1500 Words

I’d have a hard time complaining about the progress I’ve been making these last few days. For the time being at least this story just seems to be flowing right onto the page without any real trouble other than the times I have to stop to do other things – like blogging, fixing dinner, and going to my day job. I don’t want to jinx myself, but if those are the big obstacles, June is going to be a good month.

I wish I had something more interesting to tell you by way of an update, but that’s really it. My protagonist is in the process of making her life altering decision. By the time tonight’s writing session is finished, her fate will most likely be sealed.

For tonight, I’m shooting to end up with 1500 words on my way to something like 11-12,000. One of the many things I’ve learned from writing is to savor the small milestones along the way. It makes the big milestone of getting to a first draft so much easier to reach.

Smooth…

I’m going to risk tempting fate by saying that so far, the work on Second Semester has been going very smoothly. Sure, there have been a few days where I didn’t have time or just didn’t feel like writing, there have been a few days where the words just won’t appear on the page. That’s feels like something that’s part for the course on any large writing project. What’s really surprised me, though, is how often things have just gone smoothly with this one. It feels like I’ve gone from 0 to 7500 words in no time at all. As much as all writers seem to think writing should be a struggle, it’s been awfully nice to not struggle quite so much with this one.

I just started on Chapter 4 over the weekend and Second Semester feels like it will be one of my normal 5 chapter short stories, so we’re over the hump. Now the kicker is going to be keeping the motivation up when the days are cooler and a host of other interesting options are available. Every summer I seem to fall victim to the thought that once the days get shorter and the nights get longer, I’ll have more time to write. It’s a fallacy of logic, since the amount of daylight doesn’t change everything else that needs to get done in any given day. The best I can do is keep taking small bites in the quiet moments as they come along. It’s the only process I’ve found so far that consistently works for me, so I’ll stick with it.

In the Zone

I can’t say I have any earth shattering updates from this weekend. I’ve been setting a pretty solid pace on 300-400 words six days a week for the latest WIP. I’m happy with how it’s turning out so far. I’m ecstatic that I’ve been able to keep up that pace for as long as I have. Usually something comes up and throws me off balance long before I get into anything resembling a routine. I’m probably jinxing myself just by mentioning it, especially since I haven’t carved any writing time out of this holiday Monday yet. As long as I can squeeze in half an hour before the mandatory barbecue and picnic time starts, I should be fine. So far I’ve been in the zone for the last two weeks and I really don’t want to screw that up by breaking stride now.

One of the ways you know things are going well with the current WIP is that I’m already starting to have a few ideas about where I want to go next. Nothing firm yet other than a few back of the napkin notes, but I think I’d like to revisit S&M or dominance and submission. Who knows if that will mean picking back up with the Accidental Dominance series or if it means launching out into new ground, but it’s at least the seed of an idea. I don’t want to start thinking too far down that road until I get a better grip on what’s right in front of me though. It’s been my experience, that while I like to pretend I can multi-task, what it usually means is that I’m just doing several things badly instead of one thing well… and since I really enjoy Kristy, Kathryn, and the rest of the Slut’s Perspective characters, I want to give them their due before moving on to something else.

A Good Run

I’ve been having a good run for the last two weeks. I’ve probably written on 12 our of the last 14 days and ginned up a little over 4000 words for the effort. It feels good to find myself unexpectedly in that kind of groove again. It’s been a while since getting words on the page wasn’t a nightly struggle. It won’t last forever, so I’m appreciating it while it lasts.

I suppose it’s far enough along that I can now safely reveal that the next short story has a working title of – wait for it – A Slut’s Perspective: Second Semester. Maybe it’s not exactly an original title, but the whole point is to round out the “Freshman” quadrilogy from Kristy’s arrival on campus to her first collegiate summer vacation. If you can’t find something in this series that get’s your rocks off, you’d better ask someone to check your pulse.

By this time next month, Second Semester and the inevitable (and as yet unnamed) four-story collection should be available from the usual retail suspects. Every night feels like progress and you can bet I’m planning to make the most of it.

Now on Barnes & Noble…

Well, after a few extra days of waiting it seems that A Slut’s Perspective: Summer Job is now alive, well, and ready for purchase from Barnes & Noble.  Be sure to give it a look if you’re in the market for a new erotic short story. I think you’ll find it “stimulating.”

