Home

Advertisement

Customize

Is it a law that you have to be lesbian to write Femslash?

« previous entry | next entry »
Sep. 13th, 2007 | 06:06 pm
mood: curious curious
music: Tony Moran - Before This Night is Over

Okay, I know it's a weird title / subject / whatever, but it's something currently bugging me, so I figured I'd post and see what people thought.  Not that I haven't wondered something to this effect for a while, but it came to a head as I read yet another rant on YouTube about "all you queers watching queers" in a Bad Girls vid commentary.  (this post follows my usual reaction to said comments - lots of derogatory, insulting remarks about the poster and specific-finger-pointing at the monitor)

So is it some sort of unwritten law that one has to be bisexual or lesbian to write real femslash?  And if not, how many straight people do write femslash?

As far as I'm concerned, it's the writer's ability to write and the realistic-ness that creates good fanfiction.  Hell, I may not like Emma/Shalimar from Mutant X or the rampant SVU and CSI pairs, but I've happily devoured fics for said couples because the writing was spectacular.  The same applies for music videos and such - if it's well done, I could care less what gender or sexuality the couple is.  But I've noticed that the minute I mention femslash to anyone, the automatic assumption seems to be that only bisexual women, lesbians or sicko-men write that kind of thing.

I suppose I should clarify a few things before I start getting flames.  Yes, I write femslash - Mirelle/Kirika, Rachel/Ivy, Xena/Gabrielle, Nikki/Helen and Barbara/Helena are my personal favorite pairings, and I've read good stuff for everything from Voyager to Murder in Suburbia and everything in between.  And yes, I'm completely straight.  As far as that goes, I could care less about a person's RL sexuality - as my best friend so memorably refers to it, I "may not be gay, but [I'm] definitely bendy."  None of it bothers me.  My personal reason for writing femslash (aside from loving the particular pairings) is because I can't write a hetero sex-scene without getting embarrassed enough to pass out.  Femslash doesn't do that to me.  xD

*reads back over the post*  Gah, it sounds like a rant, though I didn't mean it to be.  I'm just honestly curious. 

Edit add:  For anyone wondering, I am female.  xD 

Tags: ,

Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Comments {107}

Page 1 of 2
<<[1] [2] >>

gargyloveswolfy

(no subject)

from: [info]gargyloveswolfy
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:35 am (UTC)
Link

No, but it helps.....I've read a lot of gay guys writtings on femslash....and they are pretty good......I think it helps to know how lesbians feel and see the world and might help get inside some of the characters' heads........but, no you don't need to be lesbian nor bi-sexual to write femslash as a woman.

Reply | Thread

Pattern Spider

(no subject)

from: [info]pattern_spider
date: Oct. 20th, 2007 03:16 pm (UTC)
Link

I've been slashing for close to a decade and a half now, and again and again it's struck me how femslashers are mavins for realism, where as homslashers are remarkably less so.

To the point that we saw the creation of Minotaur's Realistic Gay Sex Tips for Slashers site.

I have yet to come across even the mention of an equivalent for femslash, which to me potentially argues the implications that (a) authors are expected to have decent hands on reference, and (b) men aren't welcome as femslash authors.

Reply | Parent | Thread

Cannon

(no subject)

from: [info]geonncannon
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:38 am (UTC)
Link

I've never heard of such a thing! The vast majority of m/m slash - or so I've read - are straight women. And I've had a very nice career writing femslash and I'm a straight man.

So, no, the queers-watching-queers comment is just ignorance and bigotry, I think. Pay it no mind.

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:54 am (UTC)
Link

*grins* I usually don't, but reading it for the millionth time made me curious.

As for the m/m slash, I personally know more than a dozen straight female friends that write it, so you're right on that count.

Oooo, a straight guy that writes femslash. Can ya believe I've never heard of it before? ^^'

Reply | Parent | Thread

lettersandsodas

(no subject)

from: [info]lettersandsodas
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:47 am (UTC)
Link

I don't think you have to be queer to write or read femslash, but most of the writers I've met have been. Not all, mind you, but most. And I do think that the desire on the part of queers for representation is a big motivator for a lot of f/f fanfic that's written.

