Taste of Cyn

Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 2

By Cynthia Sax on January 2, 2015

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

Last week, I analyzed a scene, showing you what I wished to accomplish with each line. That scene was the first meet between Bee and Nicolas, our billionaire hero. This week, I’ll be doing the same thing with the first meet between Bee and Hawke, our bad boy biker hero.

Once again, I’ll be using a scene from Sinful Rewards 1 ( http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0 ).

***

“You’re a hot mess, aren’t you?” He bends over and retrieves the wayward tube. <-- Bee is a neat freak. She HATES messes. That Hawke calls her a hot mess is significant. It shows her that she can be sexy even if she’s imperfect. This paragraph also shows readers that Hawke is a take action type of guy. He picks up the tube because she needs it back. He doesn’t wait to be asked.

“I’m not normally a mess.” I stuff my brush, wallet, passcard, and, oh my God, my emergency tampon back into my purse. My hands tremble. “The strap broke and—”<-- Hawke has seen Bee at her worst. He’s seen her emergency tampon, for goodness sakes! Notice how Bee focuses on ‘mess’ and completely ignores the ‘hot’ part of Hawke’s comment. She can’t put the two side by side in her mind.

“You have black ink all over your pretty white shirt.” He skims the unopened tube of lipstick down my cotton-covered side, leaving a trail of sweet sensation. My nipples tighten and my spine arches, my body instinctually responding to his touch.<-- Hawke tells Bee exactly how it is. He doesn’t ignore the black ink or try to be polite. He’s unrelentingly honest. He takes the opportunity to touch her. She reacts physically, almost primitively.

“Give me that.” I snatch the lipstick from him, unnerved by my reaction, and I glance down at my blouse. “Oh, God.” Black ink is smudged over the fabric. “You’re right.” My heart sinks. Has it been there all day? Since I doctored my purse this morning? Nicolas, my boss, everyone must have seen it, and no one said anything, no one except my badass biker. “I am a mess.” My voice wobbles.<-- Bee was rigidly polite with Nicolas, showing him what she thought he wanted to see. She’s honest and open to the point of rudeness with Hawke. She cusses. She shows her emotions. That Hawke is the only one who pointed out the ink stain is significant also. She can trust him to tell the truth. Notice also that she says ‘MY badass biker.’ She has already claimed Hawke as her own, giving him some of her loyalty.

“You’re a hot mess,” he corrects. “There’s a big difference between the two.” His eyes are a faded blue, matching his jeans. “Let me see your purse.” He holds out one large hand. Calluses and scars mar his skin.<-- First, Hawke notices that his comment made Bee feel bad and he immediately addresses this. As we saw in the scene with Nicolas, Bee does the same thing. Second, Bee LOVES it when outfits coordinate. This is why she notes that Hawke’s eyes match his jeans. He naturally coordinates. Third, Hawke takes action once more, asking for her purse. Fourth, Hawke isn’t perfect. His skin is callused and scarred. Bee believes perfection is necessary for love.

I eye his palm with suspicion. “Why do you want to see it?”<-- Bee is a cautious woman. She doesn’t trust or change her plans quickly.

“I need to use your brush,” he jokes. “Why do you think?” I think he’s full of shit. His brown hair is buzzed close to his head. There’s nothing for him to brush. “I’ll fix the strap for you. There’ll be less of it.” His gaze drifts down my body, his perusal more stimulating than any touch. “But then there’s less of you.”<-- Hawke jokes and she knows he’s joking. He’s a fellow fixer. He looks at her, which Bee, our exhibitionist heroine, equates to caring.

“There’s the perfect amount of me.” I put my free hand on my hip. “I’m average height.”<-- Again, Bee uses the word ‘perfect.’ She feels perfection is necessary for love. She puts her hand on her hip which would draw his gaze there. Bee is in denial about her height. She doesn’t want to be viewed as ‘less than.’

“You are average height. . .for a munchkin.” The tattooed stranger stares unabashed at my chest. My taut nipples press against the cotton, begging for his attention. “A shapely, sexy—”<-- Hawke calls her on her lies. He’ll do this throughout the story, forcing her to be honest with herself. He calls her a munchkin which has cute connotations. Again, he looks at her and she wants even more attention.

“You’re one wrong word away from a slap across the face.” I glare at him.<-- This is an open, honest reaction. Bee says whatever pops into her head, her words uncensored. Notice how her threat is a physical one, as though she’s looking for an excuse to touch him.

If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Sinful Rewards 1

Cynthia Sax

Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.

Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.

But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.

Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards1-1560586-237.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 2

Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 1

By Cynthia Sax on December 26, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

Since many of us are on holiday over these next two weeks, I thought I’d take a break from the learning heavy Writing Erotic Romance posts and illustrate how some of these tips can be put into action.

I’ll use scenes from Sinful Rewards 1 ( http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0 ). This isn’t because I think they are brilliantly written. As with most writers, I look at my own writing and see room for improvement. I’m using my scenes because I know what I was thinking and trying to do when I wrote them.

***

At exactly ten minutes after five, a sleek black limousine rolls to a stop in front of me. The door opens and a man barks, “Get in.” <-- Nicolas told Bee he’d arrive at EXACTLY this time. Bee believes she wants a reliable, constant man. Nicolas is definitely reliable. He does what he says he’ll do. This arriving exactly when he says he’ll arrive happens throughout all 12 installments. It is small quirk that makes him different. The limousine also tells readers that this is a man who doesn’t drive himself. Why doesn’t he drive himself? In Nicolas’s case, he’s a very busy man. He prefers to spend every minute he can working.

