FantasyWriterAndLover

You see.

This Fantasy novel I've been writing for a while. About 31,000 words, it is.

I'm a girl, and the character I've been developing is a male. But, as I read over my manuscript, he seems to really posess some very feminine attributes.

How much, hypothetically speaking, backlash do you think there would be from the public if a "homosexual/metrosexual" character was introduce in a book with dragons, witches, and bears, OH MY.

?

__________________
Yours Truly,

An Avid Liar

Hakeem

Quite natural... I guess..

__________________
"The great art of life is the sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain." -Lord Byron

Kane

Does this character possess feminine attributes because he is gay, or because you lack the skills to write a male character?

imrhati

well i feel that shit like that is left for romance nocels. really if i knew that there would be a homosexual in any novel i was considering reading i would not read it. i am not a homophobe, i just think that those issues do not need to be dealt with outside of romance.

__________________
Super humans need love too!
____________________________________________
If your story is critiqued please take the five minutes to repay the favor.

woodcut.evolution

Backlash from the public? I doubt there would be backlash. There are effeminate male characters in all sorts of books. Whats more, you're writing genre fiction, so the masses aren't really going to be reading it, just fantasy readers.

Though, one does wonder what you mean by "feminine attributes". Does he wonder if his cuirass makes him look fat? Or does he introspect about his feelings? Reguardless of what stereotypes you think he possesses, the real question is if these so called attributes are manifested internaly or externaly. Internaly I've found there isn't that much of a difference between men and women--environemnt of course affects this. It is how we react externaly where sex differences become apparent. But as always, environment affects behavior. I would hardly find it queer to see a male character with feminine attributes if said character had been raised in a community of exclusivley women--say an orphan raised by nuns. So i guess the real question is how prevalent are these "feminine attributes"?

All that being said...Kane does raise a valid question.

__________________
++ Imagination is more important than knowledge - Albert Einstein ++

CZ

It's been done before in fantasy novels (see Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald-Mage series, George R. R. Martin's ASoIaF series).

Probably the most important thing to ask yourself before "outing" your character is "Will this advance the plot/character?" If so, do it. If it's just an extraneous feature, leave it out and let the reader infer what he/she wills.

__________________
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit mateiari?

Arin

I think if you incorporate it in a way that fits in with the story, it'll be fine. Obviously he's not gonna go, "Oh that dragon is simply fabulous!" You can make him gay within the parameters of your world and perhaps the genre. Tell it in a subtle way if it's best, or hint at it through his attributes. It's YOUR world, you can make people any way you like.

And as for Imrhati, should we leave out all mention of heterosexuality from all types of novels except romance? I am not meaning to start an argument, but I would like to say your comment is utterly ridiculous.

__________________
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

FrankBlissett

IMR - she didn't say whether there would be a homosexual realtionship, just that her male character was rather feminine.

FW&L - if that's the case then there's nothing to worry about at all. There are feminine hetro's out there as well as masculine homo's. Most readers probably won't even think twice.

If you do end up dealing with homosexual romance, then it won't phase most fantasy readers. If your writing is good they'll just keep on reading.

-Frank

__________________
"Sheepish Sentimentality" - 40 pages of verse from Michigan's north country

Kane

Krim

Bam.

Also, you don't necessarily have to have him homosexual for a reason. Is there a reason for heterosexuals in novels to be heterosexual? Is there a reason for a character having brown or blonde hair? But it is good to have a reason, and it is much preferred (the character's mother abused him, and thus the character began to hold a grudge against all women and thinks they'll hurt him ) If it develops the character and tells something about him and why he does things, go ahead.

But is he homosexual because you can't write male characters, or is that just how the character was designed? If it's just because you can't write males, ditch the homosexual attribute and focus on working on learning the male psyche.

Hodge

Or you can say "to hell with stereotypes" and write about a man who's sensitive and in touch with his feelings but not gay...

Talia_Brie

You mean, 'outside of romance, and the real world, where there are actually people who are homosexual'.

Oh, and I think you also mean 'i am a homophobe'.

There's no reason why your fantasy novel can't have a gay character. There aren't many out there, which makes it a distinguishing characteristic.

However, Kane's question is a good one, if a little tactless.

__________________

pensive32

I don't think it would be peculiar at all. Homosexuals don't necessarily contain a bunch of feminine, just a few more than heterosexuals I would say. In my opinion, it mostly depends if you are using the character's homosexuality for a reason (like overcoming an obstacle later in the novel), which would then make the character entirely lovable. Anyway, I doubt anybody would seriously hate your book because there is a homosexual character in a fantasy novel. Our world is seeing more declared homosexuals everyday and people will strike at the government for it, not a novel.
Oh by the way, are vampires considered homosexual or heterosexual? Or neither, since they kind of are attracted to both genders. It was just a thought that came in mind while writing this post.

mwd

There would be backlash from some members of the public. Other members of the public wouldn't care. Some (the "gay market") would actually be attracted to it. It's good that it's fantasy though... if you had to pick genres to write about with gay characters, SF/F is probably more open to it than most. I figure you're writing about dragons and magic and trolls and so on ... why not throw in a few characters with "alternative" lifestyles?

That said, make sure you research your market. Some imprints/agents will be open to it, some won't be, and it'll be your responsibility to find out which ones will actually be interested in your book. There's a market out there for damn near anything, it's just a matter of finding it (and making sure your writing is good).

Kane

Who's got time for tact?