Hey all, Once again, the well has gone dry. So it’s time to pipe in and tell us what you want to discuss over the next few months. Please type your ideas in the comments below, and indicate if they are for writers, readers, or both: WRITERS: What do you do when you get stuck on a WIP? READERS: Which of the Harry Potter characters did you most want to be queer and why? BOTH: Where is queer romance going in the next five years? Ten? Twenty? Thanks all! –Scott
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth: Have you ever had that a-ha moment when reading a book, when the cover image suddenly makes sense? “Oh, it’s from that scene!” or “Ah, that’s what those squiggles are”. Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
FOR READERS You like some weird things. Two-headed vampires. The “My Baby is a Tortoise Shifter” trope. When a novel has not two romantic leads, but seventeen. How do you find other readers who share your particular tastes? Where do you look? What are your favorite sites? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
Today there’s some big event or other going on in Washington DC. But we’re not paying attention to that. Instead, we thought we’d inject a little hope into the world with what we’re calling “Light in the Darkness”. We want to make our own little safe haven here at QSF. Tell us about someone, or several someones, who you turn to when all is bleak – people who help you see the good in the world again. They can be lovers, family, friends, idols – whoever brings you hope and rekindles your own flame. We’ll return tomorrow to our normally … Read more
FOR READERS & WRITERS Tomorrow, President Obama leaves office, and President Trump and a unified GOP government becomes a reality. I don’t want to get into the politics of it all here. There are plenty of other places to do that. And tomorrow we will offer alternative programming. But I do want to discuss something that’s been much on my mind of late. What impact will this have on our little corner of the universe? Will queer romance and LGBTIQA fiction continue toi grow and flourish, or will there be a chilling effect? Will new laws targeting our community in … Read more
We hear a lot about the male gaze in the arts, but what about the female gaze, especially when it comes to MM fiction?
It is no secret that women make up a high percentage of gay romance writers and readers. I, myself, number among them. The question I thought I’d raise today is what influence this prevalence of women has upon the genre. Does it even affect it at all?
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Ben Brock: Why is a raven like a writing desk? Riddles in fiction. How do you feel about them? Do they aid worldbuilding? What are your favorites? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer ‘Nathan Smith: As a reader, over the last few years, I’ve closed the door on some publishers given how they’ve handled (or not handled) significant issues (especially when it comes to the queer community), and no longer buy books they’ve published. How much, if at all, do you react to a publisher’s actions? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat
Gaying The Story Up; or “Keep It Light, Keep It Bright, Keep It Gay.” by Jeff Baker I’ve done it. At least I’ve tried it. Taking a story I’ve written and making it appealing to an LGBT market by inserting a gay theme or character or making a character gay. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. There was a riff on the superhero genre I wrote about ten years ago. Couldn’t sell it, and then I saw a market for an LGBT-themed anthology. So, I tweaked the story a little, made one of the characters in the … Read more
