--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A straight writer can write a gay novel…" description: "\"A straight writer can write a gay novel and not worry about it, and a gay novelist can write about straight people.\" — Edmund White" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png" --- # A straight writer can write a gay novel and not worry… ![“A straight writer can write a gay novel and not worry about it, and a gay novelist can write about straight people.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png) > “A straight writer can write a gay novel and not worry about it, and a gay novelist can write about straight people.” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights that sexual orientation does not limit a writer’s subject matter or authenticity. **In simple terms:** Writers can write beyond their own sexuality. Key Takeaway Write authentically, regardless of identity. Themes identity creativity literature Mood reflective encouraging Type literary social When to use this quote - publishing - teaching creative writing - media representation Key Concepts authorial voice genre fluidity Questions to Reflect On - How can writers resist typecasting? - What role does authenticity play in storytelling? A Different Perspective Audience expectations may still pigeonhole authors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-novel-4105017/) [Gay Novelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-novelist-4683555/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight/) [Straight People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-people/) [Straight Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-writer-4683554/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-gay-2286088/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [In the case of my book, I don't think it's really the coming-out gay novel that everyone really needed, even though it was received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-case-of-my-book-i-don-t-think-it-s-really-the-coming-out-gay/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I've always been impelled to say the truth. When I was 14, in 1954, I already wrote a gay novel, though I'd never read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-ve-always-been-impelled-to-say-the-truth-when-i-was-14-in-1954-i/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I started, you couldn't do anything. A gay person trying to write a gay character in 1998 - it was so difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/when-i-started-you-couldn-t-do-anything-a-gay-person-trying-to-write/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [I don't buy into the idea that an Irish writer should write about Ireland, or a gay writer should write about being gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/i-don-t-buy-into-the-idea-that-an-irish-writer-should-write-about-2/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [“Whether you are a good or bad writer is an irrelevancy when you first begin. What's important is that you write, you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/whether-you-are-a-good-or-bad-writer-is-an-irrelevancy-when-you-first/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [For writers, you just have to have the ability to not restrict your imagination. Men can write about women; women can write about men.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-o-malley/for-writers-you-just-have-to-have-the-ability-to-not-restrict-your/) [Mike O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-o-malley/) > [I don't buy into the idea that an Irish writer should write about Ireland, or a gay writer should write about being gay. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/i-don-t-buy-into-the-idea-that-an-irish-writer-should-write-about/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [Nobody in France would ever say 'He's a Jewish novelist' or 'She's a black novelist,' even though people do write about those subjects. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/nobody-in-france-would-ever-say-he-s-a-jewish-novelist-or-she-s-a/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [There ought to be more grants that go to people in their late twenties and early thirties. That's a crucial age, although it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/there-ought-to-be-more-grants-that-go-to-people-in-their-late/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I went to my 30th high school reunion, and I could tell who was gay and who was straight because the gay people were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/i-went-to-my-30th-high-school-reunion-and-i-could-tell-who-was-gay/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [Straight people love to steal from drag queens. It happens all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaska/straight-people-love-to-steal-from-drag-queens-it-happens-all-the-time/) [Alaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaska/) > [I'm straight-up with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/i-m-straight-up-with-people/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [“It's painfully obvious to both of us that you're dangerously close to a sexless-related meltdown. And I went to Alibi last girls' night and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seventhswan/it-s-painfully-obvious-to-both-of-us-that-you-re-dangerously-close-to/) [seventhswan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seventhswan/) > [The mistake that straight people made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-mistake-that-straight-people-made-was-imposing-the-monogamous/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I grew up in a pretty gay world - my brother's gay and he's been married to a man for 20 years, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-smith/i-grew-up-in-a-pretty-gay-world-my-brother-s-gay-and-he-s-been/) [Kevin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-smith/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A straight writer can write a gay novel and not worry about it, and a gay novelist can write about straight people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel-and-not-worry-about-it-and-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel-and-not-worry-about-it-and-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/edmund-white-2376_about_a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel_2988324.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A straight writer can write a gay novel and not worry about it, and a gay novelist can write about straight…” — Edmund White", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edmund White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A straight writer can write a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel-and-not-worry-about-it-and-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/a-straight-writer-can-write-a-gay-novel-and-not-worry-about-it-and-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```