Gay Characters

Gay characters have showed up many times in my writings, they happen because they seem to fit the role better than anybody else would. These characters, I like to think, are exactly like any other characters I've written about; but most people think that it is hard to write about them if you are not one. That bugs me, but mostly because I am a pansexual and do not agree that they are different than straight people. But since a lot of people have been asking tips on writing them, I've decided I should whip out the ol' blog and make a long over due post.

Really, there is nothing very special about writing a gay character, it's exactly like writing any other character with any other sexuality. There are not very many books that have queer MAIN characters, except for my books, of course. If you are straight and are writing about a non-straight person and are stuck, just imagine yourself but in the opposite. If that makes any sense. Say you're writing a YA romance novel, and are helplessly lost because you don't know how they should feel. It's simple, imagine yourself as your character with whoever you have a major crush on and put those feelings into the story. Love is no different than love.

If you stuck on the 'personality' of the character, I would stay away from regular stereotypes. But there are moments when to dwell deep into them. Here are what the queer stereotypes are:

Males

Extremely obviously gay (you know the ones who always show up with the girls and usually have high pitched voices and all that jazz. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS IF THIS DOES NOT FIT THE CHARACTER AND WHAT GOES ON WITH THE BOOK!!!)

Slightly feminine (the ones that can pass with hanging out with the girls but also hang out with the guys. The type that might hide it from people but eventually comes out in a subtle way. THIS IS A GREAT AREA TO WORK IN, IT HAS AN EXREME AMOUNT OF EMOTION THAT COMES WITH IT THOUGH.)

'Modern' gay (you know the ones that are really masculine and you can't tell that they are queer? Here's this stereotype. IF YOU ARE A GIRL AND DON'T UNDERSTAND MALES, I SUGGEST AVOIDING THIS AREA. THAT'S UP TO YOU THOUGHT)

Females

Tomboy (the ones who hang out with the guys and fit with the guys and stuff. TRY TO AVOID THIS, IT IS USED QUIET A LOT AND MIGHT TAKE AWAY FROM THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT BUT IS REALLY GREAT AS A PARTNER OR BEST FRIEND OR ANYTHING IN THAT AREA.)

Girly-girl (this ones not so popular in the writing department but is still a great character to work with. PLEASE USE THIS, IT IS GREAT TO USE.)

That's all of the STEREOTYPES that is the main word in there. This is the stuff that is commonly used and a lot of people judge queer people off of. I really disliked writing all of these down because it made me feel guilty for being able to name them. I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

Happy character making!