Not to knock Julie Andrews,
but I remember this version best
It’s Wednesday and thus time for two of my favorite things: WIPpets and ROW80 Check-ins.* Let’s go first with a…
ROW80 Check-in
Status quo describes things since last Wednesday. While I (once again) did not make a Sunday post, I did get a post up on Monday…. not ROW80 related. Writing has been a bit less consistent, maintaining an every other day pace as opposed to daily, but I have also had twice the driving around, more than twice the school-related events, some medical, some family… May has been insanely busy and emotionally taxing.
Things have begun to settle… just in time for JuNoWriMo. I’m both looking forward to it and dreading it. I’m just not feeling the fire. I’m feeling weary and emotionally drained, and not at all in shape for any pre-WriMo prep.
Looks like I’m winging things this year. 
WIPpet
Another brief piece today, two paragraphs (5 for the month – 2+1 for the date)… once again from (oh, heck, call it what it what I have for years) Phuque Ewe (also called the Unnamed Story).
Sometimes it feels like I’m dragging this along intentionally. I’m not…. though my characters are. Yes, this point of the story involves a sex scene, and yes, I have some trepidation about posting something so intimate online. However, that’s not why the scene seems full of prevarication and hesitance; it’s Atyr and ‘Listii . It is written this way to “show” how these two respond to each other (and the world) and not “tell”.
He smiled. “Never assume that a waif like you can keep me down, Atyr. Especially certain parts of me,” he added as his grip on her eased enough to let her drift toward his hips. Amused by the arousal she’d encouraged in him, he wondered if he might not support her there solely on tender touches and kisses.
If only, he thought as he let her slide to her feet before the uncomfortable downward pressure of her weight on him discouraged further thoughts of intimacy. Once she was standing in front of him, he finally finished ridding himself of his underwear and depositing it on the chair.
So a question… Should I post a larger snippet next week? Being the 28th, larger numbers are easy to come by.
And lastly, another song… one that fits this story so very, very well.
Led by K.L. Schwengel at My Random Muse, #WIPpet writers post pieces of a draft (Work In Progress) that somehow relate with the date for fun and discussion. Feel free to comment and visit other #WIPpeteers here. We love the company.
(*Disclaimer: I really do like both these things, but they aren’t actually in my “Favorite Thing” list, just in my “Really Enjoy” list. 😀 )
![Strawberry field forewer [Explore 2023-05-30 #1]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52938290739_54fc88d448_s.jpg "Strawberry field forewer [Explore 2023-05-30 #1]")
Many Worlds From Many Minds 
Should you post a larger excerpt of a sex scene? Let me think … HELL YEAH, WOMAN. 🙂
I like the bit you posted tonight – it feels careful and a bit tentative and woven throughout with affection. Very nicely done! Yes, it can be one feel most vulnerable to post something so intimate, yet on the other hand it can also be strangely freeing. Jump on in with both feet!
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*laughs* Oh, I’m not (too) embarrassed about posting something intimate on here (as long as the intimacy involves my characters and not me directly, of course). I just don’t want to overwhelm people with a lot of words… reading on the screen can be very hard for some people (me included).
Glad you liked the piece. I think, considering the numbers and the actual story, next week’s snippet needs to be larger by default.
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Sounds like you just need some me-time. I hadn’t realized how burned out I was with the pace I was keeping all winter until I took a week off in April and just couldn’t get back into the swing of things after that. I needed an entire month of me-time before I could even look at any of my writing. Take time off when you need it. Trust me – everything else can wait.
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That’s exactly what’s happened to me. Taking time off (even desperately needed time off where I spent most of it trying to catch up on other things than writing) seems to always mess me up for a few weeks.
Maybe it’s more a question of pacing and balance. Not exactly time “off” but reduced focus? *shrugs* Still thinking it through
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I don’t know if a larger snippet is necessary. Not because I don’t want to read it—I do, very much! But there’s something about dragging it out, posting just these little teasing bits, that is equally…um, satisfying. I was a little confused at first and had to read it twice—was he holding her? I expect that’s more clear in context, so it’s not a complaint, just an observation.
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I wondered about that “teasing” too. Sometimes taking one’s time adds to the experience. Sometimes it’s frustrating….
Yes, he’s holding her. She’d been sitting on his lap kissing him, and he just stood up, bringing her along. Can’t break that kiss after all.
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Nice choice of video. 😉 And that’s a great scene. A little bit playful, a little bit…um…cocky. And tastefully done. Nothing wrong with that.
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Well, that’s a pretty good description of ‘Listii in most circumstances… cocky, yeah. 😀
Glad you enjoyed. Any votes on a larger scene next week? Or are piece about this size “just right”?
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Phew! It’s getting hot in here *fans face* Seriously, a great piece and you did very well with showing and not telling.
And BTW I prefer shorter excerpts rather than longer. Call it laziness if you like!! 😉
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I would never call it laziness, Elaine. It can be hard to read a lot of long online posts. I can’t speak for everyone, but I find that fonts and screens both really affect my ability to process writing. So.. yeah, I like shorter posts too.