The urge to give him the finger is intense, but I obey because there’s no mistaking that irate tone. The man works for Nicolas, my husband-to-be.<-- Bee has backbone but she is more concerned about appearances than her pride. That she refers to him as her husband-to-be tells us that she is already thinking marriage at this first meet. She has crazy high expectations that I doubt any man could have met.

I settle back into the comfy leather seat, meet the man’s gaze, and suck in my breath. Correction. The man is Nicolas. <-- Bee likes luxury. She likes nice things. She notes the leather seat before she notes the man across from her.

He sprawls across from me, his arms and legs stretched out, his dark brown eyes glinting with intelligence. He’s well dressed, the craftsmanship of his suit even more impressive up close. He’s handsome, his countenance kissed by the gods.<-- The first thing she notices is the intelligence in his eyes. THEN she notices his clothes. If Bee was a true fashionista and completely fixated on appearances, she would have noticed his clothes first. That she notices an inner quality (his intelligence) hints that maybe she’s not as shallow as she acts. She also uses ‘kissed’ which is a passionate and physical description.

And unfortunately he’s a bit of an ass. <-- Nicolas might be her ideal man but Bee isn’t blind to his faults and she expects him to ‘woo’ her. She won’t make this easy for him.

As soon as this disloyal thought crosses my mind, I smother it with excuses. He’s had a bad day. He’s a busy man. He doesn’t know me. Once he realizes what type of a woman I am, how perfect we are for each other, he’ll treat me as I should be treated. <-- Again, Bee has her pride. She won’t be with a man simply because he’s handsome and has money. She’s also loyal and is trying her damnedest to remain loyal to Nicolas.

“This wasn’t supposed to cost me any additional time,” Nicolas grumbles, his gorgeous face twisted into a very ugly scowl. “That wasn’t the plan.”<-- THIS is key. Nicolas had a plan. That plan wasn’t to meet with Bee. What was the plan? Readers don’t find out until Sinful Rewards 7. Bee also always has plans, for her life, for her career, for her relationships. This hints that the two of them have things in common.

“What plan was that, Mr. Rainer?” I ask, not brave enough to call him by his first name. Once I uncover the problem, I can fix it and fix us. Then our relationship will be back on track and my world will right itself. <-- Bee loves to fix things. When she’s faced with a problem, she derives a solution. This is important because her relationship with Nicolas and her relationship with Hawke both have problems. She also doesn’t allow problems to fester. She addresses situations immediately.

Nicolas ignores my question. His gaze sweeps over me, pausing on my purse. I wiggle, acutely aware of its embarrassingly ragged condition. “Do you have my phone?” He gets straight to the point.<-- In the previous paragraph, we learned that Bee likes to address problems immediately. Nicolas’ response is to ignore her, to avoid talking about problems. This conflict will shape their entire relationship. When Nicolas looks at her ragged purse, Bee feels he’s judging her. In previous scenes, we’ve learned that Bee has been judged harshly in the past. That Nicolas judges her makes him ‘dangerous.’

“Yes, I have your phone.” I hide my frustration under a polite smile. This isn’t how this meeting played out in my fantasies. There are no expressions of eternal gratitude or undying love. Nicolas appears grumpy, as though I inconvenienced him by finding his phone. <-- Again, Bee had a plan. She plotted out in her mind how the entire meeting would unfold. The meeting isn’t going to plan and Nicolas isn’t the man she thought he was. Her wording (eternal and undying) is also important. Bee likes relationships that last.

I dig through my purse and hand the device to him. His fingers brush over mine, his hands soft and cool. He’s a vampire, minus the sparkles. My smile spreads, my heart lightening. And it’s daylight hours. This explains his foul mood and the tinted windows.<-- Vampires live forever. They never die, never ‘leave’. Bee is also justifying Nicolas’s bad behavior, stubbornly trying to remain loyal to him.

Nicolas slides the phone into his inside jacket pocket. His form is firm and lean. He’s not all bulging muscle as the tattooed stranger is, but he’s fit. <-- Bee is sitting across from her dream man and she’s thinking about a stranger she’s seen once, a man who represents everything she’s trying to avoid.

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Sinful Rewards 1

Cynthia Sax

Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards1-1560586-237.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 1

Writing Erotic Romance – Christmas And Other Holidays

By Cynthia Sax on December 18, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

Writers work on a fucked up schedule. Right now, I’m writing a story I hope will be released in August 2015. The story is set in the summer. I have the heat cranked in my writing cave and am listening to the Beach Boys. Many of the Christmas stories that are releasing this week were written in July (of this or the previous year).

What this means is…

We, writers, celebrate Christmas twice–once when we write a Christmas story and again when this story is released.

Note: I’ll be focusing on Christmas for this post but many of my insights can be used for other holidays. Christmas is the biggest holiday theme in erotic romance. Valentine’s Day themed stories are usually a tough sell. I’m not quite sure why.

Reasons To Write A Christmas Erotic Romance

One of the reasons Christmas stories are popular in the print world is because, traditionally, friends and family members give readers print books as presents. Print books can be wrapped and placed under trees or in stocking. A Christmas theme signals to loved ones that the book is likely a recent release. The reader might not already have it.

In the eBook world (and erotic romance sales are mostly eBook), the sales bump occurs after Christmas. Readers have received gift cards for presents and are looking for stories for themselves. They are less likely to purchase Christmas stories because…well…Christmas is over. This is one of the downsides of Christmas stories. They don’t normally sell during the rest of the year. There’s a two month window for sales (November and December) and that’s it.

However, some eBook only writers craft Christmas stories to take advantage of promotional opportunities. Maybe they want to have a story to feature on themed days or parties. Or their publishers might be promoting a Christmas themed series.

Plus Christmas stories are often light and fun, making readers happy. I certainly enjoy writing them.

