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the writing life

It is Not Just Sex

by | December 24, 2021 | | 4 Comments

Sex is exactly like magic, except for one very important difference. Both have an air of mystery about them, and practitioners who speak in hushed tones. Both have their rituals, their Words of Power, and both traffic in what some would consider to be dark secrets.

But the biggest, the most important difference between sex and magic is that the wizard who learns every conceivable spell known to man, becomes exalted. More often than not, they are elevated to the rank of grandmaster.

Nobody gets elevated for knowing everything about sex.

At least, not in the way that gets talked about at parties.

You see, while wizards are allowed to experiment, to test the bounds of human experience, the sex mage who screams, ‘I’ve mastered the reverse-cowgirl levitation technique!’ gets buried beneath Azkaban without a ceremony.

It’s not fair. It’s not even really funny, but…there you have it.

The ironic part about all of this is that sex is at its best when it is discussed openly, but even that open discussion can be twisted so easily.

I for one, have always been leery of those who speak of sex in metaphysical terms. Who talk of souls meeting, or celestial bodies, as though by speaking frankly about what they want, they might somehow sully themselves.

But equally as bad, if not worse are those who simply shrug and say ‘It’s just sex,” as though they can’t possibly understand what all the fuss is about.

Telling a devout Catholic newlywed who has to go from demure protector to wild, kinky sex-kitten in one night that it’s just sex, doesn’t do anything except undermine her faith and her identity.

For a woman who has never had a pleasurable experience in bed due to vaginismus, the words do nothing to alleviate her pain.

And for the guy who was so nervous the first several times he tried to have sex that he couldn’t perform, (unashamedly raises his hand) the phrase doesn’t eliminate the nerves. Because by that logic, sex is just a matter of ‘get up and go’ and if he can’t, then he’s left with the exact same fear as the newlywed who can’t turn on a dime, or the woman who can’t ‘just relax.’

The fear that there’s something wrong with me.

Sex, in a lot of ways, is actually better than magic, because it’s defined by the people who take part in it, which means its impact or relevancy changes depending upon the person. Whether it’s to fill a void, relieve stress or forge a connection (however celestial) sex is a pillar of any relationship. Not the most important pillar. Far from it. But neither dressing up sex, nor trivializing it will help those who dread being bad at something that society says they shouldn’t know too much about anyway.

Honest, awkward, flush-faced conversations are easy to talk about, not easy to affect.

(We can all be hypocrites, deep in our hearts. Let’s be honest here.)

But what problems these conversations come with are immediate and often fade just as quickly. The alternatives however, the shame and hushed tones and fear we’ve all lived with for far too long, those effects can last a lifetime.

And that, to me, is the real shame.

Gallows Hope

by | August 24, 2021 | , | 2 Comments

Not long ago, I sent a story off to some friends, one of whom came back and said she thought it was beautiful and powerful, but far too bleak. She said I dropped my main character into a brutal, misogynistic system, dragged her through hell and then killed her. That’s it. ‘Where’s the hero’s journey?’ she asked. ‘Where’s the moment when the main character sees the system for what it is, beats the thousand to one odds and then changes things for the better?’

I wrote back to my friend and said, ‘I get it, I do.’ We all need a hero’s journey, and every writer has their own literary hero. But by asking for a hero’s journey, my friend was missing the point of the story. Because in order for there to be one man who beats the thousands to one odds, there has to be nine hundred and ninety-nine others who don’t. Before there can be a Final Girl, you must first have victims.

Let me back up a minute.

When I was coming up, my literary heroes were King, Rice, Bradbury, and Stine. They not only taught me how to write, they showed me that magic, real magic, isn’t found in words like abracadabra or hocus pocus, but in smaller, plainer, less flowery spells like, it can be done.

And from the moment I first thought those words, they began to grow inside me. Stretching and reaching until they became a new spell altogether. One which had me sitting up far too late at night, gripped by the sense that I needed to whisper this spell, because even then I was afraid the words wouldn’t come out right. But into that darkness, I said, if they can do, I can too. 

And then I set out to beat the odds.

