 Ask an author what the hardest thing to write is and more than a few will say "SEX!" Sex scenes are always tricky to write but even harder to write well. Why? Because unless you're writing a comedy, they're not exactly based on reality. At least, not completely. Let's face it, getting a cramp in your leg followed by much swearing while your partner laughs at you is hardly romantic. Funny, yes, but not likely to put your reader in the mood for a little loving. For a sex scene of the non-comedic kind, you need less "how it is" and more "how it should be". A while ago I came across an article by author Steve Almond. It was an amusing but also relevant list of the guiding principles to writing sex (see link below). But after reading the list I thought back through the many, many sex scenes I have both written and read and came up with some guiding principles of my own. * Writing Sex by Steve Almond * Make sure that what your Hero and heroine are getting up to in the bedroom (or office, or kitchen, or on top of the dining room table) is actually physically possible. Even if your characters are aliens they're bound to have physical restrictions of some kind. * Don't go overboard with clinical details. You're writing a sex scene in a novel, not "Sex for Dummies". Let the readers' imagination do some of the work for you. It makes for better writing and better reading. What principles do you follow when writing sex scenes? What do you find annoying or disruptive about reading sex scenes? What arouses your imagination?  Thank you to Alison Stuart for passing along this little bit of fun and frivolity! Instructions: *go to page 77 of your current WIP *go to line 7 *copy down the next 7 lines/sentences as written and post them on your blog or website *tag 7 other authors *let them know they've been tagged Okay, so I had to cheat a bit as my current WIP doesn't have 77 pages yet, so I took my excerpt from page 7 instead: With a resigned sigh he knocked on the door and waited. As the door swung open, Wolf lifted his head and collided with the most beautiful pair of chocolate brown eyes he’d ever seen, eyes that were wide with surprise, and for a moment he didn’t dare breath nor move for fear she would vanish again. But as those eyes narrowed and darkened with anger and the door began to swing shut, his adrenaline started pumping. Oh, no. She wasn’t getting away twice! A wicked grin spread across Wolf’s face and before the door could close his arm shot out and shoved it open. His other hand caught her around her nape and gently squeezed, preventing her retreat. “There is a God.” So there it is, my 7 sentences from my as yet untitled WIP. Trust me, it makes a lot more sense when read with the rest of the scene. And you can follow my progress (or simply drool over my latest hero) here: Untitled Work-in-Progress Now to dob in...er...volunteer 7 more authors for the challenge... Maree Anderson Suzi Love Ryan Field Cherise Sinclair Cynthia Sax Denise Rossetti Karly Lane Happy reading!  Happy Easter everyone! Eat, pray, love and travel safely these holidays.  I'm guest blogging over at Top2Bottom Reviews today to talk about Viking's! I'm also asking the question: If you were cursed to spend half your life as an animal, what animal would it be? I’ll give a free digital copy of The Viking’s Forbidden Pleasure to the most interesting answer. So come on over and play the game or just say Hi! http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/jennie-brumley-talks-about-vikings/  "Yes, I am basically a happy person. And I don't see anything wrong with that." "Of course not. You're too busy being happy." Pessimism is a curse, a nasty mind altering, soul destroying curse. Negativity leads to depression, apathy, anger and discontent. So why is it so prevalent? What is it about the human race that makes us focus on the negative and distrust the positive? Why are we afraid to be happy? Is it society's fault? Or the media's? Our parent's or our peer's? Or is it simply a part of the human condition and to be expected and accepted? I'm certain there is a tonne of evidence to support all such theories just as I'm certain there will be a great number of people eager to refute said evidence and blame any number of outside sources, but the bottom line, as far as I'm concerned, is this: It all comes back to YOU! I'm usually a fairly positive person, an incurable optimist, but even I have bad days. Recently I have been feeling pretty low, my usually under control depression rising to the surface. I'd fallen into a negativity trap of my own design. I'd allowed other people's negative actions and words to cramp my style and drag my happiness into the gutter, allowing my negative side to take a hold. My main issue has been with social networking sites. The places that I frequented the most were being overrun by nay-saying, pity-party-table-for-one, NEGATIVE people. These people were more than happy to wallow in their own misery or tear shreds off others for perceived slights against them. CAPS LOCK and angry emoticons were rife! And positive messages of love and friendship slowly dwindled. But you know what? While the negativity wasn't my own, the choice to take a part in it was. And that's really what this all boils down to, isn't it? Choices. So I made the choice to delete all superfluous social networking accounts, to hack away at the negative influences in my life until my mood lightened and my happiness could find it's way to the surface once more. I made the choice to be happy, to be positive. I faced that choice today and I'll face it again tomorrow. Be happy or not. No-one can make you feel one way or another unless you let them. The choice is yours.  It's been little more than a month since the release of The Viking's Forbidden Pleasure, a month of doubt and nail-biting, a month of hoping that readers would like this book as much as the last one, a month convinced that I totally suck at writing paranormal romances and should just stick to what I know in the contemporary genre. But all that uncertainty was put to rest this week as I received my first written review. 5 gold stars from Manic Readers! Fingers crossed all my reviewers are so kind...  Okay. So last year didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. Instead of writing three books I only managed one. Instead of volunteering at my son's school every week, it turned out be every other month. Yes there were a lot of external factors involved (flooding, the sudden death of a beloved pet, illness etc.) but I think I probably could have handled it much better had I been more organised. I think my main problem last year wasn't so much a lack of motivation as it was a lack of momentum. One moment you're travelling along all fine and dandy and the next thing you know you're tripping over something and you're momentum flies out the window, and once you lose that all important force it can be very difficult to get it back. So to help combat this problem and avoid the failings of last year, I am determined to BE organised, STAY organised and GET STUFF DONE! How am I going to accomplish this, you ask... By following some very simple rules, of course:
One month into 2012 and I have to say I am doing well. I am 9000+ words into my new book, my family is happy and healthy, my house is in (reasonable) order, my desk is organised and so am I. What do you do to keep your momentum pumping...?  Just a quick note to say G'day to all my friends and family around the world and wish them a Happy Australia Day! So don the green and gold, eat some lamingtons and lamb chops, play some cricket in the backyard or take this quiz and see how Australian you really are! Hooroo!  A big week this week! Yes we had Chinese New Year on Monday and Australia Day on Thursday, but the big event for the week...? First day back at school!!! I have had one very excited child running around my house this week, the seemingly unending rain not dampening his spirits one little bit. Never has it been so easy to get him to eat breakfast, do his chores or get ready for school! The excitement of meeting his new teacher and playing with old friends has been a great motivator and I will encourage it for as long as I can, if only because I find his enthusiasm for this new year has rubbed off on me, too. I'm also rather enjoying my new routine, one where writing and reading and housework and the gym coincide with a much greater sense of unity than they did last year. So let the positive energy flow and keep this train on the tracks! | 
Author's note...A little spot for me to ramble on about stuff whenever I get around to it :)  Archives...May 2012 My books...
TBR pile...
RWAus Con...*sad face*
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