H.B. Pattskyn's Blog, page 26
February 20, 2012
The Writing Life....or: what life?
I was talking to a friend the other day about writing. She's a writer too (and a darned good one!) She's written some short stories and is working on a couple of novel length manuscripts. When I mentioned that I'd submitted my BDSM novel to my publisher for consideration, she said something to the effect of, "I wish I could get mine finished". That was followed up by happy astonishment that I've gotten one novel published and another one done and submitted, while she continues to pick steadily away at hers.
The conversation got me thinking about how I accomplished the sometimes seemingly daunting task of finishing a novel. (I don't know the actual statistics, but there are a LOT of would-be novelists who start writing a novel...but never finish it. There are a lot more people who have an idea for a novel but never even start, or who don't get more than a page or two written).
In addition to the novel that was published last year and the one I just submitted, I've got several novels in various stages of completion waiting for me to get back to them. They are all projects I will get back to (rather than those statistical novels that never get written), I've just found that for me, it's best to actually get a few thousand words down on the electronic page when the Muses start dancing, than to wait until later "when I have time" to write it. I never "have time", I have to make time.
What all this really means is that I spend every free moment writing. I don't go to parties, I only go on movie dates with my husband once a month, I hardly watch any television (I have two guilty pleasures, Project Runway and Face Off--and of course when Doctor Who starts up again, I'll watch that. I think I missed an entire season of Primeaval and two seasons of The Closer, two of my absolute favorite shows.) I don't even try to keep up with what's current in the news. I catch the headlines now and then, try to be aware enough of politics so I can cast informed, intelligent votes, but all that Primary stuff? I didn't have the time for it until it came down to the last couple of guys running. I can't vote in the Republican primaries anyway, I'm a registered Democrat.
And when I take a few hours for myself (I sort of lost a whole day playing a stupid computer game), I feel incredibly guilty. The only thing I don't feel guilty about is reading--because reading is part of a writer's job. Even then, I often think, "I should be writing my own novel, not reading someone else's".
My social consists of meeting with my critique group twice a month. You know. To talk about writing. I'm even taking a writing class.
My daughter is old enough that I don't need to worry about watching her every second, but sometimes I worry, because I feel like an absentee parent, spending nearly every waking moment locked in my little office with the door closed, clacking away at my keyboard. I'm here, I'm in the house, but that closed door is one huge "Do Not Disturb Sign". Is she going to grow up and need therapy because her mother was never "home"?
This summer, I'm not going to have much of a garden. By last year, by this time, I had tomato plants on order, Richter's had gotten their yearly order from me, I was starting to think about what I was going to put where, and what I needed to buy... this year, I'll be lucky to get out and clean out the beds I've got (oh, I do not want to face the strawberry beds! I let them totally go to pot last fall because I was busy writing). I haven't looked at a single seed catalog. My husband still wants me to do some tomatoes and I'll probably get a few (I like black krims and white queens, which just are not available at Kroger) and maybe a couple of cucumber plants, but I don't think I have the energy for much else, especially since I need to find a job. (A part time waitressing gig is looking better and better--because it will give me the time to write.)
So yeah, I've written a book. But, it didn't come without sacrifice.
Would I change that, go back to writing part time? Not on your life! I love my job.
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
The conversation got me thinking about how I accomplished the sometimes seemingly daunting task of finishing a novel. (I don't know the actual statistics, but there are a LOT of would-be novelists who start writing a novel...but never finish it. There are a lot more people who have an idea for a novel but never even start, or who don't get more than a page or two written).
In addition to the novel that was published last year and the one I just submitted, I've got several novels in various stages of completion waiting for me to get back to them. They are all projects I will get back to (rather than those statistical novels that never get written), I've just found that for me, it's best to actually get a few thousand words down on the electronic page when the Muses start dancing, than to wait until later "when I have time" to write it. I never "have time", I have to make time.
What all this really means is that I spend every free moment writing. I don't go to parties, I only go on movie dates with my husband once a month, I hardly watch any television (I have two guilty pleasures, Project Runway and Face Off--and of course when Doctor Who starts up again, I'll watch that. I think I missed an entire season of Primeaval and two seasons of The Closer, two of my absolute favorite shows.) I don't even try to keep up with what's current in the news. I catch the headlines now and then, try to be aware enough of politics so I can cast informed, intelligent votes, but all that Primary stuff? I didn't have the time for it until it came down to the last couple of guys running. I can't vote in the Republican primaries anyway, I'm a registered Democrat.
And when I take a few hours for myself (I sort of lost a whole day playing a stupid computer game), I feel incredibly guilty. The only thing I don't feel guilty about is reading--because reading is part of a writer's job. Even then, I often think, "I should be writing my own novel, not reading someone else's".
My social consists of meeting with my critique group twice a month. You know. To talk about writing. I'm even taking a writing class.
My daughter is old enough that I don't need to worry about watching her every second, but sometimes I worry, because I feel like an absentee parent, spending nearly every waking moment locked in my little office with the door closed, clacking away at my keyboard. I'm here, I'm in the house, but that closed door is one huge "Do Not Disturb Sign". Is she going to grow up and need therapy because her mother was never "home"?
This summer, I'm not going to have much of a garden. By last year, by this time, I had tomato plants on order, Richter's had gotten their yearly order from me, I was starting to think about what I was going to put where, and what I needed to buy... this year, I'll be lucky to get out and clean out the beds I've got (oh, I do not want to face the strawberry beds! I let them totally go to pot last fall because I was busy writing). I haven't looked at a single seed catalog. My husband still wants me to do some tomatoes and I'll probably get a few (I like black krims and white queens, which just are not available at Kroger) and maybe a couple of cucumber plants, but I don't think I have the energy for much else, especially since I need to find a job. (A part time waitressing gig is looking better and better--because it will give me the time to write.)
So yeah, I've written a book. But, it didn't come without sacrifice.
Would I change that, go back to writing part time? Not on your life! I love my job.
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
February 17, 2012
Fanfiction
(none of the images that I'm using on today's blog were made by me;
I happily and liberally borrowed from other sources)
Fanfiction. When I have to explain what it is to someone unfamiliar with the word, I usually say something like "it's when you take your favorite characters from movies, television, or books and write your own stories about them".
Other people define it differently: "I think it's immoral, I know it's illegal, and it makes me want to barf whenever I've inadvertently encountered some of it involving my characters." -- Diana Gabledon.
Which isn't to say that Ms. Gabaldon doesn't have a right to her feelings; I've read some pretty bad fanfic, too. (And to be fair, after a *huge* fannish outcry, Gabledon reevaluated the harshness of her statement--of which I quoted only the very tip of an ugly iceberg. But the point for me here is: it took a huge outcry for her to reassess her public statement on her own fans-since pretty much only fans of a book will write fanfiction about the characters in that book.)
Marion Zimmer Bradley once had to scrap an entire novel because she was in communication with a fan who had written a similar story; they arrived at their stories independent of one another, but the fan threatened a lawsuit if they didn't get full credit. Rather than risk it, Bradley just scraped it.
A Babylon-5 fanfic writer hit on the very idea that producers were working toward (again, independently) and when producers contacted them, the person was a total lady / gentlemen about it (I don't recall the gender of the fan, sorry).
J.K. Rowling, from what I've read, is typically pretty tolerant of fanfic writers...until they start trying to publish their work. Then she sues them. Duh. She, her agent, and her publisher have put a lot of blood, sweat, tears--and MONEY--into her work. Nobody else has a right to profit off that. Let me just say it again: duh.
Some of the other (negative) things I've read about fanfic are: fanfic writers are lazy--we don't want to create our own characters/universes, so we steal other peoples' ideasfanfic writers are uncreative -- we are incapable of creating our own ideas so we steal other peoples'fanfic writers will suffer such stigma that we'll never become published authors (somebody better tell that to Mercedes Lackey quick, before she publishes another novel! Yup, Ms. Lackey started out penning fanfiction. So have a number of other respected, respectable authors.)
And did you notice the way I said "we".
I write fanfiction. Or rather, I used to. I haven't actually abandoned it (I have a couple of stories I have *got* to finish before readers show up at my doorstep with tar and feathers!), I just don't have the time to work on it like I used to.
It's worth noting, right off the bat, that not everybody who writes fanfiction wants to be a published author. For years, I had no inclination to take that step; writing fanfic was (and is) a very satisfying hobby.
Which brings me to one of the most inane arguments I've seen yet: "Writing--and reading--fanfiction is a waste of time".
Bowling could be called a waste of time if you don't enjoy it. For that matter, why sit through a two hour football game? The score will be in the paper tomorrow morning. Can't you think of something better to do with your time...what's that, you *like* football? It's fun to watch, you say? You like getting together with your buddies and sharing a few beers.
Guess what: I like writing fanfiction. It's fun to write. I like getting together with my buddies (readers) and sharing a good story. I like sitting in front of my computer and clacking away at the keys.
I guess maybe "fun" is a subjective word, huh? What's fun for you isn't necessarily fun for me; what's fun for me isn't necessarily fun for me.
And really, as I was reading another anti-fanfic article, it struck me: it's really rather presumptuous for some writers (because it is almost invariably authors) presume that everyone who writes fanfiction wants to be a published author some day.
Do you enjoy football? Toss the ball around with your buddies? Does that mean you aspire to joining the NFL?
Like to bowl? Does that mean you want to become a professional bowler? Do you like to throw dinner parties? Does that mean you want to be a professional chef? Do you like to paint? Sew? Putter in your garden? Does that mean that you MUST aspire to be a professional designer/seamstress, artist, landscaper?
I love hauling my telescope out into the back garden and looking at stuff. I sincerely hope no one expects me to go into astrophysics just because I'm a backyard astronomer.
These things are hobbies . We call them hobbies for a reason. Some people write because they love to write. It's fun .
I've read in a couple of places that fanfic, especially slash and non-cannon meanderings, ruins the original. Let's try this on for size: it doesn't ruin it for the people who are reading and writing thost fanfiction. (Can we have another "duh"?) If fanfiction ruins the original story for you, don't read it; some of the decisions made in cannon have ruined television shows for me--which is why I turned to fanfiction in the first place...
Ironically (if you're familiar with the arguments against fanfiction), I started writing fanfic after I was about half way through an original novel. I realized, as I read over what I'd written, that what I really wanted to write about was Beauty and the Beast (the television series). So I scrapped what was a pretty dismal novel and started penning stories about Catherine and Vincent. My stories quickly grew to fill up two notebooks (I was working on loose leaf paper back then... this was the late '80's and while computers were around, I certainly didn't own one. Besides, those old floppy disks didn't hold much data, I probably would have needed two notebooks to hold all of my writing either way!)
In the world of my imagination, Catherine lived (so did Elliot), and Diana became a valued friend. Devon came home. Oh, and they made new friends, including a few Tenctonese...
