Is it me, or do LGBT teen books all have the same plot?

Sigh....then there's the Rainbow High series. Same thing.

Maybe I should write some story where the main character ends up alone....oh wait a second! I know why this is the cliche! It's because no one wants to read a story where the main character ends up alone...honestly love sells. And with the gay literature which is difficult enough to get published, they need something to publish...

 

I've noticed that too. It really bothers me that there are so few strong out gay characters in novels these days. They're always either a troubled sports star or an outcast living on the fringes of society but that is the stereotypical gay it seems. It sends the message that homosexuality is taboo, and then they overcome that stigma by being who they are among other maudlin but true cliches. Really though, the same can be said of any genre. Boy meets girl. Superhero saves the world/universe/galaxy from an evil menace. Cop solves the case. My main complaint is the shoddy writing, and in the case of LGBT themed movies, insulting acting and production values.

Of the few LGBT themed books I've read, I think the better ones have been What They Always Tell Us and The Vast Fields of Ordinary. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a staple. I've read all three of them a couple times each. Running With Scissors is really...interesting to read. A Home at the End of the World isn't terrible.

 

Nearly all teen fiction books are very similar, regardless of whether it includes LGBT teens or not. A teenager at a high school who meets someone they fall in love with, while struggling personally to come of age while dealing with various issues. I do like the following books with gay teens, though:

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.
Bait by Alex Sanchez.

 

Leave Myself Behind has, of course, many of these elements. However I found that with a dual plot of the main character Noah's actual simple way of coming to terms with his homosexuality, is coupled with the mystery of the former owner of his and his mother's new house. I'd definitely give it a read. It's by Bart Yates.

 

well you wouldnt be reading the whole story if the same plot didnt work now would you lol

lets face it, we read the story because we want to see some bad romance, drama, problematic situations and sloppy sexual encounters which include fighting that leads to passionate making out session etc etc, there's no excitement in seeing a plain story where boy meets boy then they get married.

i dunno about you guys but i like it when one of the love interests die in the end, adds dramatic effect and the moral that the road not taken could have been the one thing that kept said people from true happiness. or something along those lines.

 

Y'all go read Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It will cure you.
And the final scene is so great it's worth reading anyway.

There's a play called Dog Sees God by Bert V. Royal. It's an imagining of the characters from Peanuts once they've reached high school. It's not specifically an LGBT plot, and it certainly is not a happy story, but Charlie Brown, Schroeder, and Pig-Pen (called CB, Beethoven, and Matt in the play) all grapple with their sexuality in different ways.
It opens with a monologue by Charlie Brown about how his dog has just been put down after contracting rabies and killing a little yellow bird.

 

I still want to see a movie, book or show with gay characters that doesn't revolve around the fact that they're gay. Sure, bring up the issues every now and then, but just a normal family with a gay character/couple.

 

Oh my god. For real.
There's a very small handful right now. The best known is probably Modern Family. The scene at the end of this week's episode with Mitch and Cam just having fun together at the Santa Monica Pier was exactly what I needed.

 

I found Valentine's Day was good. I mean it was a corny film yes but I mean it didn't even focus on Brad Cooper or Eric Dane being gay. Hell it didn't even tell us they were together until the very end So I mean in a way they both starred in the film, were gay, but it wasn't the central focus. Just saying.

 

thats teen romance in general. it doesnt really only apply to lgbt stories.

I am writing a lgbt fantasy thriller romance, but its more focused on the emotional side of romance, not the twilight-slutlust that is spreading the world of teenlit. it also focused more on the consequences of isolation, and touches upon other subjects such as gang mentality and such.

I think teen romance lit is generally crap because it relys on cliches and bad messages, and tends to recycle plot lines like a soap opera running on empty... oh really, marlena, you are posessed by a demonic spirit... for the 17th time in the 40 year run of this show...

 

And one of the main characters is called Kyle!

I was thinking Skin's until you mentioned "Normal":lol:

 

Most teen books suck. Ugh.
I suggest Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff. I personally liked it, and it doesn't revolve around the main character's sexuality. BUT! Spoilers!

It has a heterosexual end pairing. Just a warning. lol

 

The book vintage is good, as is the book hero. Vintage is a fav of mine

 

I'd love some suggestions--I keep going to my school library and I have the same problem! And the internet's so big...I don't know where to start looking! Even the list of the top 100 LGBT novels has to be narrowed down, you know?

 

I read one book where the girl is a lesbian and she does end up with a girl but that's not really the main focus of the story. It's part of it.

 

I pretty much stay away from teen literature because it's ALL the same: Never have I read a book for teens that was any good. I'm assuming that LGBT teen lit would be even more awful because of the slightly more difficult topic in mind. :::: / Teen novel writers can barely handle anything, let alone a topic like that. I HATE to be that guy, but...

 

Read 'Oranges are not the only fruit' - it's not a teen book, but it has lesbianism in it while not being about trashy teen romance. It's definitely worth a read.

 

Love WG,wg. Because of it I'm now reading levitan's boy meets boy. I want a noah

 

Teen/youth literature in general is ass.