Insert Mr. Yuk Face Here.

[kiya]

Someone just expressed the preference that gay characters in stories need to be gay for "some story purpose". I managed to ask him if he also thought that straight characters needed to be straight for "some story purpose" to be acceptable to him rather than express my bogglement more ferociously.

What's wrong with people being people in stories? All sorts of things are true about people in stories that aren't true for "some story purpose", they're just true.

Sex. Is not. A special case.

Update: Getting a response of "I'm not playing that game" to an honest question that it took me some effort to produce in the absence of a diatribe does not ease my irritation; rather, it inspires contempt.

Comments

[redbird]

Well, then he doesn't have to read my novel, if I ever finish it. There are things I'm worrying about the story purpose of, and may change or take out if they turn out not to have one--a certain dragonfly, for example--but not my characters' (various) sexual orientations.

Going charging down a tangent. . .

[kiya]

I was terribly surprised when I realised the romance subplot between The Sidekick and the junior temple priestess was story-significant. (Not just as in "it happens in this story" but "it's a part of how the Real Story goes".)

Do you find that you discover things are relevant belatedly? I forget how much you've written in the past. . . .

Re: Going charging down a tangent. . .

[redbird]

This is my first attempt at a novel ever, and my first attempt at fiction in several years. So it's all an adventure (when it isn't a worry of 'why am I playing nethack when I should be writing?', that is). I wasn't planning this romance at all--my characters had other plans. They also undercut a subplot on about page 2, leaving me unsure of how/whether I can use another character. It's fascinating.

Re: Going charging down a tangent. . .

[kiya]

Does the character whose subplot was derailed have any opinions on the matter?

Ngrrrr. Almost forgot (dimly on-topic to my original post) that I had another "What's a tribade?" conversation that I need to write. But I don't think that's this conversation. It's probably the other one. (Now for scurrying around and making mental notes.)

Re: Going charging down a tangent. . .

[redbird]

He's still trying to pick up one of the main characters. But I offhandedly remarked at the very beginning that she hates wordplay and puns, so it wouldn't go anywhere even if she weren't high on NRE and trying to solve other problems.