Eventually, I put my notebook away and went to work on other projects, including some original fiction, some art, and generally living my life. Years later, I dragged my old Beauty and the Beast stories out of the back of a close and re-visited my work. I made some changes. Added a few other cross overs to the mix. (Wouldn't Diana make a perfect girlfiend to Fin Tutuoloa from Law & Order? What a pair... and we only know snippets of his past from the show, so why not...) I added in a character that's quazi-original (i.e., she's original, but the idea is stolen from another artist/writer), re-wrote the whole thing and posted it on Fanfiction.net. And much to my surprise, I got some positive feedback. And some negative. But since the negative was about things I had no intention of changing, I mostly ignored it.
(Fair warning, it needs serious formatting help; I hadn't figured out page breaks yet!)
Later I decided to write a couple of other BatB stories, mixing other shows into it--crossovers happen to be my favorite fanfics (and it shows). When I got constructive criticism, I listened. When loyal readers told me they didn't like something, I listened.
As I was re-visiting shows from my youth (I was a teenager in the 1980's), I re-discovered 21 Jumpstreet. That kinda reminded me how much I adored Johnny Depp and I ended up seeing Once Upon a Time in Mexico again. That led me to write a fanfic that, while a fanfic, contained 99% original characters. Is that really lazy and cheating? I didn't think so. Besides, I have mentioned that I was doing this for fun, right? (Although it was a great exercise in writing; I started trying to get into Sands's head, so I could write him better and a writing exercise led me to decide that the whole thing should be written in first person, present tense. It was an intense story to write (for those unfamiliar with the movie, the main character is a sociopath with absolutely no regard for...well, anything but himself). Writing that one made me stretch myself as a writer. It got a lot of praise, I garnered some regular readers, and my confidence began to really bolster.
Then I started writing Torchwood fanfiction. It started with one little short story, just an addendum to an episode--a lot of fanfiction is just us fans wanting to know what happens when the camera stops rolling. We know what really happens (the actors breath a sigh of relief, get out of make up and into street clothes and go home). What we want to know is what our favorite characters (including the ones we love to hate) get up to in between episodes. Or maybe we wonder "what if...?" What would happen if they did THIS instead of that? Fanfiction is a great exercise in imagination. (How many of you acted out your favorite television shows as kids? Did you follow the script, or did you tie a sheet around your neck an do what *you* thought Superman should do?)
One thing led to another and several hundred thousand words later, I've created an Alternate Torchwood Universe that has had a number of guest authors (fanfic on my fanfic, how COOL is that?!) It's still a favorite place for me to play, I just don't have as much time as I'd like. I'm really busy writing original fiction.
So how did I get from A to B?
First off, remember where I said I listened to feedback? That's a huge part of it. Especially when one of my Torchwood readers offered to help me tame the wild em dash. I took her up on the offer to beta read for me. I still use them far more often than I should (I overuse punctuation in general), but I definitely improved my writing by listening to a reader.
If you want it to , you can use writing fanfic to improve your writing. If you take a "finished piece" and edit, edit, edit, and then edit some more, you'll learn to be a better editor of your own work. Your internal editor will become more sharp. It isn't just writing (a verb) that makes your writing (a noun) better--repeating the same mistakes doesn't make you a better writing. Correcting those mistakes does. Creative writing is...gosh, I don't know the actual statistic, but it's at lease 75% rewriting. Whether you edit as you go, or write the whole thing and then go back and edit (yes, the teach you the latter in class, but no, it's not the only way to write), you will find that that you spend more time re-writing than you spend actually writing.
If you want it , there is a great network of beta readers in the fanfiction community. These are people who are willing to help you edit your work. Unlike your sister, spouse, or best friend, these people aren't afraid to hurt your feelings. They will tell you (politely, they're writers too) where your story is strong and what needs work. Beta reading other people's work will also make you a better writer (refer back to my previous blog about reviewing to become a better writer). It is far easier to spot mistakes in other peoples' work than it is to spot them in your own. Not because we think our own work is perfect (well, okay, I don't think mine is perfect), but I *know* what my character is thinking. So how can I judge if I've conveyed it effectively to my reader? I need someone to tell me.
And sometimes, you just need someone to help you spot and plug the plotholes. Another pair of eyes will see things you miss. Another pair of eyes will also help you find typos and missing words, things your own eyes simply fill in because you know what's supposed to be on the page.
From what I have seen, most fanfiction writers want to write stories that people want to read, which means that most will improve over time. How much and how quickly is an individual choice. It's a hobby, just like the office softball team or the neighborhood bowling league. It's something people do for fun. Everyone who writes fanfiction does not aspire to the top spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.
I made the transition in part at the urging of a couple of my readers, who repeatedly told me I should give it another go (I'd made the attempt before, unsuccessfully). That bolstered my courage. Getting nominated for the Children of Time awards made me feel good, too (and by the way, I put that in my first query letter. Guess what: the editor didn't wrinkle her nose and say "Oh, a fanfiction writer. She must be a hack", and hit the delete button. I'm sure the fact that I knew how to string words together into complete sentences helped. Writing fanfiction won't get your foot in the door--but it won't get necessarily you shown the door, either.)
Remember, too, the publishing world is changing. Fast. Some publishers are on the cutting edge, others are struggling to keep up. I attribute part of my success in getting picked up by a (totally awesome!) publisher to the changes going on in the industry. Finding a publisher is still one part luck to one part talent. Oh and about eight parts tenacity.
Ultimately, what you need to transition from fanfiction to original fiction is skill, talent, and the will to do so.
Follow ups, both for and against:http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673573.html http://granades.com/2010/05/05/lets-argue-about-fanfic-like-its-1999/ http://vampisthenewblack.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/creating-your-own-canon-moving-from-fan-fiction-to-original-fiction/
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
I happily and liberally borrowed from other sources)
Fanfiction. When I have to explain what it is to someone unfamiliar with the word, I usually say something like "it's when you take your favorite characters from movies, television, or books and write your own stories about them".
Other people define it differently: "I think it's immoral, I know it's illegal, and it makes me want to barf whenever I've inadvertently encountered some of it involving my characters." -- Diana Gabledon.
Which isn't to say that Ms. Gabaldon doesn't have a right to her feelings; I've read some pretty bad fanfic, too. (And to be fair, after a *huge* fannish outcry, Gabledon reevaluated the harshness of her statement--of which I quoted only the very tip of an ugly iceberg. But the point for me here is: it took a huge outcry for her to reassess her public statement on her own fans-since pretty much only fans of a book will write fanfiction about the characters in that book.)
Marion Zimmer Bradley once had to scrap an entire novel because she was in communication with a fan who had written a similar story; they arrived at their stories independent of one another, but the fan threatened a lawsuit if they didn't get full credit. Rather than risk it, Bradley just scraped it.
A Babylon-5 fanfic writer hit on the very idea that producers were working toward (again, independently) and when producers contacted them, the person was a total lady / gentlemen about it (I don't recall the gender of the fan, sorry).
J.K. Rowling, from what I've read, is typically pretty tolerant of fanfic writers...until they start trying to publish their work. Then she sues them. Duh. She, her agent, and her publisher have put a lot of blood, sweat, tears--and MONEY--into her work. Nobody else has a right to profit off that. Let me just say it again: duh.
Some of the other (negative) things I've read about fanfic are: fanfic writers are lazy--we don't want to create our own characters/universes, so we steal other peoples' ideasfanfic writers are uncreative -- we are incapable of creating our own ideas so we steal other peoples'fanfic writers will suffer such stigma that we'll never become published authors (somebody better tell that to Mercedes Lackey quick, before she publishes another novel! Yup, Ms. Lackey started out penning fanfiction. So have a number of other respected, respectable authors.)
And did you notice the way I said "we".
I write fanfiction. Or rather, I used to. I haven't actually abandoned it (I have a couple of stories I have *got* to finish before readers show up at my doorstep with tar and feathers!), I just don't have the time to work on it like I used to.
It's worth noting, right off the bat, that not everybody who writes fanfiction wants to be a published author. For years, I had no inclination to take that step; writing fanfic was (and is) a very satisfying hobby.
Which brings me to one of the most inane arguments I've seen yet: "Writing--and reading--fanfiction is a waste of time".
Bowling could be called a waste of time if you don't enjoy it. For that matter, why sit through a two hour football game? The score will be in the paper tomorrow morning. Can't you think of something better to do with your time...what's that, you *like* football? It's fun to watch, you say? You like getting together with your buddies and sharing a few beers.
Guess what: I like writing fanfiction. It's fun to write. I like getting together with my buddies (readers) and sharing a good story. I like sitting in front of my computer and clacking away at the keys.
I guess maybe "fun" is a subjective word, huh? What's fun for you isn't necessarily fun for me; what's fun for me isn't necessarily fun for me.
And really, as I was reading another anti-fanfic article, it struck me: it's really rather presumptuous for some writers (because it is almost invariably authors) presume that everyone who writes fanfiction wants to be a published author some day.
Do you enjoy football? Toss the ball around with your buddies? Does that mean you aspire to joining the NFL?
Like to bowl? Does that mean you want to become a professional bowler? Do you like to throw dinner parties? Does that mean you want to be a professional chef? Do you like to paint? Sew? Putter in your garden? Does that mean that you MUST aspire to be a professional designer/seamstress, artist, landscaper?
I love hauling my telescope out into the back garden and looking at stuff. I sincerely hope no one expects me to go into astrophysics just because I'm a backyard astronomer.
These things are hobbies . We call them hobbies for a reason. Some people write because they love to write. It's fun .
I've read in a couple of places that fanfic, especially slash and non-cannon meanderings, ruins the original. Let's try this on for size: it doesn't ruin it for the people who are reading and writing thost fanfiction. (Can we have another "duh"?) If fanfiction ruins the original story for you, don't read it; some of the decisions made in cannon have ruined television shows for me--which is why I turned to fanfiction in the first place...
Ironically (if you're familiar with the arguments against fanfiction), I started writing fanfic after I was about half way through an original novel. I realized, as I read over what I'd written, that what I really wanted to write about was Beauty and the Beast (the television series). So I scrapped what was a pretty dismal novel and started penning stories about Catherine and Vincent. My stories quickly grew to fill up two notebooks (I was working on loose leaf paper back then... this was the late '80's and while computers were around, I certainly didn't own one. Besides, those old floppy disks didn't hold much data, I probably would have needed two notebooks to hold all of my writing either way!)
In the world of my imagination, Catherine lived (so did Elliot), and Diana became a valued friend. Devon came home. Oh, and they made new friends, including a few Tenctonese...
Eventually, I put my notebook away and went to work on other projects, including some original fiction, some art, and generally living my life. Years later, I dragged my old Beauty and the Beast stories out of the back of a close and re-visited my work. I made some changes. Added a few other cross overs to the mix. (Wouldn't Diana make a perfect girlfiend to Fin Tutuoloa from Law & Order? What a pair... and we only know snippets of his past from the show, so why not...) I added in a character that's quazi-original (i.e., she's original, but the idea is stolen from another artist/writer), re-wrote the whole thing and posted it on Fanfiction.net. And much to my surprise, I got some positive feedback. And some negative. But since the negative was about things I had no intention of changing, I mostly ignored it.
