Reading Habits

[shadowgod]

So I have a question geared to the general reader of Gay stories. If I posted in the wrong forum forgive me (pretty please!)

 

DomLuka brought up an interesting topic in the Writers Corner : The oppisite sex...

 

While he didn't ask what I am about to he got me thinking.

 

What do readers do when the encounter a Straight scene embeded in gay fiction? Ignor it? Scream and run? Stop reading and never touch another of Authors stories again?

 

What would you do, and would it have any impact on your decision to continue to read?

 

Me personaly, I dont care much as long as it is the context of the story & characters and not out of left field somehwere.

 

 

Steve

[Razor]

I do not want the nitty gritty of straight sex. I do not enjoy it, it is not my thing, and for the most part I ignore its existence and choose to get along with its... ermm... practitioners, shall we say.

 

However, straight eroticism and the presence of straight relationships in a story don't bother me a bit. It's what's typical and prevalent in today's society, so it is to be expected that some characters will be straight and will have significant others.

 

I worry much more about the presentation of the characters, who they are, and if I can relate to them. If a character and I have nothing in common, it doesn't matter if they're gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or even omnisexual (definition...?), I just won't like them.

 

Then again, when I'm READING I don't really want the nitty gritty of gay sex, either, so yeah.

[Graeme]

What do readers do when the encounter a Straight scene embeded in gay fiction? Ignor it? Scream and run? Stop reading and never touch another of Authors stories again?

 

What would you do, and would it have any impact on your decision to continue to read?

You haven't said what you mean by a 'Straight scene', so I'm assuming you mean a sex scene.

 

I heard someone describe a lot of the stories at Nifty as 'text-porn', and if you look at it from that context, I'm no more interested in reading a straight-sex scene than I would in watching straight porn.

 

On the other hand, I'm very happy to read stories about relationships, regardless of whether they are are gay or straight. So, a 'straight scene' that showed the love of two people, who just happened to be of opposite sexes, is something that I have no problems reading.

 

So, the answer depends on what it is you think you're reading. If you are reading gay 'text-porn', then a straight sex-scene is inappropriate. If you are reading a romance where the lead couple happen to be gay, then I don't think a straight romance in the same story is out of place. I personally tend to skip sex-scenes anyway, so it doesn't bother me if they are straight or gay. Love scenes, on the other hand, I'm quite happy to read, regardless of the sexes involved -- I'm reading for the emotion, not the mechanics.

[C James]

What do readers do when the encounter a Straight scene embeded in gay fiction? Ignor it? Scream and run? Stop reading and never touch another of Authors stories again?

 

What would you do, and would it have any impact on your decision to continue to read?

 

Me personaly, I dont care much as long as it is the context of the story & characters and not out of left field somehwere.

Steve

 

I'm personally not fond of numerous graphic sex scenes in stories, regardless of orientations If it is important to the plot, then great, but if it is just there for the sake of being there, then I'm not likely to read for long.

 

However, if an author whose stories I like delves into areas that I don't like, at worst I'll skip over the parts I don't like. After all, a good author is worth being patient for. And of the author is very good, they often have very good reasons, not apparent until later, for doing what they did.

[adblue]

First the general, then the specific:

 

Give me relationships: loving and liking, boyfriends and/or girlfriends, partners, friends, families. All the kinds of relationships that matter to people.

 

I'm not so interested in reading text-porn, that is the "engineer's assembly instructions," like "Tab A in Slot B, insert and repeat."

 

Hey, I'll grant you, it can be instructive information, if you don't know how or have never done it, including, "how does that feel, what do I do, what does he/she do?" Yes, it can be exciting and stimulating. -- But ultimately, you are going to realize, "hey, most of this is instinctive," and "aww, but *I* am not with someone and doing that right now, so now I'm lonely and horny."

 

More important, if the characters in the story don't show some sort of caring for each other; some kind of friendship or love, then it isn't loving and liking, and it sure isn't fun or sexy. The type of story that does that is too close to what's called a "quickie" or a ...well, you can guess what the sex-only stories are often called.

 

-----

 

So I am fine if there are gay characters that love each other or like each other.

 

I definitely needed that, when I was first exploring on the net, and dared to look for gay things, and finally found gay stories, and then stories that filled that need to find there were other guys who felt like me, who were gay and wanted more than just sex. (Hey, I was very mixed up and naive.)

 

I am also quite fine that they have straight friends. Most of my friends and family are straight. That's real life. There are straight couples, straight singles, and gay-friendly straight people. (Thank goodness!) There are also gay people who are, uh, "straight-friendly," let's say.

 

Sure, you are going to see gay couples loving each other in gay fiction. That's needed. That shows people who people like me or you are: normal, real, everyday guys and girls who happen to love people of the same sex.

 

I think it is also fine to see straight couples loving each other in gay-friendly fiction. That is also needed. That is normal and real

 

If we are to have the equality and the normalcy and the acceptance we want and that is too often missing for gay people, then it must be no big deal to have both presented truthfully in the fiction we read, write, and edit.

 

If you are asking if I want explicit depictions of gay or straight sex in gay fiction, then I answered that in the "general" section of this post. To me, that should be there, only if the story needs it to be a complete story, to tell the tale. If it is there just to be there, it's not doing much, story-wise. Yes, there are times when it's needed to show something important about love and being human, but most of the time, it's not so necessary to the story.

 

Relationships, liking and loving, win all the way.

 

Just my two cents.

[colinian]

What do readers do when they encounter a Straight scene embeded in gay fiction? Ignor it? Scream and run? Stop reading and never touch another of Authors stories again?