But for as much as adults might shun the idea of magic, there’s a secret to it which only we can know because we’ve lived with it long enough. Magic has no rules. There are no laws, no guidebooks, not even a roadmap. Just a series of mutually agreed upon arrangements wherein Harry Potter can be rejected twelve times, Carrie thirty and Roots two hundred before they could become classics. The same unfathomable arrangement which implies, but never states, that buried amongst all of those slush piles we secretly dread, are masterpieces which will never be found, not because the writers weren’t talented enough, or didn’t have thick enough skin but because they committed themselves to a system which is wonderfully, bafflingly, borderline abusively incapable of explaining itself.

Even in writing this article, I’ve broken several of the ‘rules’ of writing. I’ve started a sentence with ‘when,’ I’ve used ‘and’ far too many times and I’ve switched tenses so often that I’m sure it’s driving some of you to distraction. But if you’ve come with me this far, I’m hoping you’ll go a little further. Because whether this article works or it falls flat, isn’t the point. The point is that no one in the industry can properly explain to you why, one way or the other.

We are, all of us, very much on our own, which is exactly the reason it’s taken me days to conjure up an ending which falls somewhere between wish-fulfillment and nihilism because the bittersweet truth is that both of them are right.

In our quest to be the hero of our own journey, we might very well die trying, much like the main character in my story. She’s the one who doesn’t get away from the serial killer because there will always be more victims than Final Girls. But failure is only ever certain when we give up the fight.

So perhaps the next time we take up the pen, after our latest rejection or the dreaded ‘it’s just not what we’re looking for’ refrain, we do so not with a bright-eyed belief, but with a gallows hope. The sort of pitch-black resolve which drives us to take up the journey, while never losing sight off the bodies which litter the way. A plain, stark acknowledgement that while the odds against us are tragic and potently bleak, they are also true and most definitely…a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

When Characters Talk To You

by | April 28, 2021 | | 10 Comments

How alive are your characters for you? Do you have conversations with them? Do they tell you what they want to do in a story, even if it’s not something you had in mind for them?

Do you hear your characters when they talk?

I recently read an article that talked about how many authors in fact do hear their characters speak to them. According to researchers at Durham University who teamed up with the Guardian and the Edinburgh international book festival, sixty-three per cent [of respondents] said they heard their characters speak while writing, with 61% reporting characters were capable of acting independently.”181 authors were interviewed.

This finding was of great interest to me since I hear my characters voices when they talk to me. Some are quiet while others are quite loud. As my readers know, I write sexy retellings of fairy tales. Tita, my Puss In Boots in my novella “Trouble In Thigh High Boots” has a deep, sonorous voice. She purrs. Obviously, she does. She’s a cat shifter. Rapunzel in my novella “Climbing Her Tower” has a higher, wispier voice. She also speaks quicker than Tita. Both of these characters have told me when they were unhappy with the direction of a plot. They also told me what turns them on the most so I could give them the best experiences. These two are very open, honest, and straightforward – qualities I admire.

I asked writers on Facebook their experiences with their characters voices. Everyone’s experience is different, but all have a camaraderie with their characters. Some fight. Some don’t. Some take the plot in a direction the author had not originally considered. Some play the “You should be writing” card. Here are a few responses.

Christiane Knight – “Mine talk to me and occasionally have taken the plot in very different directions than I’d planned.”

Terri Bruce – “LOL – I not only hear them, but it’s kind of like they take me over at times. I’ll be in the shower or driving and realize suddenly that I’m talking OUT LOUD, saying the dialog I’m picturing in my head (the scene starts playing like a little movie in my head but it’s always in first person – I’m the characters (lol all of them) in the scene/seeing the scene from their POV – rather than third person). My husband often catches me doing this (it’s happened in a restaurant while sitting across from him a few times) and he’s like “um, honey, your lips are moving. You’re talking to yourself. What is happening?????” LOLOLOL!”

Phoenix Johnson – “Some of mine are total arseholes lol they try to fight me, can be exhausting!”

Colleen Markley – “My protagonist is sitting on my newly cleaned counter now, swinging her feet against the cabinet. Her heels bang the wood. “You need to stop playing house and get serious,” she tells me. “You can’t finish a novel if you’re not serious. You’re just shy of 90,000 words and you still need to finish act two. Your pacing is off and you need to fix it.” She pauses her feet and stops speaking for a moment as she looks at me. “You’re so close.”

Jenise Aminoff – “My characters all have distinct voices, and some of them ARGUE with me.”

Jacques Gerard – ” Yes, I do hear my character’s voices and would love to be included in your blog. I just finished an erotic short story. It has a lady DJ doing a podcast. Her voice is low and velvety. Her male lover who calls into her show has a deep baritone voice and sounds like Barry White.”