(Fair warning, it needs serious formatting help; I hadn't figured out page breaks yet!)
Later I decided to write a couple of other BatB stories, mixing other shows into it--crossovers happen to be my favorite fanfics (and it shows). When I got constructive criticism, I listened. When loyal readers told me they didn't like something, I listened.
As I was re-visiting shows from my youth (I was a teenager in the 1980's), I re-discovered 21 Jumpstreet. That kinda reminded me how much I adored Johnny Depp and I ended up seeing Once Upon a Time in Mexico again. That led me to write a fanfic that, while a fanfic, contained 99% original characters. Is that really lazy and cheating? I didn't think so. Besides, I have mentioned that I was doing this for fun, right? (Although it was a great exercise in writing; I started trying to get into Sands's head, so I could write him better and a writing exercise led me to decide that the whole thing should be written in first person, present tense. It was an intense story to write (for those unfamiliar with the movie, the main character is a sociopath with absolutely no regard for...well, anything but himself). Writing that one made me stretch myself as a writer. It got a lot of praise, I garnered some regular readers, and my confidence began to really bolster.
Then I started writing Torchwood fanfiction. It started with one little short story, just an addendum to an episode--a lot of fanfiction is just us fans wanting to know what happens when the camera stops rolling. We know what really happens (the actors breath a sigh of relief, get out of make up and into street clothes and go home). What we want to know is what our favorite characters (including the ones we love to hate) get up to in between episodes. Or maybe we wonder "what if...?" What would happen if they did THIS instead of that? Fanfiction is a great exercise in imagination. (How many of you acted out your favorite television shows as kids? Did you follow the script, or did you tie a sheet around your neck an do what *you* thought Superman should do?)
One thing led to another and several hundred thousand words later, I've created an Alternate Torchwood Universe that has had a number of guest authors (fanfic on my fanfic, how COOL is that?!) It's still a favorite place for me to play, I just don't have as much time as I'd like. I'm really busy writing original fiction.
So how did I get from A to B?
First off, remember where I said I listened to feedback? That's a huge part of it. Especially when one of my Torchwood readers offered to help me tame the wild em dash. I took her up on the offer to beta read for me. I still use them far more often than I should (I overuse punctuation in general), but I definitely improved my writing by listening to a reader.
If you want it to , you can use writing fanfic to improve your writing. If you take a "finished piece" and edit, edit, edit, and then edit some more, you'll learn to be a better editor of your own work. Your internal editor will become more sharp. It isn't just writing (a verb) that makes your writing (a noun) better--repeating the same mistakes doesn't make you a better writing. Correcting those mistakes does. Creative writing is...gosh, I don't know the actual statistic, but it's at lease 75% rewriting. Whether you edit as you go, or write the whole thing and then go back and edit (yes, the teach you the latter in class, but no, it's not the only way to write), you will find that that you spend more time re-writing than you spend actually writing.
If you want it , there is a great network of beta readers in the fanfiction community. These are people who are willing to help you edit your work. Unlike your sister, spouse, or best friend, these people aren't afraid to hurt your feelings. They will tell you (politely, they're writers too) where your story is strong and what needs work. Beta reading other people's work will also make you a better writer (refer back to my previous blog about reviewing to become a better writer). It is far easier to spot mistakes in other peoples' work than it is to spot them in your own. Not because we think our own work is perfect (well, okay, I don't think mine is perfect), but I *know* what my character is thinking. So how can I judge if I've conveyed it effectively to my reader? I need someone to tell me.
And sometimes, you just need someone to help you spot and plug the plotholes. Another pair of eyes will see things you miss. Another pair of eyes will also help you find typos and missing words, things your own eyes simply fill in because you know what's supposed to be on the page.
From what I have seen, most fanfiction writers want to write stories that people want to read, which means that most will improve over time. How much and how quickly is an individual choice. It's a hobby, just like the office softball team or the neighborhood bowling league. It's something people do for fun. Everyone who writes fanfiction does not aspire to the top spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.
I made the transition in part at the urging of a couple of my readers, who repeatedly told me I should give it another go (I'd made the attempt before, unsuccessfully). That bolstered my courage. Getting nominated for the Children of Time awards made me feel good, too (and by the way, I put that in my first query letter. Guess what: the editor didn't wrinkle her nose and say "Oh, a fanfiction writer. She must be a hack", and hit the delete button. I'm sure the fact that I knew how to string words together into complete sentences helped. Writing fanfiction won't get your foot in the door--but it won't get necessarily you shown the door, either.)
Remember, too, the publishing world is changing. Fast. Some publishers are on the cutting edge, others are struggling to keep up. I attribute part of my success in getting picked up by a (totally awesome!) publisher to the changes going on in the industry. Finding a publisher is still one part luck to one part talent. Oh and about eight parts tenacity.
Ultimately, what you need to transition from fanfiction to original fiction is skill, talent, and the will to do so.
Follow ups, both for and against:http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673573.html http://granades.com/2010/05/05/lets-argue-about-fanfic-like-its-1999/ http://vampisthenewblack.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/creating-your-own-canon-moving-from-fan-fiction-to-original-fiction/
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
February 16, 2012
I'm sure you've seen these all over Facebook, too. I...
I'm sure you've seen these all over Facebook, too. I decided to get in on the fun and create my own.
The life of a Gay Erotic Author...
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
The life of a Gay Erotic Author...
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
February 15, 2012
Blog Hop Winners
I'm very happy to announce my Valentines Day Blog Hop Winners...yes, winnerS, with an "s".
Like last time, I had such a great turn out, that I decided to pull two winners, one "local" and one international.
Shadow K. &
Erika Pike will be receiving signed copies of Heart's Home.
Thank you to everybody who entered.
I hope to see you all again for the Hop against Homophobia in...darn. May? I think it's May (sorry, when typing in this screen, I don't have access to my whole page and yes, I am too lazy to do a quick search ;-)Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
Like last time, I had such a great turn out, that I decided to pull two winners, one "local" and one international.
Shadow K. &
Erika Pike will be receiving signed copies of Heart's Home.
Thank you to everybody who entered.
I hope to see you all again for the Hop against Homophobia in...darn. May? I think it's May (sorry, when typing in this screen, I don't have access to my whole page and yes, I am too lazy to do a quick search ;-)Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
February 13, 2012
The 3/50 Project
If you're looking for the Blog Hop, go down one post...but before you do, check today's blog entry out:
http://www.the350project.net/home.html
The backbone of our local economy isn't Wal-Mart. It's not 7-Eleven. It isn't Barnes & Noble.It isn't Amazon.
Yes, I shop there, too.
Except for Wal-Mart, I do NOT shop there.EverBut that's a different soapbox.
However... The backbone of the local economy is...you guessed it:Local Businesses.
In recent years, local businesses have really taken a hit, trying to compete not only with the huge chain stores, but with all of the online offerings, too. And yeah, I love to shop at 4 am wearing nothing but my fuzzy slippers and smile as much as the next guy, but there are a LOT of stores that I would miss if they suddenly weren't around any more.
If we want to keep those stores around there's only one thing to do:shop there!
So, here's the challenge: pick a local, independent retailer and stop in. Say hi. Buy something. You don't have to break the bank, just treat yourself or someone you love to a little something special.
Then next week or next month, or whenever you have time and a few bucks to spare, go in and do it again.
Repeat business is what keeps these guys afloat.You'll be surprised by how much impact you'll have.
I discovered the 3/50 project as I was getting my fish tank back up and running (a few years ago, we were hit with The Plague; we are finally Plague Free and I wanted some new stock. There are two local fish stores that I would be absolutely lost without--and one of them is definitely LGBT friendly! I plan to visit them as often as budget allows and to at least try there first before shopping online for supplies).
I've already started doing most of my shopping for art supplies at the little shop down the street; not only are they interdependently owned, but would you believe their prices on most stuff are BETTER than at Michaels? How's that for sweet ;-)
My next step is to find a good local, independent bookstore...
Happy shopping!Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
http://www.the350project.net/home.html
The backbone of our local economy isn't Wal-Mart. It's not 7-Eleven. It isn't Barnes & Noble.It isn't Amazon.
Yes, I shop there, too.
Except for Wal-Mart, I do NOT shop there.EverBut that's a different soapbox.
However... The backbone of the local economy is...you guessed it:Local Businesses.
In recent years, local businesses have really taken a hit, trying to compete not only with the huge chain stores, but with all of the online offerings, too. And yeah, I love to shop at 4 am wearing nothing but my fuzzy slippers and smile as much as the next guy, but there are a LOT of stores that I would miss if they suddenly weren't around any more.
If we want to keep those stores around there's only one thing to do:shop there!
So, here's the challenge: pick a local, independent retailer and stop in. Say hi. Buy something. You don't have to break the bank, just treat yourself or someone you love to a little something special.
Then next week or next month, or whenever you have time and a few bucks to spare, go in and do it again.
Repeat business is what keeps these guys afloat.You'll be surprised by how much impact you'll have.
I discovered the 3/50 project as I was getting my fish tank back up and running (a few years ago, we were hit with The Plague; we are finally Plague Free and I wanted some new stock. There are two local fish stores that I would be absolutely lost without--and one of them is definitely LGBT friendly! I plan to visit them as often as budget allows and to at least try there first before shopping online for supplies).
I've already started doing most of my shopping for art supplies at the little shop down the street; not only are they interdependently owned, but would you believe their prices on most stuff are BETTER than at Michaels? How's that for sweet ;-)
My next step is to find a good local, independent bookstore...
Happy shopping!Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
February 12, 2012
Oops! Blog Hop!
I thought today was the start of the Blog Hop... apparently it was yesterday!that is the story of my life right now, I seem to be behind on *everything*
Okay, here's the skivvy:I will be giving away one signed copy of my debut novel,Heart's Home (a gay male romance--click on the link for more info)to enter, all you have to do is email me at: helenpattskyn@gmail.com please include your snail mail address On the 15th, I'll draw a name out of the hat.
International entries welcome.
(I did have one person mention to me last time that there might be some customs issues w/ her country, so please be aware of those things on your end.)
And of course, don't forget to visit everybody's blog
for more chances to win Cool Stuff!!
(Make extra sure to visit Erika Pike's page
she totally rocks for making
a list of the M/M authors participating!)Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
Okay, here's the skivvy:I will be giving away one signed copy of my debut novel,Heart's Home (a gay male romance--click on the link for more info)to enter, all you have to do is email me at: helenpattskyn@gmail.com please include your snail mail address On the 15th, I'll draw a name out of the hat.
International entries welcome.
(I did have one person mention to me last time that there might be some customs issues w/ her country, so please be aware of those things on your end.)
And of course, don't forget to visit everybody's blog
for more chances to win Cool Stuff!!
(Make extra sure to visit Erika Pike's page
she totally rocks for making
a list of the M/M authors participating!)Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
February 7, 2012
A Strong Hand
I haven't updated in an eternity, so when Good Reads gave me the option to "blog my review" of A Strong Hand by Catt Ford, I jumped on it! (Although I'm expanding on it a wee bit here... musn't seem too lazy, eh?)
