Pronouns OMG

[lytwriter]

So I'm trying to write my first F/F story, and the pronouns are killing me. I'm not a fan of epithets, and strings of names are just clunky, but the constant string of the same pronouns in close scenes is driving me crazy.

I have an 11,500 word story I realized wasn't working in second person present, so yesterday was spent doing a quick conversion to third person present. "You" went to "she" and "her", and OMG the pronouns. It'll be worth the trouble once I fix the problems -- the language is much tighter and crisper, barring the pronoun problem, but OMG. She her her she her her who the hell is doing what?

How do the rest of you handle the pronoun issue in same sex relationship stories?

Comments

[aquila1nz]

The bad way is way too many epithets, I think the same pronoun things is why there are still sooo many "the blonde surgeon kissed the brunette."

Names are good, you can use them more than you think.

Other than that, find some stories that do it well and break it down. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[lytwriter]

Yeah, I tried a few epithets, and the result was horrifying. I'm sticking with names for now. I think I'm going to do a post asking for recs.