Sex

Now that I have your attention... no, not really, I AM going to talk about sex.
Not the sex you actually have, but sex in books, in stories, in poems, in any kind of writing.
How much is too much? Are there some genres which just shouldn't have sex in them? Should sex, at least explicit sex be relegated to romance and erotica? What makes it explicit and what kind of sex is considered OK in any old book, if any?
I would love to hear some opinions on this, but I know I have a very small audience lol but feel free to make your comments!! I would love to hear them.
There is the age old adage that 'sex sells', is this simply in TV, movies, advertising, music, primarily visual things - or does this count for the written word as well?
Romance/erotica have some very big markets in the world, massive, which would suggest that there is definitely a market for sex/love. But does this extend beyond?
Is sex still dirty?
I guess the reason why this springs to mind is because a lot of my stories have sex in them. Not all, but a lot, and even if it's not actually written sometimes it's implied. I don't consider it to be over the top, or explicit, or unnecessary, it just happens, much as it happens in the real world.
My characters are people, with real relationships and couples who have sex, teenagers who are experimenting and learning about their bodies and the opposite sex.
I'd like to think that I don't just write it in just to spice things up, I'd like to believe that this is just how my stories turn out sometimes. I don't know if that says something about me, or nothing at all, but it's interesting to think about.
So I guess an interesting experiment would be for me to take a story with sex and rewrite it without and see how they differ. I think that is something I'll do, though obviously not until after my assignments are all done, and I even think I'll post it here and see if I can get some feedback on it.
Sex probably isn't necessary in a lot of stories, but I think the kind of stories I like to tell are about characters who have connections, and sometimes those connections need to be expressed in other ways. Sometimes a hug, or a gaze, or a peck on the cheek simply doesn't fulfill the requirements I have. It's never what the story is about, it's just something that happens along the way. And I don't see a problem with that, to me it's much the same as someone going to the toilet, or having a shower, or taking out the garbage. It's something humans do, and I include a wide spectrum of what humans do in the things I write.
I do sometimes wonder whether this will affect my ability to get published. Does it decrease my chances? What percentage of a book is it ok to write about that kind of stuff in?
I'd think it takes up maybe.... 5% in my last nano, which isn't much, but it's still there. And my SoCNoC... well, there is no sex as yet, but there is a connection which will probably lead to an encounter in the second half of the book, and I have no idea what will happen with that. I wouldn't want to take that out though, I feel like it would change the essence of the story, it would lessen the impact of these characters relationships.
So, next month, I'll complete this challenge. Write a story with sex and rewrite it without and see how it changes things.
And if all else fails, take up writing romance.

I had a dream

And in that dream, I was writing essays...in fact, I am pretty sure that when I awoke it was with some academic statement about childhood sexual abuse.
I spent 3 hours last night sitting on the floor, printing out article upon article, research study upon research study.
The upshot is that I now have pretty much all the information that is required for all of my upcoming assignments, the downside is that the particular assignment I was researching for last night is the one thats due in last, and it pushed all the information out of my head about the assignment which I am meant to be writing right now, as I sit here writing this.
I have started, I have 54 words, lets not think about the fact that I still need another 2446 *hopes she did her math right*.
I sometimes think that the same approach I have with my creative writing is applicable to my academic writing.
There is this preparation period where I gather information/ideas, I read, I make notes, I think, I dwell, but I don't do any actual writing. I sit on all of these things, sometimes I don't even spend a lot of time thinking about them consciously, but I know that it's all fermenting, all the ingredients have been placed in my brain its just a matter of giving it the right amount of time to brew.
And then will come the time when I am actually ready to sit down and get started. This generally works best when it is a time I have chosen for myself, when I can honestly say 'I am ready' - this is no longer an option though when it comes to this semesters assignments. I can only hope that enough fermenting has gone on that the end product will be passable.
On the other hand with my creative writing, usually the imposed start time is a far off distant point, and I would probably feel ready to sit down and start writing well before the event comes around, I actually think by making me wait longer to begin in these cases I end up producing better work. More ideas spring up, more details and I have a better idea of where I am going when I finally get that sweet release and am able to release the story thats been captive in my mind for so long.
If only assignments were spread far enough apart to allow for proper brain fermenting. Ah well, I can only do what I can do, and I had better go and get to it.

