Need help with research on Florida

[SlipknotRlZZ]

Hey guys!

Before I say anything else, I hafta say that I kind of really miss spending time on here. I am crazy busy because of school and there's little time left for me to hang out on here.. :[
I only get on during the week to reply to a guy, idkanymore, who started a thread about his problem a while ago...and we've been talking since then..

So... I am writing a story/novel (erotic stories don't usually classify as novels unless they're published, right?) about two gay teens. I really hope I have grasped the concept of being gay well enough to not mess up the story, although I know that I will never be able to fully understand what it is to be a homosexual man (unfortunately :[).
The story is taking place in Florida. In Jacksonville. And so I need to find more information about the lifestyle, the values of people...stuff like that. I wanted to ask somebody, like a teacher in school, but there's nobody from Florida in our school. A teacher from Georgia told me a bit about it, yet I feel like I have to talk to somebody who is actually FROM Florida or is living there now.

Anybody? :/

I'd really appreciate your help!

Irina :]

[Mr. Not So Lonely]

Google it easiest way i know

[Nocturnal]

Wikipedia would have some information about Florida, but who knows how accurate it is...

[OrphanPip]

I've only been to Orlando and Miami, I'm pretty sure Jacksonville is a fairly conservative part of the state though.

[Ultra]

I know that there's a gay community in Orlando, FL. It's almost, almost like San Francisco. The community is no where as big as San Fran's though.

That's a good city you can use in your story, definitely use Orlando.

[Sil]

hey Rizz, nice to see you back...

I have a friend who writes gay fiction (not professionally) but some of his stories are quite good and he judges other entries in a few online forums and writing sites.

I think if you can accurately nail the dialogue the setting and the rest will work around that. The vocal tones and reflections of the small things are often what make me like a character and find them believable. There's a lot of emphasis placed on descriptives and narrative when people write, but books like Trainspotting and Apples (Irvine Welsh and Richard Milward respectively) made me realise that you can open a story with a simple first-person dialogue and make a story seem immediately readable and interesting.

A lot of people tend to set the scene first, and it can almost be a cliche.

I've visited Florida only once, it's difficult for me to judge accurately because each state in America has it's own qualities. I found people from Florida to be quite laid back and friendly, but there's still a deep undercurrent of religion and some very old-fashioned roots; supposedly it's seen as the 'retirement state' where a lot of old people tend to spend their time. I'm expecting to get blasted on this from any real Americans on here >.>

best of luck with it, look forward to reading some previews ^^

[SlipknotRlZZ]

Thank you all guys for the reply. But Wikipedia won't be enough, as I am looking for first-hand facts, so to speak. I mean, it needs to be somebody who knows a bit. So...and thank you, Sil! :]