Friday edits...

I was rather busy today and only somewhat happy about it. One of my editors wanted me to add 500 - 1000 words to a short story and that isn't really a problem except that my draft came in at 1700 words and I'm in an insecure mood today so I dithered and dithered and my beta readers were unavailable and it HAD TO BE emailed today (deadline) so I eventually did two versions - I kept the long one and then did a major trim to just over 900 words on it and sent that version too. That way, if she blocked space in the edition and ONLY has 1000 words max then she has a version that will work - if, on the other hand, she has ample room and/or likes the longer version more, then it is also available. ::sigh::

I hates these moods.

Mostly I don't have issues with my confidence. I'm long enough into this that I know that my writing is quite nice most of the time. I can write drek but generally I don't.

I think this was a combination of a rush deadline and the absolute lack of time I had all week. On Mondays and Tuesdays I leave the house around 6am and get home after 9pm and have to be in bed by 10pm for anything remotely like real sleep. Plus, I had a research paper due on Thursday and an advisor meeting on Wednesday and everything compounded to make me unable to focus on the delicate aspects of erotic sex - yes, that was what needed expansion in the story :)

I have to be somewhat horny to write erotica well - so that means I have to think about sex or someone sexy for a few hours and you just can't manage that at school (ewwww) - I think I did okay. The other problem is that my story isn't formulaic - I have a third element that mucks around with the plot throughout and I couldn't just forget that for the ending - this means that orgasm is never entirely reached although I 'think' I still manage to satisfy the reader both sexually and with the ending. Dunno - see how I DITHER???

On the up side I feel rather cheerful to write 2 new erotica stories this year when I haven't written one in several years. I went away from erotica intentionally but always wanted to work with this one editor and when she mentioned how she couldn't find the right pieces and she extended her deadlines - well, I decided why not try - the worst I could do was fail to a form rejection letter.

That is what I wrote on my winter break - in between grouting my porch. My second erotica piece was also an accident - the submissions posting happened to be about a workshop I used to facilitate and almost immediately I had one of those 'moments' and off we went. That story is still in critique with a submission deadline of April 1st.

I have a science fiction / fantasy short story due a week from Wednesday and I haven't even started it. Pesk.