I picked this one up a couple of days ago to be a light read; I'd been looking for something to inspire the Musai and tantalize the imagination. In that respect, it fit the bill perfectly! I still ended up reading it more "critically" than I'd planned to.
A Strong Hand by Catt Ford
available here:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=990
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Closer to a 3.5.
The premise was delightful and I loved the almost entire cast of characters (I seriously could have done without Crispin and Eddy). Nick is so sweet, and so lucky to have not one, but two great Doms looking out for him (Ashley as a friend and Damian as a lover). I loved the interplay between Damian and Ashley, it felt very real. The BDSM elements were spot on. (That said, readers who don't enjoy BDSM may find some of the scenes uncomfortable; personally, I found them touching. Damian is a Dom I think anyone would respect.)
The use of stereotypes was, for the most part, perfect; it is really enjoyable when an author gets it and does it right.
On a personal level, I found the angst sweet and just right--it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love a little angst in my fiction. Nick and Damian had my stomach fluttering as they each went through their bouts of insecurity with the relationship. The angst was also very believable, grounded in sort of things most people would be insecure about.
My biggest overall problem with this one was the head-hopping, particularly as there wasn't any clear break in the page where the author jumped from one head to the next, to the next and to the next. It wouldn't have register as a "problem" in my own head if the only POVs we got were Nick's and Damian's. But we constantly get looks into several other men's heads and after a bit (less than a chapter), it became an annoyance. I didn't care at all what minor characters were thinking and I found myself skim-reading through parts because I hadn't picked up the book to read about Ashley's romance, I was interested in Nick and Damian. I would have much rather seen Ashley just get his own novel; there was enough story there to warrant it, certainly.
I wasn't at all sure why we needed a prologue or an epilogue, since the prologue we got would have functioned perfectly well as a first chapter (usually a prologue is used to give bit of back story), and the epilogue picked up immediately where the previous chapter had ended. But that's Helen the critical reader talking, not Helen the casual reader talking. It's a technical knock, not a criticism on the story or the writing. (I'd honestly forgotten there was a prologue until I went back to the beginning to see something.)
There were a couple of minor "as you know Bob" moments, and one or two phrases that just annoy me on a personal level ("for some reason this felt right....") I find the use of "for some reason..." (much the same way I'm sure I use turns of phrase that annoy other people.) My personal feeling is that writing is stronger without phrases like that.
There was one or two WTF moments near the end and a few elements that I personally felt were unnecessary (mostly revolving around Crispin and Eddy, whom we thankfully saw very little of.) Lately I cringe whenever there's a "club" in a BDSM book, but no points off for something that gets a knee jerk reaction out of me through no fault of the author's (and this one wasn't "perfect" by an stretch--that's a compliment--although I had to wonder about the public nudity in Crispin's club).
Overall, though it's a book I enjoyed and something I would recommend to any of my friends (well... maybe not the totally vanilla ones...oh. Wait. I don't have any of those! :D )
View all my reviews
Why do I cringe at clubs in BDSM books? I've read the first two of the Deviation series (Torquere Press), and they are, overall, very good books. Noah and Tobias have a sweet relationship (erm... you know, from a BDSM standpoint, ;-) And I like most of the supporting cast.
POV is mostly clear--my only gripe there is too little head hopping. Let me explain: POV shifts (IMHO) should either happen at more or less regular intervals and be divided up more or less evenly between the parties into whose heads we're getting looks. Or they should happen not at all. Going three of four chapters in one POV and then suddenly jumping into another POV for three or four paragraphs and then switching back again for the majority of the book doesn't work for me. I understand why the authors did it, how else could we have seen Noah's conversation with his ex or read about his dinner with Phan (whom by the way, I love; a number of people hated him)? But 80% of the book was in Tobias's POV, so it seemed a little extraneous to get a few snippets into Noah's head and then go back. (Stranger still, the publisher tells us that this first book book is all about Noah. I can't see how...except in the sequel we get only about 5% Noah's POV, it's almost all from Tobias's).
My biggest actual issue with the Deviations series (thus far, I've only read book one and two), is the *perfect* BDSM club to which these men belong. (And Bradford, the club's equally perfect owner/manager). Not only isn't there a single stain on the carpet or a spot on the silverware (and by all means order whatever you want, the kitchen will make it), the members are all perfect, too. Okay, maybe not perfect, perfect, but there aren't any bad seeds, everyone is screened, everyone is hot, everyone is male.
Let me jump back again to A Strong Hand and say that that book suffered the same problem. The only female we see is the troublesome Mistress Bette. A great foil and perfect use of stereotype, but there doesn't seem to be a single woman involved in these men's lives, except for family members and an ex that we never get to meet.
Okay, back to Deviations--in which we do at least have some women around to balance things out a bit: Tobias's partner is a woman, so is his housekeeper. There are very good reasons why we don't see much of them "on page. Very little "action" takes place at Tobias's work, and his 80 year old housekeeper doesn't hang around the farm on weekends, when Noah comes over. But at least these women exist and are important to the lives of the main characters.
But I believe I wanted to get back onto a different soapbox.
There are BDSM clubs and groups; I'm going to be working one into another BDSM story I've got simmering on the back of my brain (I've written about 9000 words of it), but I doubt that any of them is as perfect as Bradford's place. I doubt that the finest gentleman's club is as perfect.
Not that I've ever been in one.
My other "reality" gripe with the Deviations series is Tobias's over the top wealth (which was, in fact, what inspired me to write something of my own and play with the usual roles a bit, but I'll yammer about that in a minute or two). Tobias is a farm vet. He's got posh apartment in the city and spends his weekend on the farm. I don't know about you, but it would make more sense if that were the other way around, since he works during the week, presumably out in the country, near his farm. We do hear about his patients, and they are mostly cows and horses. So why the posh apartment in the city? I have *no* idea.
As for Tobias's farm, I find it hard to believe that his housekeeper (a nice liberal minded lady and another great use of stereotype) doesn't know *exactly* what he's up to (Tobias speculates that she might "suspect"). Suspect my hiney. Tobias has a play room set up on one of the stables that puts the "perfect" club to shame. Stalls set up for various role play, enough equipment to stock two dungeons and in the main house, a wardrobe full of fancy dress costumes. Seriously, and you don't think the housekeeper knows how kinky he is? She's a smart lady.
Tobias's wealth is vaguely explained (dad was rich and he inherited) but I prefer a little more reality in my fantasy.
That said, if those are the only things a person can pick on in book, it can't be all bad, right? Right. I do recommend the Deviations series, just with the caveat that a little suspension of disbelief is required. Then again, Heart's Home is about werewolves and daemons, so..... yeah. And really, who wants to read about a dirt poor Dom/Top/Master living in a cardboard box? I just wish it had been toned down to reflect reality a little more.
And, last but not least, here's my biggest gripe about BDSM books in general (and my own WIP falls into this category, too, definitely I am just as guilty).
The top/dom is always wealthy and always older.
In mine, Henry is almost 20 years older (I really love May/December as a theme), and while not wealthy, he has more money than his broke college student slave, Jason. (He isn't over the top wealthy, he's handy and has made most of his own gear and turned that into a business. Or, as he explains it, "There were things I wanted that I couldn't afford to buy, so I learned to make my own. Then friends started asking me to make stuff for them, too, and eventually I was making more money on this I was at my day job.")
In A Strong Hand, Damian does have more money, but he isn't insanely rich, he's just older and established in his field. Nick is a college kid trying to live on his own in London, so it makes sense that his flat is a dump, so it wasn't at all over the top, IMHO.
But all of that got me thinking... so... maybe for 2013, I'm working on a story that spins the "usual stereotype" on it's ear. It will be the sub who is older and quite comfortably wealthy. I've got about 9000 words written (I needed to at least get the basics down while they were in my head) and I like where it's going.
I just have to get some other stuff written first!
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
I picked this one up a couple of days ago to be a light read; I'd been looking for something to inspire the Musai and tantalize the imagination. In that respect, it fit the bill perfectly! I still ended up reading it more "critically" than I'd planned to.
A Strong Hand by Catt Fordavailable here:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=990
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Closer to a 3.5.
The premise was delightful and I loved the almost entire cast of characters (I seriously could have done without Crispin and Eddy). Nick is so sweet, and so lucky to have not one, but two great Doms looking out for him (Ashley as a friend and Damian as a lover). I loved the interplay between Damian and Ashley, it felt very real. The BDSM elements were spot on. (That said, readers who don't enjoy BDSM may find some of the scenes uncomfortable; personally, I found them touching. Damian is a Dom I think anyone would respect.)
The use of stereotypes was, for the most part, perfect; it is really enjoyable when an author gets it and does it right.
On a personal level, I found the angst sweet and just right--it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love a little angst in my fiction. Nick and Damian had my stomach fluttering as they each went through their bouts of insecurity with the relationship. The angst was also very believable, grounded in sort of things most people would be insecure about.
My biggest overall problem with this one was the head-hopping, particularly as there wasn't any clear break in the page where the author jumped from one head to the next, to the next and to the next. It wouldn't have register as a "problem" in my own head if the only POVs we got were Nick's and Damian's. But we constantly get looks into several other men's heads and after a bit (less than a chapter), it became an annoyance. I didn't care at all what minor characters were thinking and I found myself skim-reading through parts because I hadn't picked up the book to read about Ashley's romance, I was interested in Nick and Damian. I would have much rather seen Ashley just get his own novel; there was enough story there to warrant it, certainly.
I wasn't at all sure why we needed a prologue or an epilogue, since the prologue we got would have functioned perfectly well as a first chapter (usually a prologue is used to give bit of back story), and the epilogue picked up immediately where the previous chapter had ended. But that's Helen the critical reader talking, not Helen the casual reader talking. It's a technical knock, not a criticism on the story or the writing. (I'd honestly forgotten there was a prologue until I went back to the beginning to see something.)
There were a couple of minor "as you know Bob" moments, and one or two phrases that just annoy me on a personal level ("for some reason this felt right....") I find the use of "for some reason..." (much the same way I'm sure I use turns of phrase that annoy other people.) My personal feeling is that writing is stronger without phrases like that.
There was one or two WTF moments near the end and a few elements that I personally felt were unnecessary (mostly revolving around Crispin and Eddy, whom we thankfully saw very little of.) Lately I cringe whenever there's a "club" in a BDSM book, but no points off for something that gets a knee jerk reaction out of me through no fault of the author's (and this one wasn't "perfect" by an stretch--that's a compliment--although I had to wonder about the public nudity in Crispin's club).
Overall, though it's a book I enjoyed and something I would recommend to any of my friends (well... maybe not the totally vanilla ones...oh. Wait. I don't have any of those! :D )
View all my reviews
Why do I cringe at clubs in BDSM books? I've read the first two of the Deviation series (Torquere Press), and they are, overall, very good books. Noah and Tobias have a sweet relationship (erm... you know, from a BDSM standpoint, ;-) And I like most of the supporting cast.