So writers, do your characters talk to you? Boss you around? Plead with you? If so, know you’re not alone.

———

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her two cats. Her LGBTQ paranormal erotic shifter romance novel “Full Moon Fever” is now available for purchase at Amazon and other book distributors. Her collection of erotic fairy tales, “Happily Ever After: Twisted Versions of Your Favorite Fairy Tales”, is also available at Amazon.

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

Giving Thanks

by | November 28, 2020 | | 3 Comments

We are in the midst of the holiday season. COVID put a monkey wrench into my live book promotion plans, but I was able to do quite a bit online. I participated in two blog tours for two of my books. I took out ads in online romance web sites. I did a newsletter booster, and I did some live chats on Facebook.

I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to accomplish this year despite the pandemic ruining in person appearances. I published nine short stories, a collection of erotic fairy tales (Happily Ever After: Twisted Versions of Your Favorite Fairy Tales), and one paranormal erotic romance with werewolves (Full Moon Fever). Interviewed two horror authors. I’m working on some flash fiction since I haven’t felt much like writing with the holidays looming.

I’m grateful for my health. No one in the household is sick with anything let alone COVID. We have our usual aches and pains but nothing to complain about.

I’m grateful I have a place to live although we’re looking for a new home. Rent went up and we’re looking for a better bargain in housing. We don’t want to leave town since we’re right on the ocean. So, we’ll keep looking until the right home comes along – preferably one where I may plant a garden, and one that is a short distance from the beach. New England beaches are rustic and the water is cold, but we love it.

I’m grateful our car runs well. Our last car was a bit of a lemon. Needed constant repair. Our current car is a 2014 VW Beetle with a sunroof! Perfect car for a joy ride around town and by the beaches.

I’m grateful for my family. My husband and son are very supportive of my writing. I’m aware some writers don’t have that kind of support. It’s sad that some writers experience disapproval of their art from their own family members. My husband has helped me with promotion, and he keeps me sane when I’m ready to throw in the towel and quit every other day. My son has told his friends his mom writes “naughty words”. LOL

I’m grateful for the feline members of the family. We just lost Mister, who died at age 15 of old age. I still miss him. He was a moody Maine Coon. Meriwether is now a year and a half old, and he’s into EVERYTHING. We bought a Halloween strobe light and it turns out Meri loves it! It’s better than a cat’s laser pointer toy. I turn it on and he meows and chases the light images across the room. Easy entertainment. Our blind cat Breena loves to eat and sit by the living room window listening to the birds. Cats and writing go very well together, by the way.

I’m grateful for my friends. My best friend and I have been besties for 56 years. We met when we were four years old in Miss Ella’s dance class. We’ve been inseparable ever since. She has always been a good friend I can rely on in good times and bad.

I’m grateful for my holiday decorations and the baking I do this time of year. I’m able to do both. I’ve already made butter cookies. I made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner. I grow my own herbs, which are indoors now, and we use them often in cooking. I have sage, rosemary and thyme (cue up Simon and Garfunkel), marjoram, tarragon, and oregano. I also have a three foot tall bay plant and a foot tall lemon tree I grew from a seed from a lemon from the supermarket. That was an experiment that succeeded. It’s fun to garden.

I hope everyone reading has a happy holiday season. Take a breather and hope for the best for 2021.

——–

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her two cats. Her LGBTQ paranormal erotic shifter romance novel “Full Moon Fever” is now available for purchase at Amazon and other book distributors. Her collection of erotic fairy tales, “Happily Ever After: Twisted Versions of Your Favorite Fairy Tales”, is also available at Amazon.

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing Rituals

by | October 28, 2020 | | 3 Comments

Do you have writing rituals? Are there things you do that may be considered superstitious that help you keep the muse happy? I have theater experience, and the theater is chock full of superstitious. Don’t whistle on stage. Beware performances of “Macbeth” because they are bad luck. Wish an actor to “break a leg” before a performance.

Writers are not much different. I have a few writing rituals I follow regularly. I own a talisman for poets and writers that I wear when I’m writing. It gives me confidence. I also enjoy a glass of champagne after I finish a work. When I get an acceptance, I enjoy a glass of champagne. When I get a rejection, I also enjoy a glass of champagne to stay inspired. Maybe I just like drinking champagne.