Celebrate The Season Right

Do writers have to celebrate Christmas to write a Christmas erotic romance? Of course not. I’ve never had a ménage with two hunky well-hung aliens and I’ve written hot, steamy stories on that subject. Researching and writing a Christmas story is easy peasy by comparison.

BUT (and yes, this is a big but – insert ass joke here – grins) we should understand why readers read and love Christmas erotic romances.

Normally, Christmas erotic romances are even more hopeful and positive than non-Christmas erotic romances. There are some common erotic fantasies (having sex with Santa Claus, being on the naughty list, receiving a hot naked man for Christmas). Meshing a childhood memory with a very adult fantasy jacks up the naughtiness level.

Most Christmas erotic romances don’t touch the religious aspect of the holiday. I’m not saying it can’t be done (there are no rules in writing) but be cautious about this and know that you might offend readers.

Anti-Christmas Stories

Some readers hate Christmas. A few of my writing buddies have published anti-Christmas stories, thinking to appeal to these readers. These aren’t Scrooge stories (which is another popular theme in erotic romance – even the grumpiest Scrooge can be won over by three or four mind blowing orgasms). The characters don’t discover the Christmas spirit (between the sheets). These stories are truly anti-Christmas.

Unfortunately, my friends’ stories didn’t sell well. Why? The issue with anti-Christmas stories is that readers who hate Christmas don’t want ANYTHING to do with Christmas. They don’t want to read about characters hating Christmas. They don’t want their stories to mention Christmas at all.

There’s also a marketing challenge. At Christmas themed events, all of the readers love Christmas. Where is the anti-Christmas readership?

Again, I’m not saying your anti-Christmas erotic romance won’t be hugely successful. It simply has some sales challenges.

Setting The Mood For Christmas In July

When I wrote my Christmas stories, I listened to Christmas music all month long. Yep, I was listening to Deck The Halls in July. It drove my hubby bonkers. Some of my writing buddies decorate their writing caves. They might crank up the air conditioning or bake gingerbread cookies.

Do whatever puts you in the Christmas mood. You’ll look crazy but hey, you’re a writer. Everyone already assumes you’re nuts.

Do you have any tips for writing/publishing holiday erotic romances?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Nicolas Rainer, Chicago’s most sought-after billionaire bachelor, has finally decided what he wants, and that’s Bee Carter in his arms, forever. He shows up unannounced on her doorstep and kisses her until her toes curl and her body burns.

Nicolas wasn’t the sexy man Bee expected to see this morning. Hawke Masters, her tattooed former marine, is riding his customized chopper toward the condo building, anticipating an equally mind-meltingly erotic encounter.

Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Christmas And Other Holidays

Writing Erotic Romance – Creating Interesting Secondary Characters

By Cynthia Sax on December 11, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

With Sinful Rewards 6 releasing next week (Cyndi, Bee’s bubbly best friend, returns to Chicago in this installment), I thought we’d talk about creating interesting secondary characters.

Erotic romances focus on the romantic couple (or more). And they should. They’re romances. But our hero and heroine (or hero and hero, or hero, hero and heroine, or whatever type of erotic romance you’re writing) usually live in a world with other beings. They usually have parents, might have siblings, bosses, best friends, co-workers, baddies, etc. (I say usually because there’s only one rule in romance and that is a romantic happy ever after or romantic happy for now.)

Rule #1 For Secondary Characters

When a secondary character walks onto the page (Helloooo, ladies!), he or she naturally distracts the reader simply by being his/her fine self, drawing the reader’s attention away from the heroine and hero. Danger, Will Robinson! (Yes, I’m having a wayback playback SciFi moment) We want readers to remain focused on the main characters, to give a shit about our couple (or more).

How do we minimize the damage?

The secondary character’s appearance must change something for the hero or heroine. She or he could push the plot forward or show/change the hero/heroine’s character or give them insights or fuck up/otherwise influence the romantic relationship. Supporting the hero/heroine’s story is the secondary character’s sole reason for existence.

Three Times The Charm

Every new character also distracts the reader. She must keep track of all of these names and identities (Hint: If you need a glossary of characters at the beginning of your story, you have too many). I’m as guilty as any writer is about having my cast of thousands. After the fast first draft, I list all of my characters, noting how many times they appear in the story. I ask myself “Can an existing character play this same role?”

My magic number is three. If a secondary character appears in at least three separate scenes, I feel her existence is justified. Her life is spared.

Another reason for consolidating characters is that the more page time a character has, the more the reader cares (this could be love or hate) about the character. We want readers to be emotionally invested in all of our characters, including our secondary characters.

I then ask myself if this secondary character could do more in these existing scenes. Could she not only push the plot forward but also show readers another aspect of the heroine? Could she display a twist on the main theme? For example: Could Cyndi, Bee’s best friend, interpret loyalty differently?

There are no lazy bitches in my stories.

Your Secondary Character’s Hopes and Dreams

Fully developed characters, even secondary characters are more interesting. (and no, we’re not talking about breast sizes) At the minimum, we should know their goals, motivations and conflicts. What do they want? Why do they do what they do? Why does Cyndi, Bee’s best friend, need a roommate? Why does she live in Nicolas’s building? Why does she work at the candy manufacturing plant? Why is she Bee’s best friend? Why does she have blonde hair?

(I’ll write a post in the future about best friends. They’re a special type of secondary character. i.e. If you fuck them up, readers will hate your heroine/hero forever.)

Again, in a tightly crafted story, many of these answers tie back to the heroine or hero.

For example: Cyndi has blonde hair because blonde hair is often viewed as being more attractive to men. Bee wants people to watch her but when she’s with Cyndi, she isn’t usually noticed.

I also wanted them not to be competitors. A man (like Nicolas or Hawke) who is attracted to the brunette Bee is less likely to be attracted to the blonde Cyndi.