POV is mostly clear--my only gripe there is too little head hopping. Let me explain: POV shifts (IMHO) should either happen at more or less regular intervals and be divided up more or less evenly between the parties into whose heads we're getting looks. Or they should happen not at all. Going three of four chapters in one POV and then suddenly jumping into another POV for three or four paragraphs and then switching back again for the majority of the book doesn't work for me. I understand why the authors did it, how else could we have seen Noah's conversation with his ex or read about his dinner with Phan (whom by the way, I love; a number of people hated him)? But 80% of the book was in Tobias's POV, so it seemed a little extraneous to get a few snippets into Noah's head and then go back. (Stranger still, the publisher tells us that this first book book is all about Noah. I can't see how...except in the sequel we get only about 5% Noah's POV, it's almost all from Tobias's).
My biggest actual issue with the Deviations series (thus far, I've only read book one and two), is the *perfect* BDSM club to which these men belong. (And Bradford, the club's equally perfect owner/manager). Not only isn't there a single stain on the carpet or a spot on the silverware (and by all means order whatever you want, the kitchen will make it), the members are all perfect, too. Okay, maybe not perfect, perfect, but there aren't any bad seeds, everyone is screened, everyone is hot, everyone is male.
Let me jump back again to A Strong Hand and say that that book suffered the same problem. The only female we see is the troublesome Mistress Bette. A great foil and perfect use of stereotype, but there doesn't seem to be a single woman involved in these men's lives, except for family members and an ex that we never get to meet.
Okay, back to Deviations--in which we do at least have some women around to balance things out a bit: Tobias's partner is a woman, so is his housekeeper. There are very good reasons why we don't see much of them "on page. Very little "action" takes place at Tobias's work, and his 80 year old housekeeper doesn't hang around the farm on weekends, when Noah comes over. But at least these women exist and are important to the lives of the main characters.
But I believe I wanted to get back onto a different soapbox.
There are BDSM clubs and groups; I'm going to be working one into another BDSM story I've got simmering on the back of my brain (I've written about 9000 words of it), but I doubt that any of them is as perfect as Bradford's place. I doubt that the finest gentleman's club is as perfect.
Not that I've ever been in one.
My other "reality" gripe with the Deviations series is Tobias's over the top wealth (which was, in fact, what inspired me to write something of my own and play with the usual roles a bit, but I'll yammer about that in a minute or two). Tobias is a farm vet. He's got posh apartment in the city and spends his weekend on the farm. I don't know about you, but it would make more sense if that were the other way around, since he works during the week, presumably out in the country, near his farm. We do hear about his patients, and they are mostly cows and horses. So why the posh apartment in the city? I have *no* idea.
As for Tobias's farm, I find it hard to believe that his housekeeper (a nice liberal minded lady and another great use of stereotype) doesn't know *exactly* what he's up to (Tobias speculates that she might "suspect"). Suspect my hiney. Tobias has a play room set up on one of the stables that puts the "perfect" club to shame. Stalls set up for various role play, enough equipment to stock two dungeons and in the main house, a wardrobe full of fancy dress costumes. Seriously, and you don't think the housekeeper knows how kinky he is? She's a smart lady.
Tobias's wealth is vaguely explained (dad was rich and he inherited) but I prefer a little more reality in my fantasy.
That said, if those are the only things a person can pick on in book, it can't be all bad, right? Right. I do recommend the Deviations series, just with the caveat that a little suspension of disbelief is required. Then again, Heart's Home is about werewolves and daemons, so..... yeah. And really, who wants to read about a dirt poor Dom/Top/Master living in a cardboard box? I just wish it had been toned down to reflect reality a little more.
And, last but not least, here's my biggest gripe about BDSM books in general (and my own WIP falls into this category, too, definitely I am just as guilty).
The top/dom is always wealthy and always older.
In mine, Henry is almost 20 years older (I really love May/December as a theme), and while not wealthy, he has more money than his broke college student slave, Jason. (He isn't over the top wealthy, he's handy and has made most of his own gear and turned that into a business. Or, as he explains it, "There were things I wanted that I couldn't afford to buy, so I learned to make my own. Then friends started asking me to make stuff for them, too, and eventually I was making more money on this I was at my day job.")
In A Strong Hand, Damian does have more money, but he isn't insanely rich, he's just older and established in his field. Nick is a college kid trying to live on his own in London, so it makes sense that his flat is a dump, so it wasn't at all over the top, IMHO.
But all of that got me thinking... so... maybe for 2013, I'm working on a story that spins the "usual stereotype" on it's ear. It will be the sub who is older and quite comfortably wealthy. I've got about 9000 words written (I needed to at least get the basics down while they were in my head) and I like where it's going.
I just have to get some other stuff written first!
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
January 20, 2012
Epic ConFusion
I'm off to Epic ConFusion this weekend...
Oh, wait, what's a con? Hmmmm..... okay, "con" is short for "convention". In this case, specifically a science fiction convention.
'Round abouts these parts, we used to have three big ones: ConFusion, ConClave and (yes, I am dating myself) ConTraption. (see a theme there?) 'Traption, I'm sorry to say, went the way of the dodo. I'm not sure what's up with 'Clave; last year's event was frightfully small and they've announced there won't be a con in 2013, but promise to be back in 2014. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that that's true! At any rate, PenguiCon sort of replaced ConTraption (I don't know if it was the same folks with a new name, I was never involved in the planning of these things, but PenguiCon not takes place right around the same time that 'Traption used to. Gods, I'm old! My writer friends who do cons frequently hadn't known about 'Traption. Sigh.)
Metro Detroit cons are literary based (i.e. books/artists), except for PenguiCon which is also focused on open share software (totally out of my depth, what I know about computers would fit inside a thimble and there would still be room left over!) There's always gaming (board games, role play games, like D&D, and occasionally live action, or LARP--I've run a couple of those myself. Always great fun to dress up like vampires and run around the con for a night ;-) There's filking and socializing, Uncle Richard's "bad movie night" (or whatever it's being billed as these days), room parties, food and friends... once upon a time, I used to *live* for those three times a year when I could go hide out in a hotel and forget the world outside. (Oh, and make no mistake, there's sex-a-plenty... where do you think the fodder for that BDSM story came from ;-) not that sex is what ever drove me to a con, I actually only ever picked up one person there. Sigh. Sweet, sweet man.)
One thing that makes me a bit sad, though, is that the folks in charge of our cons don't ever give us actors, screen writers, directors, or anybody associated with film or television. When I talk to my friend in NY and she tells me about *her* local cons, I drool with envy. I agree that the literary aspect is important, but would it be such a bad thing to bring in a minor or B list actor? I know actors cost money, but they also bring in people. People bring in money and--like it or not--money keeps the con alive.
Not that I don't love filking, and gaming and....filking? No, it's not some kinky sex act... well.... erm...
heheh. Here, here's some filk for you:
Well, now that I've introduced the unwary to sci fi con culture, here's an itty bitty sniopet of that WIP I've been talking about. I'm desperately hoping to get it finished and submitted to a publisher by the middle of Feb.... which of course is no guarantee of anything, but I really love my boys in this one and have no intention of giving up on them, even if they don't happen to fit into my publisher's catalogue for 2012. (In other words, this piece *will* see the light of day, even if it takes me a while...it's pretty edgy and a total departure from Heart's Home.)
Heart in Knots excerpt rated: hmmmm.... pretty warm and toastynovel rated: BDSM scortcherThanks again to Kitsa for suggesting the new title!!(last disclaimer: this is FAR from a final edit)
CHAPTER ONE The gray leather was so soft, it felt like silk in Jason's hands. It was a good solid piece, though, about two inches wide, with four heavy D-rings attached. It was the kind of collar that would tell a man he belonged to somebody—not that there was anyone Jason wanted to belong to. Still, if he did, this was the kind of collar he'd want to wear. "Nice choice."Jason jumped at the sound of the rich baritone voice behind him—he not-so-silently cursed himself for getting caught "window shopping". The dealers' room wasn't open yet, he was only allowed in because he was working off his convention membership by helping with setup, which didn't include pestering the merchants. Normally, Jason didn't pay even attention to anything in the dealers' room, any more. He'd been going to science fiction conventions since he was fifteen—nearly seven years ago—and the dealers' room pretty much always looked the same: displays over flowing with paperbacks, crammed with comic books, piled high with DVDs of movies and old TV shows (some legal, many not). There were action figures and plush Lovecraftian monsters; the sword dealer was next to the guy who sold replicas of Star Trek phasers and Stargate zat guns. Across the aisle was a woman who did custom corsetry work—for both women and men. Next to her was the guy who sold uniforms: Star Fleet, Storm Trooper, Alphan, Colonial (as in the Thirteen Colonies of Kobal)… if it was on TV or in the movies, he could get his hands on it. The last few years Jason had noticed more brass and leather making its way in the dealers' room, thanks to the rising popularity of steampunk literature and the Victorian culture it came from. He didn't mind. There was nothing hotter than a good looking guy decked out in Victorian era garb—and all the better if he was wearing leather.Jason wasn't wearing leather, mostly because he couldn't afford it, but what he did have on was almost as good: a black fish-net shirt that showed off the silver hoops in his nipples, and a pair of ass-hugging jeans with a couple of gray bandanas tied into the belt loops. He turned to face the shop owner, to apologize, and hope the guy wouldn't complain about him being where he didn't belong—but suddenly his mouth went dry and his throat refused to work. He found himself staring into a brawny chest clothed only a brown leather vest. He looked up. The shop owner smirked. The guy was at least a foot taller than Jason and, while he wasn't exactly Incredible Hulk muscular, Jason didn't think he lost too many arm wrestling contests, either. He certainly did a fair job of making Jason feel small, just by standing there. He was the epitome of "classically handsome", with short cropped dark brown hair, a full mustache and long straight nose. He had a strong jaw, cleft chin. Dimples. God damned dimples. He also had really nice lips. Jason's heart beat a little faster in his chest. "See something else you like?" the guy asked him with a lopsided grin. "Yes. I mean no! I mean…" he floundered helplessly, certain the tips of his ears were as red as the ballroom carpet. "Sorry, I know you're still setting up. I saw it and I guess I couldn't resist."Steel blue eyes seemed to pierce right through him. "I know exactly what you mean."Jason's heart hammered harder—the guy couldn't have meant that the way it sounded. Could he? "C'mon," the merchant took him by the shoulders—his hands were huge!—and turned him around, so Jason's back was to him once more. He let go of Jason's shoulders and lifted the collar out of his hands—then he hesitated. "Jesus, boy, you got enough hair? Get that mop outta my way," he snapped."I… huh? Sorry, I…" Jason blinked. Why was he apologizing to a total stranger about the length of his hair? Didn't he get enough of that shit at home? "I should get back to work."The merchant leaned in so close, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm sure you can play hooky for a few more minutes," he whispered into Jason's ear, his tone lilting. Seductive."Huh?" Was all Jason came back with. God, could he sound any more like a clod? "Let's put this on you and see how it looks.""I… okay.""Good."Nervously, Jason lifted the long auburn hair off up off his shoulders, exposing his slender neck. The only collars he'd ever worn before had come from the pet aisle in Walmart, and he'd put them on himself. It was so much more satisfying when someone else buckled the soft leather into place, even if it was only someone trying to make a sale. "There," the merchant laid his hands on Jason's shoulders once more. "How's the fit?" "Perfect, sir." Jason faltered. But 'sir' was a generic enough courtesy, and the shop owner looked a few years older than him. Well. Maybe closer to ten years older, not that Jason minded. Older guys knew what the Hell they were doing. Not that he thought the merchant was flirting with him. He was just trying to make a sale. He wasn't going to succeed. "I'm sorry, sir, but I really can't afford it," Jason admitted sheepishly, as he started to turn. Strong hands kept him where he was. "Last time I checked, looking was free," he said."I can't actually see anything."The merchant chuckled. He reached behind him and passed Jason a brass hand mirror.Jason accepted the mirror and gazed down at his reflection. He looked… perfect. He tilted the mirror so he could see the other man's smiling face; he looked just as pleased as Jason felt. Somehow that made wearing it even better. "Just… just out of curiosity, how much…?" Jason asked him.The merchant told him the price, and Jason's heart fell. "Definitely out of my price range.""You get what you pay for.""I know. But right now, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to afford to school next semester." God, he sounded pathetic. He took a last look at himself in the mirror as the merchant undid the collar's clasp. Jason felt an immediate loss when it came off his neck. He smiled anyway. "Thanks for letting me try it on…" he sought out the man's name badge, but the only thing printed on it was 'Sir'. He smirked. "Henry Durand," he held out his hand.Jason accepted. "Jason Dullaghan.""Good to meet you, Jason." Henry's hand swallowed his whole, but his grip was light. Friendly."You too. Well, I… s'pose I should get back to work. See you around the con, Sir," he added, despite having exchanged proper names. Henry quirked an eyebrow, but then laughed. "I'll be right here, boy," he shot back with a wink. "I might even let you model a few other things, if you like. Got a set of cuffs you'd look good in."With heat burning in his cheeks, Jason beat a hasty retreat. He told himself that Henry Durand was an accountant or something, that selling collars and leather cuffs was just a weekend gig, but even the thought of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Leather Clad sitting in front of a pile of income tax returns wasn't enough to make his dick go soft.