I knew of famous writers who had writing rituals. The article, “Writing Rituals: Superstition or Productivity”, published at Neiman Storyboard, detailed some of these peculiar rituals. Here are examples:

Gay Talese – According to legend, he pinned his pages to the wall of his office, and then he’d study them through binoculars to study them.

John Steinbeck – When working on “East of Eden”, he wrote daily to his editor. He also sharpened 12 pencils through an electric pencil sharpener, with one point lasting one page.

James Joyce – He wrote in bed while wearing a long white coat. He also marked up his notebooks with crayon for “Ulysses”.

Truman Capote – Left three and only three cigarette butts in his ashtray.

Honoré de Balzac – Drank lots of coffee to stay alert and keep writing.

Colette – Picked fleas off her cat before she wrote.

Robert Frost – Wrote only at night.

Marcel Proust – Lined his bedroom where he wrote with corkboard to dull sound. He also blocked light with heavy curtains so he wouldn’t be distracted.

J. D. Salinger – As a teen, he wrote beneath his bedsheets at night using a flashlight.

Charles Dickens, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf – hiked in the countryside as inspiration.

Alexandre Dumas – Wrote poetry on yellow paper, articles on pink paper, and novels on blue paper.

Langston Hughes – Wrote letters in bright green ink.

Margaret Atwood – Liked writing on planes.

Why would writers engage in such superstitious behavior? Maybe because every little bit helps. I take notes with a special pen. It’s soothing to me. Rituals are important in creative endeavors. They help to keep one focused. They help give confidence. They relieve anxiety. They make you feel at one with other writers as you learn about their own idiosyncrasies. Writers – and creative people in general – often display odd behavior, but there’s nothing bad or weird about it. If lighting incense and sharpening a dozen pencils help writers write, more power to them.

———

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her three cats. Her LGBTQ paranormal erotic shifter romance novel “Full Moon Fever” is now available for purchase at Amazon and other book distributors. Her collection of erotic fairy tales, “Happily Ever After: Twisted Versions of Your Favorite Fairy Tales”, is also available at Amazon.

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

 

 

 

 

The Elephant In The Living Room – COVID-19

by | May 28, 2020 | | 5 Comments

It’s been hard to write with the elephant standing in the living room, staring me down.

I’m talking about COVID-19.

I’m fortunate in that not much has changed in my household. My husband and son are both essential workers so abject fear from unemployment is not an issue for us. Although my husband was moved from 3rd to 2nd shift and he has a lower pay rate because of it, we aren’t hurting for money. We have very little debt – a car payment and that’s it. The credit cards are paid off. There is money in the bank. We are healthy. I know how fortunate we are.

Even though not much has changed for us, I still feel the stress of the pandemic. There are lines at the grocery store. The marijuana dispensaries were closed until this week. We must wear masks in the common areas of the apartment complex and outdoors. Everyone is social distancing, although my husband thinks more accurate wordage is physical distancing. Social distancing implies something like shutting down your Facebook account temporarily because you’re stressing out from all the depressing political and pandemic talk. Physical distancing is more accurate and descriptive, but everyone knows what social distancing means.

I haven’t been able to write much of anything except for some blog posts for my blog tour for my new LGBTQ paranormal romance novel “Full Moon Fever”. I need to work on my horror novel “Hell Time”, but the desire simply isn’t there. I’m having very strange dreams. Not nightmares. Just dreams. I’m having trouble sleeping. I’m sure other people including writers are experiencing much the same. It helps to have someone to talk to about all of it.

While I haven’t been writing, I’ve been reading. I just finished the first book in J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It was good, but I thought the names of the vampires were silly. Rhage? Wrath? Zsadist? Seriously? The book held my attention, though, and I did enjoy it. I wanted to read the top best seller in the paranormal romance category, and that’s the book series that came up first. Now I’m reading a non-fiction book about feminism by Dr. Phyllis Chesler. I want escapism. So do some readers. Readers I’ve talked to aren’t interested in dystopian stories, especially those about pandemics. I do know of some people reading Stephen King’s “The Stand”, but most want something a bit more cheerful and uplifting. I had thought about rereleasing my novelette “Roughing It”. but it’s about a pandemic so I’ve decided against it. I also need to rewrite that story, and lengthen it to novel length. It’s too short.

