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"Two or three things I know for sure, and one is that I'd rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me." -- Dorothy Allison
The stories I write stick pretty much to a common theme. (You'll realize this after I finish a few of them. I promise.) I don't mean that they're all in one genre, like fantasy or contemporary or whatever -- they're actually pretty varied there -- but that they're about people like me.
Well, not exactly like me. That would be a pretty narrow subgroup, and there's only so many stories I could tell there, and not all of them would be particularly interesting. But more... my people. Gender and sexual and romantic minorities.
There are situations out there where people who have told our stories are offered deals for more fame, more money, more respect if they drop us from the narrative and tell stories about "normal" people. I've thought about it, you know, and I think if someone made me that offer, I'd be very, very sad that they even said it to me.
It's not that I think people who choose to tell stories about not-us are bad people. Like the wind, the muse goes where it will and you follow. And I'm not trying to set up a separation between "us" and "them," 'cause we all have plenty of things in common, but the moment that request is made, the "us" and "them" thing has already been created.
I thought about it, though. Would I take the opportunity? I'm notoriously mercenary. When you grow up on the lower end of the income bracket, money can be a powerful motivation. I mean sure, money isn't everything, but I'm not gonna lie -- it makes some things easier to deal with. (Some, not all.) But even if I was offered a lot of money, I don't think I could. Not that I don't think I would -- although I kinda doubt that too -- but... if I weren't telling stories about my people, I don't think I would have any stories left to tell.
Everybody has the things they can't get away from, and my thing is Queer kids. (I like the capital Q. What do you think? And we could just abbreviate it. "I'm Q.") Maybe part of it is because I'm still untangling what it means to me to be Q. After all, fiction is the vehicle by which we explore our reality. (I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that, but I'm the first person I've heard say it.)
But whatever the reason, I don't think I have any stories in me that aren't about Q people, and I think it just wouldn't work if I tried to write about anyone else. I love my people. My people are my muse and my motivation. And I really, really hope that never changes for me.
The stories I write stick pretty much to a common theme. (You'll realize this after I finish a few of them. I promise.) I don't mean that they're all in one genre, like fantasy or contemporary or whatever -- they're actually pretty varied there -- but that they're about people like me.
Well, not exactly like me. That would be a pretty narrow subgroup, and there's only so many stories I could tell there, and not all of them would be particularly interesting. But more... my people. Gender and sexual and romantic minorities.
There are situations out there where people who have told our stories are offered deals for more fame, more money, more respect if they drop us from the narrative and tell stories about "normal" people. I've thought about it, you know, and I think if someone made me that offer, I'd be very, very sad that they even said it to me.
It's not that I think people who choose to tell stories about not-us are bad people. Like the wind, the muse goes where it will and you follow. And I'm not trying to set up a separation between "us" and "them," 'cause we all have plenty of things in common, but the moment that request is made, the "us" and "them" thing has already been created.
I thought about it, though. Would I take the opportunity? I'm notoriously mercenary. When you grow up on the lower end of the income bracket, money can be a powerful motivation. I mean sure, money isn't everything, but I'm not gonna lie -- it makes some things easier to deal with. (Some, not all.) But even if I was offered a lot of money, I don't think I could. Not that I don't think I would -- although I kinda doubt that too -- but... if I weren't telling stories about my people, I don't think I would have any stories left to tell.
Everybody has the things they can't get away from, and my thing is Queer kids. (I like the capital Q. What do you think? And we could just abbreviate it. "I'm Q.") Maybe part of it is because I'm still untangling what it means to me to be Q. After all, fiction is the vehicle by which we explore our reality. (I'm sure I'm not the first person to say that, but I'm the first person I've heard say it.)
But whatever the reason, I don't think I have any stories in me that aren't about Q people, and I think it just wouldn't work if I tried to write about anyone else. I love my people. My people are my muse and my motivation. And I really, really hope that never changes for me.