Reply | Thread

darandkerry

(no subject)

from: [info]darandkerry
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:56 am (UTC)
Link

I'm with [info]geonncannon. Good writing is good writing. To me, it's the quality of the writing that's important, not the fandom or the pairing or the writer's sexual preference. How the characters are portrayed is all that counts. Just give me a well-written fic, and I'm a happy camper. Btw...I'm always a happy camper when I read your work. :)

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:59 am (UTC)
Link

Awwww. *grins* I so need to post the next installments for LD and Witching Hour. And the Turbolift Challenge, Bad Girls style.

And yay! Someone else that thinks well-written fic = happyglee!

Reply | Parent | Thread

DJ Shiva

(no subject)

from: [info]djshiva
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:58 am (UTC)
Link

i don't personally consider it a requirement that one is bi or lesbian to write femslash. i just consider a requirement that the stories be well-written, interesting and cut to the heart of the matter, so to speak.

love is love, regardless of gender or sexuality.

i do, however, think that an understanding of the subtler elements of being gay in this society can have an effect on how true to life a story is, so awareness of these things is always a nice touch.

Reply | Thread

shannon j.l.

(no subject)

from: [info]shanejayell
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 01:58 am (UTC)
Link

*is straight*

I also know at least one married mother who writes femslash. Heh

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:01 am (UTC)
Link

Ah, now I know the consensus is write, 'cause your stories are utterly fantastic. xD *nodnod*

And wow. I just had an image of my own rather-non-open-minded mother writing femslash. Pardon me while I go try to bleach that image out of my mental retinas.

Reply | Parent | Thread

Czarina Elizabeata Romanova

(no subject)

from: [info]insanedeity
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:06 am (UTC)
Link

Not sure if this comment will take as I am not friended on you LJ. I wasn't sure from your post if the negative comments at youtube were directed at your work, if so, I am glad you are n ot paying them any mind. If not, I am glad you are just putting up with them.

As to the actual content of your question:
I firmly believe that the gender or orientation of the author is irrelevant. Plus, I pay a lot less (nearly none) attention to the authors as RL people than I do as to their attributes. What quality their work is, what type of fic (angst, fluff etc.) they write. I do focus somewhat on what parings an author works with, but will often enough read a pairing I am not familiar with if I like the author enough. I have read fic (generally awful) where something will jump out I would say, "This is not written by someone who has ever had sex with a woman, or given any real thought to what that experience would be like." But again that leads to bad fic, and only sometimes to being able to say, someone other than a lesbian or bi-sexual woman wrote this. Usually I suspect very young/inexperienced folk of writing that sort of stuff first.
Having said all that, do I normally assume femslash is the work of a lesbian, yes. Do I care when I find out I'm wrong, no. I figure if you are in the community, you are clearly sharing my interests and therefore feel basically comfortable talking about femslashy goodness. (not that I write, or even post much.)

It is an interesting question. Now I will stop talking about it. And by the way, I have liked your fics I have read. Your straight woman femslash is welcome any time! (I really hope that read as a compliment on your skills and not as creepy. I hate no verbal context for this stuff.)

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:35 am (UTC)
Link

Nah, it really wasn't about my work - only two vids I currently have are Noir-themed. But I've been oogling the Bad Girls stuff on YouTube recently. Which reminds me, I need to get a post together with recs, 'cause some of them rock.

That said - your reply is amazingly awesome, with a distinction I wish more people made. *loves* And don't worry, I took it as a compliment. xD

Reply | Parent | Thread

Revolos55

(no subject)

from: [info]revolos55
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:11 am (UTC)
Link

I know it's probably wrong, but I usually assume that most of the work I read was written by women, whether it's slash or not. I don't know if that's a product of mostly reading things that are from the perspective of a female character, or because I'm female. *shrug*

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:43 am (UTC)
Link

*ponders* I do the same thing with femslash, but like Insanediety pointed out, it doesn't bother me to find out I'm wrong.