The only advantage to showing up before 10 a.m. on the first day of a weekend-long convention to work setup was that as soon as his shift ended at six, Jason was free for the rest of the weekend. He had his own hotel room, a rare luxury, and one he knew he was going to end up regretting at the end of the month when his Visa bill came in. The interest rate was on his card was insane, but he was sick of sharing a room with ten other people—which was why he wasn't telling anybody he had his own room. He took a long, hot shower, and used two towels to dry off, just because he could. He wrapped a third towel around his narrow waist and enjoyed taking as much time as he wanted, to dry and style his hair. He shaved carefully—the only thing less attractive than stubble was little nicks he got when he rushed—applied smoky black kohl to his eyelids, then got dressed. Instead of putting the fishnet shirt back on, Jason opted for a plain black turtleneck. He wanted to feel something around his neck and after having that expensive collar on, if only for a few minutes, the Walmart collar in his suitcase just wasn't going to cut it. Finally, shimmied into his best ass-hugging jeans, tied a single gray bandana into the belt loop on his right hip. Gray was to signal his interest in bondage—on the right meant he was the one who liked getting tied up. After a last quick once-over in the full-length mirror to be sure he looked perfect, Jason headed down to the main lobby to see who was hanging out. He wasn't the best looking guy in any room, but his mother had always said it wasn't what you had, it was what you did with it. He doubted she would have approved of his life choices, but didn't matter. She wasn't around to see them. As soon as he stepped off the elevator, Jason spotted his friend Kendra Lonnineau, across the sea of costumes and faces. Kendra was in full Colonial Warrior garb—original Battlestar Galactica, not the one from a few years ago. She was a purist. They'd grown up together in Troy, two kids from the same trailer park. Now, she was a student way, way up north at Michigan Tech. He was living in the middle of nowhere going to community college. Jason hadn't seen Kendra since last year's convention, and was dying to talk to her—unfortunately, it looked like Terry had beaten him to Kendra's side. Terry Carson was Jason's on-again off-again boyfriend. At the moment, they were mostly off-again, which didn't mean they weren't speaking, it just meant that Jason didn't feel like talking to him. Or fucking him. Or being fucked by him. "You coming or going?"Jason jumped; he turned and saw Henry Durand grinning down at him. Jason's brain seized up and his dick swelled painfully inside his tight jeans. Henry had changed out of the vest and was wearing a snuggly fitted black leather "wife beater" T-shirt. He was carrying a large duffle bag and had several lengths of nylon rope slung over one shoulder. "'Course if that's not just for show," Henry went on, nodding at the gray bandana, "I'll expect to see you in the demo I got 'roped' into giving. Pun intended," he added with a lopsided grin. Jason opened his mouth. Then he shut it again. What was his problem! Just because Henry was a totally hot guy who may or may not be an accountant, but who definitely did sell leather collars and cuffs on the weekends—a totally hot guy who might be flirting him, who knew exactly what the gray bandana meant… Before Jason had the chance to make a second attempt at intelligent speech, he felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his waist. He didn't have to turn his head to know it was Terry. "I've been looking all over the con for you!" Terry landed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "You avoiding me, or something?" His tone was playful, and he smelled like Aqua Net hairspray, cheap vodka and Juicy Fruit gum. Jason pulled out of the unwanted embrace and turned to face the other man. "I was working set up. Sorry.""I thought your shift ended, what…? Like two hours ago?"Jason didn't answer. "You're not still pissed at me about the other week, are you?" "No," Jason lied. He turned around and realized that Henry was halfway down the hall. He considered running after him, but how pathetic would that look? "I'm headed up to the con suite," said Terry.Jason shrugged. "You coming?" "I'll meet you up there in a minute." "Where are you going? There's nothing happening for a few hours—""I said I'd be up in a minute!""I could give you a hand getting up," Terry offered, brows raised, lasciviously."No. Thank you. I'll see you in a few." Jason turned on his heel and walked away as quickly as he could, hoping to get lost in the crowd. It worked—either that, or Terry wasn't in the mood to chase after him. Jason didn't care which. He ducked into the first empty conference room he came to, to collect his thoughts. He really didn't know why he'd bolted, last week wasn't the first time Terry had stood him up. It probably wouldn't be the last. Right. Now, all he had to do was figure out what kind of demo Henry was doing and find it…
Twenty minutes later, Jason stood outside one of the smaller ballrooms. The door was closed and he had a swarm of butterflies flapping madly around his stomach. He considered forgetting the whole thing, the demo was almost half over, anyway, but it was either go in late or go meet Terry up in the con suite. Or wander around pathetically on his own. He didn't want to see Terry and he didn't feel like wandering around aimlessly. The other option was to hang around outside the ballroom door and wait for the demo to end, catch Henry coming out. But that would be even more pathetic than running after the guy. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, Jason opened the door and stepped inside. Thirty or forty people sat up near the front of the room, listening to Henry talk about safe, sane and consensual play. As soon as Henry noticed him standing there, he stopped his speech midsentence and fixed Jason with dark glare. "You're late," he snapped. Jason blushed—he was sure people in the hallway must have heard. Certainly everyone in the ballroom turned to stare at him. "I was starting to think I'd need to find another volunteer," Henry continued in the same angry tone. Jason's stomach lurched and his dick snapped to attention—he had no idea why. He was not into humiliation, public or otherwise. "Well don't just stand there boy! Get your ass down here! These nice people don't got all night, you know!" Jason swallowed hard. Henry had to be kidding! He didn't look like he was kidding."You want to get tied up, or not?" Henry demanded.
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
Oh, wait, what's a con? Hmmmm..... okay, "con" is short for "convention". In this case, specifically a science fiction convention.
'Round abouts these parts, we used to have three big ones: ConFusion, ConClave and (yes, I am dating myself) ConTraption. (see a theme there?) 'Traption, I'm sorry to say, went the way of the dodo. I'm not sure what's up with 'Clave; last year's event was frightfully small and they've announced there won't be a con in 2013, but promise to be back in 2014. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that that's true! At any rate, PenguiCon sort of replaced ConTraption (I don't know if it was the same folks with a new name, I was never involved in the planning of these things, but PenguiCon not takes place right around the same time that 'Traption used to. Gods, I'm old! My writer friends who do cons frequently hadn't known about 'Traption. Sigh.)
Metro Detroit cons are literary based (i.e. books/artists), except for PenguiCon which is also focused on open share software (totally out of my depth, what I know about computers would fit inside a thimble and there would still be room left over!) There's always gaming (board games, role play games, like D&D, and occasionally live action, or LARP--I've run a couple of those myself. Always great fun to dress up like vampires and run around the con for a night ;-) There's filking and socializing, Uncle Richard's "bad movie night" (or whatever it's being billed as these days), room parties, food and friends... once upon a time, I used to *live* for those three times a year when I could go hide out in a hotel and forget the world outside. (Oh, and make no mistake, there's sex-a-plenty... where do you think the fodder for that BDSM story came from ;-) not that sex is what ever drove me to a con, I actually only ever picked up one person there. Sigh. Sweet, sweet man.)
One thing that makes me a bit sad, though, is that the folks in charge of our cons don't ever give us actors, screen writers, directors, or anybody associated with film or television. When I talk to my friend in NY and she tells me about *her* local cons, I drool with envy. I agree that the literary aspect is important, but would it be such a bad thing to bring in a minor or B list actor? I know actors cost money, but they also bring in people. People bring in money and--like it or not--money keeps the con alive.
Not that I don't love filking, and gaming and....filking? No, it's not some kinky sex act... well.... erm...
heheh. Here, here's some filk for you:
Well, now that I've introduced the unwary to sci fi con culture, here's an itty bitty sniopet of that WIP I've been talking about. I'm desperately hoping to get it finished and submitted to a publisher by the middle of Feb.... which of course is no guarantee of anything, but I really love my boys in this one and have no intention of giving up on them, even if they don't happen to fit into my publisher's catalogue for 2012. (In other words, this piece *will* see the light of day, even if it takes me a while...it's pretty edgy and a total departure from Heart's Home.)
