[ SECRET POST #3364 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3364 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


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02.
[The Glass Scientists]


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03.
[Ghostbusters remake]


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04.
[All for One Webseries]


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05.
[Castle]


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06.
[DC Comics]


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07.
[Reign of Fire]


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08.
[Steven Universe]


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09.
[K. Tempest Bradford]


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10.
[Against the Wall]


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11.
[Queer Literature, "In the Company of Shadows"]


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12.
(Star Wars Rebels)


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13.
[Jeeves and Wooster, P.G. Wodehouse]


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14.
[Giles Coren]


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15.
[James Marsters/Rick Grimes of The Walking Dead]









Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 086 secrets from Secret Submission Post #481.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

11. http://i.imgur.com/R8kZ4Tq.jpg
[Queer Literature, "In the Company of Shadows"]

Transcript by OP

[fscom]

"I always wanted to be a published writer. I'm not the best one, have my own niche and I know that writing is a hard arse job.
My hard drive is littered with stories, novels and unfinished ideas and I know that I can't manage them alone or write one without support.
Then, I met my boyfriend - we're an awesome team - not objectively judging, because each one to their own.

We'd surely have a good chance to get picked up by an agent but, ... it's not enough for me.

My secret is - I am from Poland and I'd love to have readers there, not a dozen but hundreds and my dream is to have a popularly noticed gay novel. Not ambitious, not mentioned in morning telly but just ... picked up. I would like to write something similar to "In the Company of Shadows" which is an odd choice for a fav series to imitate but god darn it - it's gonna be the one time I feel as a 'writer' and not a fake.

S!B: Who measures worth on homophobic country?"

[(Anonymous)]

So glad to know I'm not alone with this, anon. I'm a Hungarian immigrant in a Western country, I write primarily in English, and I know that if I ever ended up being famous, back home they would only mention me as "that bitch who writes all that gay shit" or worse. (Never mind that I'm not female but I can't imagine anyone back home understanding what non-binary even means.) This in a country that is usually unreasonably proud of Hungarians who get famous. I don't blame you if you're frustrated with Eastern European attitudes 'cause frankly, I am too.

[(Anonymous)]

OP again :P, hello former neighbour who also ran off :D ! And Poland is the same regarding fame but ... fame they accept, so it would be similar and I assume that Hungarian is as gendered as Polish (we had lots of debates on neutral ways and all options are bad - most people end up using 'it', even if they hate it, but passive side sounds more objectifying). Problem is - I left in 2008 and since then I followed politics and visited occasionally. It got so, so, so ... white powery, ultra nationalistic, aggressive that I would never foresee. At this very moment - all the public media got raided and replaced by ruling party staff. While they have been always not neutral, they are plain propaganda now.

[(Anonymous)]

Heh, "Polak, Węgier, dwa bratanki" after all :D
Funnily enough Hungarian isn't a particularly gendered language. We've got no gendered pronouns at all, just the one for everyone. But having a gender identity that's not one or the other is unheard of. *shrug*
I left for pretty much the same reasons. I love my country but these right-wing jackasses are ruining everything. And I don't wanna watch the people cheering for them. (I've seen people on the internet call our PM a hero for his stance against refugees and they called him the saviour of Christian Europe. I wanted to throw up.)

[(Anonymous)]

OP who wishes he would not be the OP.

You know what is sad? That this saying is awesome and accurate still ... for people not in higher classes or prejudiced ones. We all have much in common and yep, many differences which makes it all fun but at the moment Poland hates everyone. Even Ukraine which they supported in recent years through political turmoil.

However, the language bit is very interesting! I never knew and assumed that grammatically we are as similar as verbally, so you win this round! *shakes fist* . We are even with same arsebutts talking on refugees and not sure about Hungary but Poland had loved to emigrate throughout history and we should be the first who should understand the desperate wish to do so. But no. And I also love my country and seems both of us know the toughness of such.

[(Anonymous)]

How is this fandom?

[(Anonymous)]

In the "make a gay version of "In the Company of Shadows"" way.

[(Anonymous)]

OP here! The book I mention is gay :P and it is not clear why it might be fandom - Polish literature in general has a thing for posh, flowery, elitist books and popular ones are hm, just that but not widely discussed besides such works as "Harry Potter". So, writing something like the series I mentioned in Poland - bad. We had few subvertive queer books that wished to be very ambitious and written for shock value and it was a big thing but indeed, authors have been influential and rich men.

