Post NaNo Musings

NaNoWriMo is over and I didn't make my goal of 50,000 words.  Between my contemporary short story, historical novel and all my blogging, I still only achieved a final word count of 34.857  But, when I think about it, I don't feel like a loser.  Matter of fact, NaNo gave me a few things that I desperately needed.

The first thing I got from NaNo was a writing community.  The writers old and new that joined my Facebook groups are amazing.  From Reena with her stockpile of writing software to Jen with her perpetual cheer leading, I know that I wouldn't have done so well without the support of others who had entered November Madness.  Friends and family are great, but there is nothing like having another writer understand your frustration when the words aren't flowing.  Or having a writer friend give a cyber high-five when you work through a difficult scene.  If you aren't part of such a community, feel free to join mine on Face Book:  The Writers' Block group, The Writers' Block page (Education and self promo for Indie Authors and aspirings.)

I also think I will be writing on a more regular now that NaNo is over.  Who knew that writing everyday made sustaining a thought easier?  Not me.  Up until now, I've written when the mood struck me.  Having to sit down to the computer and churn out 1667 words a day was daunting, but it soon became a habit.  One that my husband and children grew to expect and even respect.  Now that I've grown accustomed to writing everyday, sometimes only a couple hundred words,  I think I may actually finish the pile of unfinished manuscripts in my desk drawer.  And that would be nice as my website went live last week and I have readers and a publisher waiting for me to get kick it up a notch.

But the thing that I am most thankful to NaNo for this year is my newest WIP, My Lover's Keeper.  Accepting the challenge to write an historical novel has been the most awesome ride.  I'd hate for anyone to see my desk.  There are maps and reams of print outs.  Not to mention the books of Kate Pearce and Beverly Jenkins that I refer to often.  Not of it all smooth.  You have no idea how hard it is to find out the exact length of a transatlantic voyage. Much less finding an image of the interior of a French galleon, but I digress.

Etienne Chavaleau

Michel Rigard

Henri Chavaleau

I introduced my female characters early in NaNo.  Now I'd like to share their love interest.  I'm curious to see if anyone can figure out who goes with who. The girls are a couple of post back - NaNoWriMo.   I've posted a excerpt  of "My Lover's Keeper, please leave a comment to let me know if I am on track. 

Mission possible

I know one of the reasons I've been hesitant about writing my stories, is that I've had to reconcile my strict fundamental upbringing with my less then rated PG-13 imaginings.  Good church girls don't write dirty stories.  But I had a situation unfold in the last few hours that is helping me with that little issue.

My best friend popped into my chat box hysterical.  I truly thought that she was suicidal.  I felt so impotent.  I'm over 3,000 miles away from her.  If she was going to do something stupid, there wouldn't have been a damn thing I could have done about it.  Then she told me what was wrong.

She'd caught her man pleasuring himself with the help of a little Internet porn.  She took it as a personal attack against her ability to satisfy him.  I fell out.  She could not be serious.  She was yelling and screaming because he was jerking off!   I couldn't wrap my mind around that one.  This woman is so beautiful I used to feel invisible walking next to her.  Yet, she was the one with all these insecurities that I'm sure were based in her imagination.  It never occurred to her that he might just want an uncomplicated orgasm.  That he might just enjoy touching himself.  There had to be something wrong with her, for him to do this madness.

But then I began to really think about it.  How many woman really see themselves as sexual beings?  How many of us take the time to learn to pleasure ourselves or know how to articulate our desires?  How many of us bring our fantasies to our sexual partners and give them life?  How many of us secretly think our darkest desires are somehow perverse?  I image way to many.

Which got me to where I am now, rambling into this computer.  What if, what I do is not so much corrupting upstanding citizens, but educating them?  What if, through one of my tales a husband will try something that brings a spark back to a dying space?  What if, my stories give a new mother comfort and pleasure, when her husband is away providing for his family?  What if, someone single reads a line that causes her to leave a jerk alone and wait for a good guy to come along?  What if, a woman embraces her sexual preferences as good and normal because of me?

I may write the great American novel.  May dabble into genre I haven't even thought of yet.  But for now I am Portia de Moncur, writer of erotic romance...and I'm embracing that a little more every day.

