Cat Grant's Blog: Memoirs of an Amnesiac - Posts Tagged "m-m"
Putting on my ranty-pants again...
Okay, maybe not a rant. A short... diatribe? mulling over? discussion? on the fluidity of human sexuality, and why people who stubbornly refuse to get it bug the crap out of me.
A few weeks ago, I finally got around to seeing Kinsey , starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. It's a well-written, directed and acted biopic of the renowned sex researcher. Considering its subject matter, I should have made an effort to seek it out much sooner. For one thing, I was surprised to discover that Kinsey's first report, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, was first published in 1948.
In this report, Dr. Kinsey revealed that nearly 46% of his male subjects had "reacted" sexually to persons of both sexes during their adult lives, and 37% had had at least one homosexual experience. The study also reported that roughly 10% of American men were more or less exclusively gay for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55.
The book came out over sixty years ago, and yet people's brains still explode when they're asked to entertain the possibility that human sexuality might not exist in a state of black-and-white absolutes. I blame it on the pervasiveness of heteronormative conditioning in Western society, but that excuse only goes so far. There comes a time when people need to open their eyes and see the world as it truly exists.
I've been writing fiction featuring gay male relationships for well over a decade now, if you count slash fan fiction – a genre written by mostly straight women for a mostly straight female audience. Professionally written m/m romance fiction has grown out of this tradition.
In both cases, we're dealing with a very specific fantasy, which focuses on fetishizing male homosexuality for a female audience. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that – just don't expect it to be an accurate depiction of real-life gay or bisexual male’s experience, because it isn't.
Don't get me wrong, it's touching to read about a couple of guys who decide to give up their former sluthood and start picking out curtains - the first ten or so times. Now when I read this stuff, I start jonesing for an insulin shot. I know this is romance, and readers want their happily ever after, but very few real-life HEA's happen like this.
But there is a silver lining here, in that trends in popular fiction tend to come and go. In a few years I doubt anyone will lift an eyebrow at books that freely mix gay, bi, menage and heterosexual relationships. Hopefully that will open up the doors for other authors who, like myself, dislike being pigeonholed.
Frankly, I stopped thinking of my work as m/m a long time ago. It’s simply contemporary fiction featuring GLBT characters - where the “B” and “T” are not silent.
A few weeks ago, I finally got around to seeing Kinsey , starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. It's a well-written, directed and acted biopic of the renowned sex researcher. Considering its subject matter, I should have made an effort to seek it out much sooner. For one thing, I was surprised to discover that Kinsey's first report, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, was first published in 1948.
In this report, Dr. Kinsey revealed that nearly 46% of his male subjects had "reacted" sexually to persons of both sexes during their adult lives, and 37% had had at least one homosexual experience. The study also reported that roughly 10% of American men were more or less exclusively gay for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55.
The book came out over sixty years ago, and yet people's brains still explode when they're asked to entertain the possibility that human sexuality might not exist in a state of black-and-white absolutes. I blame it on the pervasiveness of heteronormative conditioning in Western society, but that excuse only goes so far. There comes a time when people need to open their eyes and see the world as it truly exists.
I've been writing fiction featuring gay male relationships for well over a decade now, if you count slash fan fiction – a genre written by mostly straight women for a mostly straight female audience. Professionally written m/m romance fiction has grown out of this tradition.
In both cases, we're dealing with a very specific fantasy, which focuses on fetishizing male homosexuality for a female audience. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that – just don't expect it to be an accurate depiction of real-life gay or bisexual male’s experience, because it isn't.
Don't get me wrong, it's touching to read about a couple of guys who decide to give up their former sluthood and start picking out curtains - the first ten or so times. Now when I read this stuff, I start jonesing for an insulin shot. I know this is romance, and readers want their happily ever after, but very few real-life HEA's happen like this.
But there is a silver lining here, in that trends in popular fiction tend to come and go. In a few years I doubt anyone will lift an eyebrow at books that freely mix gay, bi, menage and heterosexual relationships. Hopefully that will open up the doors for other authors who, like myself, dislike being pigeonholed.