Heart in Knots excerpt rated: hmmmm.... pretty warm and toastynovel rated: BDSM scortcherThanks again to Kitsa for suggesting the new title!!(last disclaimer: this is FAR from a final edit)
CHAPTER ONE The gray leather was so soft, it felt like silk in Jason's hands. It was a good solid piece, though, about two inches wide, with four heavy D-rings attached. It was the kind of collar that would tell a man he belonged to somebody—not that there was anyone Jason wanted to belong to. Still, if he did, this was the kind of collar he'd want to wear. "Nice choice."Jason jumped at the sound of the rich baritone voice behind him—he not-so-silently cursed himself for getting caught "window shopping". The dealers' room wasn't open yet, he was only allowed in because he was working off his convention membership by helping with setup, which didn't include pestering the merchants. Normally, Jason didn't pay even attention to anything in the dealers' room, any more. He'd been going to science fiction conventions since he was fifteen—nearly seven years ago—and the dealers' room pretty much always looked the same: displays over flowing with paperbacks, crammed with comic books, piled high with DVDs of movies and old TV shows (some legal, many not). There were action figures and plush Lovecraftian monsters; the sword dealer was next to the guy who sold replicas of Star Trek phasers and Stargate zat guns. Across the aisle was a woman who did custom corsetry work—for both women and men. Next to her was the guy who sold uniforms: Star Fleet, Storm Trooper, Alphan, Colonial (as in the Thirteen Colonies of Kobal)… if it was on TV or in the movies, he could get his hands on it. The last few years Jason had noticed more brass and leather making its way in the dealers' room, thanks to the rising popularity of steampunk literature and the Victorian culture it came from. He didn't mind. There was nothing hotter than a good looking guy decked out in Victorian era garb—and all the better if he was wearing leather.Jason wasn't wearing leather, mostly because he couldn't afford it, but what he did have on was almost as good: a black fish-net shirt that showed off the silver hoops in his nipples, and a pair of ass-hugging jeans with a couple of gray bandanas tied into the belt loops. He turned to face the shop owner, to apologize, and hope the guy wouldn't complain about him being where he didn't belong—but suddenly his mouth went dry and his throat refused to work. He found himself staring into a brawny chest clothed only a brown leather vest. He looked up. The shop owner smirked. The guy was at least a foot taller than Jason and, while he wasn't exactly Incredible Hulk muscular, Jason didn't think he lost too many arm wrestling contests, either. He certainly did a fair job of making Jason feel small, just by standing there. He was the epitome of "classically handsome", with short cropped dark brown hair, a full mustache and long straight nose. He had a strong jaw, cleft chin. Dimples. God damned dimples. He also had really nice lips. Jason's heart beat a little faster in his chest. "See something else you like?" the guy asked him with a lopsided grin. "Yes. I mean no! I mean…" he floundered helplessly, certain the tips of his ears were as red as the ballroom carpet. "Sorry, I know you're still setting up. I saw it and I guess I couldn't resist."Steel blue eyes seemed to pierce right through him. "I know exactly what you mean."Jason's heart hammered harder—the guy couldn't have meant that the way it sounded. Could he? "C'mon," the merchant took him by the shoulders—his hands were huge!—and turned him around, so Jason's back was to him once more. He let go of Jason's shoulders and lifted the collar out of his hands—then he hesitated. "Jesus, boy, you got enough hair? Get that mop outta my way," he snapped."I… huh? Sorry, I…" Jason blinked. Why was he apologizing to a total stranger about the length of his hair? Didn't he get enough of that shit at home? "I should get back to work."The merchant leaned in so close, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm sure you can play hooky for a few more minutes," he whispered into Jason's ear, his tone lilting. Seductive."Huh?" Was all Jason came back with. God, could he sound any more like a clod? "Let's put this on you and see how it looks.""I… okay.""Good."Nervously, Jason lifted the long auburn hair off up off his shoulders, exposing his slender neck. The only collars he'd ever worn before had come from the pet aisle in Walmart, and he'd put them on himself. It was so much more satisfying when someone else buckled the soft leather into place, even if it was only someone trying to make a sale. "There," the merchant laid his hands on Jason's shoulders once more. "How's the fit?" "Perfect, sir." Jason faltered. But 'sir' was a generic enough courtesy, and the shop owner looked a few years older than him. Well. Maybe closer to ten years older, not that Jason minded. Older guys knew what the Hell they were doing. Not that he thought the merchant was flirting with him. He was just trying to make a sale. He wasn't going to succeed. "I'm sorry, sir, but I really can't afford it," Jason admitted sheepishly, as he started to turn. Strong hands kept him where he was. "Last time I checked, looking was free," he said."I can't actually see anything."The merchant chuckled. He reached behind him and passed Jason a brass hand mirror.Jason accepted the mirror and gazed down at his reflection. He looked… perfect. He tilted the mirror so he could see the other man's smiling face; he looked just as pleased as Jason felt. Somehow that made wearing it even better. "Just… just out of curiosity, how much…?" Jason asked him.The merchant told him the price, and Jason's heart fell. "Definitely out of my price range.""You get what you pay for.""I know. But right now, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to afford to school next semester." God, he sounded pathetic. He took a last look at himself in the mirror as the merchant undid the collar's clasp. Jason felt an immediate loss when it came off his neck. He smiled anyway. "Thanks for letting me try it on…" he sought out the man's name badge, but the only thing printed on it was 'Sir'. He smirked. "Henry Durand," he held out his hand.Jason accepted. "Jason Dullaghan.""Good to meet you, Jason." Henry's hand swallowed his whole, but his grip was light. Friendly."You too. Well, I… s'pose I should get back to work. See you around the con, Sir," he added, despite having exchanged proper names. Henry quirked an eyebrow, but then laughed. "I'll be right here, boy," he shot back with a wink. "I might even let you model a few other things, if you like. Got a set of cuffs you'd look good in."With heat burning in his cheeks, Jason beat a hasty retreat. He told himself that Henry Durand was an accountant or something, that selling collars and leather cuffs was just a weekend gig, but even the thought of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Leather Clad sitting in front of a pile of income tax returns wasn't enough to make his dick go soft.
The only advantage to showing up before 10 a.m. on the first day of a weekend-long convention to work setup was that as soon as his shift ended at six, Jason was free for the rest of the weekend. He had his own hotel room, a rare luxury, and one he knew he was going to end up regretting at the end of the month when his Visa bill came in. The interest rate was on his card was insane, but he was sick of sharing a room with ten other people—which was why he wasn't telling anybody he had his own room. He took a long, hot shower, and used two towels to dry off, just because he could. He wrapped a third towel around his narrow waist and enjoyed taking as much time as he wanted, to dry and style his hair. He shaved carefully—the only thing less attractive than stubble was little nicks he got when he rushed—applied smoky black kohl to his eyelids, then got dressed. Instead of putting the fishnet shirt back on, Jason opted for a plain black turtleneck. He wanted to feel something around his neck and after having that expensive collar on, if only for a few minutes, the Walmart collar in his suitcase just wasn't going to cut it. Finally, shimmied into his best ass-hugging jeans, tied a single gray bandana into the belt loop on his right hip. Gray was to signal his interest in bondage—on the right meant he was the one who liked getting tied up. After a last quick once-over in the full-length mirror to be sure he looked perfect, Jason headed down to the main lobby to see who was hanging out. He wasn't the best looking guy in any room, but his mother had always said it wasn't what you had, it was what you did with it. He doubted she would have approved of his life choices, but didn't matter. She wasn't around to see them. As soon as he stepped off the elevator, Jason spotted his friend Kendra Lonnineau, across the sea of costumes and faces. Kendra was in full Colonial Warrior garb—original Battlestar Galactica, not the one from a few years ago. She was a purist. They'd grown up together in Troy, two kids from the same trailer park. Now, she was a student way, way up north at Michigan Tech. He was living in the middle of nowhere going to community college. Jason hadn't seen Kendra since last year's convention, and was dying to talk to her—unfortunately, it looked like Terry had beaten him to Kendra's side. Terry Carson was Jason's on-again off-again boyfriend. At the moment, they were mostly off-again, which didn't mean they weren't speaking, it just meant that Jason didn't feel like talking to him. Or fucking him. Or being fucked by him. "You coming or going?"Jason jumped; he turned and saw Henry Durand grinning down at him. Jason's brain seized up and his dick swelled painfully inside his tight jeans. Henry had changed out of the vest and was wearing a snuggly fitted black leather "wife beater" T-shirt. He was carrying a large duffle bag and had several lengths of nylon rope slung over one shoulder. "'Course if that's not just for show," Henry went on, nodding at the gray bandana, "I'll expect to see you in the demo I got 'roped' into giving. Pun intended," he added with a lopsided grin. Jason opened his mouth. Then he shut it again. What was his problem! Just because Henry was a totally hot guy who may or may not be an accountant, but who definitely did sell leather collars and cuffs on the weekends—a totally hot guy who might be flirting him, who knew exactly what the gray bandana meant… Before Jason had the chance to make a second attempt at intelligent speech, he felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his waist. He didn't have to turn his head to know it was Terry. "I've been looking all over the con for you!" Terry landed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "You avoiding me, or something?" His tone was playful, and he smelled like Aqua Net hairspray, cheap vodka and Juicy Fruit gum. Jason pulled out of the unwanted embrace and turned to face the other man. "I was working set up. Sorry.""I thought your shift ended, what…? Like two hours ago?"Jason didn't answer. "You're not still pissed at me about the other week, are you?" "No," Jason lied. He turned around and realized that Henry was halfway down the hall. He considered running after him, but how pathetic would that look? "I'm headed up to the con suite," said Terry.Jason shrugged. "You coming?" "I'll meet you up there in a minute." "Where are you going? There's nothing happening for a few hours—""I said I'd be up in a minute!""I could give you a hand getting up," Terry offered, brows raised, lasciviously."No. Thank you. I'll see you in a few." Jason turned on his heel and walked away as quickly as he could, hoping to get lost in the crowd. It worked—either that, or Terry wasn't in the mood to chase after him. Jason didn't care which. He ducked into the first empty conference room he came to, to collect his thoughts. He really didn't know why he'd bolted, last week wasn't the first time Terry had stood him up. It probably wouldn't be the last. Right. Now, all he had to do was figure out what kind of demo Henry was doing and find it…
Twenty minutes later, Jason stood outside one of the smaller ballrooms. The door was closed and he had a swarm of butterflies flapping madly around his stomach. He considered forgetting the whole thing, the demo was almost half over, anyway, but it was either go in late or go meet Terry up in the con suite. Or wander around pathetically on his own. He didn't want to see Terry and he didn't feel like wandering around aimlessly. The other option was to hang around outside the ballroom door and wait for the demo to end, catch Henry coming out. But that would be even more pathetic than running after the guy. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, Jason opened the door and stepped inside. Thirty or forty people sat up near the front of the room, listening to Henry talk about safe, sane and consensual play. As soon as Henry noticed him standing there, he stopped his speech midsentence and fixed Jason with dark glare. "You're late," he snapped. Jason blushed—he was sure people in the hallway must have heard. Certainly everyone in the ballroom turned to stare at him. "I was starting to think I'd need to find another volunteer," Henry continued in the same angry tone. Jason's stomach lurched and his dick snapped to attention—he had no idea why. He was not into humiliation, public or otherwise. "Well don't just stand there boy! Get your ass down here! These nice people don't got all night, you know!" Jason swallowed hard. Henry had to be kidding! He didn't look like he was kidding."You want to get tied up, or not?" Henry demanded.
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
January 17, 2012
Turning 43 Today!
Yowzers, I'm getting old :D
A couple of years ago, this became my "new" theme song. Of course it was sort of replaced by that super amazing song byAbney Park that I posted a while back...but this was such an adorable vid that I had to share(I also wanted something upbeat for today):
(The song is called "Extraordinary"
and it's by Liz Phair)
To celebrate my birthday,
I'm doing a guest post on Clare London's Birthday Blog
(her birthday is in January, too!!)
