Libre Paley's Blog: Libre Paley - Thoughts on Literary Erotica, page 14

A goalless draw

So much is written about the benefits and importance of setting goals, particularly with a largely solitary and personal task like writing. But can it be beneficial to not set goals? Goals, where a combination of achievable and aspirational, help with short-term motivation and long-term vision. They help one to focus and stay disciplined, get organised, … Continue reading A goalless draw

Creating the senses in writing: smell

Originally posted on Libre Paley:
Sense of success A common piece of advice in writing is to use all five of the human senses. I think this is especially important in romance and erotica, when you’re creating something sensual, that needs to appeal to and gratify the senses. It’s relatively (relatively!) easy to focus on…

Take you there

What could be better than combining several pleasurable activities at once? Namely, writing, reading, and learning more about social history. I am doing what I might pretentiously call ‘research’ for a book. This means part finding books and articles at the library, part reading novels from the period being researched, and part, well, yes, ‘Googling … Continue reading Take you there

Perfect weather for it

How does the weather affect you? How does it affect your work and creativity? Some people I know suffer, unfortunately, from SAD, i.e. Seasonal Affective Disorder, which occurs among people who live for long periods under cloud cover or reduced sunlight in the winter. In some this causes melancholy or even depression. I remember a … Continue reading Perfect weather for it

Delete & repeat

It’s just the worst, isn’t it? Something you worked on for hours accidentally deleted, and none of the technical tips and tricks have worked to recover it. Not the ‘restore previous versions’ function on the recycle bin, not downloading that special software… Nothing. Gone. It will be a recognisable heart-sinker for almost everyone, certainly at … Continue reading Delete & repeat

Renewed resolve: blogging goals

It’s just over a year since I started to blog. In that time, I’ve greatly enjoyed not just writing a blog but also reading others’ posts. It’s not something I’d engaged much in previously, and I am amazed at the quantity and quality of the good writing and engrossing content around, not to mention the generosity … Continue reading Renewed resolve: blogging goals

The gift of book giving

A book shared means so many things, a meaningful gesture of affection. On BBC Radio 4 today (I am an inveterate Radio 4 listener – when I’m home), the Woman’s Hour Programme discussed ‘a book that has changed your life’, and warmed up with the questions: what are the best books you both received and … Continue reading The gift of book giving

Hiatus

Hiatus: A pause or break in continuity in a sequence or activity. Origin: mid-16th century (originally denoting a physical gap): from Latin, literally ‘gaping’, from hiare ‘gape’. Oxford English Dictionary. We are lucky that the day after Christmas Day, or ‘Boxing Day’, is a national holiday here in UK. I am doubly lucky that my … Continue reading Hiatus

Turning back the pages

Comfort reading I use my Kindle a lot, increasingly so, but this one had to be a paper-bound, a ‘proper’ hold-in-your-hands book, resembling the original as far as possible. Now here it is, a plain-bound orange Penguin publication, the pages turned a little musty and brittle, original price 1 shilling and sixpence (the pre-1971 British … Continue reading Turning back the pages

The award goes to… Part 2

The article below contains the occasional use of frank language. It is meant to be partly humorous, and I think is only a little bit crude; however, please do not read on if you’re likely to be offended. I notice that this week US author James Frey, with his novel Katerina, has won the Literary Reviews Bad … Continue reading The award goes to… Part 2