a bit of navel gazing

[erastes]

Pineapple upside down cake was disaster. My hand slipped when I put the baking powder in and it tasted of nothing but.  a real shame because all the elements were good, caramelised pineapple and risen sponge, but nasty taste. I think Masterchef will have to wait a few years for me. *snort*  I hasten to add that I only tasted a teaspoon of it.

I did 1349 words Yesterday!!!

Of the new 1940's bunny, not the I Knew Him. But I like what I did. The protagonist/antagonist? anti-hero, whatever is an interesting guy (to me) and I will be interested to see how he ended up doing what he does, and how his mind works like it does. I am drifting away from romance, again—and I am beginning to wonder if doing that is shooting myself in the foot. Romance is the best selling genre (I'm pretty sure, but don't know) in gay fiction and being a female and bisexual I'm already at a huge disadvantage in this genre that I love so much. But you have to write what you have to write, I suppose. Mere Mortals is borderline romance—the gothic mystery is of equal importance. I Knew Him has a love story as the most important part of it—being what drives the narrative—but whether it's a romance, I'm not sure. It certainly fulfils the RULES – there are two people who love each other and end up together but…well, you'll just have to see. It fulfils the rules, but it breaks 'em all too, in a way.

And the one I am writing now, which is tentatively called "Gentleman of Fortune" (or "in a shower of rain") – it's much more about the main character and what he does. It's an adventure story with a gay character I suppose, and will anyone be interested in that? I don't know.

Well that's enough of me being riddled with self doubt for one day I think. at least I'm writing. What I'd like to do—as I've said before, is to do one Romance – perhaps for Carina—and one book For Me.

Dragon age 2 arrived! I have a blond mage who looks a bit sad. *snort* But OMG it looks complicated. I shall have to read the manual. Not something I'm used to doing… I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll get stuck into then.

OK – off to dad's. have a good day, peeps.

Comments

[ali-wilde.livejournal.com]

When I read 'navel gazing', I thought there were going to be naked male torsos... or maybe sailors. Not that I'm disappointed or anything...

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Hmm - perhaps I'll have a naval navel gazing saturday

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

I want to read adventure stories with gay (or L or B or T) characters in them. More so for definite than romance by itself.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Me too! I love the Lord John books (even though he's a whining git who doesn't realise that Jamie is a ponce who doesn't deserve him) and The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan (which I bang on about incessantly) - there just aren't enough adventure books with gay characters but I suppose it just needs to happen organically--after all in 2003 there weren't more than a handful of gay romances, either. Now look.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

One for them and one for you sounds fair, but I think you underestimate the interest readers might have in an adventure/thriller/heist etc story with a gay protagonist even if any romance is secondary to the plot. I'm endlessly irritated by the token love interests, especially in historicals, who either swoon a lot and have to be rescued or who are unrealistically feisty and capable. Having a gay protagonist does away with those silly Sues.

Have a good day.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I suppose you are right--we are treading pretty new ground here, and gay characters just doing stuff other than angsting about being gay, shagging or killing themselves is still in its infancy!

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling the same way, although for me the tug is towards Fantasy and/or Mystery with gay heroes and love stories as an element of that but not as the main plot. I like the idea of trying to do one of each a year, though, because I would hate to drift away from Romance altogether. Doing all rather than just one sounds much more interesting in the long run, even if there isn't such an established market for non-romance.

I'd certainly be interested in an adventure story with a gay character, though. I'm finding even with really good novels these days that I'm resenting the love story for getting in the way of the plot - which is not ideal in a Romance.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

i agree with you, I'd like to keep a foot in the romance camp (no pun intended)

I'm not sure if this guy will end up with anyone, which may make it a difficult sell, but perhaps it will be interesting enough to do a series, i'm liking him a lot at the moment. Lee won't. He's horribly cynical! LOL!!!

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

I think you need to write what you want to write. I think readers would be interested in it; the problem is finding a publisher.

I'm contemplating writing something original and submitting it (contemporary, though, not historical) -- I have an LJ friend who now writes for Amber Allure -- and my observation is that the rules of m/m romance are too rigid and I'd rather write something that's more on the edge in terms of genre. For example, I probably would only write a HFN, not a HEA. There usually aren't HEAs in life. I also balk at that publisher's requirement that the main characters be gay only at the end of the book and that they not engage in sex with women for the duration of the book. Why can't one or both be bisexual and still have a HFN or HEA? That seems to assume that "bisexual" equals "promiscuous."

BTW, how is it that being female and bisexual puts you at a disadvantage? Bisexual, I can see, but female? Women are the market for m/m romance, and a lot of women write them.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think Carina and now Dreamspinner are looking at non-HEA stories, e.g. the adventure being the main focus, but i'm so horribly ambitious I'd like more than Dreamspinner! LOL.

I only write HFNs. Like you, I know there's no such thing as a HEA even if the people are together for life. My parents had 60 years of wedded bliss and spent no more than five nights apart--ever--and now Dad's mourning on his own. So it's always now, even if now lasts 60 minutes or 60 years. Mine tend to have probably short lives!! LOL.

I think that as a woman writing gay fiction (or trying to) I'm not taken seriously by the GLBTQ literary brigade whereas male authors are lauded far more--and many gay and lesbians don't take bisexuals seriously at all, even today. s to the m/m part, I don't consider myself an m/m writer--I don't write for women, and although I know that (possibly, although it might now be 50/50) most of my readers are women, I still only write for either me, or everyone.

[oceankitty1.livejournal.com]

Romance is good. But sometimes a little meager. I find that the story is more important, and the romance just an added bonus. I haven't read romance until now, I guess younger people will be more satisfied with a 'just romance' book. For me it is all about the story. I'm so happy that you're writing again :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you dear - yes, that's the thing I want more than just "will they won't they?"