believable and realistic part of the whole 'gay romance' background, but there are a lot of readers who see them as a 'distraction'. Some even see it as a way of selling out, believe it or not. Including straight boys in a gay story can seem to have no purpose. And having GIRLS included can be even more frowned upon, for readers looking for a love story between two boys, and nothing more. Do hetero friendships, relationships, or even sexual encounters, take anything away from the stories you read online? Are they neccessary? Should they be played down a bit to make room for the big focus of the story the author is trying to tell? Or do they make the stories more realistic for you? Or maybe you don't even notice them, one wayor another...as it's simply life being unfolded out in front of you as the author sees fit?

 

What do you think?

[Graeme]

This all gets down to what it is that you're writing, and who your target audience is. I've included straight characters in all of my stories and I've never had a complaint. The people who read my stories don't seem to mind that they're there -- they aren't a 'distraction'.

 

If you want to write something that's realistic, you almost have to include straight characters unless the situation is one where they wouldn't normally appear (eg. having a story set in a 'gay' school, or at a 'gay' club).

 

If you are writing fantasy/escapism, then you don't need straight characters. You're not trying to write something that 'could happen', but something 'you wish would happen' -- a very different proposition.

 

Write what you want to write, keeping in mind the audience that you are targeting. If you are looking at the gay romance audience who want escapism, then keep the straight characters to a minimum. If you are looking at the gay romance audience who want realism, then include the straight characters as needed to make things realistic.

[alex_08]

Nah, totally not. I think adding straight characters or girls into the storyline makes it more believable. For me personally, having practically EVERY character in a story be gay is unappealing - I can't really affiliate with that type of context. Like in 'On the Outisde', I really like the whole Jermaine, Joey and the other straight guys as a sorta side story.

[Tiger]

Do hetero friendships, relationships, or even sexual encounters, take anything away from the stories you read online?

That's an interesting question. Since only 10% of the population is gay, it is more interesting to have more straight relationships. As far as sexual encounters, I have actually written one even though I'm gay. As far as friendships, there should be. Actually, it does seem that there's almost always a straight best friend in most of the stories on GA.

 

Are they neccessary?

I think they are in some stories. There is one story that I recall where there really weren't any, and it was still a good story, though the fact that most of the guys in the small town were gay was rather unbelievable.

 

Should they be played down a bit to make room for the big focus of the story the author is trying to tell?

Yes, they should be played down when the main characters of the story are gay unless the main character is a closet case who is dating or married to a woman.

 

Or do they make the stories more realistic for you? Or maybe you don't even notice them, one wayor another...as it's simply life being unfolded out in front of you as the author sees fit?

Again, it depends on the story. I think a good author can create stories in which there aren't any major relationships and still have a solid story. In fact, there are people who only socialize with other gay people, and they are perfectly believable.

 

By the way... welcome to GA, Alex! Feel free to drop by the New Members thread to say hello.