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 |  Closed for business, but be sure to check out my new place! |
| And no, I’m not talking about the bird, but my state of mind when it comes to a particular circumstance. I wrote a novella titled “The Detestable” not too long ago about two characters in my second novel. Now these characters intrigued me, mostly because of their unique relationship. For a while, I could not figure out what made it so unique. A man and a woman almost desperately in love with each other, but not married and never will be, either to each other or to any one else. Why was this, I wondered? Then it hit me, and boy did it take me by surprise. They’re homosexual. And because of that revelation I decided to write the story of how they met. Here’s my quandary. I want to see it published, but I don’t think it ever will be, at least not traditionally. For one, it’s a novella (25,000 words or 80 double-spaced pages) and most publishers don’t waste their time with them. Second, it deals with homosexuality. Some secular publishers don’t necessarily shy from that. They might, however, shy from the fact it has a Christian theme. And no Christian publisher will touch it because it deals with homosexuality. Quite a hole I dug for myself on this one, eh? I am a chicken because I refuse to place it in my portfolio – even under “For my eyes only”. Heck, it’s taken me two weeks to garner enough courage to write about it here! Because of the subject matter, I can imagine the responses I would get, both from Christians and others who feel strongly about homosexuality. I know my skin isn’t thick enough to handle any angry or hateful comments. What would be the typical reactions in finding a story with the genres Sci-Fi / Gay/Lesbian / Religious? Confused would probably be the initial one. Have you ever seen a story with those three put together? I haven’t, and yes, I’ve looked. After reading the premise (assuming a person gets that far) the second reaction would be, “No thanks. I’m not in the mood for a sermon, no matter how prettily wrapped in fiction.” Only the extremely curious and those with nothing better to do would read it. I have had two people read it so far, and their feedback was positive. But I expected that since they’re friends. I also gave a copy to my pastor to check my theology, but that was nine months ago, and he has yet to finish it. He has told me that from what he’s read so far, it’s a good story. He even admitted to reading the ending. What’s up with that? Why does anyone read the ending first? But that’s off subject. What I would really like to do is take it to the writer’s conference and get some ideas from agents and editors to see if I should hide it in the dark regions of my already overfull closet and forget I ever wrote it, or, if it is indeed publishable, where. But again, I’m afraid of even bringing up what to the Christian community is such a hot-button issue, to the point is has torn some churches apart and threatens to do the same with others. And that is another reason I wrote the story, not to preach, per se, but to give a different perspective on a controversial issue through fiction, using the Bible as my guide. I really need to stop being afraid. Caustic comments are inevitable whenever one deals with a controversial issue, so I must deal with them if I want people to not only enjoy the story (I did include lots of adventure, a bit of romance, and some blood and guts), but to perhaps think about an issue a little differently. So what is more important? Getting my story out, or protecting my fragile ego? |
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