: Re: Need advice about changing character's gender I had this idea for a story/novel that I was very excited about, but also very worried about. The idea had a plot where the character development

I'm seeing a lot of encouragement here (which is great) but not a lot of practical advice (which seems weird).

The main issue with people writing characters of historically discriminated minority groups they aren't themselves a part of is that of ending up, in ignorance, perpetuating hurtful stereotypes. This can not only be in how those characters behave and what their motivations are, but in how the world around them treats them. As someone who hasn't lived that experience, there are a lot of everyday things they have to live with that you are likely just blind to. Its not your fault, any more than its a color-blind person's fault they can't tell red from brown.

This should not be pooh-poohed away, and you are quite right to be concerned about it.

However, this differs from the problem of representing any behavior only in degree. As many other answers pointed out, nobody writes exclusively about careers and activities they themselves have engaged in either. Most crime writers were never themselves murderers or FBI Agents. Tom Clancy was never a spy. So it makes sense to handle this problem the same way a responsible writer of any fictional work handles their writing about unfamiliar subjects: research, and experts. Go find yourself some actual bisexual men and pick their brains. Run the drafts by them for sanity checks.

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@Murray831

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: Strategies for returning to a piece of writing after a short break I'm in the midst of writing what will probably become a novella length story. While I've written every word of it, I find

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: How to avoid "power creep" in my novel? I am aware that many books and comics have this problem. The hero defeats someone and then the next bad guy has to be tougher so that there is suspense

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: How can I indicate a magical compulsion to protect someone without truly disclosing it? One of the characters in my book feels the need to protect a woman she barely knows and later on it

: Re: Need advice about changing character's gender I had this idea for a story/novel that I was very excited about, but also very worried about. The idea had a plot where the character development

More posts by @Murray831

: How can I defeat a 'force of nature villain' without killing him? In my story, I have found myself in somewhat of a pickle: Although the hero is more than powerful enough to defeat a villain

: Strategies for returning to a piece of writing after a short break I'm in the midst of writing what will probably become a novella length story. While I've written every word of it, I find

: How to avoid "power creep" in my novel? I am aware that many books and comics have this problem. The hero defeats someone and then the next bad guy has to be tougher so that there is suspense

: How can I indicate a magical compulsion to protect someone without truly disclosing it? One of the characters in my book feels the need to protect a woman she barely knows and later on it

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