What's Missing?

[Comicality]

 

I always find myself being curious about this, because it's pretty much why I started writing in the first place myself. I had been reading Nifty for months, and I burned through a LOT of stories in that time! But...I still felt like certain topics or themes were missing from the genres that I was reading. Do you ever feel like that? Like...is there something that you want to see that other authors haven't touched on yet?

 

For example, I've never written a story where the main character or the love interest has had to wrestle with his own religious convictions about being gay before. I'd kinda like to write that story someday. I know that it's been done before, but I'd love to take a shot at it.

 

What about you guys? Is there something you haven't written about (or that, maybe, nobody has written about) that you feel is missing from the stories we read and write? Interested to hear your thoughts...

[northie]

When I started to write my first multipart story, it featured a main character who had appeared unsummoned in my head. Although I enjoyed writing it immensely, and Eric became very dear to me, I thought nobody would wish to read it. Why? Because Eric is a lonely, older man who is only just gathering the courage to come out. When I started to post it, the overwhelmingly positive response took me completely by surprise. So, one gap, I think, is writing about old age. Writing that reflects the diverse nature of the world around us is another. This is one I'd like to attempt properly sometime. Looking beyond the fairly middle of the road gay characters I have now,  sometime I'd like to write about a more femme character, maybe even heading towards a trans one.

[Brayon]

Like Northie, I think there is a lack of stories that deal with GLBT in the upper range of age. I've read some good ones, but they are few and far between. I'm writing one now that deals with a man in his 40's, who's a disabled veteran. I do feel this age-gap in stories is also something that is deeply seated in the gay culture and its Ageism bias. (As in, the gay culture praises 20-somethings, and looks down on anyone over 25.)

 

Stories about Gay Heterophobes/Christianphobes. Shining light on the idiots who discriminate against straights, and people of religion.

 

There are some more political based stories I think should happen. There is more than one-side in politics and reading the same one-sided crap over and over again ad nauseam is getting pretty old.

[Laura S. Fox]

More as a joke, I once read a forum thread in which writers were debating, sort of, this topic, wondering how far a niche they should go to drive and draw readers' attention. Someone offered, on a funny note, that maybe a story with gay zombies would be 'fringey' enough to rise interest.

 

Well, one might think that not such story was ever written, but, surprise, it seems there is. It is not a story in the literary sense, as it is a manga (a Japanese comics), and it's called BL of the Dead! While this might sound ludicrous, and I haven't read it, it looks like it's a pretty intense storyline that deals with tragedy and similar topics.

 

 

[Valkyrie]

1 hour ago, Laura S. Fox said:

More as a joke, I once read a forum thread in which writers were debating, sort of, this topic, wondering how far a niche they should go to drive and draw readers' attention. Someone offered, on a funny note, that maybe a story with gay zombies would be 'fringey' enough to rise interest.

 

Well, one might think that not such story was ever written, but, surprise, it seems there is. It is not a story in the literary sense, as it is a manga (a Japanese comics), and it's called BL of the Dead! While this might sound ludicrous, and I haven't read it, it looks like it's a pretty intense storyline that deals with tragedy and similar topics.

 

 

There's gay zombie stories on this site, as well.  @Graeme wrote a very good one a few years ago. 

 

I have a serial about a zombie dad in one of my prompt collections.    

[MacGreg]

I haven't see too much in the way of GLBT period dramas, where the stories showcase gay characters in the midst of historical events that occurred decades or centuries ago. An author would need to be fully committed to doing his/her research and providing historical and cultural accuracy for such a project to be successful (which, of course, is why I haven't tried my hand at it). E.M. Forster's novel Maurice is a good example, but of course that was written in 1913, so it's not so "historical". I know these stories are out there, but they're not prevalent on author sites, such as GA or Nifty. Not that I've seen, anyway.

Edited July 13, 2018 by MacGreg

[northie]

30 minutes ago, MacGreg said:

I haven't see too much in the way of GLBT period dramas

As I'm discovering, the amount of research needed to support just a short prompt response is eye-watering. Admittedly that's the early C18, so far removed from current circumstances, but still. To produce a substantial piece would need wholehearted commitment. I think you'd need to have a strong desire, and lots of time, patience, and fact-gathering to stand a chance. And then the story has to ride above all the research ... 

 

[Laura S. Fox]

48 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

There's gay zombie stories on this site, as well.  @Graeme wrote a very good one a few years ago. 

 

I have a serial about a zombie dad in one of my prompt collections.    

 

Which only means that everything and every topic is well covered :))

[MacGreg]

24 minutes ago, northie said:

As I'm discovering, the amount of research needed to support just a short prompt response is eye-watering. Admittedly that's the early C18, so far removed from current circumstances, but still. To produce a substantial piece would need wholehearted commitment. I think you'd need to have a strong desire, and lots of time, patience, and fact-gathering to stand a chance. And then the story has to ride above all the research ... 

 

Exactly.

[Page Scrawler]

I'd love to write a story about a religious gay kid. I've only seen it done by notable authors like Alex Sanchez, Mia Kerrick, or Michael J. Bowler. I feel like there's a whole untapped vein of extraterrestrials, murder mysteries, and historical fiction flowing through my head. Although, most of my story ideas gravitate towards contemporary romance, kids at school or taking a vacation somewhere, when they have an "encounter". I want to try writing outside of my comfort zone a bit more, to see what I can come up with.

 

[Freerider]

17 hours ago, BHopper2 said:

...who discriminate against straights, and people of religion

 

This shortcut is too short for me. You are combining two completely different things. One is a choice, the other is not.

It is ok to question people's choices. Nothing wrong with that. Especially if those choices makes you intolerant.

 

And the terms islamophobia/christianphobia/whateverreligionphobia is such a misuse of the word phobia that I have difficulty keeping my breakfast in when I hear/read these terms.

They stem from the whole nonsensical "we religious people are under attack!". Well, rightly so, when we are talking about the negative sides of religion, like spreading ignorance and intolerance.

 

No tolerance for intolerance!

 

You can get back to the topic at hand now 😅

 

 

 

Edited July 14, 2018 by Freerider

[Brayon]

< redacted >

Sorry, forgot I wasn't in the pit. Self-redacted.

Edited July 15, 2018 by BHopper2