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Novel #3
Naw....I couldn't leave for work with that negative post being at the top of my page. I've taken a shower, cleared my head, and now I want to talk about my third novel and the writing process in general.
My novels so far all deal with one central character, Adrian Collins. I have about five stories in me that deal with Adrian's trials and tribulations as he navigates through college and onto manhood. In some ways, the are love stories, but not romance novels. To be honest, I don't quite know what genre they fall in. I would consider them "college novels" if that's a category. They aren't gritty enough to be STREET FICTION yet they definitely have elements of hip-hop in them. You can't have a novel about college students without using hip-hop as the soundtrack.
They also aren't really "gay" novels....okay, that's a damn lie, lol. What I mean is that they aren't like the gay novels you have read so far. They certainly aren't like mainstream gay novels written by white men. And that's okay, I know and appreciate the fact that there are differences between gay white men and gay black men that should be celebrated.
My novels aren't like E. Lynn Harris' novels although I definitely honor and credit him for paving the way for gay black fiction in the mainstream. E. Lynn's first novel, Invisible Life, was perfect for me to read when I was a high school student. But his subsequent books were a little too "old" for me when I was a college student. I still enjoyed reading them, but I didn't feel like they reflected my experiences anymore.
I also appreciate the work of James Earl Hardy, but my work isn't quite like his, either. I like him because he is on the opposite end of the spectrum as E. Lynn. It's like E. Lynn is the upscale mall, James is the street vendor. E. Lynn is the adult contemporary station, and James is hip-hop all the way. But the thing that sets me apart from James is, once again, the age of the main characters. My folks are all (initially) college students, and I like the fact that in college, you can illustrate code switching and the duality of language and behavior among Black students. Here you have this group of scholars who are comfortable saying "He be" and "we be" and "nigga, please" without losing their authenticity as educated, young, black people.
In my novels, you will not find stereotypes -- you will find people who are like you and me. There is no token slut, no hypersexed, overly masculine DL brother, no drag queens, and no hyper-sensitive emn. They are just normal college students, some of whom happen to be gay.
I think it's about time we had a novel like that, don't you think?
I am concerned with how gay black men are protrayed in literature, in the media, and the collective eyes of African America. Books like that one by JL King aren't doing anything positive for gay black people....it's just dividing us more from our straight counterparts and doing little to address the real issues among us, including self-esteem and tolerance.
I don't think my book is going to automatically change lives and open doors....I think it's just going to be a small piece of an overall movement.
Anyway, about my writing process.
I can't start writing without an outline. That's just how I work. I have about five novels in me dealing with all these characters. Just because one novel begins and ends, there are always going to be loose ends that can be carried over and expounded upon in the next novel. I think I must be influenced by my love of soap operas in that way....reading is important, and fun, and somewhere deep inside I was also a little disappointed by stand-alone novels. Like Carrie by Stephen King, for example. I always wanted to know "And then what???" even though the novel was really conclusive in how it ended.
So, I write an outline. I might not always stick to the outline, but I must have a completed one before I begin. Right now, I am stuck on my currently outline because although I know what I want to say, I am not so sure how I want to execute these themes.
Writing takes a lot of time, and it's not for everyone. But don't be fooled....you don't have to be rich to create the "leisure" time necessary to be a writer. Personally, I like being a substitute teacher. It's not exactly the most lucrative field, and I don't get benefits, but it gives me a shorter work day. I can come home and write a little bit if I want. And of course, weekends and holidays are free. And summers. But most importantly, I know that if I budget properly, I can take a few days or weeks off and do nothing but write if I want to. Right now, I have a long term assignment subbing for a woman on maternity leave. I have about three weeks left in this assignment, and when I am finished, I will take about two weeks to do nothing but research and prepare for this third novel.
I got to do it...I have to do what it takes to get the novels in my head onto paper.
After they're on paper, then we can work on editing. But the toughest part is getting what you want to say on paper in a way that makes sense artistically and contextually.
Anyway, now I need to go to work....PEACE!
Posted by Rashid on October 18, 2004 7:29 AM
Comments
After reading your blog, by the time I do meet you face-to-face (and we will) it is going to feel as if I have known you forever. And the more I read, the more I love you.
Commented by Sharon on October 18, 2004 6:06 PM