I’m also watching TV. My husband and I are binge-watching “House M. D.”. I’ve never seen the show before. All I knew about it was that Hugh Laurie, who plays Dr. Gregory House, is British and can do a mean American accent. I also knew it was a medical drama. This show is damned good! We’re also binge-watching “Midsomer Murders”. I love that show. It’s whimsical and funny – just what I need to cheer up my somber mood.

I’m not going to pressure myself to write before I’m ready. I may reread “Hell Time” and see where I stand. The book is almost finished. I need to finish it. I also have an idea for a new contemporary romance/women’s fiction story. It’ll be a bit of a fish-out-of-water story about a woman who moves from the Big City (Boston) to my small island community Caleb’s Woe for the summer while researching a set of old photographs she found from film in a very old camera. She wants to locate the heirs and return the photos to the proper family. That’s as far as I got. I need to flesh out the characters and plot before I may begin writing. When I will write is up for debate. I simply don’t want to. Yes, I’ve been busy with book promotion but that’s really an excuse. I’m too distracted to write at the moment, but I know I will begin again soon. COVID-19 is stressful and I’m sure other writers feel the same way. I guess this is the new normal.

———

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her three cats. Her new LGBTQ paranormal erotic shifter romance novel “Full Moon Fever” is now available for purchase at Amazon and other book distributors..

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

 

 

 

Characters and Location

by | April 28, 2020 | | 9 Comments

Series are very popular with romance writers. I’ve never written a series, but I have had characters appear in more than one story. I have also set several stories (and one unpublished novel) in the same location.

My characters Charlotte and Lina originally appeared in my short story Neighbors. That story was originally published by Torquere Books for their lesbian anthology Vamps. It is currently reprinted in the lesbian anthology The Girls Next Door for Bold Strokes Books. That anthology is available at Amazon and at the publisher’s web site.

Today, you may see Charlotte and Lina at their best in my GLBT paranormal shifter romance Full Moon Fever, which is available at Amazon and other distributors. These two women work with a traveling theatrical road show as scenic artists. They paint sets. Charlotte and Lina are joined by my main characters Sam Hightower and Grant Newsome. They also meet up with dancer Luke Pearce. Charlotte and Lina are examples of the double – they look very much alike; so alike they may be mistaken for each other. However, their personalities could not be more different. Lina is quiet and reserved while Charlotte is loud and boisterous. They are two sides of the same coin.

More often, I’ve set stories in the same location. I created Norwich, Massachusetts and the island of Caleb’s Woe, which is located ten miles off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. Norwich is not far from my home. It’s a sleepy little New England town where all sorts of mysterious things happen. Stephen King did something similar when he created his New England towns with interesting names like Jerusalem’s Lot, Derry, and Castle Rock, all in Maine.

Caleb’s Woe is similar to Nantucket, Massachusetts. It has a tourist trap area where people from around the world shop for t-shirts, sweatshirts, and all sorts of other junk. The restaurants are open, and the seafood is great. The beaches are open, but the water is cold. This is Massachusetts, after all. That scene in Jaws at the beach when no one wanted to get in the water because of the shark scare? The reluctance was real since the locals who were extras knew how cold that water was at the time of filming in June. It’s helps if you are wearing a wetsuit. I’ve set an unpublished mystery novel there, and I’m currently looking for a home for it.

While I have not yet written a series, I do like to revisit characters and locations. I’ve thought of setting a series of novels and more short stories on Caleb’s Woe. Once I find a home for the mystery novel, I will be very happy. In the meantime, I shall set my romances and scary stories in my New England town and on my island.

———

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her three cats. Her new GLBT paranormal erotic shifter romance novel “Full Moon Fever” is now available for purchase at Amazon and other book distributors..

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

Help An Editor: Follow The Guidelines

by | January 28, 2020 | | 2 Comments

So you have written the Great American Short Story or Novel and you want to submit it to a publisher. The next step is to find the right publisher for your work. This post isn’t about finding an ideal publisher. It’s about an equally important item –  the writer’s guidelines.

I’ve been told by quite a few publishers that writers don’t necessarily follow the guidelines when submitting a work. I’m sometimes surprised by the number of writers who don’t follow a publisher’s submission guidelines. I’m not sure why some writers screw up this step, but plenty of them do.

First, find the guidelines on the publisher’s web site. They should be easy enough to find. While each publisher’s guidelines will be different, there are some things that are common to most guidelines.

