When Heaven Freezes Over ~ SWC November 2023 Writing Competition Regular Entry (2000 words) Use the left/right arrow keys, space bar, or tap on the left/right of the screen to move to the previous or next page. Story is all inside of project, below is the optional Author's Note (not part of word count) ---------------- Author’s Note The character names, Dante and Pierre, were chosen with careful intention to be opposites. The name “Dante” comes from the poem Inferno (commonly called Dante’s Inferno), a part of the Divine Comedy that discusses themes centered around accepting and rejecting sin. The name “Pierre” comes from the book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, where the main narrator’s name is Pierre. Thus, these names were inspired by fire and water (this is by no means a fan-fiction; the characters in this story are completely original). For this writing competition, I wanted to attempt to write an allegory for the first time. While brainstorming ideas, I wanted to choose a topic that was close to my heart. While some of my main writing competition entries may be queer-coded, I have never actually written a main entry that specifically addresses homosexuality. I have always been scared of the negative repercussions of writing about an LGBTQ+ topic as pressing and current as this one— but as a gay writer (especially with some prominence in the SWC community), I think it’s part of my responsibility to deliver an important message on the obstacles that the LGBTQ+ community faces. Special thanks to my besties @Firetender, @smalltoe, @pages-of-ink, and @essayist for providing feedback! Their input helped shape this story into what it is now.
