A Beginner's Guide to Writing Slash
by Gileswench
Slash is one of the oldest forms of fanfiction. From the earliest days of Kirk/Spock, slash has been a fandom favorite, and yet there are many ficcers who fear taking that leap into writing slashfic. But it really needn't be a scary thing. After all, the guys of the Buffyverse are a seriously attractive group of men, and there's plenty of good, slashy subtext to play with.Some fandoms have the problem of getting past how darn heterosexual all the characters are. In the Buffyverse, this isn't nearly as much of a problem. None of the male core characters has been written as specifically gay or bisexual, but there are plenty of subtle clues to possible bisexuality if you look for them. This makes it easier to slash the characters, because you don't have to reach very far to find believable reasons for your chosen pairing to get together.
Proof?
Giles has made several jokes over the years about wearing women's clothing (yes, I know that transvestitism and homosexuality are two different things that often fail to coincide in reality, but it is a cultural assumption that a man who wears a dress also enjoys sex with men), Xander took one look at the Initiative facility and asked Buffy if he could sleep with Riley, Xander has referred to Angel as 'a very attractive man', and I find it personally impossible to look at Giles and Ethan together onscreen and not think they've slept together.
In fact, in A New Man when Giles and Ethan go drinking together, the camera is close on Giles' face when Ethan (off-camera) offers his phone number to someone, with a clear indication that he's sexually interested. The look on Giles' face indicates that he's flattered, if a little surprised. Of course, the camera then pans back and we discover Ethan is giving his card to a waitress, but for whatever reason, Giles originally thought it was for him. And he didn't look offended by the idea.
So, there are canonical indications that both Giles and Xander might well enjoy a walk on the wild side, as it were. Plus, they already share a warm, affectionate friendship. All you need to do is find a specific reason why they would choose to explore this side of their characters with one another. Come on, I know you can do it.
Some writers fear trying slash because they feel uncomfortable describing the mechanics of gay sex. This is no cause for alarm. Slash can be G-rated. Slash can be hot and heavy or subtle and sweet. If all you feel up to describing is a first kiss, write that first kiss. There's plenty of room for romance in slashwriting.
Of course, it may not be a question of not wanting to share that hot boffing session, but rather of being unsure of exactly how it's done. This is not an unusual problem. Let's face it, after all, the vast majority of ficcers are women and we don't know what it's like to have a penis. We have never had sex from a completely male perspective.
Does that mean we can't write believable slash?
Of course not!
What is does mean is that we need to do research. Don't panic; I'm not recommending you all go sign up with a gay sex site. Unless that's your thing. There are, however, less embarrassing, more helpful sources. The best of these, in my opinion is Minataur's Sex Tips for Slash Writers ( http://www.squidge.org/~minotaur/ ). Minataur is a gay man who devotes a large amount of his time and energy to teaching slash writers about the mechanics, the emotions, and the common social realities of gay male sex. If you're unsure of how exactly it all works, check out his site. It is quite graphic, both in terms of information and illustrations, so only persons who
are of legal age should take my advice on this. (This is known as the 'covering my butt clause')
Of course, knowing how tab A fits into slot B is not the whole story. There are also all the typical questions of characterization, spelling and grammar, punctuation, and originality that come into play writing hetfic or genfic, as well.
The first thing to do before you write is to read. Read anything. Read fic, read books, read your family newspaper, read liner notes to your favorite album - just read. It won't take long to discover that some styles of writing appeal more to you than others. Think about what you read. What was good about it? What was bad? How would you have told the story differently? Just reading won't make you a brilliant writer, but it will help you to identify the weaknesses and strengths in your writing, thus allowing you to improve it.
Watch episodes over again. Read transcripts. Learn as much as you can about your characters. Fanfic is only a tribute when the reader can recognize the characters as the ones they see on the TV screen every week. You are free, of course, to emphasize the aspects you like best, but Giles must be Giles, and Xander must be Xander. If you write a story in which Giles talks like a surfer dude and Xander has an advanced degree in medicine, nobody will believe your story no matter how hot and good the sex is. Keep them who they are.
Don't be afraid to write something down. Anne Lamott refers to this in her excellent guide to writing, Bird By Bird, as 'shitty first drafts'. Don't let your inner critic stop you from putting something down. Don't worry about creating a masterpiece on the first try. If it's bad, you can always erase it and start over. Chances are, however, that there is at least something worth salvaging for a second draft.
Get a good beta. I cannot emphasize this enough. Find someone who knows how to spell, punctuate, and tell you when you're going wildly wrong. Every day at least one story gets posted on at least one of the twenty-odd lists I'm on that makes me itch to scream for the author to actually make use of spellcheck, learn how to use commas, and pay some attention to canon. All of this could have been fixed with a decent beta reader. Even good, experienced writers need betas. Without the help of my regular beta – and several occasional betas - I would have posted some truly scary unintentional images, misspellings, continuity glitches, etc. A good beta will help you, too.
Have fun! Use your imagination. Remember, we're in this to have a good time and entertain like-minded folk. Don't take it too seriously. Take a break from the Buffyverse once in a while and breathe. Your writing will be the better for it, believe me.
Writing stories about pretty men doing naughty things to one another is a great pastime, and its own reward. Come on! Take the plunge! The water's fine.