What was I thinking

My Evil Self-Editor

It is possible ;-)

Here it is Day 16 of NaNoWriMo and I am beyond behind.  I didn't realize that I had this evil little self-editor lurking in my psyche.  He wants me to reread and rewrites sentence after sentence, just because they are stiff or cliche.  Wants me to stop writing to check on historical facts,  from multiple sources, no less.  Wants me to force my poor husband to help me figure out if you can suck a boob AND play with a coochie while a woman is laying on top of you.  Either I have to learn to turn him off...or I may oops up and turn out a fabulous piece of historical erotica.

Who needs a Muse...my literary Fairy God-Father speaks French

Well, here we are at the end of day 3 of NaNoWriMo and I am only at word count 2189.  I should probably be feeling guilty for being so far behind, but I'm not.  I may not have been writing, but I think my time has been well spent.

First of all, on Monday, the NaNo servers crashed.  No one was able to get on until late that evening.  But I knew I was going to need cheerleaders, so I created a group on Facebook.  At first it was just unpublished writers like me getting together to bond.  But then I noticed that some of my favorite authors were also NaNoing.  Of course, I had to ask them to join my merry group of writers, to make sure we were doing it right.  It wasn't until much later, that I realized that many of my "friends" were writers of erotica or steamy romance.  Needless to say, I'm starting each day with prayer, that they will behave.



 Mon Dieu littéraires Fairy-Père



Then, I realized that a friend actually lived in France.  I sent him a message, asking if he would read my French dialogue, to make sure that Google Translate got it right.  He said  but didn't really know how helpful he would be.  Neither did I until this morning.  He messaged me first thing and asked what he could do today.  I replied that he could talk dirty to me.  I wanted to know how a real Frenchman, in 1810 would seduce a young woman.  He was quite helpful.  I began to write.  Before long I came to a part in the scene where a door is opened to the outside.  I again messaged him to find out if there were any spring smells unique to Paris.  He wrote back  that the smell of fleur d'oranger was amazing.  Instantly, I had sensory data to spice up my story.  It is truly like having my own personal Literary Fairy God-Father.

Then I was able to set up my online writing critique group.  We aren't going to do much until after NaNo, but starting in December, we will have a place to post and critique each others work...I am so excited.  Again, it is mostly newbies and indie writer's, but enough "real writers" will be around to offer guidance.

I finally got to the part in the scene where poor Vivienne is supposed to be ravished by the evil Lord Fournier.  I'd been dreading having to get her out of what I imaged to be layers and layers of period clothing.
You have no idea how ecstatic I was to find out that fashion in 1810 Paris was not that complicated.  More importantly, ravishment could be achieved by any able-bodied healthy male.  Woo, whoo...

But back to my 2189 word count.  It took me two days to get to 1,000.  I kept changing words and adding words but the scene just didn't feel right.  There should be medication to reduce the need to self edit.  This morning I tried something new.  I wrote out all the dialogue and then went back in and added the action.  I wrote over 1,000 words in about an hour.  It didn't hurt that it was a sex scene and there was a soft rain falling outside my window...but I digress...

NaNoWriMo

I f you have been following me for more than five minutes, you know that I write contemporary erotic fiction.  What you may not know is that I am participating in this year's National Novel Writing Month project.  Writers from all over the world have been challenged to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  For someone like me, with a hint of ADD and a hectic life, I think this is the perfect challenge.  Hopefully, I will have a good chunk of a novel completed when December rolls around.

Anyway, I have always wanted to write a historical piece, but have had a hard time thinking of a story line that had a sexy love story with slavery as a backdrop...but never doubt my inner freak...I think I've come up with some pretty juicy ideas.

My Lover's Keeper is set in 1810 New Orleans.  It will show the role of race on love and friendship.  It follows 3 women, Vivienne, a French heiress; Lisette, a kept mulatto woman, and Suzanne, a sassy African slave.  Each of them is strong, in their own way, but together, they are lethal.

Suzanne Baptist

Lisette Boudois

Vivienne Arceneau

 
I always start by getting a picture that matches my vision for my character.  Today, I spent most of my time, on character sketches for both major and minor characters.  Also worked on the entire plot outline and individual chapter outlines by scene.

I didn't think I would ever write historical...but it's coming together.

Oh, and a side note...I added a link to Good Reads...add me as a friend, I'd love to know what you are reading.