*Thank you again for having me today*
Clare has graciously opened up her blog to guests once again this January; there are all kinds of awesome cool guests--so don't just read my story, check out what everyone else has to say too. One of my favorite entries (so far) is from Sara Madison (go figure, I love her writing!)
Anyway, for my guest spot, I decided to write a short story called Encantado . The premise has been kicking around my head for a while, ever since I read the story of the encantado, a creature from Brazilian folklore. (In other words, no, I did not fabricate were-dolphins out of thin air!)
I thought it would be a novel/novella, because I've struggled with writing short stories for so long, but I ended up enjoying the process (and the product) so much that I'm not only leaving it as is, but planning to write five or six more short stories along vaguely similar themes and self-publish them later in the year. (By vaguely similar, I mean that each of the stories will be m/m romance of one heat level or another, each will involve shape shifting or animal magic of some sort, and each of the animals will be "edge" animals, animals that are part of a distinctive ecological niche--and many of whom are critically endangered. Whatever I make off the project in therms of royalties will go to help further education and conservation of these truly remarkable and worth-saving animals. It truly breaks my heart that we've lost the baiji; we didn't have to.)
In the meantime, I'm almost wrapped up with the first half of the Ghost book, and I've pulled the BDSM novel out of the "bottom drawer" (no pun intended), to start polishing it up. It has a new title, compliments of my dear friend Kitsa (and "thank you" to fellow DSP author and all around lovely lady Tia Fielding, for pointing out that my second...third?...working title was already in use in the m/m world... sigh. Should've figured, it's a good title!) But I'm happy with the new title Heart in Knots... in fact, the title has inspired me to penning a new scene for the book. :) This book is a wild departure from Heart's Home, in that it is contemporary, there is no paranormal aspect to it, and it is seriously kinky (but in the best way possible). I'm hoping to have more good news about its progress in the near future. Right now, the rough draft is pretty much complete, I just have to whip it into shape (pun intended that time) before submitting...maybe I'd better quiet with the double entandre (sp??) while I'm ahead! (Spell check doesn't know how to fix that, it just tells me its misspelled).
Please remember that I'll be at Epic ConFusion this weekend ( YIKES! is it this weekend already? ) in Troy, MI--if anyone is planning on being there too, I hope you'll stop into the Dealer's Room and say " hi! " I'll have copies of Heart's Home, some of my 2- and 3-D artwork, and a friendly smile! (I might even have chocolate...)
On the February 4th, I'll be at the Rust Belt Market, in Ferndale, MI , with my lovely partner (that's the one I do business with, not the one I'm married to!) where we will be selling our wares (which sounds much naughtier than it is!)
I'm also booked into the Rainbow Book Fair in New York along with a bunch of other awesome Dreamspinner Authors. I am so totally excited! (That's happening in March).
And.... in May, I'll be at Animazement in North Carolina, helping man (or woman?) the Dreamspinner table in the dealer's room (thanks again, Shira!!)
Yikes, I'm staring to feel like a real author here! :P
And now... happy birthday, me, I have to go to the Secretary of State and renew my driving licence.... Fun, fun, fun...Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
A couple of years ago, this became my "new" theme song. Of course it was sort of replaced by that super amazing song byAbney Park that I posted a while back...but this was such an adorable vid that I had to share(I also wanted something upbeat for today):
(The song is called "Extraordinary"
and it's by Liz Phair)
To celebrate my birthday,
I'm doing a guest post on Clare London's Birthday Blog
(her birthday is in January, too!!)
*Thank you again for having me today*
Clare has graciously opened up her blog to guests once again this January; there are all kinds of awesome cool guests--so don't just read my story, check out what everyone else has to say too. One of my favorite entries (so far) is from Sara Madison (go figure, I love her writing!)
Anyway, for my guest spot, I decided to write a short story called Encantado . The premise has been kicking around my head for a while, ever since I read the story of the encantado, a creature from Brazilian folklore. (In other words, no, I did not fabricate were-dolphins out of thin air!)
I thought it would be a novel/novella, because I've struggled with writing short stories for so long, but I ended up enjoying the process (and the product) so much that I'm not only leaving it as is, but planning to write five or six more short stories along vaguely similar themes and self-publish them later in the year. (By vaguely similar, I mean that each of the stories will be m/m romance of one heat level or another, each will involve shape shifting or animal magic of some sort, and each of the animals will be "edge" animals, animals that are part of a distinctive ecological niche--and many of whom are critically endangered. Whatever I make off the project in therms of royalties will go to help further education and conservation of these truly remarkable and worth-saving animals. It truly breaks my heart that we've lost the baiji; we didn't have to.)
In the meantime, I'm almost wrapped up with the first half of the Ghost book, and I've pulled the BDSM novel out of the "bottom drawer" (no pun intended), to start polishing it up. It has a new title, compliments of my dear friend Kitsa (and "thank you" to fellow DSP author and all around lovely lady Tia Fielding, for pointing out that my second...third?...working title was already in use in the m/m world... sigh. Should've figured, it's a good title!) But I'm happy with the new title Heart in Knots... in fact, the title has inspired me to penning a new scene for the book. :) This book is a wild departure from Heart's Home, in that it is contemporary, there is no paranormal aspect to it, and it is seriously kinky (but in the best way possible). I'm hoping to have more good news about its progress in the near future. Right now, the rough draft is pretty much complete, I just have to whip it into shape (pun intended that time) before submitting...maybe I'd better quiet with the double entandre (sp??) while I'm ahead! (Spell check doesn't know how to fix that, it just tells me its misspelled).
Please remember that I'll be at Epic ConFusion this weekend ( YIKES! is it this weekend already? ) in Troy, MI--if anyone is planning on being there too, I hope you'll stop into the Dealer's Room and say " hi! " I'll have copies of Heart's Home, some of my 2- and 3-D artwork, and a friendly smile! (I might even have chocolate...)
On the February 4th, I'll be at the Rust Belt Market, in Ferndale, MI , with my lovely partner (that's the one I do business with, not the one I'm married to!) where we will be selling our wares (which sounds much naughtier than it is!)
I'm also booked into the Rainbow Book Fair in New York along with a bunch of other awesome Dreamspinner Authors. I am so totally excited! (That's happening in March).
And.... in May, I'll be at Animazement in North Carolina, helping man (or woman?) the Dreamspinner table in the dealer's room (thanks again, Shira!!)
Yikes, I'm staring to feel like a real author here! :P
And now... happy birthday, me, I have to go to the Secretary of State and renew my driving licence.... Fun, fun, fun...Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
January 15, 2012
Getting in more reviews for Heart's Home
And by and large, no one has said anything I disagree with, even when they've had some negative things to say. There were some parts of it that I wish I had done differently.
I also know that no one can please all of the people all of the time... which is why one of the comments I've gotten (a couple of times now) has... well, bothered is the wrong word. It's made me uncomfortable.
When I was writing fanfiction more steadily and getting lots and lots of feedback from readers, one of the things that I heard a LOT of was "it's really annoying when you use the characters' names every other sentence. You need to come up with other identifiers. How about things like 'the other man', or 'the younger man' or 'the older man' or the 'blond'?"
Then I heard from my beta reader that she felt "the other man" was cold and distant. But the others were okay.
Now I'm hearing from readers a litany of "I hate it when authors use 'the older man, the younger man, the blond, the Welshman, the lycan', etc.--really, I GET IT already! Why can't authors just use the characters' names?!" Here's a link to the latest review (and please note that I "like" it, because I appreciate the reviewer's honesty...but it hurts that now other readers are being put off my book). http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/250556689
Anyway, to answer the question: Because other readers told me not to.
Believe me, it is sooooo much easier to say Jim slapped Bob and then kissed Bob with naked, unabashed passion, than it is to say Jim slapped his French lycanthropic lover, then reached over and grabbed the back of his blond-haired head and kissed the daylights out of the younger man. It requires a lot less creativity to just use their names. Honestly, I am not that I'm trying to beat readers over the head with the fact that Jim is older than Bob and that Bob is a French werewolf with a blond crew cut. I get it that readers are smart and that they don't forget these details. I'm just struggling to come up with better ways to indicate which he is he.
It is a little difficult on the ego to take a "hit" for doing what others have told me is the "right" thing to do. Are fanfiction readers just more inclined to like alternatives to names than non-fanfic readers? (For all it's worth, not a single editor had a problem with older/younger/blonder/Frencher...well, they would probably have a problem with "Frencher".)
The best thing (other than just getting back to writing and not worrying about it) might be to try and find some sort of middle ground. I really does bother me when someone who might otherwise enjoy something I've written isn't able to finish the book because of tags and identifies. I want everybody to love my stories! (Which I know isn't going to happen, but I'd hate for the only reason someone hated it was details that are within my comfort zone to change/fix).
As always, I welcome thoughts...Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
I also know that no one can please all of the people all of the time... which is why one of the comments I've gotten (a couple of times now) has... well, bothered is the wrong word. It's made me uncomfortable.
When I was writing fanfiction more steadily and getting lots and lots of feedback from readers, one of the things that I heard a LOT of was "it's really annoying when you use the characters' names every other sentence. You need to come up with other identifiers. How about things like 'the other man', or 'the younger man' or 'the older man' or the 'blond'?"
Then I heard from my beta reader that she felt "the other man" was cold and distant. But the others were okay.
Now I'm hearing from readers a litany of "I hate it when authors use 'the older man, the younger man, the blond, the Welshman, the lycan', etc.--really, I GET IT already! Why can't authors just use the characters' names?!" Here's a link to the latest review (and please note that I "like" it, because I appreciate the reviewer's honesty...but it hurts that now other readers are being put off my book). http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/250556689
Anyway, to answer the question: Because other readers told me not to.
Believe me, it is sooooo much easier to say Jim slapped Bob and then kissed Bob with naked, unabashed passion, than it is to say Jim slapped his French lycanthropic lover, then reached over and grabbed the back of his blond-haired head and kissed the daylights out of the younger man. It requires a lot less creativity to just use their names. Honestly, I am not that I'm trying to beat readers over the head with the fact that Jim is older than Bob and that Bob is a French werewolf with a blond crew cut. I get it that readers are smart and that they don't forget these details. I'm just struggling to come up with better ways to indicate which he is he.
It is a little difficult on the ego to take a "hit" for doing what others have told me is the "right" thing to do. Are fanfiction readers just more inclined to like alternatives to names than non-fanfic readers? (For all it's worth, not a single editor had a problem with older/younger/blonder/Frencher...well, they would probably have a problem with "Frencher".)
The best thing (other than just getting back to writing and not worrying about it) might be to try and find some sort of middle ground. I really does bother me when someone who might otherwise enjoy something I've written isn't able to finish the book because of tags and identifies. I want everybody to love my stories! (Which I know isn't going to happen, but I'd hate for the only reason someone hated it was details that are within my comfort zone to change/fix).
As always, I welcome thoughts...Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author