And it was important that Cyndi has enough admirers that she won’t be tempted to pursue Nicolas or Hawke. It would have been a very different story if Cyndi had been interested in the same men. Bee, being loyal and non-aggressive, likely would have stepped aside. (Yes, I can see Sinful Rewards readers thinking about the dynamic between Nicolas and Hawke. – grins – I deliberately cast them with a contrasting dynamic to Bee and Cyndi)

In your story, EVERYTHING counts.

When Secondary Characters Take Over

If you’ve crafted a full, vibrant secondary character, you’ll likely face another problem. The secondary character will turn diva and wish to take over, to dominate the story, to twist it into a tale about him or her.

When that happens, I remember the first rule of secondary characters. Supporting the hero/heroine’s story is the secondary character’s sole reason for existence.

If the focus is on the secondary character, I rewrite the scene, bitch slapping this upstart until she/he behaves. If the scene isn’t about the hero/heroine at all, I cut it, saving it for this secondary character’s own story (and if you craft an interesting character, readers WILL ask you to write his/her story – so don’t call, for example, a male secondary character in an erotic romance Flopsy – http://www.amazon.com/Godrabbit-Protect-Serve-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B006YFO18C ).

Romance Subplots

But-but-but the secondary character has his/her own romance. His/her romance is a romance subplot.

Tough shit. In a tightly crafted story, any subplot, including a romance between secondary characters, is about the hero/heroine also.

Maybe the heroine sees her best friend fall in love with a guy she’s known forever and then doubts her love at first sight with the hero.

Maybe the heroine sees the best friend’s ho hum, boring romance and wants something different. Then she feels like a freak for wanting this something different.

Is this difficult? Of course. But no one said writing was easy.

How do you create interesting secondary characters?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Creating Interesting Secondary Characters

Writing Erotic Romance – Query Letters, Synopses and Partials, Oh My

By Cynthia Sax on December 4, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

This is a bit out of order (we covered second drafts last week and there’s quite a bit of work to do between a second draft and shopping a manuscript around to agents or publishers) but I addressed this topic four times last week so I thought I’d answer it in more detail here.

You’ve honed your manuscript. Your story is the best you can make it. And now you’re ready to shop it around. Your writing buddies mention drafting a query letter, writing a synopsis, and submitting a partial. What the fuck are they talking about?

I could write a dozen posts on each one of these topics. They’re that important. This post is only meant to ground you in what they are.

The Query Letter

A query letter is exactly that – a letter to an agent or an editor asking her or him to consider our manuscript. I don’t know any writer who likes to write these so if you want to poke your eyeballs out when you’re drafting it, you’re likely doing it correctly. (grins) The good news is that many agents/publishers know we’re terrible at query letters. Their expectations are low.

Agents and editors are looking for manuscripts their customers are interested in buying (An agent’s customer is a publisher. An editor’s customer is a reader.). The query letter is one of the ways we writers relay how these sales will happen.

Many editors use these letters to pitch to the rest of their team (sales, marketing, the art department, etc). We want to give them as much ammunition as possible.

Show them how to sell our manuscripts. Which customers would love our manuscript (groups of readers or types of publishers)? Where would our manuscript be shelved in the bookstore or online? Which key words would we use to sell it? Which best selling books are similar to our manuscript? How is our manuscript different?

This one page (yes, ONE page – anything more than that is pretentious) letter is addressed to the agent or the editor by name, usually shares a one line hook, the back cover copy (the 150 words or less found on the back of a book, appealing to readers), the title, word count (Only readers talk about page counts. Writers and other publishing professionals talk about word counts.), genre (contemporary erotic romance or paranormal Male-Male traditional romance or…), and a small bio with relevant to this manuscript information (if the story is set in Italy and you’ve lived there, mention that).

The closing line is usually the next action we want the agent or editor to take. If we’re sending the query letter alone, we ask if we can send them the partial. If we’re sending the partial with the query letter, we ask if we can send them the full. If we’re sending the full with the query letter, we ask if they’d like to call or email to discuss the manuscript.

A good resource is

http://queryshark.blogspot.ca/

The Synopsis

A synopsis is a short summary of the ENTIRE manuscript. If the agent or publisher states how many pages a synopsis should be, follow their guidelines. This is a test to see if you can work with others (and publishing is very much a group sport). If nothing is stated, I usually send a 3 to 5 page single spaced synopsis.

Again, editors and agents know distilling a 100,000 word novel into 5 single spaced pages is the literary equivalent of getting a root canal, but synopses are needed. An experienced editor can read a synopsis and determine problem areas. She can look at our different arcs and know if they work, which is why outlining the story from start to finish is important.

Since we’re writing erotic romance, the three arcs are especially key—character, relationship and sexual. Spend some words on these. Don’t simply write ‘and then they had sex.’ That won’t sell your manuscript.

The Partial

A partial is a synopsis and the first three chapters in your manuscript. I also send a query letter with the partial. The first three chapters include any prologue. That first line, paragraph, page is key. If that appears in the prologue, you must include it. Do you then send only two chapters with the prologue? That’s your choice. Which sells your manuscript better—the end of your second chapter or the end of your third chapter?

Do you have any tips for compiling a query letter, synopsis or partial?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Query Letters, Synopses and Partials, Oh My

My Top 10 Free or Low Cost Gifts For Aspiring Writers

By Cynthia Sax on December 3, 2014

The holidays are fast approaching and you’re looking for a gift for that aspiring writer in your family or social circle. There are plenty of sites pimping the latest electronics or espresso machines or fancy gadgets for writers. I’m a bit more frugal and I believe that it is truly the thought that counts. I thought we could talk about free or low cost gifts today. These are in no particular order.

