Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Chapter 13 Explodes Into Publication!
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Thursday, June 23, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
Argh! The Pressure!!!
Chapter 10 of The Inn has now been up long enough to garner a fair number of comments ... and they've sent me into a complete guilt-spiral!
"Can't wait for the next chapter!"
"I wouldn't mind if this series went on forever!"
The problem is, my original outline calls for Chapter 11 to be the finale. So I'm reading these comments and thinking, Oh, shit. They clearly do not feel like this story is building up to an imminent conclusion! I'm going to get crucified if I end it next chapter!
I'd been patting myself on the back for several weeks about coming up with an ending that would bring the romantic plot and the storyline plot to a simultaneous peak, and now it's clear my clever resolution will seriously disappoint the readers.
What to do?
First, I decided I'd better figure out whether the readers would be right in their disappointment. Literotica readers pretty much always want every decent serial to go on eternally, whereas I'm a pretty solid believer in beginning-middle-end storytelling.
But when I put myself in their shoes, I decided they had a point. The plot took a major turn at the end of Chapter 9, and if that plot twist made the book wrap-up after just two additional chapters, what the hell was the point of all the plot building in Chapters 1-8? It would feel like turning the corner and running into a brick wall.
So.
What to do about it?
I sat and thought and sat and thought.
How could I take the position the characters occupied at the end of Chapter 10 and make it lead to not one but several additional escalations of the story? They had to be real escalations too, not just drawing the story out for the sake of making it longer.
The answer turned out to be, "Don't make things quite so easy on the characters just because the end of the story is in sight."
Once I figured that out, I realized that I'd skipped right past the possibility of the Chapter-9 plot twist throwing additional challenges in Simon and Leyna's path, rather than just opening up solutions. And not only would those challenges force them to be more inventive in resolving the threat of Necromanata, they'd also provide a natural intermediary step between Simon and Leyna's relationship at the end of Chapter 10 and where that relationship ends up at the end of the book.
Success!
The book is now plotted out to run through Chapter 14, which will probably bring it up close to 100,000 words ... a pretty respectable length for an erotic fantasy novel!
In closing, though, I must warn my readers ... just because begging for more worked this time doesn't mean it will work every time! If it did, I'd end up writing one long continuation of a single series until I'm in my dotage.
Thanks, though. The Inn is going to be much better for my forced reconsideration of these last few chapters!
"Can't wait for the next chapter!"
"I wouldn't mind if this series went on forever!"
The problem is, my original outline calls for Chapter 11 to be the finale. So I'm reading these comments and thinking, Oh, shit. They clearly do not feel like this story is building up to an imminent conclusion! I'm going to get crucified if I end it next chapter!
I'd been patting myself on the back for several weeks about coming up with an ending that would bring the romantic plot and the storyline plot to a simultaneous peak, and now it's clear my clever resolution will seriously disappoint the readers.
What to do?
First, I decided I'd better figure out whether the readers would be right in their disappointment. Literotica readers pretty much always want every decent serial to go on eternally, whereas I'm a pretty solid believer in beginning-middle-end storytelling.
But when I put myself in their shoes, I decided they had a point. The plot took a major turn at the end of Chapter 9, and if that plot twist made the book wrap-up after just two additional chapters, what the hell was the point of all the plot building in Chapters 1-8? It would feel like turning the corner and running into a brick wall.
So.
What to do about it?
I sat and thought and sat and thought.
How could I take the position the characters occupied at the end of Chapter 10 and make it lead to not one but several additional escalations of the story? They had to be real escalations too, not just drawing the story out for the sake of making it longer.
The answer turned out to be, "Don't make things quite so easy on the characters just because the end of the story is in sight."
Once I figured that out, I realized that I'd skipped right past the possibility of the Chapter-9 plot twist throwing additional challenges in Simon and Leyna's path, rather than just opening up solutions. And not only would those challenges force them to be more inventive in resolving the threat of Necromanata, they'd also provide a natural intermediary step between Simon and Leyna's relationship at the end of Chapter 10 and where that relationship ends up at the end of the book.
Success!
The book is now plotted out to run through Chapter 14, which will probably bring it up close to 100,000 words ... a pretty respectable length for an erotic fantasy novel!
In closing, though, I must warn my readers ... just because begging for more worked this time doesn't mean it will work every time! If it did, I'd end up writing one long continuation of a single series until I'm in my dotage.
Thanks, though. The Inn is going to be much better for my forced reconsideration of these last few chapters!
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Thank you, one and all!
Big Flipping Deal Chapter 7 won the Literotica Reader's Choice Award for Best Transsexuals & Crossdressers story!
I really appreciate everyone who took the time to vote, both for BFD and for Contrast Chapter 4, which came in second in the Interracial category.
It's nice to know people like my stories, and very nice to have my writing recognized as worthwhile.
Thank you very much!
I really appreciate everyone who took the time to vote, both for BFD and for Contrast Chapter 4, which came in second in the Interracial category.
It's nice to know people like my stories, and very nice to have my writing recognized as worthwhile.
Thank you very much!
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Chapter 8 of The Inn is now live on Literotica.com!
