The Writing Mind

fountain pen
Originally uploaded by [phil h]

Currently reading "Bullies, Bastards & Bitches: How to Write The Bad Guys of Fiction" by Jessica Page Morrell (ISBN: 978-1-58297-484-2).

This morning I happened to be talking with someone on the phone about how a writer's mind works differently sometimes. After we hung up I turned to reading another chapter from this writing craft book and these few sentences struck me.

"Every writer has his own way "in" to the story. Some plan, some dream, some piece a story together like a puzzle as bits of inspiration slip into consciousness. For most writers, plot and conflict are so entwined with characters that one cannot be known without the other."

I think I tend to start out being the puzzle piecer type of writer. I have a program I keep open called "RoughDraft" and I jot down bits and pieces of characterization and plot as they come to me.

I think we all know that each writer creates differently but sometimes validating our writing habits and the differences in the writer's mind helps to remind us.

I'm using this picture from flickr this morning because I love writing with a fountain pen. A number of years ago I purchased a box of miscellaneous stuff from an auction back in a small town near where I grew up--Richmondville, New York. Some of the contents of the auction belonged to a newspaper publisher. At the bottom of the box, crammed into a crease at the corner, was an old Parker fountain pen. I cleaned it up and I purchase the ink for it (it doesn't take cartridges) and use it often, especially in my journal writing.

There's intimate ritual to working with a fountain pen. Especially an older pen that needs to be filled and cleaned and cared for. A fountain pen holds secrets, shares secrets, tell stories. It's not a throw-away pen; it's a companion through the writing life and deserves respect.

I use Sheaffer Skrip peacock blue ink, special ordered online from Pendemonium.

Adrianna

Recent RWA Board Decisions - Part II - PAN Eligibility

It appears that yesterday there was open discussion about these new policy changes and definitions and they may be altered. Several blogs to read more about this are at:

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/
http://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.com/2007/07/news-from-front.html
http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog/

I'm sure there are others. These are just a few that have been posted on various loops I'm a member of.

Regarding PAN eligibility. PAN is the acronym for "Published Author Network" within the RWA organization. PAN-eligible is defined by RWA as "a General or Honorary member who is eligible for PAN membership" as described in the RWA Policy and Procedures Manual.

According to the June issue of RWR, one of the goals of the proposed changes was to separate the eligibility requirements between "publisher recognition (eligibility)" for such things as entering the RITA awards and related RWA organization activities, and eligibility for PAN.

PAN mission statement as noted in the June RWR (and in the Policy and Procedures Manual):

PAN's purpose is to establish within RWA a network of communication and support to effectively promote and protect the interests of published romance authors, to open channels of communication between those romance authors and other publishing industry professionals, and to encourage professionalism on all levels and in all relationships within the publishing industry.

In other words, a network for "career-oriented" published authors.

Currently, the membership requirements include:

"Any RWA General or Honorary member who has published an Eligible Novel with an RWA-Recognized Publisher shall be eligible for membership in PAN. To prove publication, the member must submit a copy of the Eligible Novel's copyright page to the Office.

For purposes of determining PAN membership...there will be no grandfathering of books published by publishers that went out of business prior to the adoption of RWA publisher recognition standards."

An "eligible novel" is defined by RWA as:

a non-subsidy, non-vanity work of Romantic Fiction of 40,000 or more words that is offered for sale to the general public by a publisher through a readable or audio format, for which the author receives payment as stipulated in a written contract from a publisher, and is published by an RWA-Recognized Publisher.

RWA has indicated the following change to PAN eligibility policy:

There are two methods in which to become members of PAN (and I will excerpt the relevant parts of these options rather than reprinting the whole thing):

Option One: Any RWA General or Honorary member who has earned at least $1,000 in the form of an advance from a single romance novel or novella published by a non-Subsidy, non-Vanity Publisher may join PAN either as a full member (once the title is published) or as a provisional member for an eighteen-month period while awaiting publication of the title...

Option Two: Any RWA General or Honorary member who has earned at least $1,000 in the form of royalties or a combination of advance plus royalties on a single published romance novel or novella published by a non-Subsidy, non-Vanity Publisher may join PAN as a full member following the publication of the title...

The definition of vanity/subsidy publishers has far-reaching effects to all corners of the current and proposed policies of the RWA that will affect a wide number of currently published authors.

By the new definition of vanity/subsidy publisher (defined in yesterday's blog entry), slight though it may seem, essentially all small press and electronically published authors are denied professional support by this organization.

I will note that originally, according to RWR, the proposal threshhold income was for a $2,000 advance/royalty and I do note that this number has been halved to $1,000. Also, they are allowing either a novel or a novella which I believe opens to the current trend in publishing.