1. Inspirational Writing Quote Of The Day/Week/Month – Cost: Free

This is exactly what it sounds like. Once a day or week or month, you send the aspiring writer a writing quote (simply Google writing quotes and you’ll find a zillion). If you have an email provider or social media that allows you to schedule emails or direct/private messages, you can set this up once and forget about it. One of my writing buddies sends eCards with encouraging messages from a free online provider.

One of the biggest issues aspiring writers have is feeling alone. This easy and free gift shows them you support them.

2. Notebook With Encouraging Messages Or Inspirational Writing Quotes – Cost: $1

One of my sisters did this for me. She bought an inexpensive notebook from the Dollar Store and wrote encouraging messages like ‘You can do it!’ , ‘I believe in you!’, ‘You can write one more page!’ and ‘I’m proud of you!’ at the top of some of the pages. You could decorate it with inspirational writing quotes instead. Hey, if your writer likes erotic romance, you could glue photos of hot naked men and call it her inspiration notebook! Have some fun with it!

3. Flower Pens – Cost: $4 for 12

Speaking of sisters, one of my sisters always makes me flower pens. She buys a pack of inexpensive Bic pens, some green florist tape and some fabric flowers from The Dollar Store. She then extracts one of the flowers, and tapes its stem to the pen, covering the entire barrel. I have a vase on my writing desk with this bouquet of flowers. I never have to look for a pen and whenever I use one, I think of my sister.

Pens are great gifts for writers. Many of us hoard them.

4. Fine Tip Markers – $3

I love my fine tip markers. They help me with writer’s block. Studies show that colors stimulate different parts of the brain. I’ll switch colors until the words start to flow. Different colored fine tip markers are also great for editing, for making notes, for organizing types of writing issues (maybe plot issues are red, emotion issues are green). Some of my writing buddies use them at book signings.

5. Email From Her Favorite Writer – Free If Unframed

Many writers (myself included) would happily write a few words of encouragement to an inspiring writer. Consider emailing your loved one’s favorite writer (preferably a writer who is still alive – grins). Writers normally have contact forms or email addresses on their websites. Share with this writer what you wish to do, asking her for a tip or a word of inspiration. If the writer agrees (and many writers have crazy deadlines so this might not be doable for them), forward this email to your loved one. Better yet, print the email on card stock and frame it.

6. Dive Underwater Writing Slate – Cost: $10

Inspiration strikes in the craziest of places. One of the most common places is in the shower. Underwater writing slates or whiteboards (http://www.amazon.com/Compass-Scuba-Underwater-Writing-Slate/dp/B000L3T0AW/ ), originally designed for divers, are perfect for a writer’s shower stall (they’re also great for exchanging sexy, funny messages with the hubby – grins).

7. Colored Paperclips or Binder Clips – Cost: $1

I LOVE colored paperclips or binder clips! They make me happy. I deal with a lot of paper. I always print out a copy of my manuscripts to do a final read-through (because seeing the words on paper fools my brain into thinking it is a brand new manuscript). I have research notes and clippings. I receive contracts, have to track expenses. One of my sisters (yes, I have quite a few sisters) buys these for me from The Dollar Store as a holiday present every year.

8. The Gift Of Time – Cost: Your Time

There is one thing ALL writers need—whether we’re just starting out or we’ve had our 100th story published—and that is time. Does your aspiring writer have kids? Why not offer to babysit them for an evening a month, allowing her time to write? If she doesn’t have kids, offer to clean her place or complete some other task. If you enjoy doing this task, that’s even better!

9. Fingerless Or Knitters Gloves – Cost: $5

If your aspiring writer lives in a cold climate, consider buying her fingerless or knitters gloves. My dear hubby gave me a pair of fingerless gloves years ago and I LOVE them (since then, I’ve seen them for $1 in The Dollar Store). They keep my hands warm while I’m typing. They’re now one of my essentials.

10. Writing Craft Books From The Library – Cost: Free

My dear wonderful hubby does this for me all the time. He’ll borrow a stack of writing craft books from the library. I’ll skim through these books during the holidays, gleaming some tips. One or two might become reference books. My hubby will buy these books for me during the next special occasion.

If you don’t live close to your aspiring writer, you could email or print some tips from online sources. Maybe your aspiring writer is struggling with evaluating ideas. Comb the internet for advice from different writers on how to do this and compile the information for her.

The big book I’m writing for 2015 is based in an exotic country. My dear hubby borrowed travel books for this country from the library. He sends me photos of the setting, tips on little things I might not know that will add flavor to my story, AND, best of all, he has arranged interviews with his friends who have lived in this setting.

Writers, what are some low or no cost gifts you’d love to receive? Gift givers, what are your suggestions?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457

Topics: Guest Post | 1 Comment »

Writing Erotic Romance – Second Drafts And Other Messes

By Cynthia Sax on November 27, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

You’ve conquered NaNoWriMo and have written a fast first draft of your story. Now what do you do with this steaming pile of word feces?

There are some writers who claim to write perfect first drafts, first drafts that make the angels sing and editors weep with wonder. These writers can usually be found drinking by themselves at conferences. Publicly, we pretend to be happy for them. Privately, we know they can’t be trusted.

Because every writer tweaks SOMETHING. Maybe this tweaking happens immediately after the first draft of a sentence or scene or chapter is written. Maybe this tweaking happens after the entire first draft of the story is written. The timing doesn’t matter. Once we change something – a word, a scene, a name, a comma, it is no longer the first draft.

Dealing With The Doubt Demons

If we’re looking at a true first draft, we’re looking at a mess. There might be missing scenes. Our characters might be happy, then sad, then happy again in a three sentence paragraph. Sentences might lack verbs. Some sex scenes might not be physically possible.

