My Writing Process Blog Hop

I’ve been tagged by Alison Tyler in the writing process meme that’s been doing the rounds. Since it’s Monday, I thought I’d combine with some gorgeously erotic man candy hands. (It’s this)

1) What am I working on?

Mainly my fifth Black Lace novel, Undone, due to be published September 2014. I’m around the 2/3 mark, which is usually the point I start to despair because the project seems impossible and I fear I’ll never be able to draw all the disparate threads together and fill in the various plot holes I’ve jumped over. But I’m actually feeling quite confident, shortage of time aside, so either I’m getting this novel-writing thang sussed or the despair will hit in a couple of weeks! I’m also working on some kinky short short stories for Alison Tyler’s recent call for submissions (deadline March 1st, folks!). And thirdly, I’m developing my workshop on flash fic which I’ll be delivering at Eroticon 2014 in Bristol in March. Very excited about that!

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well, there’s a dead body within the first few pages of Undone, not exactly standard fare in erotica. I enjoy crossing the erotica genre with other genres – suspense and psychological thrillers, spooky stories and the gothic. The trajectory of a romance narrative alone isn’t one I find exciting enough to want to write. And I’ve learned I’m quite a visual writer; my brain likes to work in images.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I like exploring the hidden. I like going below the surface to explore dreams, secrets and fears, and the erotic is very much part of that. There’s also a crusading aspect for me: as women, we are massively short-changed when it comes to the availability of erotic material for us; plus female sexuality and desire aren’t given enough cultural air space. I want to contribute to improving the situation.

4) How does your writing process work?

For novels, I plot but not to the nth degree. As I write, ideas build and original plans are jettisoned in favour of better ones. I’m slow. I think of my process as comparable to backstitch. I always go over the previous day’s writing and edit that before I crack on with the next section. Ideally, I work for hours at a time for long-length fic. I’m a mono-tasker, and at my best when I can immerse myself in a single project. These days, life rarely allows me to do that so I combine occasional long sessions with short bursts. When I’m focused on a novel, I struggle to write short stories although I find writing flash fun and useful. It diverts without taking over my imagination, and it’s satisfying to be able to complete a piece when the end is a long way ahead on a novel.

I write chronologically but my WIPS are usually peppered with the phrase [stg sgt], meaning ‘something, something’. They mark points where I need to smooth over a change of scene or of tone, or where something needs to be added to slow down the pacing.

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I’m passing the baton on to Janine Ashbless and Sallyanne Rogers who’ll be answering the Qs next Monday. I was meant to find a third victim but failed due to shameful lack of effort! Plus, I think most people have done this meme by now. If you haven’t and want to, here, catch the baton!

Janine Ashbless writes erotic fantasy and paranormal stories and novels. She aims to transport you to other lands and times, places where life hangs by a thread and that stranger might be about to bring you terror or ecstasy or both.

Sallyanne Rogers is the slightly more professional and hopefully better-behaved alter ego of a veteran filth-peddler. She has written articles for magazines such as Forum and For Women in the past but now concentrates on fiction. Her novella Midwinter Heat was published by Xcite and she is currently finishing the sequel, which is about sex and Morris dancing.

Update! I pounced on Charlie Powell so got my third victim!

Charlie Powell is currently supposed to be editing her first erotic novel, but instead spends most of her time blogging at Sex Blog of Sorts. She prefers to confine all of her actual writing to the month of November.

Check out these three writers on Monday 24th Feb!

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