Make sure your manuscript is formatted properly. The most common font and size for a manuscript are 12 point Times New Roman. Some publishers want a different font. If that’s the case in your submission, duplicate your manuscript and convert it to the proper font. No, you can’t submit in Comic Sans because you like that particular font or you think you’re being clever. Doing such a thing guarantees your manuscript will go into the “trash” file. Follow the guidelines and submit according to the publisher’s specifications.

Another big one on the list of no-nos is using spaces or tabs to indent your paragraphs. This is the one that surprises me the most since many publishers I’ve talked to over the years have brought it up. Your manuscript should default to double spaced and a one inch indent. On the Mac at least, Word has a Format tab and you go to Paragraph to set this up.

Keep an eye on headers and footers and page numbers. Some publishers want page numbers and some don’t. Some want you to put your contact information in a header and some don’t. Most often in my experience, the publisher wants your contact information at the top left of the manuscript without making it a header. It’s important to have your contact info at the top of the page, otherwise, the publisher won’t know who wrote the piece or how to reach you. Most publishers I’ve run into want your contact info both on the manuscript and in the body of your submission email, but as I’ve stated earlier, each publisher is different.

Pay attention to word counts. If the anthology submission calls for works no longer than 5,000 words, don’t send something that is 7,000 words long. Your story may be a work of genius (most likely not), but editors have a limited number of pages to work with. If you are able to whittle down your story to 5,000 words, do it. Otherwise, look for submission calls that allow for longer works. The opposite end is also true. Some publishers include a lower end word count limit, such as no shorter than 3,000 words. Don’t send flash fiction if the publisher didn’t request it. Keep to the guidelines.

If the publisher asks for a photo and bio in the body of your email, make sure you send them. Don’t forget. It can be a bit overwhelming to follow detailed guidelines, but take it step by step and you’ll be fine.

Pay attention if the publisher wants no reprints or simultaneous submissions. If the publisher does allow simultaneous submissions, make sure you notify that publisher as quickly as possible if your work is accepted elsewhere. It’s only polite.

When you follow the guidelines properly, you’re on your way to your work getting a look-see. Publishers will put your submission in the trash if it doesn’t follow the guidelines properly because, in not following the guidelines, you’ve give the publisher more work to do. Don’t do that. The first step in a successful submission is to do it properly. You may also write to the publisher if something in the guidelines isn’t clear. When you hit “send”, that euphoria you feel is in part due to following the instructions properly. When you do that, the publisher knows you’ve taken the time to read and submit in the best way possible. Best wishes for an acceptance!

Being An Introvert In An Extroverted Profession

by | July 28, 2019 | | 0 Comments

I attended yet another writer’s convention about a week ago, and I am still exhausted. Conventions are hard work! I talked up other writers, discussed my books, spoke on a panel, shared little plastic glasses of sparkling wine I had brought with me, and ate saugies in the quad at night. This con was held at a university. Saugies are delicious hot dogs found in Rhode Island. They are not your average hot dog and they are a fixture at this particular convention.

I did all this while being an introvert.

Writing is an odd profession for an introvert. On the one hand, it’s a very isolating vocation. A writer spends hours, days, months alone in front of a computer (or typewriter, or notebook) clacking away while creating new worlds. You live inside your head. It’s a very comfortable space to be in if being around people normally gives you the hives.

On the other hand, writers these days must self-promote if they want to make a real go of things. Most writers I’ve spoken to are introverts, yet they are required to read excerpts in public in front of people. Crowds! Panic may easily set in. Then they are expected to sell books at tables at conventions, all the while talking up the people who stop by in the hope that they will buy your books. Talking up strangers! Panic may easily set in. They socialize at parties even if they suffer from crippling social anxiety. Your mouth turns to dust while you stand there trying to figure out what would make a good start to a conversation, hoping you don’t sound like a blithering idiot; especially when you’re either talking to someone you haven’t seen in months or someone you know only through Facebook.

It’s not easy.

I like having an ice breaker, and lugging around a bottle of bubbly asking people if they’d like some is a great way to open a conversation. Last year, my husband and I brought homemade limoncello and we used it to talk people up. When folks heard “homemade limoncello” their eyes went wide and they said, “Oooh, I’d love some!”. Then I asked them how their latest book was coming along. That’s an easy question since writers like to talk about their work. Most people like to talk about themselves. I’m a good listener, too, which helps me when I suddenly clam up and I have nothing to say especially about myself.

