Hero Comes Out of the Closet, Confounds Writer

[Tom]

So.

Recently I realized something about my protagonist, Tomrin.

He's gay.

I've been writing and rewriting his story for almost half a decade, and I never figured this out until now. Now, when I look back at the very first version of the story, I can see the first inklings of his sexual identity that I wrote in, unintentionally and unaware of what it meant for his character. There was always a lot more chemistry between him and another male character (who I now realize is bisexual), than between him and his designated female love interest. I feel like this revelation hit me between the eyes, it was so obvious.

How...how do I handle this? I feel like I'm going to have to rewrite every character interaction in my current draft to bring it in line with this new bit of character development.

 

[Steerpike]

Sounds like you had this in your subconscious from your very first imaginings of this character. That doesn't mean you have to go with it, though. You're the boss of your story. If you want to include this element of the character, then it may make sense to do some rewriting. You could also simply ignore this revelation and go on as you are. Readers may or may not ever pick up on it.

 

[Mindfire]

This is only tangential to the OP's posting, but I've never really understood how a character can "surprise" the author or otherwise make the story move in a different direction than the author originally intended. I mean, it's a useful metaphor for what goes on in your head as you write, but it's not actually the case. The characters don't make the decisions, you do. A better metaphor is that you're on a branching path and something interesting off to the side catches your eye, causing you to detour from your planned route and end up somewhere new. But you can still choose to turn around and go back to the route you originally planned if you want to. Whether you find the original plan as interesting or fulfilling as the unexpected discovery is another matter.

 

[Tom]

It happens a lot for me, especially when I read or watch new things. Seeing certain traits in other people's characters will suddenly awaken me to the fact that the same traits have been lying dormant in my own characters, buried in background information and subtext I wasn't aware I'd written in. Writing a character for me is less about telling their story than it is getting to know them. The more I write about them, the more their personality and traits unfold in front of me, like a map of an unexplored world. That's mainly why I write. To get to know my characters.

 

[Mindfire]

I suppose that makes sense. The narrative is the top priority in my writing, so if a character doesn't want to get with the program I have them... How do the Qunari put it? Re-educated. Or I outright replace them. I will change the story itself, and I have multiple times, but only if it just doesn't work or I think of something I find more interesting.

 

[CupofJoe]

Why do you feel you need to rewrite? Or maybe what I should ask is what do you want to change?
I don't see why you will have to rewrite if you have written the character true to themselves. Their sexuality is already in the story. It may not be front and centre, but does it have to be?

 

[Tom]

Why do you feel you need to rewrite? Or maybe what I should ask is what do you want to change?
I don't see why you will have to rewrite if you have written the character true to themselves. Their sexuality is already in the story. It may not be front and centre, but does it have to be?

That makes a lot of sense, Joe. I don't want to make his sexuality the focal point of the story, so I guess I can keep it as-is. I'll just have to rewrite his very flat romantic interactions with the female love interest so it becomes a good, platonic friendship.

 

[MineOwnKing]

Hmm,

Male menopause can mess with your mind.

I would sit on the revelation for a few days and ponder the consequences while drinking vast quantities of beer.

 

[Nimue]

I agree with Joe! You'd hardly need to rewrite everything, just conversations with his former love interest and this new guy-of-interest, and perhaps a few conversations about his orientation--depending a great deal on how he expresses this, how the culture(s) around him sees being gay, what the level of understanding between him and others is, etc. But I bet you that if you went through your scenes, you'd see that far fewer of them need to be changed than you might think. If the subtext is there, all you need is acknowledgement to bring it to the forefront, and the reader will interpret things from there. After all, suggestive conversation can be easily tilted one way or another by context.

Overall, if it deepens Tomrin's characterization, if it brings him into line with who he is in this story, if it feels right...do it! Yeah, it'll be a lot of work, but I bet you'll be more engaged with the story as a result. ^^

 

[Tom]

Hmm,

Male menopause can mess with your mind.

I would sit on the revelation for a few days and ponder the consequences while drinking vast quantities of beer.

I'm sorry, but how is this relevant to the subject of the thread?

 

[Androxine Vortex]

I guess the only thing I can contribute is to ask yourself what is it going to benefit the story? Take Dumbledoor being gay. It was never really mentioned in books but still mad some readers angry. Personally, I don't delve too much into sexuality in my stories because things like that don't really contribute to the overall plot. Things like this might become distractions. If handled right though it could help the reader sympathize with the MC. Hope this helps.

 

[ThinkerX]

Oh, ones characters can sometimes confound you.

I am dealing with the consequences of that now.

Had a scene all laid out, fairly pivotal, a key step on the way to the grand confrontation at the end. Even had a couple hundred word outline all written out.

The one character, by staying in character made a hash of it. 'No, my lady, you are not entering that disreputable inn and visiting an outcast mage on your own.' And once the really awkward meeting got underway, said character interjected his own views more than once and finally cut the meeting short.

Did make for a stronger scene...but I did have to go and reimagine it.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

In my first Addison story, I just put it out there that she's a lesbian. There is no mention of her orientation at all in her second (and much longer) short story, but of course it's important that I know that about her and stay true to that part of her. Basically, it just means she won't get romantic with her male costar in that story.