Writer's Block

I woke up this morning intending to begin on an erotic historical piece.  I'd gone over dialogue in my sleep and knew exactly how I want to proceed.  But, a inexplicable sadness hung over me all day and words just would not come. I tried to work on an edit that I printed out last night to work on today.  Again, I just couldn't concentrate on anything productive.  Finally, I gave up and cleaned out my Farmville giftbox.

Then about 8pm, I got the news my spirit had been waiting for all day.  A dear friend had been found dead in her home.  She and I had worked together for almost 10 years, but had lost track of each other, when within weeks, we both got fired.  I'd been so busy trying to get my head together, that I hadn't thought about Dottie in months.

But, tonight when I heard that she was gone, I felt a wave of emotion crash over my soul.  Strongest was anger with the hospital where we'd worked for so many years.  They fired her, knowing she had health problems, knowing losing her insurance would mean not getting her medications and access to specialists, knowing she was a single parent.  And they did it without a blink.  I know the hospital is in business to make money, but damn.

As I sit here,  updating my status, fielding questions from mutual friends, I feel so guilty.  I have so many people in my corner, wanting for me to succeed as a writer and Dottie didn't have anyone.  No close family, no lovers and if I am example...no friends.

Intellectually, I know that there is probably nothing that I could have done differently that would  have Dottie alive today. But in my heart, I also know that I let a friend down.  She died alone on a kitchen floor.  I can't remember if I ever told her how much I valued her friendship.  And now I never can.

Tonight, I feel my mortality.

Social Networking

I have discovered the joys of networking. Among my new "friends on Facebook, I have established authors, spoken word artist, aspiring writers and book reviewers. Writers from every genre have graciously allowed me to become a fly on their walls. I even picked up my very own "Literary Fairy God-Mother". A professional editor who read a brief prologue of mine and helped me to tweak it.  Gotta love a woman who with a few minor edits makes me better.

There is so much more to this writing gig than just typing words into the computer.

What I've learned this week:

Since I started sharing about my literary aspiration, quite a few of my friends have come out of the closet. A guy I went to high school with is an independent author. He utilizes both print and e-publishing. Another friend, who is an accountant, clued me into the fact that she had self-published a book years ago and would like to get back into writing. Still, another friend shared that she was not a writer, but her 13yo daughter was already showing signs of being a wordsmith. I love it.  If I can help someone else to feed their creative soul with words, I can justify every breath I take.



Also learned that many established writers are willing and eager to offer advice and encouragement. I don't want to become a cyber stalker, so I tend to just write little notes when someone accepts my friend request. In response, I have received a fair number of commercial posts to buy this book or that. But I have also received personal words of support. I can't tell you how thrilling it is to read a post from someone whose book is sitting on your shelf. Those post, somehow, make me feel one step closer to making my dream a reality.



I think my favorite new friends are the pre-published authors. More than anyone else...we understand each other. Non-writers watch in fascination as we agonize with finding just the right words to breath life into our characters. Established writers can become so jaded that they forget the hunger. But another writer who is just beginning to work up the courage to share their words with others...gets it. I don't know if there will ever come a time when I look at a book contrast with bored disdain. But I doubt, for a writer, if anything can compare to the rush of that first book deal.



Finally, I'm learning that all e-publishing is not created equal. To be honest. I never thought about submitting to an e-publishers. In my mind, I kinda classified them as a step sib to "real book publishing". I couldn't have been more wrong. Not only is e-publishing a million dollar industry, but for some genre, it is the ONLY option. For someone like me, who wants to introduce paranormal plots that have a little more flavor than True Blood or Twilight, e-publishing may even be the best choice.



One of my mentors sent me a comparison chart of some of the major e-publishers. Reputable companies aren't too much different that print publishers. The process of sifting the gold from the dross is pretty much the same. On the other hand, there are companies that allow a writer to sell their work, no matter how poorly written, without external review. It might be nice to have an ebook to sell to family and friends, but even with a small readership, my pride would want a fresh set of eyes to evaluate my work. Hell, my name is on that book. I want to be published, but I also want to be remember. And not for putting out second-rate trash.

Dak and Elise got pushed to the side this week. PortiadeMoncur.com should be online in the next week or so.  I'm working the last edits on a series of shorts that I'll offer online.  As for writing, I'm working on  breathing life into a friend's fantasy. Have a few interviews lined up with interracial couples. Been a while since I was with a white boy, wonder if the rules have changed.  Doubt it ;-)

Happy writing,
Portia