We read it and have a mini melt down. Oh my God. We’ve spent a month on this story and it’s garbage. A five year old could write a better story.

But not on the first draft. This mess is what a first draft is supposed to look like. It is normal, expected, comforting. If I write a readable first draft, I worry. Am I not pushing myself? Am I repeating a story I’ve already written?

Embrace the mess. Devise a strategy to tackle it.

Look At All Of The Pretty Arcs

My strategy is to look at the story at a very high level and then drill down. It makes no sense to me to hone a sentence into literary perfection when I don’t know if I’m keeping the scene that sentence appears in.

My first step is to look at my arcs. Real life is full of ups and downs. We solve issues only to rehash them a year later. We have a terrible day followed by a great day. If we duplicated this in Romanceland, the reader would get whiplash. Characters would be perceived as being emotionally unbalanced.

In Romanceland, we create arcs, steady, somewhat graceful builds. Does the action accelerate until, oh my lord, I can’t read fast enough to satisfy me? Is there more at stake for the characters as the story progresses? Does the sex get sexier, more emotional? Does the relationship become more intense? Does the change in the character make sense? (and characters SHOULD change) Does the reader care more with each page?

The key word is more because…well… more is more. Scenes should drive the story relentlessly forward. Characters should grow and change. The future builds on the past.

Killing Our Darlings

If a scene doesn’t belong, I move it or I, gasp, delete it. This is brutal to do. I love all of my scenes. But writing isn’t easy. It is soul sucking work. Sometimes we have to kill our darlings. (You know this happens often when we have a phrase for it.)

To make myself happy, I usually collect my darlings in another file. I’ve never used any of these scenes because they’re customized for the characters and the story, but it helps me emotionally deal with their removal.

Emotion Flow

Yes, emotion flow is one of our arcs but it is so key in erotic romances that I devote a special draft to it. If an erotic romance nails emotion, almost everything else can suck great hairy donkey balls and readers will still enjoy the story. It is THAT important.

Flow is the right description for it. A character wouldn’t be sad in one paragraph and crazy happy in the next. That jolts the reader and makes the character look a bit cray cray. She might be sad, then okay, then cheerful, then ecstatic. There’s a gradual transition.

I usually rush through this transition in the first draft, not giving the reader enough time to truly feel what my characters are feeling. I add paragraphs or scenes in this draft, slowing the flow.

WTF Moments

When I’m happy with the arcs and the emotion flow, adding and removing scenes to smooth them out, I look at the What The Fuck moments. These could be scenes that aren’t physically possible, dialogue or actions that aren’t in character, or continuity issues.

The heroine is wearing a blue blouse when she walks into the bank and a pink blouse when she walks out. Purses and phones go missing. Condoms appear out of nowhere and then disappear magically after fuckfests. An alien who previously doesn’t know a word of English suddenly spouts poetry. Our dashing human hero who has taken a life threatening shot to the gut is able to, minutes later, fuck our heroine against the wall.

I have yet to ever find ALL of my WTF moments. This is one of the reasons we need editors or critique partners. We often can’t see them ourselves.

The Weeds

When I’ve completed the BIG revisions, I work on the nitty gritty stuff—the echoes (repeating the same noteworthy word in the same paragraph), the awkward phrasing, the missing verbs, the lazy sentences.

If I’m in danger of not meeting a deadline, I know I usually have time after the submission date to make these tweaks. Normally, my editor first looks at the big picture. Then copyeditors look at the nitty gritty.

How do you attack your second drafts?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Second Drafts And Other Messes

Writing Erotic Romance – Virgins, Sluts And Toe Suckers

By Cynthia Sax on November 20, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

We’re writing erotic romance. Sex plays a huge role in our stories. Exploration of the character’s sexuality is part of his or her growth as a person (or as an alien or as a sheepdog shifter).

We’re also trying to write interesting stories. No one wants to read about the average person. Average people are boring. Fucked up people are more exciting. Usually fucked up people have fucked up sex lives.

Tell Me Why

In the real world, people are random. If you asked me why I had jellybeans for breakfast, I couldn’t tell you. I do shit and have no idea why.

In erotic romanceland, characters should have a reason for doing things. If they like to have their ears tickled with feathers, something in their past made them crave this fetish.

Sexual Experience

If a character has more or less experience than the average person, readers want to know why. Your sluttastic Regency heroine is banging half of the ton for a reason. Tell us. Your modern New Yorker knows why she’s saving her cherry. Ask her to share this reason with readers.

Modern Virgins

I’ve written about virgin heroines in my contemporary erotic romances. It can be done. But they have to have a reason for waiting. There’s tremendous pressure from peers, society and media to have sex. Just saying “she wanted to meet someone special” isn’t going to cut it.

Anna in He Watches Me waited because she doesn’t trust people. At all. She wasn’t allowing some bigger, stronger man inside her. No way. No how. Arianna, my heroine in the Mastered 2 story, waited because her father threatened to disown her if she had sex. Some heroines are religious. Some heroines saw their moms being abused. Some heroines are training for the Olympics. Some heroines have the Godfather for a father.

Modern virgins and, hell, even rural living Regency virgins, know about sex. Anyone coming from the farm has seen bulls and cows (or horses or squirrels) go at it. A modern virgin has likely watched quite a bit of porn (either Hollywood approved or the real hard core stuff). Unless she has lived under a rock, she has read or heard of Fifty Shades.

The modern heroine knows what and where her pussy is. The hero shouldn’t have to point her pussy out to her (Oh my God. WHAT is THAT doing THERE?) or explain how it works. She’s touched herself. She might have used sex toys or a cucumber or the anal invader (grins).

When the heroine has sex for the first time, it is unlikely to be fucktastic (unless there’s been a LOT of prep – Anna had two novellas plus worth of prep). The first time hurts. Unless she’s a pain whore, she won’t get off during penetration.