I do have a problem with the fact that this income is based solely on one book. When I made comments to the committee, I did suggest that the amount, rather than being based on one book, should have reflected an across-the-board amount, which would more obviously reflect a "career-oriented" person as opposed to a "hobby-oriented" career. One book does not establish a career in the majority of cases.

In my opinion small steps forward in some areas, yet major leaps backward in others. The new RWA definition of vanity/subsidy stops essentially every forward move to new policy. The rationale RWA uses to support a number of the proposed changes that other organizations do it this way, so we should, too, doesn't fly with me. It didn't work with my kids when they did something wrong either.

One thing I did mention in my comments to the committee was the "grandfathering" of members who had already met the criteria to join PAN. A serious problem in many instances was each time the board decided to shift the earth and scatter things to the four winds, everyone had to go back to square one, again and again and again. Organization morale seriously suffers because of that mentality. According to these recent decisions, as far as PAN eligibility, grandfathering will take place for those authors who were general members of PAN before July 10, 2007.

It is unfortunate that any ground they gained by the small changes have been far outweighed by the new definitions. I can only hope they reconsider.

One last point of note is regarding the RITA. It is the very last notation on the recent changes to policy:

After extensive discussion, the Board decided not to add an erotic romance category to the contests due in part to the inherently indefinable nature of erotic romance."

Hmmm, do they even realize they have a chapter devoted to erotic romance writers who have quite clearly defined the parameters?

Please, please, please, get your heads out of the sand, RWA, and see what's going on around you. Pay attention to the words you are using to define your policy. Don't you think it's about time? And if you've got someone else writing policy, pay attention, because they don't know the membership, but you are supposed to.

Oh, and this will end my rant on RWA recent decisions.

Adrianna

Eroticism vs. Pornography in Story

I’ve recently been visiting some blogs about erotic romance and I thought it was time for me to share my point of view on the subject. I continue to see authors who write erotic romance continue to say they admit to writing smut or pornography. If they write true erotic romance, or erotica, I beg to differ.

There are definitions set down for defining the different aspects of eroticism and sexual experimentation in story by the Passionate Pen Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. So let’s get those definitions out of the way first. Here’s how they define them:

“Porn: stories written for the express purpose of causing sexual titillation. Plot, character development, and romance are NOT primary to these stories. They are designed to sexually arouse the reader and nothing else.

Erotica: stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Emotion and character growth are important facets of a true erotic story. However, erotica is NOT designed to show the development of a romantic relationship, although it’s not prohibited if the author chooses to explore romance. Happily Ever Afters are NOT an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included.

Erotic Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance.

Sexy Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship that just happen to have more explicit sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and it could easily be removed or “toned down” without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT as this is basically a standard romance with hotter sex.”

(Visit www.passionateink.org for more information about the chapter.)

I’m going to rant today because, well, it’s just one of those days and I’ve been visiting some other blogs. I get a little miffed when I see a number of authors who say they write erotic romance and tell people they write “smut” or “pornography.” They say call it what it is. Well, you know what? I write erotic romance and I do not write smut or pornography. I disagree with those monikers totally. Erotic romance may be stories meant to arouse, but they are not meant to strictly arouse sexual response as appears the case in pornography and/or smut. At least not with my stories. Sex is not gratuitous, explicit love scenes are a part of the story and are important to the developing relationships.

If a reader or writer is ashamed of sexuality, then they are probably going to think erotic romance is smut. Have you ever really seen a pornographic movie or read pornography? Pornography is meant to sexually arouse. Period.

In erotic romance, or even erotica, much more is involved. There is a passion, an eroticism to all the senses, and that is what should be obvious when writing in the erotic genre as opposed to the pornographic genre.

Why do I use the term “genre?” I see pornography as a genre of pure sex, as science fiction is delving into the possibilities of science of alternative or futuristic fiction; horror meant to instill fear and terror; romance meant to inspire passion, and it is more than about the sex. If you introduce as the main part of the plot a romantic relationship, it changes the genre for pornography, science fiction, horror, or any of the other genres. The balance alters.

If an erotic romance does not contain the correct balance of sex to relationship and plot, yes, it can be pornography, or it can be erotica, depending on how the story is written.

In story, balance of components is important. Knowing what you write, be it erotic romance, erotica, pornography, or science fiction, and not trying to pass it off as another genre, is important. Because of the fairly new acceptance of erotic romance as a subgenre of romance, sometimes even the publishers do not distinguish between the genres. But a writer should know the difference in what they are writing, no matter which level of sexual explicitness is included.

