Month: May 2011

Blog

Comment break-up

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At first, I thought it was cute. One of those little mannerisms in a relationship that was endearing: how she cuts her spaghetti into tiny little bites first, or how she never laughs, but states that things are funny.

But you and me, comment spammers, have moved beyond the puppy love phase. It’s time for us to have The Talk. I’m cutting you off. Now. Sorry it didn’t work out, and honestly, I don’t even really want to be friends.

For the rest of you (har har), for the time being, I’ll need to approve comments. I’ll look into some spam blockers, I’m sure Word Press has a billion of them. And once you’ve posted and been approved (Lucy), you don’t need to wait in the approval queue. It was just getting distracting with all those comment alerts that turned out to be spam. So think of this as an exclusive club you can get into for free — all you have to be is human.

Blog

Categories and tags

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One thing I’ve struggled when putting this site together is the creation of categories. It’s not a big deal now, what with only four stories up, but in theory, this could become an issue. Right now, I’ve broken things into broad categories (romance, voyeurism, group, etc.), and then more granular stuff (mf, ff, etc.). I’m thinking this isn’t necessary. After all, they are basically the same thing, right?

The goal is to make it easier to browse. I guess it’s silly to ask what others like seeing, considering I have like three viewers, but I’ll do it anyway. Literotica puts things into broad, singular categories with tag options (that are basically all over the place). Eroticstories does the same (minus tags). Storiesonline takes a different tactic by just offering up the tag-like descriptors without categories (well, beyond “erotica” and “romance”). I’m sorta kinda favoring this.

Nice thing about a WordPress blog/story site, it’s pretty easy to play with.

Oh, and I fixed the stories button now, so you can view all my stories on the same page! (All four, woo!) Next, I need to get those categories or tags or whatever I decide on that archive page, and figure out how to alphabetize it. Tinker, tinker…

Blog

On sequels

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There are two ways to read a sequel request:

  1. This story is not finished. Finish it!
  2. This story is too good to be over. I love the characters. Please write more.

(Well, and I suppose there’s some middle ground in there, too. Something about not all conflicts being resolved, loose ends to tie up, etc. I don’t include this because I think a good story leaves a little up to the imagination. Think of it as a snap shot of a person’s life; when is that snap shot ever complete?)

The stories that I write are, in my mind, complete. The arc that I wanted to tell has been told. The development that I wanted the characters to undergo has been undergone. We’ve made the journey from point A to point B. For this reason, I tend not to read sequel requests to be point 1 above.

As far as point 2 is concerned, it’s really flattering to get the request, but it’s also a pretty dangerous request. The story that I’d tell wouldn’t simply be an extended conclusion to the original. It would have to be a new story. Now we’re talking about managing expectations: you have one expectation in the sequel, I have another. It’s why so often, the originals are better than their sequels (Godfather and Terminator aside). We go into the first movie without any clue what to expect; we go into its sequel with a long list of preconceived notions.

This isn’t to say that I’m opposed to writing them. Just so you know, I’m currently working on one for Little Miss Communication (largely motivated by comments and requests). Rags to Reunions won’t get one (come on, you know what happens next…), but I am toying around with the idea of an Adele Blanchette spin-off.

The point is, I like the idea of sequels, too, and am very guilty of asking my favorite authors for them. There’s just a great deal of risk involved (for both reader and writer) in sequels. In the end, I have to be comfortable telling a story that feels strong and fresh on its own — not just more of them same.

Blog

A few updates

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Facebook
I set up a Facebook Page. For the 7 of you who’ve managed to stumble on this page, if you’re interested, you can now follow me there as well. This goes along with the Twitter feed, although I suppose Facebook would allow for discussions and what not? I have a personal page there as well, but don’t think I’ll be updating that a whole lot.

“Rags to Reunions” posted
My latest story, “Rags to Reunions,” has been posted on the various sites (as well as this one). If you enjoyed it, some positive votes on literotica.com (or any of the sites) would always be appreciated.

About Me
I actually finally finished writing a blurb here (Good lord, this post sounds conceited). I think I’m going to stop now. Maybe get back to writing. Take care!

Blog

The waiting game

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I just submitted my fourth story to literotica.com. Now the wait begins.

As a writer, I think I hem and haw quite a bit before I’m happy with a story (and even then, I’m not sure that I’m ever completely happy). I realize the contradiction to hold on to something for so long, only to get impatient when I release it into the public, but at least I’ll own up to it. Once I’m done with something, I’m pretty much done with it.

This is evidenced by the most recent story, “The Right Subject.” There are definitely typos there (some kind reader even went so far as to list them out for me). I just haven’t found the energy to edit and resubmit. Yes, this will happen, but right now, I’m focused on moving forward and producing new things, rather than fixing old.

In any case, one more story has been released. I’m pretty proud of this one. In a couple days, we’ll see if that pride is deserved (hunch: it is).

Blog

Not just a writer…

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It Started With a JokeIt Started With MistletoeActually, I wouldn’t consider myself a writer at all, but a guy who writes. In real life, I’m a graphic designer: brochures, flyers, newsletters, some web stuff — all deliberately free of sex and smut. It’s fun, I enjoy the creative outlet, but sometimes, life offers the opportunity to combine the two. Just recently, it did just that.

I was offered the opportunity to create cover art for a new series by Kirsten McCurran called “Eve & Friends.” The series follows two couples and their experimentation with a polyamorous lifestyle. It’s fun and light yet is populated with characters that feel real and different from one another. There will be two more in this series coming up, along with a compilation of all stories as one. They’re definitely worth the read (and no, I don’t make any money off sales).

Creating a cover was an interesting experience. I’ve done covers of newsletters and guidelines before. The basics are the same: determine what the cover needs to say and make sure that all design elements reinforce that message. In the case of these covers, the message was sex (obviously), but also sensuality and classiness. I hope I was successful. I guess in this case, success can be partially measured by sales, right?

Blog

Breaking that third wall

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Disclaimers: First entry to a blog is usually the obligatory who-am-I post. It’s kind of funny, since typically, the audience is only the author. Also, it’s always strange to see an author exposed, and in this case, strange is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, if you can start reading a story and can suddenly see the gears and hear the ticking, then either the author has said too much, or you need to stop reading his blog.

So with that in mind, I’ll keep this pretty short. I write “high heat-level” erotica with a romantic angle (hardcore romance?). I love characters, especially ones I can identify with, although this is an area I’m trying to stretch myself. My taste in genre is pretty broad, so I might as well list what I don’t like: not a huge fan of scifi/fantasy/supernatural (in erotic literature) or gay erotica. (I know, I just eliminated two of the largest categories currently on the market, but what can you do?) I also couldn’t see myself writing historic erotica. I’ve been writing for 15 years (not all of this was spent writing smut though) and still love the creative challenge and accomplishment of it. I’ve posted under Kenny Wright on literotica.com, eroticstories.com, and storiesonline.net (check them out if you haven’t and vote them up!). While I write primarily for myself, I like the public validation of posting.

Erotica is really more of an interesting footnote in my life. I have a real life job as a graphic designer, a real life wife who supports this hobby, and a baby girl who’s changed our lives (but also has cut out a lot of free time).

And this is my blog. The goal is to be a dumping ground of my thoughts. I’ll post my stories on the site as well if you didn’t catch them elsewhere. Maybe talk about upcoming projects or solicite advice on works in progress. As exposing as a blog can be, I have to love its organic nature. And much like my stories as they unfold, we’ll just have to wait and see where it goes.