I’m thinking I might do this, for real. I have a few ideas. Hopefully whatever I come up with can hold its own with some of the terrific books out there :)

I’m a fledgling writer, myself, but I’ve always found that the more you know about a topic, and the more you talk to people who have experienced something, the better armed you are to write about it. “Write about what you know”, and all, but first-hand experiences rock, and HIV isn’t nearly as horrifying today as it was 20 or 30 years ago. Yes, it’s life-altering and scary, but a lot of people live with it and have for a long time, and are in great health.

I agree with QAF…it showed both a healthy man dealing with the disease, and building a life with his new partner Michael, as well someone who dies from the disease after dealing with it for years (Vic) and a young man just coming to terms with it (Hunter). Great show, with a lot of good stuff to filch…I mean, study. :D

The TV series Queer as Folk explored many of the emotions around HIV, though. A few of the characters are positive and one of the main characters falls for a guy who’s positive. They gave us a look at what these characters were going through as well as the thoughts and emotions of family and friends. There were a few HIV-related moments (and one absolutely haunting scene) that I still remember with utter clarity though it’s been years since I’ve seen the show.

I don’t know if you do musicals, but one of the main themes of RENT is the emotions of HIV positive characters. I could go all day pointing out lines and scenes and how they evoke thought and emotion, but I’ve got loads of work to do so I’m not gonna. :)

What do you guys think? Do you think I should try it? If so, would you want to see HIV itself dealt with, like the medications and some of the resulting health problems, or just how one partner being positive affects a relationship?

I think you should at least try it out. If done well it could pack quite a punch. I would definitely want to see how one partner being positive affects the whole course of the relationship from courtship to HEA. Did the positive character say “let’s get a cup of coffee, oh by the way I’m positive” or did he wait until it looked like it was going to be serious before the big reveal? How much does the negative guy have to agonize over his priorities before committing himself? How much do societal pressures enter into the equation? What do the friends and family have to say about the situation? If there is a health scare and hospitalization is necessary, how is the positive character treated by health care workers? This is the kind of thing I would want to read based on my relatively average level of exposure to the subject.

Of course, I think it would be difficult to do it justice without including things like medications, doctors visits, and concerns about viral loads, T-cell counts and overall health. I imagine those would be par for the course in the life of an HIV positive individual. I also imagine that if I were to fall in love with an HIV positive guy I would want to know as much as possible about what was going on and become part of the process.

Wow…I didn’t expect to write this much. Sorry about that. I’m feeling particularly loquacious this morning. :D

And thanks for weighing in! I think might really do it, once I’ve finished the current WIP and the next BCPI book, which I’ve already promised to do next, LOL. I don’t know why I keep feeling like I’m inadequate to write this sort of character. I’ve shied away from writing characters with other chronic conditions for the same reason, but maybe I’m just being cowardly O_O