This is going to be the last instalment of the Write Stuff. Rather than indulge myself here with a maudlin tribute to all those who've corresponded with me over the years, I simply wanted to say thank you, and share a reminder of one of the earliest articles I wrote...
As regular readers of this column will probably know, I'm a huge fan of poetry. I write poems. I read poems. I perform poems. I teach people how to write poetry. In short, I'm a poetic person. As far as writing fiction is concerned, I've always been of the Coleridge...
I'm slowly beginning to realise that I'm driven by deadlines. Douglas Adams, author of the wonderful Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series said, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." And, whilst I love Adams's humorous approach,...
As many of you reading this will already know, a host of ERWA regular contributors began blogging in earnest this year on the ERWA blog. I'm one of the bloggers and honoured to be writing in the company of such erotica luminaries. It's always good to be in the company...
In the 1999 Baz Luhrmann song, Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen), the singer suggests, 'Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.' Luhrmann's song is the verbatim reading of a 1997 article written by Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune columnist....
There are several things that upset me. A kick in the groin. A sad movie. Personal upheaval and family tragedy. I've probably not listed those in the best order. However, one of the main things that genuinely upsets me is watching aspiring writers give up. Below are...
Six years ago (to this month), I submitted a column about a public book reading where I shared the spotlight with the inimitable Vanesa Baggott. I compared reading in public to a rollercoaster ride: exhilarating, exciting and fun. Since that column I've been doing a...
I'm releasing a heavy sigh as I read the title of this article: managing multiple projects. I remember the days when I had no problems with managing multiple projects because I was only ever working on one project at a time. Reflecting on those times, I'm sure life...
In erotic fiction there are several taboos specific to the genre. The commonplace publishing taboos against incest, bestiality, underage sex and necrophilia make sense as valid restrictions. Those acts are either illegal immoral or potentially harmful. They merit...
It's important to identify genres. For anyone trying to make a commercial success of their fiction, agents and editors want to know the name of the shelf in the book store where they can propose to put the results of your hard work. Romance? Horror? Crime? Erotica?...