If there is a substantial difference between a gay couple and a childless heterosexual couple, I'm unable to see it.
Never test for an error condition you don't know how to handle.
Actors are good liars; writers are good liars with good memories.
Police do not belong in war zones.
Its obvious, but perhaps worth saying, that happiness has virtually nothing to do with the state of your intellect.
An attempt to write nothing but characterization will soon bog down; I for one don't want to have somebody tell me about someone else.