While I’m on the subject of B&N, I’ve been working hard to adapt to their new Nook Press format. Saying it’s different from the old PubIt site doesn’t do the change justice. It’s serviceable, but I’m not sure I love it yet. Maybe after pushing 10 or 12 short stories through its processes, I’ll feel a little more comfortable using it. Of course since B&N is one of the big guns in the self publishing industry, I’ll mostly accept whatever they say you have to do and get along as best I can. Don’t fool yourselves, even in self publishing the retailers have an outsized amount of influence. Since the alternative is building your own sales platform and them praying that people find you, I think I’ll stay put and try not to complain too much. For me, writing is much more fun than tinkering around with anything on the sales side of the equation. One can only assume that’s what the big publishers are counting on.

 

A Slut’s Perspective: Summer Job

After a weekend full of editing, gnashing of teeth, and a bottomless supply of coffee, A Slut’s Perspective: Summer Job is on the shelves and available for your reading enjoyment. As of today it’s available from Amazon and Smashwords. It will take some of the other retailers (Apple, Sony, Kobo, etc.) a few weeks to catch up since I’m not distributing to them independently. It’s coming on Barnes & Noble too, though they have been a little slower than the others “bigshots” to to make Summer Job available.

Here’s the description I’m currently using on the retail sites:

With classes finished and her friends scattering across the country, Kristy has no intention of spending the summer in her hometown. She knew getting laid on a regular basis was going to be easier if she weren’t sleeping every night in her childhood princess bed. Checking out of her dorm room, Kristy points her car east towards the Jersey Shore and the quintessential teenage experience of spending the summer working at the beach.

In this installment of the Slut’s Perspective series, 18-year-old Kristy uses all the charms at her disposal, to make new friends of the hotel staff, her coworkers, and even her boss. Having a job doesn’t have to be boring – especially when you spend your days on the beach showing as much skin as possible. This Summer Job leads to random hook ups, girl-on-girl love, and hot oral action. More people would love their job of they had these kind of benefits.

Double Issue

After clearing the 6000 word mark last night, I’m starting to get the feeling that A Slut’s Perspective: Summer Vacation is either going to need to be my first foray into novella territory or I’m going to need to split it into two volumes. The elements that I’m trying to get out of my head just aren’t going to wrap up nicely in another 6000 words. I could be wrong, but I think that’s what some people might consider a good problem to have. God knows I’m not complaining about having too many ideas.

Since I never really start writing with anything other than the barest outline in my head, the current plan is to just keep writing. If I find a good place to break the storyline, we’ll go with a double issue. If not, we’ll drag it in one volume all the way through to twice the “normal” word count. Either way, I think everyone will be pleased with how it turns out.

A Slut’s Perspective: Spring Break

Thanks to the fast pen of my newly discovered editor, I’m proud to announce that A Slut’s Perspective: Spring Break is now available from Amazon and Smashwords. It will be available on Barnes & Noble soon. Without further delay, here’s the tease…

Everyone needs a break – including Kristy and her roommate, lover, and closest friend, Kathryn. After rejecting proposals from many of her school’s fraternities to go on spring break as their “guest,” Kristy finally gives in to the last and most convincing offer to accompany Kathryn on a get away that promises not to feature wrist bands, foam parties, and thousands of their fellow students looking for the chance to be stupid.

Spring Break takes Kristy into a world of opulence that she was barely aware existed as well as into a week of random hookups and sensual pleasures that she knows better than women twice her age. With Kate as her constant companion, almost anything is possible. Kristy and Kathryn are the kind of co-eds everyone wishes they knew in school.

In this second book of the “Slut’s Perspective” series, the 18-year-old Kristy leads the way in enjoying the pleasures of girl-on-girl love, oral play, multiple partners, and joining the mile high club.

Spring Break Update

A Slut’s Perspective: Spring Break seems to be well on its way. As of a few minutes ago, it passed through the 3000 word mark and feels like it has plenty of legs left to get to the 10-12,000 word range that I like to be in for erotic shorts. Honestly, I’m excited to be writing anything at all. For the last month or so, getting the words from my head to the page has been a daily challenge. I’m almost embarrassed to say how many different ideas got started only to wither on the vine. For the time being, that’s behind us and I intend to take full advantage of it for as long as it lasts… or until the weekend, whatever comes first. For some reason sitting in my parent’s kitchen and sleeping in my childhood bedroom doesn’t exactly inspire the smutty thoughts. Come to think of it, that’s probably for the best. I’m not expecting next week to be a very productive one for writing, but rest assured, I’m still looking forward to getting home for Christmas.

In case, I forget to mention it next week, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever words are the ones that fit your traditional winter holiday beliefs. It only comes once a year, so make it count.

– Ed.