Kiwiwriters staff meeting this afternoon, am really looking forward to it! Fiance suggested I skip it in order to get more quality essay writing time because little one is at her nana's but no, not a chance!!! lol

Friday, glorious Friday.

I don't often feel that way, being that Simon works weekends and I always have study to do and little one to take care of, the weekend is just another two days like any other two days. But for some reason, this Friday it actually feels like a Friday.
Perhaps it's because the sun is out and the weather has been just stunning today (and fingers crossed, knocking on wood, looks like it will hold for the weekend). Perhaps it's because I am relatively up to date with my course work and I feel like I can get through everything in time. Perhaps it's because I did submit that piece and I don't feel nearly as anxious about it as I thought I might (which isn't to say that I feel confident, or happy, or anything else about it, just not anxious, not worrying). It might even be that for almost a week now I have been getting to bed before 11pm and having a full nights sleep... heaven forbid.
It doesn't really matter, lol I feel good, I feel happy, I feel calm and satisfied and it is nice. Really nice.
I think I might do some writing over the weekend, after I have this next assignment kicked off to a fine start. I am pretty sure it's even going to be on Dream dark, dream deadly. Or maybe I'll make some notes for the continuation of the 'sci-fi' story I posted on here a little while ago, either way, I feel like I have enough head space to write, like the frantic desperation of the last few weeks has dissipated some and I can think and breathe and do the things I just really love to do again, without having to stress about the things I know I should be doing.

'cause bears sleeping.

This is the new statement in our house. It's Ivy's, but we are using it now as well, she interjects it randomly in conversation, sometimes followed by 'up the fireplace' I'm not entirely sure where this idea of a bear sleeping in our fireplace came from but it seems like it is here to stay.

The week is going by too fast, there is still a fair amount of stuff to do and I am not really sure if I'm going to get it done. It's kind of weird, I thought I had more time, but the 17th is just around the corner and from there its assignment hell until the 6th of October (actually, make that the 1st, I'll have to have everything in the post by then, or resort to faxing). They go like this: 17th, 28th Sep, 1st, 3rd, 5th Oct. Then the final one is due Oct 19th, then exams 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th and 2th of November. All these dates.....

I've been reading some of the recommended authors for one of the romance lines I was considering writing for. I think I need to find a couple others so that I can discover what kind of variety there is. I've never been a big romance reader, there were an occasional few back in high school that my friend loaned me, but I guess I just never really got into them in the way she did. I'm currently asking myself whether I can write that way, it will be an interesting challenge I think.
My friend and I are each going to write a novel for a line and submit it, I have my idea, it's just a matter of finding the time to write it (next year obviously, though she is doing hers for Nano). I need to read a lot more of that style novels before then to get my head in the right space I think.
Would I feel like having something published in that area was an accomplishment? Or will I only really feel fulfilled if I get something published in one of the areas I love to write the most?
That said though, I haven't done 'romance' before so I may yet enjoy it, and I wouldn't really know what genre to pin myself under most of the time anyways. I've written some urban fantasy, some sci-fi, some horror, some straight fantasy, some contemporary stuff, and I am not sure which I would say I am best suited to. I guess once I have started submitting I'll find out?
On the note of submitting, I am planning to submit something tomorrow, lol it's via email so that makes life easier, but I still have to polish the piece up, it needs some changes and I'm not sure it's going to be exactly where I want it to be when tomorrow rolls around. I guess it will depend on how my homework goes today.

