Fantasy Indulgence

Writing has always been a form of escapism for me, as it is for so many others. For the three and a half years before I began writing my first novel, the only writing I did was for school. It was a long creative block where I forgot how much I enjoyed storytelling.

When I first ventured into "The Ascent of Avedis," I found a world where I belong. This story and the stories which all center around it have evolved greatly in the nearly 4 years since its inception. I graduated from college, came out as a lesbian, and decided to make writing one of the topmost priorities in my life. Learning that I was gay changed my perspective deeply when it came to storytelling. I began to realize that myself and people like me were abhorrently absent from mainstream media. I searched the depths of Netflix and the internet for every alternative story I could find, and I learned that there is something very particular that people in the LGBT+ community, along with other marginalized groups, are searching for.

We want stories who happen to have gay characters, not necessarily stories about 'coming out.' Those who are already out of the closet live a life just like anyone else. Being gay plays into the day to day of things, but just as often it can be perfectly irrelevant. There's a difference between a 'gay person' and a 'person who is gay.'

The characters in my stories are not 'gay characters'; they are characters who just happen to be gay. Some of them have romance, some don't. I want the people reading my work to feel as if they have a place, like they belong, like they're not alone. As we face both social progression and regression in the USA and throughout the world, sharing stories about alternative communities is more important than ever, and that is my goal.

It is true that I was a different person when I wrote the first manuscript of TAOA, and that piece of writing still reflects that person, but with characters and themes added along the way during my evolution.

I encourage/invite anyone who happens across this little blog post to share their thoughts on this matter. This is an open, reaching out to writers and readers of the LBGT+ community, and a safe space to share.

Welcome to Ismenara.
Read an excerpt from "The Ascent of Avedis."