Thursday, July 9, 2020

Location, Location, Location


The location of the story is crucial to how I write a character because places impact us.

I write stories set in places I’ve visited or lived because location determines so much about people: their attitudes, their use of language, the filters they see the world through, what they’ve had to deal with, how they deal with it, etc.

As with each of my stories, I worship atypical characters that are on the edges because I validate everyone especially though folks on the fringes. I find the uniqueness that emanates from differences intoxicating. Where the person is from determines the details of what they have had to deal with in their past and affect how they view current and future events.

Stereotypes, in general, suck. However, knowing what the “stereotypes” are in an area allows me to acknowledge what the person may have endured (especially if they don’t agree with it or have fought against it). It’s fascinating to me to figure out how a character is affected by the stereotypes they grew up with?

One of the most important things is how do my characters deal with not only what’s thrown at them but how people see them. What do they carry into the world with them because of the baggage the stereotype forces on them? How does this affect their relationships? Their mannerisms….

The Longest Night is set in Upstate NY (Albany). I grew up 10 miles away in Schenectady, NY so I’m very familiar with societal expectations/beliefs from that particular area.

One of the stereotypes I examined through this story is the heavy machismo overtones. My characters came of age with expectation men needed to be manly. (Probably in most parts of the USA, but I’m most familiar with the brand of sexism from this area and how it was translated in day-to-day life.)

So, while my character Benjamin physically meets the criteria of being a man’s man (big and muscular), he’s a sub. In his early 20’s, this stereotype encouraged him to meet the expectations society had about what it meant to be a man, but now in his 30’s he’s no longer willing to compromise who he is or settle for something that doesn’t meet his needs. His struggle happened before the story, so we only see the results and how he deals with them going forward.

Foster, the Dominant, has dealt with the opposite problem. People would see his slender, almost delicate frame as weak and the opposite of control. His struggle was needing to learn how to defend himself and how to dominate people who were much bigger than himself.

Turning these stereotypes upside down pleases both of these men. Benjamin is a sub and countering the manly man stereotype by submitting adds an extra kick for him. Foster gets a boost from dominating larger men. They both acknowledge the fetish-y nature of part of their attraction to each other but it goes much deeper than stereotypes Albany, NY force fed them.

Here’s a peek at The Longest Night

The holiday season is lonely for construction worker Benjamin Morgan, a big muscular guy who just wants to submit, obey, and serve. But the men he’s attracted to usually don’t have a dominant bone in their bodies. He’s done seeking his BDSM dreams with someone who isn’t interested in putting him in his rightful place—on his knees at their feet.

When a friend sets up a meeting with Foster Ridgeway at the BDSM club, Entiwned, Benjamin has his doubts. Of course he is attracted to bookish Foster, who works for the same construction company, but how will someone so small and delicate-looking master Benjamin? But when Foster--the tiny temple of dominance wielding a crop--heads toward Benjamin, he might get what he’s always wanted, just in time for Solstice.


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