Which I should probably get going and get onto.

holy hell

I just realized, fully, that this is the last day of August. That means there is just two little months to go before exams. Two small months before Nanowrimo rolls around....
Part of me thinks I should just give up here and now, there is no way I am going to get everything done before then. There are still thousands of pages worth of readings to finish, 7 assignments to write, 5 exams to prep for, one trip to Rotorua for several days, a shift in lifestyle to due my loves career change, one little girl who needs my love and attention, wedding invites to design and put together and part two of a novel to plan so that I can get right into it after my exams finish on the 12th of November. And thats not even mentioning any and all of the things that could/will just crop up over the next few weeks, because there are bound to be things that do.
Bottle some motivation, some focus, send it my way, anyone who can.

gah!

I want to write, I just want to write, that's all I can think about at the moment.
I just loaded the stories I have into some storage space, and they don't really make up that great a body of work, but I do like what I have there. I know there are things missing, it's just a matter of locating them and then storing them in a safe space I think. I don't even want to imagine all the things I have lost over the years.... none of it really matters though. The good ideas I had in the past will come back as better ideas and better stories, my last novel-in-a-month is evidence of that.
I'm going to the library this afternoon to get a stack of books to read, which, I shouldn't be doing, but I want to read and learn more about writing through reading other peoples stuff, I just want to be progressing in some way shape or form.
I'm really excited about it at the moment, right when I should be writing an assignment, one that I haven't thought nearly hard enough about to actually write, but its due in 5 days, it has to be done!
but I just want to write... I found this assignment I wrote last year, it was for my speech paper and its about 15minutes worth of a speech addressed to young adults to try and convince them to sign up with this company who are colonizing a new planet (the assignment topic was to write a speech which tried to encourage action or something, addressing a problem that humans may face in 20 years or so), there is so much in there! I wrote lots about the planet, I did world building, I wrote sci-fi, without even knowing that was what I was doing!
I almost feel bad now, because i tried writing cyber punk for my zing thing challenge the other month, thinking that I hadn't done anything sci-fi before... But i didn't know... and it was fictional but not meant to be fiction. Regardless I think it had potential for a story, and that excites me.
I found another short story which I am going to polish and submit somewhere, I've been challenged to do it by Friday next week, I accepted the challenge.
I have all these plans for all these stories... and I have to write an essay.

Well, I am going to go and read over the articles, and write an outline and see what I can do from there....

Someone said I should try and finish Dream Dark, Dream Deadly today and I really wish I could, I want to, I'm motivated.
I need to write this essay though.
Life's a bitch sometimes.

contact course

Well, it went well, even though I am still not feeling 100%, it was an awesome time to build on the friendships I have with Sarah and Sarah as well, I feel like I know a lot more about both of them now and it's really nice to know that I can enjoy their company not just for a couple hours but for a couple days without getting annoyed at them or anything! lol with having nothing but a good time with the two of them. I feel like that is a pretty cool thing. There are some people who I can't just spend solid time with and still feel great about them, some people are just small dose people and it's really nice to know that the Sarah's don't fit into that category (not that I thought they did, but you just never know).
So now I am home, and I am still kind of tired. And there is still a lot of work to catch up on, but some exciting things have happened.
Simon got a new job. Which is pretty cool, and will mean that for the most part he has weekends off, which I think is going to take some adjusting too but its pretty exciting in general. Our whole routine is going to change! lol I wonder if he'll get paid on a weekly basis or every fortnight?
Very exciting anyways.
I talked a lot about writing on the journey home, it was nice. Sarah paints, and I write and we were talking about creative processes and such, it was pretty cool, she wants to read my first nano, so I am going to print it off and take it around to our next study group, will be interesting to see what she says about it! lol more feedback, I guess feedback is always good and I think it will be the first novel I edit when I get into that next year so maybe it will help put me in the right frame of mind and give me even more ideas for what I am going to do with it.
It's so exciting, thinking about writing stuff, I just wish that I could do it all now instead of waiting until after I have finished my degree. But if I want to pass, I have to wait.