Frankly, I stopped thinking of my work as m/m a long time ago. It’s simply contemporary fiction featuring GLBT characters - where the “B” and “T” are not silent.
More of an observation than a rant...
There's been a lot of drama in the m/m writer/reader community this past couple of weeks. I never used to comment when stuff like this came up - mostly because I was either busy, or it just didn't seem worth getting people mad at me.
But what the hell. It's my blog, and there's no law forcing anybody to read it.
Yesterday I stumbled across this post at Jessewave's about the recent decline in the quality of m/m fiction. I've only skimmed the 100+ comments on the article, but it appears a lot of people are getting bored and/or disgusted with m/m these days.
Which begs the question: If what you're reading no longer gives you enjoyment, why are you still reading it?
I freely admit, I do not read m/m in what little free time I have. I read research material, and the occasional mystery or historical novel. Mysteries are great for learning how to plot, and historicals... well, sometimes I just want get lost in another time period.
When I read for enjoyment, I really want to enjoy it, and reading m/m feels a little too much like work. I end up comparing myself to my colleagues, which is a sure-fire creativity killer. It's best for me to remain blissfully unaware of what everyone else is doing.
Which doesn't mean I ignore trends. A professional writer writes what sells. If readers don't like "gay for you" or "insta-love" or any of the other overused tropes out there, there's an easy solution - stop buying them. Believe me, authors will get the message.
Lest I come off sounding unsympathetic, I do understand what readers are saying about the decline in quality. I've skimmed excerpts on Amazon and ARe that looked like they hadn't even been spell checked. But I defy anyone to find a misspelled word or grammatically incorrect sentence in any of my books - even the self-published ones.
The point in all this pontificating (and yes, I do have one) is that these things run in cycles. I burnt myself out on paranormals back in the genre's first big boom in the 90s, which is why I don't read or write them. What could I possibly say about vampire, werewolves, shape-shifters, witches, etc., that hasn't been said a bazillion times before? I adore Regencies, but the research would be a killer - and besides, there's no way I could ever top Mary Balogh or Jo Beverley.
But after every boom there comes a bust, and it looks like m/m's headed in that direction. Readers will flock to whatever the New Shiny turns out to be, and authors will either drop out or find another genre.
Military shape-shifters or cowboy zombies? Only time will tell. :P
But what the hell. It's my blog, and there's no law forcing anybody to read it.
Yesterday I stumbled across this post at Jessewave's about the recent decline in the quality of m/m fiction. I've only skimmed the 100+ comments on the article, but it appears a lot of people are getting bored and/or disgusted with m/m these days.
Which begs the question: If what you're reading no longer gives you enjoyment, why are you still reading it?
I freely admit, I do not read m/m in what little free time I have. I read research material, and the occasional mystery or historical novel. Mysteries are great for learning how to plot, and historicals... well, sometimes I just want get lost in another time period.
When I read for enjoyment, I really want to enjoy it, and reading m/m feels a little too much like work. I end up comparing myself to my colleagues, which is a sure-fire creativity killer. It's best for me to remain blissfully unaware of what everyone else is doing.
Which doesn't mean I ignore trends. A professional writer writes what sells. If readers don't like "gay for you" or "insta-love" or any of the other overused tropes out there, there's an easy solution - stop buying them. Believe me, authors will get the message.
Lest I come off sounding unsympathetic, I do understand what readers are saying about the decline in quality. I've skimmed excerpts on Amazon and ARe that looked like they hadn't even been spell checked. But I defy anyone to find a misspelled word or grammatically incorrect sentence in any of my books - even the self-published ones.
The point in all this pontificating (and yes, I do have one) is that these things run in cycles. I burnt myself out on paranormals back in the genre's first big boom in the 90s, which is why I don't read or write them. What could I possibly say about vampire, werewolves, shape-shifters, witches, etc., that hasn't been said a bazillion times before? I adore Regencies, but the research would be a killer - and besides, there's no way I could ever top Mary Balogh or Jo Beverley.
But after every boom there comes a bust, and it looks like m/m's headed in that direction. Readers will flock to whatever the New Shiny turns out to be, and authors will either drop out or find another genre.
Military shape-shifters or cowboy zombies? Only time will tell. :P
