The machine being myself.
Once again I find myself slaving away on two pieces at once.
The flash fiction collection is coming along nicely; the third piece in the collection is now done, and one or two more pieces of flash will finish it. So far I have “Hemline”, “Sacrifice” and “Backseat”.
I will let you draw your own conclusions from the titles as to what the contents might be! I do know that short fiction isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I choose to see each as one might a truffle in a box of chocolates. They’re bite-sized, perfect for a nibble, and there’s an art to capturing an entire scene in less than a thousand words. A challenging art (ah ha, you have discovered my post title scheme), but it’s an enjoyable challenge. Hopefully a collection will be meaty enough to gain the approval of readers.
I’ve also started working on a historical erotic romance with an early title of Sweet’s Dove. Set somewhere after the Civil War, a soiled dove agrees to become a mail order bride for a gold miner in eastern Oregon. She’s determined to play the part of an unsullied virgin to escape her sordid past. Unfortunately, as often happens, that past catches up to her in the form of a former employer whose mistreatment of her is what led to her employment in a brothel. Complicating matters, her new husband, a laconic man who has a reputation for extreme violence in town, takes one look at her and refuses to consummate the marriage– leaving Lucy hurt, frustrated and more than a little offended.
I’m imagining that Sweet’s Dove will be a longer offering, perhaps even my first novella. It all depends on whether I can rise to the challenge of breaking the habit of eight months of concise writing without stumbling into the bad habit of padding a story with fluff. When I sat down to write earlier, I poured 1200 words onto the page without breaking a sweat before life interrupted, so who knows! I might do it!
After these are done though, I think I’ll put the challenges on hold. Probably. Maybe. I do have ideas for a number of other stories that might not be as tricky to write. College co-eds seducing each other’s fathers (I do love older men), a woman kidnapped by a Faery Lord who’s adapted to big city life, a girlfriend who talks her boyfriend into helping her explore her deepest, darkest fantasy…
I need to find a way to write in my sleep. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.
Erotica Explored 