I agree that sexuality doesn't need to be shown/told, unless there's a reason for the reveal and it makes the character deeper and more real. (Of course, if there's a romance plot, the character's sexuality is as relevant as can be.)

I also get how our characters can "tell us" who they truly are. I don't like to stop them. You are the boss of your story, but the best bosses listen to those under them. Thinker X's above post is a good example of being a good boss in that way. It wasn't an act of mutiny for his character to refuse to let a lady visit an outcast mage alone—he was being true to himself, and since Think X listened, he became Rethinker X and the scene became Stronger!

A "yes man" would've quietly ignored his own protective trait and let his lady take a foolish risk, and a reader might actually notice and wonder, "Why does he suddenly stop being overprotective? She could get killed, and that would be a stupid death." (Like RoboCop 3 when Anne Lewis says "nah" to wearing a bulletproof vest. Stupidly out of character; stupidly killed off.)

 

[Russ]

This could be a big step forward for your work. This aspect of your character becoming clear is a sign of really bringing this character to life. I would celebrate it (with or without beer) but as many wise people above have advised you, don't over react to it. Change what must be changed to match this clarification and keep the focus on the story.

It is like a puzzle piece has fallen into place for you. Well done.

 

[JCFarnham]

Not much to add, but I just want to put this forward.

Often things tangential to the plot are what brings out characterisation the most. For me anyway ... If you stick to what you're "supposed" to be writing then you might miss something juicy.

 

[Tom]

It is like a puzzle piece has fallen into place for you. Well done.

Yes, it has. I'm excited about it, but it's also a rather unexpected puzzle piece, and I didn't know how it fit the picture at first. Hopefully everyone's advice will help me figure out how it belongs.

This is kind of a big step for me--I've never written an openly LGBTQ character before, despite being queer myself. I grew up in a moderately conservative family who, while they didn't actively condemn LGBTQ folks, made it pretty clear that they didn't support the whole idea in any way. Coming out to them has been a rough, slow-going journey for me, and until now I've been very hesitant about including LGBTQ representation in my writing because of their attitude toward it. Hopefully this is another step toward forging a bridge of understanding between them and me.

 

[Zadocfish]

Good luck to you, man. Just don't make being gay his only character trait; it sounds like it just kinda happened as a result of his character, though, so I doubt that'll be a problem.

 

[PelenTan]

First, I would break it to your parents gently. ;-) And be prepared for them to look at you and say "duh!" I can't say that I've ever had a character completely surprise me like that. However I have had characters grow in ways I hadn't really planned. For example two female characters hook up as sexual partners whom I had originally intended to be antagonists. But that was more just allowing the characters to develop instead of remaining stagnant. Perhaps your main character _wasn't_ gay, but just shifted more to that?

 

[Nimue]

Yes, it has. I'm excited about it, but it's also a rather unexpected puzzle piece, and I didn't know how it fit the picture at first. Hopefully everyone's advice will help me figure out how it belongs.

This is kind of a big step for me--I've never written an openly LGBTQ character before, despite being queer myself. I grew up in a moderately conservative family who, while they didn't actively condemn LGBTQ folks, made it pretty clear that they didn't support the whole idea in any way. Coming out to them has been a rough, slow-going journey for me, and until now I've been very hesitant about including LGBTQ representation in my writing because of their attitude toward it. Hopefully this is another step toward forging a bridge of understanding between them and me.

Ah, didn't see your last post, Tom. The idea of using writing to express something to your family is an interesting one... If only because I've found that my family members seem to either think characters are direct representations of me?? Or not really grasp a heck of a lot of the purpose of my writing. (Well, except for family members who are also writers--my mom's an author and my sister writes as much as I do, though I'm the only one who's into fantasy). Insofar as I show my writing to anybody I know in person, which is, uh, once in a blue moon.

How've your family reacted to your writing in general? Are they familiar with Southerner? Overall I hope your coming-out ongoing-process is as smooth and happy as possible!

 

[Tom]

How've your family reacted to your writing in general? Are they familiar with Southerner? Overall I hope your coming-out ongoing-process is as smooth and happy as possible!

Well, my family generally loves my writing (except for my ultra-conservative grandmother, who believes that fantasy as a genre is evil and that reading Harry Potter will turn you into a Satanist and that I am going to hell in all probability). I haven't shown them a few of my more personal works--such as the ones in which magical transformation is an explicit metaphor for transgenderism, for instance. I'm not that certain of my footing yet as to bare my literary soul to them.

They're pretty familiar with Southerner, however, since I've been writing it since junior high. I've changed the draft so many times that they're not always accurate on details, but they know the general plot and characters. In fact, my younger sister never liked the romance between Tomrin and Aeyu (the female love interest), and actively "ships" Tomrin and Miekkhal (the male character). I believe my mother detected some of the earliest hints of same-sex attraction in Tomrin's narration years ago, and pointed it out to me. Thankfully she didn't tell me I had to write it out.