And I LOVE your icon. xDDD

Reply | Parent | Thread

anomalys

(no subject)

from: [info]anomalys
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:41 am (UTC)
Link

Something like this used to come up in the Xena fandom from time to time. Not usually in such an ugly way, but new fans on the scene would often assume that all Subtexters were lesbians. When in truth, a good many were straight women... not to mention more than a few men. It's just ignorance.

I'd like to hope that everyone can appreciate amazing chemistry and a great romance, regardless of their own sexuality, Even though I almost always prefer the girl love, I'm still a fan of certain het couples like Mulder & Scully, Angel & Cordelia... and going way back, Scarecrow & Mrs. King. (Plus a few that I won't name because it might get my toaster taken away from me. *g*) And, hey, two of my favorite lesbian movies were written by men. So... as long as there's love and respect for a story, that's all that really matters to me.

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:46 am (UTC)
Link

*laughs* I wouldn't take your toaster, promise. Actually, I'm more likely to get teased than most, since I love Olivia/Elliot and Grissom/Sara.

And here here! I second that hope. *nodnod*

Sidenote: Pshhhh, I have a guy friend that just started re-watching Xena again, and he couldn't believe anyone could be stupid enough NOT to see the subtext. His words, not mine. xD

Reply | Parent | Thread

marygriggs

(no subject)

from: [info]marygriggs
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:49 am (UTC)
Link

There are a number of folks who write lesbian fiction (including fanficiton) who aren't lesbian, bisexual or even female. There's Geonn Cannon, Gun Brooke, Blayne Cooper and Rick Reed to name a few that come immediately to mind.

Reply | Thread

damaged justice

(no subject)

from: [info]frogfarm
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:01 am (UTC)
Link

My personal reason for writing femslash (aside from loving the particular pairings) is because I can't write a hetero sex-scene without getting embarrassed enough to pass out. Femslash doesn't do that to me.

I'd just like to say I find this inconceivably, adorably weird.

And that I have nothing constructive to add, except that for me, good fic is good fic regardless of source. It takes all kinds, and the universe contains multitudes.

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:07 am (UTC)
Link

*flush* I know, it sounds idiotic, but it's true. A good half of my novels (all with female protagonists) have some form of romantic relationship, and several of the adult stories have erotic scenes built into their outlines. Unfortunately, while I'm not a prude, I have absolutely no ability to write something hetro beyond kissing without getting embarressed and/or turning myself on. (which for obvious reasons makes it hard to write.) xD Oddly enough, I don't seem to have near the problem writing femslash, so I use it for practice. Hell, I'd write yaoi / male slash too, but I don't have as much knowledge / experience with guys and sex. And I haven't found more than maybe one m/m pairing that I like.

Reply | Parent | Thread

rpickett77

(no subject)

from: [info]rpickett77
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:18 am (UTC)
Link

I'm in the "Q" category at the moment (questioning), though I think I lean straight, and I read and write femslash. I'm new at writing, and my interest in writing has everything to do with the characters, and wanting to express certain qualities that I see in characters through a story (such as integrity, honesty, courage). The qualities are genderless. It seems to me that if there was no homophobia, it might be natural that people would write love stories... regardless of the pairing, or the writer, being straight or gay. Hope that made sense :) Thanks for asking the question!

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:24 am (UTC)
Link

Here here! Truly heroic / evil qualities are genderless - why can't love stories be the same? And you're quite welcome for asking the question. These responses have been just awesome.

Reply | Parent | Thread

ein_myria

(no subject)

from: [info]ein_myria
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:46 am (UTC)
Link

Good writing is good writing, regardless of who writes it. One has to be open to those concepts though.