To say to someone, “yes, I write smut” or, “yes, I write pornography” when what the author really writes is erotic romance, is bending to popular, uneducated definition, that really isn’t correct, nor does it do a service to either genre–not to erotic romance and not to pornography. If I were to write erotic horror and call it horror, it comes down to the same thing. If I were to write a story of horror, it would probably be more romantic horror. And that is a different genre, make no mistake. Nor is erotic horror the same as horror, such as Stephen King would write. There is a difference, although they may be related at some level. And just because an author doesn’t want to take the time to explain the difference, doesn’t mean it is a correct definition of the genre. Or they are trying to blur the lines of writing pornography and attempting to introduce their stories into a popular, and more acceptable genre such as erotic romance. It doesn’t make it so.

I love the passion of romance, be it heterosexual, same sex, multiple partners, or whatever the dynamics. I love being able to write about the emotion and soul involved in intimacy and commitment, or the anticipation of commitment. This is erotic romance. The journey to intimacy can also be erotica, which is not necessarily written toward the end result of commitment, but some part of personality, some growth is usually involved through the journey of discovery.

Here’s a passage from my dark futuristic erotic romance story, Zytarri 1: Virgin Blood, that could be considered erotic, yet it doesn’t deal directly with recognized sexual terms. Valyn, the hero, is preparing to meet his upcoming challenge in this passage.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in, pulling deeply from his abdomen, exhaling every particle of used breath, cleansing his inner body and soul while opening to the nuances of the pulsing earth. Eventually the oneness embraced him, and he felt the steady surging of the earth beneath him, heard the flow of life rushing under the surface, and felt the creaking growth of root life as it surged and burst. The pulse beat through him until his own rhythms matched those of the living earth, and he became attuned, a part of all that surrounded him.

Everything inside and around him slowed, matching cadence to cadence, the deep breathing increased the flow of oxygen to his lifeblood, and the power and balance threaded through him, anchoring deep inside. Opening his eyes, he centered his gaze on a close-budded flower and concentrated, coaxing her response.

‘Open your sweet heart to me.’

He did not move, did not breathe, waiting for the response.

First one shy petal peeled back, then another followed, and another, until the blushing, fuchsia core opened completely to the morning light, the fragrance of its heady, potent nectar filling the air.

He did not alter his attention, but heard the buzzing presence of a male bee close by.

‘She awaits.’ The whispered words moved outward from his mind to the fluttering insect.

His gaze soon encompassed the descent of the drone as it settled into the heart of the shy flower, piercing deep into its moist, succulent core, eager to consume the nectar of the fragrant, delicate beauty.

Erotic writing is in the blending of words meant to arouse, not necessarily explicit in a sexually obvious way. It is a seduction of the senses. It is not always “in-your-face” explicit. A writer wants the reader to be seduced by the writing, not dropped in a freezing cold or boiling hot pool. There is a difference.

Here’s a passage from my recent contemporary erotic romance release, Pleasure, which uses a few of the more recognized terms in erotic writing. Helen has come to Las Vegas for a weekend away from her daily life as mayor of a small town and discovers more than she bargained for, particularly about her own needs.

She really tried not looking their way again, but it was just too difficult. Taking a sip of her coffee, slowly she angled her head, the hairs on the back of her neck rising when she realized he was watching her intently.

The woman was nowhere in sight, probably having gone to the powder room to freshen up.

Long moments passed as her gaze locked with his across the crowded room. She felt heat surge through her body and a bolt of desire shocked right down to her pussy, making her throb with need.

His dark eyes traveled over her, studying her, caressing her in the ways a lover might do, but from a significant distance away. He lifted his hands and caressed the coffee cup in front of him, still watching her. He raised the cup and brought it to his finely chiseled lips.

His tongue stroked across his lips. Her body tingled at the thought of what that tongue could do to her body. It was too much and she felt her pussy convulse.

He smiled a deliberate, sensuous smile, then brought the cup to his lips. She watched his Adam's apple move as he swallowed, then set the cup back down.

Moving his chair back from the table, he splayed his legs, drawing her attention to his groin. It came to her suddenly that he was putting on a show for her, drawing her across the room. Maybe not physically, but mentally he seduced her, tantalized her. But why?

Her focus feasted on the prominent display of male dominance bulging from between his legs. It was as though there was no one else in the room but them.

Her breathing increased, rising to rapid pants of need.
She waned to get up from the table, to join him, to have him take her in his arms and kiss her with all the passion she surmised was sheathed inside that delectable, sexy man across the room. She could smell her own arousal keenly. In that look, no distance separated them. No one else existed.

Using all the self-control she could muster, she broke the contact, thinking a fan would not be so out of place right this minute. What had he done to her?

Make no mistake, I write explicitly and use, when appropriate, recognized terminology. But I do not depend on strictly those words to carry the eroticism of the story.

Passion, using all the senses, is what brings soul and romance to erotic writing. It isn’t sex strictly for the sake of sex alone. It is intimacy, it is relationship, it is romantically erotic.

Adrianna