Open Thread: Oracle Hotline

[mithen]

*scribble scribble scribble* I'm having one of those weeks where I sit down and write and feel like I made HUGE amounts of progress, and then realize I've written 300 words or so. :P But I suspect that means I'm at some meaty and action-packed parts of a couple of stories, and progress is always a little slow there.

Also, I am staring blankly at another story that really does require a sex scene there, it's very important for character and relationship development, I'm just...not...good at them. I give myself credit that I'm pretty good at creating erotic atmosphere--seduction, foreplay, the mental state--but once actual physical bits get involved everything tends to go off the rails somehow and fade to black just seems the least embarrassing option all around. *sigh* How are things going for you? Making more or less progress than it feels like at first blush?

Comments

[me_ya_ri]

*hugs* Sometimes fade to black is the best choice. Then you can pick up right after with all the lovely afterglow and cuddling and heart-felt revelations! :D

I've actually done really well this week. I spent last week writing short stories. I got four done over the course of five days which is pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

And then this week I finished the final revisions on the first book of Secrets of the Artificer Mages, which is the book that I sold to a publisher that then failed to actually publish it. (It's going from one book to three so yeah, revisions).

Still a lot of writing left to do and I'm behind on getting this week's short story (immortal librarians in space FTW!) ready for publication but I'm off to work on that before frosting my husband's birthday cake. It's his 45th birthday tomorrow. :D

Good luck with the meaty action and sex scene!

[prince0froses]

I'm just...not...good at them

Whaaaaaat?? I think you're good at them! I've never read a sex scene of yours that I've had a single complaint about.

I feel like I have the opposite problem though - I can manage the physical bits fine, but I feel like I'm very weak at creating erotic atmosphere.

Less progress happening here, but I keep reminding myself that I'm healing from months of stress and it'll take a bit before I'm up to my old antics.

[mithen]

Sometimes fade to black is the best choice. Then you can pick up right after with all the lovely afterglow and cuddling and heart-felt revelations! :D

It's true and it's probably better than something awkward and forced, too. Especially since this is an exchange fic and thus has a deadline and I can't afford to stay blocked!

I got four done over the course of five days which is pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

THAT IS SUPER GOOD, wow! *genuflects*

Happy birthday to your husband! Mine will be hitting 46 while we're in Vienna, I assume we'll come up with some way to celebrate. :)

[mithen]

Oh, you MUST be joking about the erotic atmosphere, right? Those Giacomo/Rose scenes make me swoon just to remember, and there's nothing at all physical about them! That's so impressive...

I hope you are healing up well and finding emotional refreshment! *hugs*

[prince0froses]

I wasn't thinking at all of Giacomo and Rose, actually, so thanks for the reminder. I will further articulate and say that I feel like I fail at creating an erotic atmosphere (or at least, that I am sub-par at it) in scenes that actually include the sex. That I'm OK at writing the mechanics of the act but that, to me at least, the build up I write tends to come off as stale and failing to set the tone. I will admit that I seem to be OK at it when the sex doesn't actually happen

[mithen]

Ha! OK, I guess I can accept that (at least in your mind) as long as the atmosphere is the focus, you do fine, but the setup is tougher to write. (I still disagree!)