Most of the early femmeslash I read from 1996-2000 were by men (90%) and they were quite good; sadly most of them no longer write fanfiction and have disappeared (perhaps into RL lol). My favorite lesbian fairytale is by a man (I think--can't really tell by the name--but it's very good, and it's very different, which is why I like it). I am female, and I don't like to label things. ;p

I once made the mistake of mistaking the gender of an author once for a lesbian-oriented erotic saga that spanned over 200 chapters when I was writing the description of her works for an old recommendaitons page. I thought, by the style of the writing (it was very hard core edge to it, and it was so kinky and hot *smiles in remembrance*), that the person was a male, but it turned out that the author was very female, and very pissed when she found out about my little mis-attribution. ;p It's really funny, because the guys who I had been in correspondence before this debacle with who I mistook as women were flattered by the fact that I thought their writing was good enough to pass. ;)

Reply | Thread

ein_myria

(no subject)

from: [info]ein_myria
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:47 am (UTC)
Link

oops I meant *recommendations*

Reply | Parent | Thread

Brain Dead from the Past

(no subject)

from: [info]pocketnympho
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 06:01 am (UTC)
Link

As long as it's well written and respectful I don't care what gender or sexuality the writer is. Good fic is good fic as far as I'm concerned. ^_^

btw...when can we get another Rachel/ Ivy fic? >.>

XDDDDD

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 08:02 am (UTC)
Link

*snicker* I need a Rachel / Ivy icon. Wonder how I'll do that? *ponders*

Anyway - the next bit of Witching Hour should be up sometime next week, hopefully. Website's gotten bogged down with some stuff I've gotta sort out. But I do have a summary for it, and a teaser. ^^ Chapter two, Rachel gets called by the FIB to take on a special case - one connected to her past in a way she would never have imagined. *evil laugh*

Reply | Parent | Thread

the_girl_20

(no subject)

from: [info]the_girl_20
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 07:48 am (UTC)
Link

I'm straight and I write and read femslash.

My reasons for doing so are almost lost in the mists of time - I've done it for so long. I actually discovered femslash by mistake and ended up in a community (Buffy/Willow) and found it to be very welcoming and friendly, far more so than any other fandom community I'd come across. And it sort of all developed from there.

I also get embarrassed when I write sex. Of any description. Involving anyone. And I don't really read it either, I kind of skim sex scenes in most fics. I am a prude!

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 07:59 am (UTC)
Link

*cheers and adds another mark to her mental tally* I've noticed that too - the welcoming and friendly aspect, I mean. I can honestly say I've been more welcome here than pretty much any place I've come across.

I don't mind sex scenes - reading them, anyway - but certain words people choose to use bug the snot out of me. Pussy and dick are big ones (pun not intended) - cum and repeated "fuck" are similarly annoying. To me, most of the great writers can evoke imagery without trashy language. Not that I won't read something with said words in it, but they do take away some of my enjoyment of the stories.

Reply | Parent | Thread

Czarina Elizabeata Romanova

(no subject)

from: [info]insanedeity
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 10:42 am (UTC)
Link

From my friend's journal on that very topic...

http://antiochbitch.livejournal.com/112231.html

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:22 pm (UTC)
Link

*reads and laughs* Oh, that's beautiful! I oughta fave that and stick it somewhere for reference. xDDD

Reply | Parent | Thread

ralst

(no subject)

from: [info]ralst
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 02:50 pm (UTC)
Link

If there is a rule, no-one's ever told me about it. It all just depends on a person's skill as a writer and their empathy and understanding of the characters. And that's hardly dependant on gender or sexual orientation.

Reply | Thread

newbie_2u

(no subject)

from: [info]newbie_2u
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 03:11 pm (UTC)
Link

A well written story is just that, a well written story. Good writing expresses a clear point, is tightly structured, grammatically and syntactically correct, substantive, and interesting. Nowhere in that description does it state that the gender or sexual orientation of the writer mattered.

As for the "queers watching queers" rant, that can only be categorized as bigotry: Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.

As to your question, you've seen the answer in these comments - gender and sexual orientation matter not to those who write femslash.

Reply | Thread

cabenson

(no subject)

from: [info]cabenson
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 04:19 pm (UTC)
Link

Like most everyone else, I don't care who, or what writes a story or edits a vid as long as it is well written or well-edited.

Reply | Thread

Jenn Shatterpath

(no subject)

from: [info]shatterpath
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 04:23 pm (UTC)
Link

See, you are the kind of bendy straight person I like! And, I agree with your sorta-rant. While straight pairing squick me, that doesn't at all meant that there isn't plenty of talent out there. Writing is a way to liveout things that one couldn't do in real life. I learned to write well by being involved for years in table-top role playing games. I write about things that I would never, ever do in real life. As long as the characters are grown-ups and consentual, who the hell cares what they do? It always makes me wonder abou the people spazzing out. What are they hiding, eh?

