As coming out is unique to everyone who experiences it, I encourage you to talk to many LGBTQA+ members (with varying backgrounds) before writing your scene.
The following advice is broad in an attempt to cover many of the situations your characters may be in.
Coming out is a big deal - no matter what the situation/level of acceptance is, coming out is a terrifying thing for LGBTQA+ members of all ages. Whether your character thinks they'll be accepted or not, fear of some form of rejection is a guaranteed part of the experience. The fear may be subconscious or prominent on your characters perspective. Whether it formed from bad first-hand experiences or hearing other LGBTQA+ members coming out stories gone wrong (and your characters) to be scared.
The impact - knowing that your parents or peers accept your sexual and gender identity is monumental for everyone, including your characters. If a coming out scene isn't going to impact your characters arc greatly, please rethink why it's included before changing it accordingly.
The conversation - coming out isn't always a sit down conversation. In many cases, it happens over the phone or other forms of visual communication. Choose a coming out method that is the most meaningful to your character (the one they're most comfortable doing).
If it goes "wrong" - your character's expectations going in will shape their perspective on if a reaction is good or bad. Generally outcomes I which the parent or peer isn't accepting, believes it's just a phase, is confused etc. are understandably viewed as negative reactions. If the coming out experience goes poorly, your character should react accordingly. Their reaction may be out of character (they go into a depressive state for the first time) or fitting to the reader's expectations (they return to old coping mechanisms).
If it goes "right" - like a characters reaction to a bad coming out, when a parent or peer is accepting, your characters life and relationships will change even if subconsciously. With every "good" coming out, your characters confidence and self worth will likely increase. While a bad reaction is detrimental to a relationship, a good coming out can bond a LGBTQA+ character to the people that now know. This relationship shift as well as how coming out overall transformed the character should be noticeable to your readers.
YOU ARE READING
The Do's and Don'ts of Writing a Story
HumorFor all you amateur writers on Wattpad that want to write a smashing book. Here are the top tips. There are four different sections in here: PLOT - anything incredibly relevant to a book. The backbone. Everything that, usually, you always need. LANG...