And there's still time to vote for Contrast and Big Flipping Deal in the Readers Choice Awards:
Literotica Readers Choice Awards
Best Interracial Story (Contrast Ch. 04)
Best Transsexuals & Crossdressers Story (Big Flipping Deal Ch. 07)
Voting closes early morning Sunday May 1, so if you haven't voted yet please hurry!
And there's still time to vote for Contrast and Big Flipping Deal in the Readers Choice Awards:
Literotica Readers Choice Awards
Best Interracial Story (Contrast Ch. 04)
Best Transsexuals & Crossdressers Story (Big Flipping Deal Ch. 07)
Voting closes early morning Sunday May 1, so if you haven't voted yet please hurry!
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Sex & Sorcery 2!
As promised, here's the Amazon link to Sex & Sorcery 2! And the cover! (Which is also a link to the publisher's page for the book.)
I've read the first four stories so far, and enjoyed them all. One was a little sillier than the others, but it had hot lesbians in it, so I'm willing to make allowances. I'm especially happy to see that these are actual storytelling stories, not just excuses to write sex scenes in a fantasy setting. (Not that sex scenes are lacking here, though!)
My story, "A Harem of Harpies," features one of my favorite old D&D characters, Chortle Bonegrinder, a jackal-headed barbarian I invented because I didn't feel like my play group really had a good handle on what "Chaotic Neutral" meant. I had a blast writing about Chortle again (last time I did so was about 5 years ago), and now I'm thinking I might need to write more Chortle stories once I finish up The Inn. And publish Contrast. And Big Flipping Deal. And the mainstream fantasy novel I finished the first draft on back in December.
So much to do!
Anyway, I'd be delighted for you to pick up S&S2, which I can't imagine you'll regret if you like sword and sorcery tales and erotica. It's 100,000+ words and only $2.99 -- more than worth it just for the four I've read so far.
I've read the first four stories so far, and enjoyed them all. One was a little sillier than the others, but it had hot lesbians in it, so I'm willing to make allowances. I'm especially happy to see that these are actual storytelling stories, not just excuses to write sex scenes in a fantasy setting. (Not that sex scenes are lacking here, though!)
My story, "A Harem of Harpies," features one of my favorite old D&D characters, Chortle Bonegrinder, a jackal-headed barbarian I invented because I didn't feel like my play group really had a good handle on what "Chaotic Neutral" meant. I had a blast writing about Chortle again (last time I did so was about 5 years ago), and now I'm thinking I might need to write more Chortle stories once I finish up The Inn. And publish Contrast. And Big Flipping Deal. And the mainstream fantasy novel I finished the first draft on back in December.
So much to do!
Anyway, I'd be delighted for you to pick up S&S2, which I can't imagine you'll regret if you like sword and sorcery tales and erotica. It's 100,000+ words and only $2.99 -- more than worth it just for the four I've read so far.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
New Serial! New Short Story! Awards!!!
I've been a less-than-zealous blogger lately ... but not because I've been entirely slacking! After finishing up the first draft of Big Flipping Deal last summer, I went back to a mainstream fantasy novel I'd put on hold and wrapped up the first draft near the end of the year. Since then, I've been writing away on a new erotic fantasy series on Literotica: The Inn.
But in the midst of The Inn, an editor contacted me and suggested I submit a story to Uruk Press' erotic fantasy anthology series, Sex & Sorcery. I promptly fired up my short-story brain and did what I think is a pretty bang-up job on a tale called, "A Harem of Harpies," which made the cut and will appear in Sex & Sorcery 2, due out any day now. I'll post a link to the book's Amazon page as soon as it's available.
Finally, I have been horribly remiss in begging for votes! Both Big Flipping Deal and Contrast were nominated for Readers Choice Awards on Literotica.com. Big Flipping Deal is currently in front of the competition by a hair, but after a strong start, Contrast has fallen way behind. Please, please, please, vote at the links below! I will be eternally grateful.
Literotica Readers Choice Awards
Best Interracial Story (Contrast Ch. 04)
Best Transsexuals & Crossdressers Story (Big Flipping Deal Ch. 07)
Voting closes early morning Sunday May 1, so don't delay!
But in the midst of The Inn, an editor contacted me and suggested I submit a story to Uruk Press' erotic fantasy anthology series, Sex & Sorcery. I promptly fired up my short-story brain and did what I think is a pretty bang-up job on a tale called, "A Harem of Harpies," which made the cut and will appear in Sex & Sorcery 2, due out any day now. I'll post a link to the book's Amazon page as soon as it's available.
Finally, I have been horribly remiss in begging for votes! Both Big Flipping Deal and Contrast were nominated for Readers Choice Awards on Literotica.com. Big Flipping Deal is currently in front of the competition by a hair, but after a strong start, Contrast has fallen way behind. Please, please, please, vote at the links below! I will be eternally grateful.
Literotica Readers Choice Awards
Best Interracial Story (Contrast Ch. 04)
Best Transsexuals & Crossdressers Story (Big Flipping Deal Ch. 07)
Voting closes early morning Sunday May 1, so don't delay!
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