Writing gay characters

My other blog, Onomastics Outside the Box

I’m always gobsmacked when I encounter a supposed historical novel, TV show, or film with a gay or homosexual woman character who casually outs him or herself, or whose secret is discovered due to a total lack of secrecy and discretion, with absolutely zero negative reactions from anyone. It’s like people under a certain age grab for granted that they live in a society without the restrictions, taboos, stigmas, and prejudices of yore, and can’t conceive of any other type of society.

With that in mind, what are some of the important things to keep in consciousness when writing a woman loving woman or gay character in a historical novel?

1. Greenwich Village in NYC, San Francisco, Paris, Weimar Berlin, and Provincetown, Rhode Island are obviously among the best-known places with a large, well-connected community pre-Stonewall, but you’re not obligated to set your story there just because your characters are gay or lesbian! Plenty of other cities had vibrant underground scenes and networks too, even if they weren’t as large or well-known. You also need to keep in mindif it really makes sensefor your characters to pack up their entir

How to write fine gay characters

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Tips on Writing LGBT Characters

As LGBT+ rights continue to make great strides in becoming normalized and standard by widespread culture, LGBT people have started to pop up far more often in different forms of media. However, because LGBT people can vary wildly in experiences, locations, and beliefs, it can be tricky for someone to really have a good idea of what makes for good visibility. Some would argue that it simply being established is enough, while others would argue that it needs to be a present part of the character, while others dispute that it shouldn’t be the focus of the character and that their other traits should be emphasized on more. So, where should one start? Here are a scant tips to lead the way.

  • If You Are Not LGBT, Do Not Build Your Story About Creature LGBT - I’m not saying you can’t compose an LGBT character if you yourself are not LGBT. A white person can’t really write a story about what it means to be dark because it is an experience of life they have never experienced for themselves. If you wish to write a story with an LGBT nature, or better yet, a protagonist, that’s wonderful. But their sexuality, sex, or gender should not be a focal point of

    writing gay characters

    Writing Authentic LGBTQI Characters: Really Useful Links by Lucy O’Callaghan

    June is pride month so no better second to discuss how to write stories with legitimate LGBTQI characters. Readers must be able to look themselves in stories and stereotyped characters should be avoided. Adding a gender non-conforming character shouldn’t be to tick off a diversity list but should be essential to your story. You must understand your character as a whole person not just their sexuality. I have set together some articles and YouTube videos that I hope you will discover useful in writing gay characters and stories.

    1. LGBTQ Characters: How to Write for the YA and MG Audiences – Writer’s Digest (writersdigest.com)

    This article is for writers of young elder and middle-grade fiction. Before embarking on writing a queer character ask yourself: is there something about his/her/ their queerness that is essential to your story, or are you trying to check off one of your agents’ items on a diversity list? You can produce characters of any type if you’re willing to do so authentically. It shares 6 pitfalls to avoid when creating LGBTQ characters. The first of these is not to be invasive in your writing

    Writing a non-explicit gay relationship as a straight author

    First of all, I appreciate you writing a lgbtq+ couple in a prominent place in your story, and also making this thread to inquire for input.

    I would say, generally speaking, the biggest tip will be “you can write their relationship much as you would pen a hetero one”; love is care for no matter what, and every partnership will be other , just as all humans are, but you can note this as follows from who the characters are. But, sure, there are some things that are good to be aware of.

    Context: I am another gay guy; also summoning my crush, @ParrotWatcher, who tends to have a lot of useful thoughts about homosexual representation and suchforth He also has options about Greek myth, which may or may not come in handy

    I’d also mention, there have been a lot of threads about similar topics in the past. (You could just do a forum search for the word “gay,” really ) I would particularly advise looking at equal sex relationships as probably the most directly relevant to your interests here. (It’s more about writing relationships that the main nature is in, but there should still be pertinent stuff.) That thread did i