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How to Write Bisexual Characters

bisexual

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Kathy Griffith: How about treatments of bisexuality that don’t involve threesomes or open relationships? Kathy gets at a good point here. The lazy way to show someone being bisexual is to show them having sex with men and with women, either at the same time or serially. But there must be better ways that don’t rely on the physical act of sex. After all, I can write a perfectly good gay character who never does the dirty in the book. And there are tons of straight stories that don’t feature sex, and yet we … Read more

For Writers: Writing FF

FF Fiction

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Carrie Pack Chowske: I’d love to hear the perspectives of authors who write F/F or bisexual or trans stories. Do FF authors face particular challenges because the field is so M/M dominant? My new book features a bisexual character and its sequel will have a significant F/F pairing. I’d love to know what the readership in those areas are looking for and what other authors are doing. Join the chat

For Writers: Writing Bi Characters

bisexual

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Amelia Bishop: I’d like to ask about bisexual romance. One issue is, when the characters are in a different gender pairing, the readership for m/m is not interested. I’ve written bisexual characters plenty of times, but I always skip the m/f scenes, and I tend to focus on the m/m. Part of that is just that I know my readers are primarily m/m readers. But obviously, the characters are still bisexual no matter what type of relationship they’re currently in. So I’d like to talk about exploring what makes something bisexual, in terms of … Read more

Getting the Guy (or Girl)

bisexual

In honor of Bisexual Awareness Week, we have a topic from QSFer Freddy MacKay: From a reader perspective, if an author’s character is bi, and actively dates both sexes during a series, but ends up with an opposite sex partner, how would that make you feel? Why? It’s an interesting question – whatever your orientation, there’s a natural desire to see things work out the way you hope they would in your own life. But we also open ourselves up to the experiences of others. As a gay man, I’ve been exposed to heterosexual romance my entire life – and … Read more

Guest Post: Avoiding Bisexual Stereotypes, by Vance Bastian

Bisexuality

We’re thrilled to have Vance Bastian contributing a post for our discussion today: Bisexual characters bring a very dynamic element to a story. Writers who challenge themselves to go beyond the stereotype of wanton promiscuity, abuse, or mental disorders find their stories wrapping around this individual who is a living catalyst. At their hearts, a bisexual character can be attracted to either gender. That does not mean the character wants to have sex with anything that moves. In fact, how open-hearted and rich is a bisexual character who wants a family, but sees the beauty in everyone? How complex is … Read more