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 10:38 pm (UTC)
Link

*grins* Here here! I learned to write well by reading through most of my childhood - you couldn't pry the books out of my hand from age of four to about, well, now. xD Though tabletop RP is a good training ground, too. And as for living out things, you're right on. I mean, come on, it is fiction.

Reply | Parent | Thread

jaina47

(no subject)

from: [info]jaina47
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 07:56 pm (UTC)
Link

Nah, I know several mostly straight women that write and/or read femslash.

Reply | Thread

Jenn Shatterpath

(no subject)

from: [info]shatterpath
date: Sep. 15th, 2007 03:09 pm (UTC)
Link

Good! Because we're such a comparitively small group, the more friends in the sandbax, the better!

Reply | Parent | Thread

breaktherules10

(no subject)

from: [info]breaktherules10
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 09:05 pm (UTC)
Link

*Sigh* I might as well admit it- I'm a married mother who has a six-year old son, and I love to read and write fem-slash. I also consider myself bi because if I were ever to divorce, I wouldn't mind dating a woman. This doesn't mean I am perverted or teach my son the wrong values. I am just very-open minded when it comes to sexuality, and I don't EVER judge a person by their sexual orientation.

I like fem-slash because I tend to get bored reading or writing heterosexual fics. I didn't start writing stories as a hobby until a few years ago, and know I still have a lot to improve on. (groan)

But no, I consider myself mostly straight (hmm..bendy..I like that..) and I write femslash fanfic. (and I suppose I'm a rarity since I'm married with a son:P )

You are a fantastic writer -"Darkness in the eyes" is possibly the best Noir fan-fic EVER! ^_^

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 10:32 pm (UTC)
Link

*blink*

*blinkblink*

*tackles* OMG!!!! It is you!!! *snugs* You didn't get my emails, didja? *laughs* And as for being married / a mother and writing femslash, it works just fine. (especially for yours, I've read them and they're daaaaamn good.) ^^ Yep, I'll have to tell Heather that 'bendy' is the new definition for sexuality. xD

Reply | Parent | Thread

Jonna

(no subject)

from: [info]elfcat255
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 09:43 pm (UTC)
Link

*stumbles in*..Umm..*waves*..tossing in my two cents...

To me it doesn't matter...like many have said already. If it's a good story and it draws me in, keeps me satisfied and at the end I want more then I could give a rat's ass about whether the person who wrote it was, gay, straight, bendy, man, woman or heck even purple..*g*...It's the talent and the will to create stories from your favorite fandoms that counts in my book...*runs away now*

Reply | Thread

runetraverse

(no subject)

from: [info]runetraverse
date: Sep. 14th, 2007 10:34 pm (UTC)
Link

*laughs* Hey, I like Artiste Elf cents! xD

Reply | Parent | Thread

Ari (finding excuses to shout alleluia!)

(no subject)

from: [info]wisdomeagle
date: Sep. 15th, 2007 04:34 am (UTC)
Link

[from [info]femslash_today]

I'm a lesbian. I'm a femslasher. I have made many good friends who also slash girls: among them are other lesbians, bisexual women (including some who are married to men), straight women, and a lovely straight man. So in other words, no, please write more femslash, regardless of whom you ogle in real life. :)

Reply | Thread

dartxni

(no subject)

from: [info]dartxni
date: Sep. 15th, 2007 07:24 am (UTC)
Link

Some of the very best fanfic I have EVER read was written by a man. The characters were real somehow. Feminine, complex. The sex scenes sounded as if they were written by an experienced lesbian lover. I couldn't believe a guy had written it.

Reply | Thread

Czarina Elizabeata Romanova

(no subject)

from: [info]insanedeity
date: Sep. 15th, 2007 10:58 pm (UTC)
Link

So are you going to say all that and not recommend this virtuoso of fic? That's selfish...

Reply | Parent | Thread

Advertisement

Customize