Guy Mush

Interesting (I think) question: What would you expect in a guy-originated mush scene (which would still be allowed on these boards )? Just curious as to how severe the reaction would be.

 

Assuming you're talking about guys writing normal mush, this thread has a potential to end up with a lot of stereotypes being thrown around. Why would reactions be severe exactly? I'm a guy, and I happen to like writing mush. And I have gotten several compliments from female - yes, female - readers about my mush-writing abilities. Since when can guys not write mush? Now, if you're talking about slash, on the other hand, it's likely to get no reaction since slash isn't allowed on the JC Forums.

 

Everything that J_A_S said applies to me as well. I actually much prefer writing mush to action.

 

does it have to be completely sappy to be considered mush, or does this term apply to anything dealing with love and the mix of emotions that stem from falling in love?
if i'm working on a story that has small tidbits of two characters slowly falling in love, in the midst of a broader tale, have i written mush?

 

I definitely prefer writing mush to writing action. Mush gives you this nice warm feeling inside. Action, gives you... well, nothing.

 

Sure, it's relatively unusual for a guy to write mush, but then, when you look at it, most of the authors here are female, so I'm sure that the statistics are slightly skewed because of that. However, it's unfair to assume that guys can't write mush, girls can't write action, or vice versa. I have a hard time reading things from people who take that view - it seems so incredibly narrow-minded and short-sighted.

Mel

 

Good point. I mean, I don't write mush for the sake of mush, but if it's integral to the plot, then I don't have a problem with or aversion to writing it, and I daresay people (most of them female) seemed to like my latest post on DotF which was when A/A had their first kiss.

Honestly, though, I don't dislike mush...I just think sometimes there is an overabundance of it.

-Tim

 

I'd define mush as any romantic scene. It certainly doesn't need to be completely sappy. I've written mush on several occasions and haven't gotten a "severe reaction" at all. In fact my girlfriend seems to like it. There's a big difference between mush and smut/slash.

 

whatever.
like i said, i don't want to start a whole thing about it.
my apologies to mel, if she even read my statement before i changed it.

 

If you look very carefully, you're arguing with the wrong person, Mel never said guys don't write mush. In point of fact, she defended the idea of guys writing mush. Read more carefully .

 

i don't think the question was ever answered on whether the original poster's question was about guys writing mush, or guys writing guy-guy mush. either way, i don't think people writing about gay people should be completely censored, but i think most of the people that read these fics would be a bit perturbed if a loved hetero character was portrayed as kissing another loved hetero character of the same sex. (are there gay people in the gffa? i know some people think looke's gay...)

 

zeekveerko, I don't mean to jump on you or anything, but you really should read all of Melyanna's post. Then you can go back and edit your response to where your agitation makes sense to the rest of us. (and look at that, you made me use the grumpy face)

As for guys writing mush, I could care less. If I enjoy the mush, the gender of the writer isn't going to affect my enjoyment in the least. If I think the mush is bad, I'm not going to automatically assume the writer was a guy, and if the writer is a guy, I'm not going to automatically assume the mush is bad.

 

If this thread turns into ANOTHER "Please flame Mel" thread, I'm going to end up saying some things that'll probably get me banned. Yes, she made a generalization, but it's a generalization that's true. Comparatively speaking, very few guys on the boards write mush.

 

snuggles &JAS - i don't want to argue about it. scroll up you'll see my posts have been edited, for the sake of staying on topic and also so more people don't click in here and respond only to my off-topic post.

my experience - guys writing mush is fairly common. just gotta know what books to pick up. more common is the romantic angst portrayed by some of my fav authors (jack kerouac). it's also a good thing to show to girls. i presented a story that i'd written to a girl i knew a couple years ago, which had a sort of half-assed love story that i had previously considered inconsequential. she reached a stop where i hadn't finished writing, and the biggest thing on her mind was about how the love story would turn out. now i'm rewriting the story, and because of that influence i'm elaborating more on the love story than i would have without that input.

 

*is confused* Mel used a generalization? I don't see one . . . I just see her attacking generalizations . . .

 

Calm down boyos. Be nice. The play-doh is for everybody to play with. (What? I had to make some kind of silly commment )

 

I'm male and I can't write mush to save my life.... guess I fit the stereotype then?

 

Yes, there are a large number of males who write romance and write it well. However, my point was that far more women write romance than men. However, the author's gender speaks nothing of quality. My point was that while it seems that more of girls here write mush than guys, that's because the overwhelming majority of the authors in fan fiction are female. Pardon me for not making that clear the first time.

After all, I don't see how an author's gender should be a factor at all in deciding what he writes or how good it is. Quite frankly, I'm concerned about all the stereotypes here, concerned about thinking that says that because I write mush, I can't write anything else, or because another author writes action, he can't write anything else. That kind of mentality isn't fair to anyone involved, and it's stifling to intellectual growth. So in other words, if you want to write mush, go right ahead. In the long run, writing something you don't normally write is more helpful than just sticking to what you know.

Mel

 

Mel - "In the long run, writing something you don't normally write is more helpful than just sticking to what you know."

i agree completely. i try to take on a different style for every story. (narrative perspectives, genres, layout format, etc.)

sorry i misinterpreted something and it turned into a big deal, people. it won't happen again.... until i misinterpret something again and then say something, and then everyone gets all perturbed and upset.

 

Man, big debate. However, the answer seems to be unanimous: "It doesn't matter who writes it."

No need to get all hissy at each other.