Kicking against the traces
Jan. 6th, 2013 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
julian_griffithProject: Musketeer/Jewish playwright novel
Market: Probably Storm Moon, as it's a little weird even for most erotic romance imprints, see bitching below
Deadline: this one's on spec, but I want 10K in the file by 2/1 for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
orgasm_circlet challenge
orgasm_circlet challenge New words written today: 350
Mean things: Olivier is very grubby, and Mimi hasn't really got food in the house
Fun things: Bear hug!
Today's Google searches: surviving medieval vernacular architecture in Paris, of which there is very little; thanks, anne , for suggesting the Ile de France! Also, Porthos, to steal a less well-known fragment of his name for a secondary character.
Now for the bitching.
This is historical erotic romance. Definitely. Because it ends with a marriage, and the characters have a LOT of sex.
However, it's not "boy meets girl". They're established lovers at the start. The story is about how they transition from being lovers to marrying, which has some significant obstacles.
Also, the central romance is definitely het. But the man is bisexual, and in my head he has an ongoing FWB with a male comrade-in-arms, which the heroine knows about and is totally okay with. It'll break off when they marry -- probably very amicably, as it'll be easy to have Christophe find a girl to court, since his interest is primarily in girls too.
Do you know just how many romance guidelines, even for erotic romance, specify that the hero and heroine can only have sex with each other? And, if it's a menage/poly romance, that it's an exclusive relationship involving all parties?
Mimi has no interest in getting involved with Christophe. Olivier's already set boundaries on what he does and doesn't do with Christophe so it'll stay more FWB and not have Christophe falling in love with him. Mimi is positive that if she did anything with Christophe, it would be an unholy mess, because she's never going to be His Girl, and he wouldn't really get that -- he'd feel all sorts of divided loyalties, and it wouldn't make anybody happy. Also, while Christophe is undeniably a cutie, she's just not really interested -- she's Olivier's girl and that's all she wants.
But having Olivier and Christophe fooling around with each other? Doesn't bother her a bit. Some comfort for each other on lonely nights? Avoiding temptation from the sort of doxies who follow soldiers around? Nope, nothing to object to there.
This does not seem to be a concept that fits into most of the guidelines I've seen.
Which annoys me, because I would like to see nontraditional relationships modeled with honesty and kindness. THIS IS DEAR TO MY HEART.
And I think it can still make a satisfying romance that will appeal even to people who haven't yet thought beyond exclusive pairings or trios.
Then, of course, another problem is that it's probably not GLBT enough with only a secondary m'm relationship that doesn't have a HEA in store, only the het relationship, but it's not pure het either. DAMMIT, I LIKE BISEXUAL MEN. And I don't think it's betraying anything to have him wind up in a relationship with a woman, not when the woman acknowledges and embraces his sexuality. Hell, she wouldn't have a problem with that FWB arrangement continuing after they married, if Olivier went off on campaign again. Her only reservation would be that, if Christophe had a girl/was married by then, she wouldn't want Christophe to do anything his girl would see as cheating. So that'd be on him.
This is not within most people's paradigms either.
Established romance doesn't seem to figure into anyone's guidelines, either. Though I really think that the arc of this one, from lovers to a marriage, will hit that same urge.
I guess all I can do is make it the best story I know how to make it, and hope someone else believes enough other people will buy it to be willing to sell it.
anne , for suggesting the Ile de France! Also, Porthos, to steal a less well-known fragment of his name for a secondary character.Now for the bitching.
This is historical erotic romance. Definitely. Because it ends with a marriage, and the characters have a LOT of sex.
However, it's not "boy meets girl". They're established lovers at the start. The story is about how they transition from being lovers to marrying, which has some significant obstacles.
Also, the central romance is definitely het. But the man is bisexual, and in my head he has an ongoing FWB with a male comrade-in-arms, which the heroine knows about and is totally okay with. It'll break off when they marry -- probably very amicably, as it'll be easy to have Christophe find a girl to court, since his interest is primarily in girls too.
Do you know just how many romance guidelines, even for erotic romance, specify that the hero and heroine can only have sex with each other? And, if it's a menage/poly romance, that it's an exclusive relationship involving all parties?
Mimi has no interest in getting involved with Christophe. Olivier's already set boundaries on what he does and doesn't do with Christophe so it'll stay more FWB and not have Christophe falling in love with him. Mimi is positive that if she did anything with Christophe, it would be an unholy mess, because she's never going to be His Girl, and he wouldn't really get that -- he'd feel all sorts of divided loyalties, and it wouldn't make anybody happy. Also, while Christophe is undeniably a cutie, she's just not really interested -- she's Olivier's girl and that's all she wants.
But having Olivier and Christophe fooling around with each other? Doesn't bother her a bit. Some comfort for each other on lonely nights? Avoiding temptation from the sort of doxies who follow soldiers around? Nope, nothing to object to there.
This does not seem to be a concept that fits into most of the guidelines I've seen.
Which annoys me, because I would like to see nontraditional relationships modeled with honesty and kindness. THIS IS DEAR TO MY HEART.
And I think it can still make a satisfying romance that will appeal even to people who haven't yet thought beyond exclusive pairings or trios.
Then, of course, another problem is that it's probably not GLBT enough with only a secondary m'm relationship that doesn't have a HEA in store, only the het relationship, but it's not pure het either. DAMMIT, I LIKE BISEXUAL MEN. And I don't think it's betraying anything to have him wind up in a relationship with a woman, not when the woman acknowledges and embraces his sexuality. Hell, she wouldn't have a problem with that FWB arrangement continuing after they married, if Olivier went off on campaign again. Her only reservation would be that, if Christophe had a girl/was married by then, she wouldn't want Christophe to do anything his girl would see as cheating. So that'd be on him.
This is not within most people's paradigms either.
Established romance doesn't seem to figure into anyone's guidelines, either. Though I really think that the arc of this one, from lovers to a marriage, will hit that same urge.
I guess all I can do is make it the best story I know how to make it, and hope someone else believes enough other people will buy it to be willing to sell it.