The on and off nature of socializing when you’re a writer can be very off-putting and exhausting. Being an introvert, I needed time to decompress. I did that by returning to my room and taking a nap or surfing the web. I had a glass of wine. Relaxed a bit. Once I felt replenished, I returned to the con to socialize some more. It wasn’t that hard once I got my lips working to form a few coherent words.

Little voices ran through my head, saying things like, “I don’t feel like talking to anyone. I want to hole up in my room and never come out.” Those voices were wrong. I did feel like chatting up people. If I stayed in my room for a long period of time I’d get bored. My husband was with me and that helped. He’s more gregarious than me. We approached people we knew together and when they smiled and their faces lit up that was enough to bring me out of my shell. Sometimes they were in a crowd of people I didn’t know so introductions were made. Sparkling wine was passed around. We made new friends.

Although I always feel alarm before attending a convention, book reading, or publishing event, once I get there and chat up a few people, I calm down. I actually have fun! That’s the key above all for me – it is fun to be around people. In small doses. But I have a great time and it’s good to touch base. Then I can return home, inspired by my convention experience, and write refreshed.

Then I wait for anxiety to set in for the next public event. Rinse and repeat. But in the end it always turns out well.

———

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her two cats.

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter:http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

Writer’s Retreats

by | March 28, 2019 | | 4 Comments

I went to a writers retreat hosted by Broad Universe in mid-March. Broad Universe is a networking group for women who write speculative fiction. I’ve been a member for several years. This retreat was held at Starfield Farm in central Massachusetts. There were lots of trees, birds, peace and quiet. I spent four days working on short stories, blog posts and part of a novel.

Everyone cooked in some fashion. I had brought cookies I had made at home. One woman made some delicious Mexican food. Another made scrumptious kugel. I was in gustatory heaven, which made the experience ever more enjoyable. During the evenings we socialized, drank homemade mead and sangria made by two of the women, and enjoyed a brief snowfall.

The isolation and quiet made for easy writing. The house dog (the retreat’s mascot) came to me often for petting (and hoping for table scraps), which was a nice break. I did finish a short story and I wrote two blog posts. The novel is coming along nicely.

I like writers retreats more than conventions now. For one thing, I think I get more for my money. I am not trapped behind a table in the dealer’s room for eight to ten hours at a time. I can rest whenever I want to which is important at my age. And I felt inspired by all the other women around me and by the locale. Writers retreats are well worth the money I spend on them for room and board, which was inexpensive for this one.

If you are a writer and are in the market for a writer’s retreat, here are a few to apply for that I’ve read are worthwhile:

Wellspring House Retreat – Located in Ashfield, Massachusetts, Wellspring is open year round. Rates per week are reasonable and vary depending on season and if you are coming along as an individual or a couple.

Yaddo – This one is an artist’s retreat that welcomes writers. You must apply to be accepted. According to Wikipedia, collectively, artists who have worked at Yaddo have won 66 Pulitzer Prizes, 27 MacArthur Fellowships, 61 National Book Awards, 24 National Book Critics Circle Awards, 108 Rome Prizes, one Nobel Prize, and more. The name “Yaddo” rhymes with “shadow”.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Retreat – Can you imagine your muse inspiring you in the Rocky Mountains? Then, you’d like this retreat. This retreat spans three nights and often includes agent and author guests. Prices vary up to $399 for a private bedroom for the duration of the retreat. You may also stay for one day for $65 including meals.

Retreats located outside the U. S. that may appeal include the Himalayan Writers Retreat, Luova Retreats in Provence, France, and the women-only A Writer Within in Tuscany.

I may be going on another writers retreat near Cape Cod around Memorial Day weekend. This one is also hosted by Broad Universe. It is a bit more expensive, but that’s okay. It’s five days long and at a beach house. The rate is higher because it’s the beginning of the peak summer season. Once again, we’ll provide our own food and there will be plenty of peace and quiet. One thing I like about these retreats is I tend to see the same people over and over again since this is the New England chapter of Broad Universe, which is very active. I plan on soaking up some rays, walking on the beach, and getting lots of writing done. These retreats are a welcome part of my writing future.

———

Elizabeth Black writes in a wide variety of genres including erotica, erotic romance, horror, and dark fiction. She lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and her two cats.

Web site: http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Newsletter:http://eepurl.com/b76GWD

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