Today’s topic comes from QSFer Elizabeth Barrette:
Sure we can non-romantic queerlit. I’d be interested in it also being non-horror which is most of what’s left after you take out the romance, it tends to go straight into existential despair.
This one hits kinda close to home. One of my recent stories was just hit in a review for not having enough “romance”, and the same complaint has been addressed to a close friend’s new book as well.
And at Rainbow Con, I was asked by an audience member whether an LGBT story without romance or sex is really an LGBT story at all.
So my questions to you today: Do our stories have to have tons or “romance” or “sex” to make them good stories? Can’t we tell good LGBT stories that stand on their own with little or no “romance”? Will they sell?