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gementFor obvious reasons, I'm reading How to Write a Dirty Story by Susie Bright. And now I want you to read it, too. Yes, and probably you, as well. (Probably not buy it, but check it out from the library.)
This is not a recommendation for 'if you want to Be A Writer' or 'if you want to get paid for publishing naughty bits.' (Amazon reviewers actually complain that it's skimping on the mechanics implied by the title. It's getting comparisons to Stephen King's "On Writing.") The first chapters of this book are making me feel sexier about my own life just by reading it, whether I ever write anything again or not. And then it's making writing for personal pleasure sound attractive.
I admit, this is probably a recommendation that will not necessarily suit your headspace just this second, but really, file it away for that moment when it will strike your brain just right, maybe the next time you're thinking of picking up some philosophy or self-help. The only people I'll disrecommend it to are those who are stressed out by strong language because, well, hello, example paragraphs! (Often from literature not usually classified as dirty stories, such as a hot bit from The Godfather.)
Many of the later chapters are about dealing with publishing, but the last chapter of part 1 is called "Writing Erotica for an Audience of One," which is to say, solely for your own enjoyment and to get in touch with what's actually happening with you. Part 2 is about the enjoyment of reading, including thinking about all the kinds of sexual writing that's out there (with author recommendations). It's making me think much more deeply about living in my own skin, and seeking out more of what I enjoy, in any context.
Part 3 is about writing it, and only in Part 4 (editing) does it really shift gears to thinking about pleasing anyone but yourself or your lover with your writing.
I'm struggling to explain this properly, and probably failing, which is why I've put the details about the book's structure behind a cut for those who are considering picking it up. But this book is making me feel... warm, by which I do not just mean hot. It's a really positive and thoughtful look at the place sex has in our lives and our thoughts, no matter how much literal sex we do or do not have.
Nothing ground-breaking if you read a lot of sex-positive literature, but a different angle than I'm used to, since it's talking about taking a deep breath and creating with it. Not that sex isn't an act of creation, but performance art and working with words are very different parts of the brain.
After reading a couple chapters of it yesterday, I put 4500 new words on my wiki, easy as breathing. I wrote down a fantasy I'd been playing out for a week but hadn't considered writing down because it 'didn't fit into a story line.' Fie on that. It's hot. And it's mine.
And it got both hotter and more meaningful when I wrote it down.
--
Edit: P.S. Man, Oh, Man (on writing M/M fiction) is also getting two thumbs up for a sympathetic book that's at least partially tailored to the confused gaggle of mostly-women trying to break out of the fanfic communities and into publishing. The author, Josh Lanyon, is a guy who writes mysteries with strong (and hot) M/M subplots. It has me alternately laughing, crowing, and feeling sheepishly reassured.
This is not a recommendation for 'if you want to Be A Writer' or 'if you want to get paid for publishing naughty bits.' (Amazon reviewers actually complain that it's skimping on the mechanics implied by the title. It's getting comparisons to Stephen King's "On Writing.") The first chapters of this book are making me feel sexier about my own life just by reading it, whether I ever write anything again or not. And then it's making writing for personal pleasure sound attractive.
I admit, this is probably a recommendation that will not necessarily suit your headspace just this second, but really, file it away for that moment when it will strike your brain just right, maybe the next time you're thinking of picking up some philosophy or self-help. The only people I'll disrecommend it to are those who are stressed out by strong language because, well, hello, example paragraphs! (Often from literature not usually classified as dirty stories, such as a hot bit from The Godfather.)
Many of the later chapters are about dealing with publishing, but the last chapter of part 1 is called "Writing Erotica for an Audience of One," which is to say, solely for your own enjoyment and to get in touch with what's actually happening with you. Part 2 is about the enjoyment of reading, including thinking about all the kinds of sexual writing that's out there (with author recommendations). It's making me think much more deeply about living in my own skin, and seeking out more of what I enjoy, in any context.
Part 3 is about writing it, and only in Part 4 (editing) does it really shift gears to thinking about pleasing anyone but yourself or your lover with your writing.
I'm struggling to explain this properly, and probably failing, which is why I've put the details about the book's structure behind a cut for those who are considering picking it up. But this book is making me feel... warm, by which I do not just mean hot. It's a really positive and thoughtful look at the place sex has in our lives and our thoughts, no matter how much literal sex we do or do not have.
Nothing ground-breaking if you read a lot of sex-positive literature, but a different angle than I'm used to, since it's talking about taking a deep breath and creating with it. Not that sex isn't an act of creation, but performance art and working with words are very different parts of the brain.
After reading a couple chapters of it yesterday, I put 4500 new words on my wiki, easy as breathing. I wrote down a fantasy I'd been playing out for a week but hadn't considered writing down because it 'didn't fit into a story line.' Fie on that. It's hot. And it's mine.
And it got both hotter and more meaningful when I wrote it down.
--
Edit: P.S. Man, Oh, Man (on writing M/M fiction) is also getting two thumbs up for a sympathetic book that's at least partially tailored to the confused gaggle of mostly-women trying to break out of the fanfic communities and into publishing. The author, Josh Lanyon, is a guy who writes mysteries with strong (and hot) M/M subplots. It has me alternately laughing, crowing, and feeling sheepishly reassured.