[kallanda_lee]

WRITE IT.

(I know at least one person who'd read that) - no but seriously, sometimes things like these actually flourish in more repressed environments (but in underground circuits).

Also my condolences for your current political situation :(

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, I think being from or living in a country that does not just accept the topics you write about gives you a very interesting position. I'd write in polish (or, to the hungarian person who replied, in hungarian), though, or maybe both (there are writers who do that and play with language. Right now I can only think of Tawada Yoko, a queer writer based in Hamburg, Germany who writes japanese and german), because that is more authentic, especially if you're trying to (even if indirectly) tackle the homophobia in your respective country.

[(Anonymous)]

Hungarian anon here. In my case, I think it would be harder to publish it there, and it would probably a. not reach a wide audience, b. would not be read for what it is (in my case: upbeat urban fantasy), just for shock value, ie. "that gay book". But that might be true anywhere so maybe I'm just more critical about my own country. Still, your idea is interesting and worth considering, so than you!

[(Anonymous)]

maybe you should cave out your niche online!

it lets you write it as queer as you like and it'll reach your audience better and in a safe manner.

sure, it doesn't have the same prestige, but even "published" authors don't always get edited well. invest in a professional cover and most people won't notice a difference.

[(Anonymous)]

OP. I am biased against myself, lol. The work I mentioned is online one and complete and in book format and I consider authors accomplished and akin to published. With me - nope. But you are right about safety, while never seen anyone having trouble in book stores or libraries ... it was long that I was in those (besides my city's Polish book shop :P).

Polish queer lit gets published online but it is very niche indeed. It is similar to such in 90's where it has been zines or trashy short stories (which is grand those are read at all!) but on blogs, forums or rarely ebooks.

[diet_poison]

That secret background is so cool~ is it from the work you're referring to? I should check it out

Anyway, I think your goal is a very worthy one and I wish you the best of luck.

[(Anonymous)]

OP. I love it as well :D, it is used by the authors but uncertain who is it by. Cheers though!

[blitzwing]

I know some Polish fans of M/M. I'm sure you could have hundreds of fans in Poland, even if they're reading the English versions.

[(Anonymous)]

More OP. We do have those as everywhere! Secret is secret because I judge myself hard and would aim for traditional publishing. Even if I'd get small readership in popular lit, it would validate egocentric me :| .

Now, few years back we had plenty of people go out of closets because of laxer society. My friend has been a teacher in high school, open as gay and students loved him (during my school times - the only out teacher in town got beaten up and fired) - lots of kids felt open with him around so they had queer reading circles xD . Then whole sociopolitical landscape went down a cliff. Imagine UKIP running the country and half likes them, other half is Labour and Conservative and everyone fights. No grey zones. None.

[(Anonymous)]

I can't speak for your goals as a writer, as I think writing is always a worthy goal. It would be wonderful if you could reach your audience and write the stories you most want to write, with your boyfriend or on your own. I wish you well with it!

But I want to strongly encourage you to really do your research about the state of the publishing industry and just what the official stamp of publication from a publisher means these days -- if anything -- and what authors often have to give up to get it. (Control, money, self-respect, etc.)

That's not always the case, but things have changed massively in the last few years and they're still changing. Please, do your research before you decide that this will validate you.

You seem like a really intelligent, thoughtful person, so please investigate self-publishing as a viable alternative to someone else's stamp of approval. Yes, it's not all sunshine and roses itself, but it's more and more viable these days while big publishers are becoming less and less viable.

Do your research. Don't give your rights and control away too easily to someone who might 1) make you change it too much, 2) never get around to actually publishing it, or 3) never actually pay you

[(Anonymous)]

OP here for last post probably. Thanks for this post as it is probably a grand warning to lots of authors and yes, I do know and I have friends working for various publishing houses be it in Poland or not (mostly editors or typographers) - you are very right. It is vile, it is horrid labour on side of everyone but the one who takes money for book rights which then can be manipulated and all that jazz. Not really smart though anon and it is my own bias about paper publishing and having agents and audience that is not a niche group (even if one would be big, would love varied one ... as any writer, hah!).

The paying bit is very true. Especially with comic industry. Knew authors and artists who worked their arses off and ended up sacked despite all contractual stipulations. So yep, your post is grand, even if the contents are dreary.