A considerate, in love, aware hero will prepare the heroine. Maybe he’ll give her an orgasm before the main event, ensuring she enjoys some part of it. If the hero is none of the above, the first time could be a disaster, adding delicious conflict to the budding relationship. She loves him but, oh noes, the sex is bad. Whatever will she do?

The Super Slut

The opposite of the virgin heroine is the super slut. I’ve written about super sluts also. Again, they have a reason for banging every guy (or girl or chicken) they meet. Condoms are a must for the super slut heroine or you’ll receive an email from the condom police, a group of passionate readers ensuring fictional characters don’t get herpes. Proving that super sluts feel differently for their heroes is a big challenge. What makes our stud different from the hundreds of men who came (grins) before him?

Be careful with the super slut heroine. Some readers become very angry if the heroine (or the hero) has sex with a person other than her love interest. If super slut needs a monogamous relationship to be happy, I usually hint at her past but don’t show it. So maybe she runs into people she’s had sex with (awkward!). If super slut needs variety, I show that the hero is as into this sharing of her naughty bits as she is.

Toe Suckers, Exhibitionists And Pets

Any kink or fetish or different sexual lifestyle should have a reason for being. If I receive a review saying “I don’t understand why anyone would like (insert kink here)”, I know I haven’t made this reason clear enough. That’s a #WritingFail

My story for the Mastered 2 box set has a BDSM theme. BDSM is complicated. It usually has two or more elements to it. In my story, I had to explain why the heroine likes pain with her sex AND giving over control. I also had to explain why the hero likes to deliver pain AND take control.

Exhibitionism is simpler. The heroine likes to be watched. What in her past created this preference? Why is the hero attracted to a woman who likes to be watched?

Having the kink helps with the mechanics. It doesn’t always help with the psychology because, as I mentioned previously, we don’t always know why we do things.

Truly understanding why a kink appeals to people takes a bit of research. This is often why writers specialize in one kink. Once we’ve done all of this research (normally because we’re personally interested in that kink), we spread that knowledge over multiple
stories.

From a marketing point of view, if the kink has a large following (as BDSM does), mentioning the kink in the back cover copy might increase sales (with BDSM – this might mean talking about Doms and subs and BDSM clubs in the back cover copy). If the kink has a smaller following and you’re looking for a wider readership, hinting that the heroine has strange yearnings might be a better route to take. I’m not into foot fetishes so I won’t pick up a story centered around this but I WILL read a well crafted story starring a character with a foot fetish.

What do you keep in mind when writing about characters with extreme sexual experiences or fetishes?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Virgins, Sluts And Toe Suckers

Writing Erotic Romance – Turning Off The Internal Editor

By Cynthia Sax on November 13, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

It’s Day 13 of NaNoWriMo insanity. If you’re on schedule, you’ve written 20,000 words. If you’re not on schedule (where I am right now) and you want to make your goal, you might wish to pick up the pace.

How do you kick it into top gear? One of the tricks of writing a fast first draft is turning off the internal editor, that highly critical part of the brain.

If the muse is a sparkly good-natured yet extremely inconstant fairy, the internal editor is a dark, bitchy scene-sucking demon that never wants to leave. The internal editor and the muse hate each other, refusing to be in the same brain. We can only pick one or the other to humor, and, for the first draft, we want a happy muse.

Why We Want To Write A Fast First Draft

Writing the first draft of a story is job #1 for writers. As an editor buddy told me, a great editor can fix even the messiest first draft (I’ve seen it done – A NYT best selling buddy of mine submitted a manuscript I thought was written in a different language. The finished product was a work of freakin’ art). Editors can’t write that first draft. Critique partners can’t write that first draft (unless you’re James Patterson). Only we can. The quicker we do that job, the better.

With a first draft written and an upcoming deadline looming, we can outsource our revisions. We can ask our grammar-loving (and clearly insane) buddy to check our punctuation. We can ask our plot guru friend to ensure we don’t have any WTF (what the fuck) moments. If we don’t have this first draft written, they can’t help us.

For pantsers (writers who have no plot before they start to write) writing on proposal (the publisher buys the story before it is written), a fast first draft is even more critical. With many pantsers, the finished story doesn’t match the proposal. I tell my editor my hero is attending a masquerade ball in chapter three, and my hero says “Fuck you, word wench. I’m going to the gun range.” I always run the first draft story by my editor. She tells me if there are any red flags, story twists she wouldn’t have approved in the proposal. THEN I start revising this steaming piece of dookie, readying it for submission.

Keep The Door Closed

Romance writers often say “Write the first draft with the door closed”. This means the first draft is for YOU and you alone. Assume no one will see it. No one will judge you on it. Be as strange and as crude as you want. This first draft is going nowhere.

The benefit of this is you’ll likely write balls to the wall (which actually refers to cannonballs but I prefer to picture another set – grins). I write some freaky-ass stuff in my first drafts. Once I had a hero fuck the heroine’s ear. I don’t think that’s possible and I doubt many readers would think it was as sexy as I did. I’ll never know because it didn’t make the submission draft. My characters are usually more extreme in the first draft. The hero might be more asshole than alpha. He says things he should only think. He certainly isn’t slick.

If you’re on a tight deadline and this first draft does go to your critique partners or to your editor, they’re professionals. They know first drafts are shit. They shouldn’t judge you on it.

Be Aggressive. Be, Be Aggressive

Speaking of deadlines… I suspect one of the reasons NaNoWriMo has the set goal of 50,000 words in 30 days is because this goal is aggressive yet doable. Upcoming deadlines scare internal editors, silencing them. We don’t have time to worry about sentence perfection. We have to get shit written.