 

What would you do, and would it have any impact on your decision to continue to read?

 

Me personaly, I dont care much as long as it is the context of the story & characters and not out of left field somehwere.

Steve

 

As long as it fits the story, I sit back, say 'wow', and enjoy! I actually like the difference of having a straight scene embedded in a gay story, or a gay scene embedded in a straight story. It's like, hormones rule!

 

Colin

[Drewbie]

Lol, Colin,

 

For me I like stories that have no str8 ppl and that do, but would like to see more of a str8 caring friend that is a guy, not always girls. Only read a few stories like that.

[blackbird]

I haven't run into a straight sex scene in any of the stories I've read here, but I'm not against the idea of one being put in a story if it helps the plot (i.e. someone who's gay pretending to be straight). I don't like sex scenes thrown into stories for the hell of it, gay or straight though.

[Krista]

Well I have a straight sex scene in one of my stories. I think nothing sexual should be a surprise. There should always be hints or a scene leading up to the sex scene. If not it becomes porn...

 

Anyway, I'm straight, so a heterosexual sex scene wouldn't bother me a bit.. lol. What does bother me, when I'm reading gay fiction is when the gay character isn't known until the 6th or so chapter and I tend to not read stories that move to THAT slow a paced story.

 

Krista

[Kurt]

A straight scene (of any kind) would not, and does not make me stop reading a story. I think sometimes that it can even add to the story, but only if it fits.

 

There are a few stories, that I have enjoyed a great deal that had a few straight scenes. One that I am reading right now has quite a bit of 'straightness' in it, and I am still enjoying it. I am not reading these stories to 'get off.' A straight scene can be just s powerful as a gay one.

 

Think about it, when we watch TV, or movies, there are lots and lots of straight scenes. Do you turn the TV off if a guy and a girl kiss?

 

 

Kurt

[Graeme]

What does bother me, when I'm reading gay fiction is when the gay character isn't known until the 6th or so chapter and I tend to not read stories that move to THAT slow a paced story.

I'm curious -- why does it have to be a slow paced story if you don't find out who is gay until chapter 6+? In my current novel, Heart of The Tree there is no confirmation of who is gay and who isn't until well after that point, but I've not had anyone say that the story was slow-paced....

 

I think the difference for me is that I read a story as a story -- not as a gay story. I will expect that certain authors will include gay characters, but if the story itself isn't any good it doesn't matter if they have gay characters in chapter one. On the other hand, if the story is well-written, they can include the gay characters in chapter 20 and I'll still enjoy it.

[Krista]

I'm curious -- why does it have to be a slow paced story if you don't find out who is gay until chapter 6+? In my current novel, Heart of The Tree there is no confirmation of who is gay and who isn't until well after that point, but I've not had anyone say that the story was slow-paced....

 

I think the difference for me is that I read a story as a story -- not as a gay story. I will expect that certain authors will include gay characters, but if the story itself isn't any good it doesn't matter if they have gay characters in chapter one. On the other hand, if the story is well-written, they can include the gay characters in chapter 20 and I'll still enjoy it.

 

 

I wasn't knocking writers who didn't feature gay characters in the beginning. It's just a preference of mine.

 

Krista

[Graeme]

I wasn't knocking writers who didn't feature gay characters in the beginning. It's just a preference of mine.

 

Krista

Thanks I wasn't trying to complain -- I was just curious and you've explained it.

 

Cheers!

 

Graeme

[Lugh]

What do readers do when the encounter a Straight scene embeded in gay fiction? Ignor it? Scream and run? Stop reading and never touch another of Authors stories again?

 

 

Interesting question.

 

As an author who writes erotica, I have, will, and do WRITE erotic scenes in my stories whether the people involved are male, female, or something else entirely. Nor are the participants always limited to two beings of any specific gender -- or even to two beings for that matter.

 

As a reader of homo-erotic fiction -- sex does not bother me in any form -- so long as the sex is not gratuitous.

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean by straight sex being "embedded" in gay fiction though... generally erotic stories are catagorized by the orientation of the Protagonist and his/her/its partner so gay erotica would have a gay couple in the thick of the trouble and hetero-erotica would have a male/female partnership in the thick of it... NEITHER limit the orientations of other people in the story.

 

I think what would make me scream and run is the tab A into Slot B type of writing... or more to the point the stories that start out:

 

My name is Gemini. I am fourteen years old. I have a ten inch dick with a thick bush of black pubic hair. I stand 6'2 in my socks and have green eyes.

 

I would never scream and run, nor would I not read the author again... if it's in there and it's not gratuitous, then there must be a reason for it. Sometimes a very good one.

 

 

What would you do, and would it have any impact on your decision to continue to read?

 

heh, answered above I think, but the short answer is... no.

 

 

 

Lugh

[Cookie]

Mmmm.. If I come across a straight scene, first I am hoping its short, and second I hope its not one of my favorite characters 'experimenting' to deny that they are gay. But as along as there general story is good , I really don't mind

[Mark_l]

it depends cause i would not be interested in reading erotic stories with straight people but that said i love seeing any kind of relationships in stories be that gay or straight, i am a fan of many tv shows and most of them are purely based on straight relationships and i was probably sighing happily like thousands of others when buffy and angel got it on because it was great to see that relationship unfold and develop, so its the same for me with stories though i tend to like stories with gay characters in too but the most important thing for me is that i like the chracters so i don't mind if they are gay or straight really so no if the sex scene or straight scene in a story is done well and is relevant then i don't skip through it and can enjoy it just not in the same way as i do the gay scenes.

 

Mark