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Well it’s good to know we’re on the same page there Eden. (No pun intended lol!) 🙂
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*shuffles forward, a little shy and nervous about being the bad guy* Um, I’m not a sex-scene person, myself. I really prefer to focus on my own sex life without fictional characters cluttering my imagination. As I put it to someone else, I prefer my erotica to be real. But it’s your blog and I’m only one person. (Just please don’t feel snubbed if I don’t show up if/when you post edgier stuff than this.)
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Totally understandable, ReGi. I’m trying to give fair warning and ask questions ahead of the time because I know the topic is sensitive to many people.
So, no, you aren’t the bad guy at all. I’ve been looking into several options, including offering a .PDF of anything I wouldn’t want a child to see to people who emailing me to say want the whole scene, to using a bit of code that requires a reader to “mouse over” the text to actually read anything, to actually skipping scene… since I’ve been tweaking things to move grand character development elsewhere.
Basically… I’m not quite comfortable posting too much explicit stuff here either. Each week’s post has been a bit tense for me as well, but it seemed so many people wanted/liked a more intense post, and I do hope to someday publish stories where I don’t avoid “the sex scene”, I tried.
So… yeah, no bad guy. If anything, your comment is a bit of a relief, because it means I’m not the only one.
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I wouldn’t mind more of the S E X stuff myself, but I have no particularly preferences as to length. (ahem)
As to the wrimo June thingie — I’m wondering it it’s a good idea when you’re already feeling burned out? Maybe rather than big wordcount pressure, it would make more sense to concentrate on getting back to a more regular writing routine? Of course, it could be the jumpstart you need.
Just sayin’. 🙂
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Ah, well, the JuNoWriMo thingie isn’t a matter of “maybe I shouldn’t do it”. I’m one of the sprint leaders and am pretty much committed. That said, I fully intend to “rebel” on this project and throw the words on any and all of my open projects as opposed to forcing one into completion.
My sanity demands that.
Well, as I said in response to ReGi’s comment… I’m still a bit torn. It would be nice to have some input on whether the scene read well and realistically, but it’s also not exactly bringing me “comfort” to be so exhibitionist per se. I’m tending toward a PDF that people can download (or I can email) of the most explicit page and pursuing the story at the “denouement”… or at least at the point where the they go to sleep wondering what the heck happened.
I’m definitely going to take your advice on getting back into a routine for July and August.
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Ah, ok, Eden, I didn’t realize you were a leader of the pack. Then I agree, you need to forge ahead. 🙂
The excerpt read well, but if you’re uncomfortable with it, don’t post any more! I have to admit, *I* wouldn’t post a sex scene on my blog. Partly it’s just because I’d be afraid of my blog being indexed. 🙂
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Not a leader of the pack… Just a second lieutenant or something 😀
I had to look up what you meant about having your blog indexed, and I’m still not sure how you mean it, Ruth. I think most WP blogs have been indexed by webcrawlers as it is (you can set certain meta-tags to discourage them but not all bots follow the tags… compliance is voluntary on the part of the search engine). Or do you mean something else?
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By “indexed” I meant being marked as non-PG13, which makes your blog less accessible. I’ve experienced that when trying to access blogs of writer friends who write erotica.
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Ah! I never heard it called indexed, but I know the issues you refer to. That whole “are you over 18” thing…
I have posted a few more explicit stories here, but they were posted as pages with huge opening disclaimers, so… who knows. So far this blog is still referred to as PG. I’m glad for that. Thanks for reminding me of another reason to watch my posting.
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I think as long as you post a disclaimer that the scene involves explicit content, it’s up to the reader to decide whether or not they want to read further. Me personally? I don’t mind reading it, and those two paragraphs were a lovely tease on what is to come. 🙂 Larger excerpt next time, please!
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Glad you enjoyed it, Sarah. I think with all the suggestions people have offered have good possibilities, and I have figured out … something to deal with the confusion. 😀
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To start, major props for having the courage to post a scene like that. It took me until I was 31 to even have the courage to admit I read romance novels… So courage is low over here and I am in awe of yours. Second, you write it better than I ever could. I tried once, and stereo instructions are hotter. Finally, that was a great scene.
I wish you the best of luck with JuNoWriMo!
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Now you have me trying to figure out a way to write kinky instructions for a stereo setup that don’t sound corny. 😉
Really though, you’ve seen the limits of my “Brave” in this (well except the silly stories my best friend and I wrote back in high school when we didn’t even know what romance should be). I’ll probably get through this coming week before I cop out and skip the risque stuff.
Thanks. 😀
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I like ‘Listii. Love ‘im. Whatever (whomever?) he’s doing. In whatever length he comes….
Sorry, I just spent two days with T’Pol and Trip and their “big moment”. So my mind is a little – um…okay, why lie? You know me too well. I went there because I go there! =)
I like the shorter bits, but I got a little lost in the mechanics, here. I didn’t know he was standing up holding her, so I lost the thread of what was going on.
I love his dialogue, by the way. And it’s nice to see him amused, too. =)
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Yes… you would definitely go …there, Shan. 😀
Hmm, if you got lost (and you know these characters pretty well), perhaps I need a bigger lead in for the excerpts. Though… I’m doing these WIPpets one right after the other (you can always check the previous week for anything you might have missed).
And, yeah… I think I like the shorter bits too. They allow me more time to concentrate on all the WIPpeteers. We’re such a fun group, I don’t want to exclude anyone, so, yeah… smaller = more comfy for me.
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