Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 94

Pointing the View

I recently had Thoughts on point of view, based on a writer buddy's questions about differences between using first and third person, and single versus multiple points of view.I think a big difference between using a single point of view in first and third persons is voice. In first person, the narrator's voice needs to be really strong, really consistent. In third, "your" (the author's) voice

I Don't Read It For the Sex.

I don't read erotica for the sex.Well, not entirely. I know. I write the stuff, so why I don't I read it for its intended purpose? Possibly for the same reason that a pastry chef might not eat pastry at home. Back when I first began writing erotica, I read a lot of it, anthology upon anthology. I read with a critical eye. For the most part, these days when I look at an erotic scene I can't

Robert Frost, "Range-finding"

Range-findingThe battle rent a cobweb diamond-strung And cut a flower beside a ground bird's nest Before it stained a single human breast. The stricken flower bent double and so hung. And still the bird revisited her young.A butterfly its fall had dispossessed A moment sought in air his flower of rest, Then lightly stooped to it and fluttering clung. On the bare upland pasture there had spread

Alison Tyler interviewed me, and The Duke & The Pirate Queen cover!

Alison Tyler interviewed me about fairy tales and my story in her Spice anthology, Alison's Wonderland.And the cover of my December 2010 Spice release. Just because.

Linkgasm of Writerly Business

It's been a while since I had a Linkgasm! Today's is concerned with the business side of writing.io9 on "5 Ways The Google Book Settlement Will Change The Future of Reading".Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who's written in a range of genres, has created an in-depth Freelancer's Survival Guide that all writers, full-time or not, ought to visit and browse.Courtney Milan, romance author, crafted a program

May-Ten-Centuries-Back Vampire Romance

The May/December romance is one thing. The May/Ten Centuries Back romance is quite another.It's always disturbed me a little that vampire heroes in romance are so often much older than their heroines. When the heroine is not only not immortal but young for a human, it's even harder to convince me that they could have anything in common. Perhaps that's why writers sometimes rely on strong

Roll Your Own - Anna Katherine Guest Post

Please welcome my guest, Anna Katherine!#Roll Your OwnOne of the biggest issues with writing any paranormal beastie is the need to bring something new to the table. With everybody writing about vampires these days, why should someone want to read about yours? Let's say you want to make your vampires stand out from the pack by being different from your everyday Count Dracula stereotype. Where do

Vulnerable Vampires

I would love to see vampire heroes and heroines who are more vulnerable, even, than ordinary humans. I know most readers don't want to see that, but I do. Vulnerability is what draws me to a character. I want them to be in trouble so I can become involved as they struggle to get out of trouble.The vampire novels I enjoy aren't any different. If the vampire is all-powerful, I can't get

Wherefore the Poppy?

Decoration Day, renamed Memorial Day beginning in 1882, was first celebrated in the United States following the Civil War; it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military. One of the most famous parts of Memorial Day, however, arose during World War One.The practice of red poppies on Memorial Day originated in 1918 with Moina Michael, who was inspired by Canadian John McCrae's

"Cramped in that Funnelled Hole," Wilfred Owen

Cramped in that Funnelled HoleCramped in that funnelled hole, they watched the dawnOpen a jagged rim around; a yawnOf death's jaws, which had all but swallowed themStuck in the bottom of his throat of phlegm.They were in one of many mouths of HellNot seen of seers in visions, only feltAs teeth of traps; when bones and the dead are smeltUnder the mud where long ago they fellMixed with the sour