When deadlines are really tight, buddies of mine have passed pages off to critique partners as they’re written. There is no looking back, only moving forward.

The Shit We Don’t Know

Nothing stops a story cold like something we don’t know – whether it is a setting or historical fact or the heroine’s name. I put in placeholders for the small things. If I don’t yet know the hero’s name, I’ll call him XXX. When he finally introduces himself, I’ll perform a search and replace on XXX (this is why I use a placeholder that isn’t a real word). For larger things, I’ll make assumptions and create a comment, reminding myself to research it.

Saving Fresh Words For Blank Pages

I research anything I don’t know after I’ve written my fresh words for the day, when my brain is fried, unable to hold another creative thought. I’ve found that research takes up creative brain space but fresh words don’t take up research brain space. Research always comes after the fresh words.

I don’t rewrite the scene after I’ve completed this research. I can’t. My brain is empty. I put the information in a comment at the beginning of the scene. If I’ve printed the pages, I write it in the margins. Then I write as though this change has already been incorporated in the story.

Story Changes

I use this technique for story changes also. If my character has made a wrong-for-her decision in chapter three and I’m writing chapter five, I’ll briefly note the changes and write chapter five as though she made the right-for-her decision. Running the scenes through my brain takes less time than writing them down.

Why don’t I make the changes now? Because I don’t know if they will stick. Say I’m writing a fight between the heroine and the baddie and I don’t know how many shots her glock can fire without a reload. After my fresh writing is completed, I find out this information. I rewrite the scene. Then three chapters later, I discover the scene would have more meaning if the heroine had used a different gun. Ugh. I have to rewrite the scene again. (And yes, everything, including the gun characters use, has meaning in my stories.)

How do you turn off your internal editor?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.

Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.

When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698

Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Turning Off The Internal Editor

Writing Erotic Romance – Surviving Chapter Four

By Cynthia Sax on November 6, 2014

This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.

It’s day 6 of the annual writing craziness called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). If you’re on schedule (you lucky bitch – I am NOT, having been sideswiped with bone-deep edits on my beloved Sinful Rewards), you’ve written over 8,000 shitty words (Shitty is a given. This is the first draft. The first draft is always shit).

Are You A Hobbyist Or A Professional?

The new idea rush is over and you’re crashing hard. You’re beginning to dread sitting down at your computer every day. You have Pac-Man-like nightmares about the curser gobbling up your manuscript one letter at a time. You’re eating Nutella straight out of the jar.

No. Wait. Delete that last one. Nutella is supposed to be eaten straight out of the jar.

The writing is getting damn hard (and not in a hunky hero-type of way). What you do next defines the type of writer you are. If you’re a hobbyist, you’ll stop writing. If you’re a professional, you’ll continue.

Hobbyists

There’s nothing wrong with being a hobbyist, someone who writes whenever she feels like writing. If that’s what you wish to do, embrace it. Don’t pretend to be anyone else.

If you’re a hobbyist, however, you might wish to keep your opinions about writing whenever the muse visits you to your sweet self (especially during NaNoWriMo). Because odds are the professional you’re speaking to is hyped up on black coffee, jellybeans and no sleep, trying to meet her impossible and never ending deadlines. She’s in a dark place, unable to fully appreciate your goodness and light. Trust me. You don’t want to mess with her.

Professionals

Professionals continue writing. Some writers (like Nora Roberts) consider it to be a job (“Every time I hear writers talk about ‘the muse,’ I just want to bitch-slap them. It’s a job. Do your job.” – Nora Roberts). I consider writing to be a calling. This is what we’re meant to do. We write. This is our way of changing the world and changing the world isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it’s dark and angry and twisted.

And sometimes this is when we do our best writing. Yes, we write a lot of drivel also, scenes we’ll have to revise a dozen times before being satisfied with them. But hidden in that drivel is often slices of pure magic. We’re too frustrated to fight our characters. We allow them to lead the way. They create scenes and phrases we never knew we were capable of.

Some writers rely on drugs and alcohol to bring out their creativity. Being tired and strung out on caffeine can accomplish the same thing AND it is completely legal.

Moving Forward

How do we push past the new idea crash? When I wrote the 12 novellas for Sinful Rewards in less than 5 months (yes, I did NaNoWriMo for five months straight), I used almost every incentive in the writer’s handbook.

Success Is A Team Sport

I shared my daily word count goals with four writing buddies and they kept me honest, asking me for updates during the day, booting me off social media, cheering me on. J.K. Coi must have sent me a ‘Go! Go! Go!’ email every freaking day. Some days, I hated those emails but they worked. I didn’t want to disappoint my peeps so I wrote until my fingers were bloody stubs. Just kidding! (No, not really.)

Many writers put a call out for word sprints on Facebook or Twitter. They’ll challenge each other to write as many words as they can in a certain length of time.

There’s also Write-Or-Die (http://writeordie.com/ ), a sadistic program that forces you to write at a set speed or the curser (as in the Pac-Man nightmare) will start erasing your precious words.

Sinful Rewards

Like Bee, my heroine in Sinful Rewards, I enjoy receiving rewards. I’ll set a word count goal and, when I meet it, I reward myself. It could be a walk around the block. It could be a half hour of pleasure reading. It could be hot steamy sex with the dear wonderful hubby (he LOVES it when I have deadlines – grins). Naps are great. So is staring at the ceiling. Often I’ll bake banana chocolate chip muffins.

The best rewards are those that refill our creative wells, allowing us to return to the computer and add even more words to our hoard (or whore – however you think of your manuscript).

Just 100 More Words

When I was writing the Sinful Rewards serial, I had a Monday to Friday word count goal of 5,000 fresh words a day. There were times when I hit the wall, smacking into that baby face first. I was certain I couldn’t make my goal.

I told myself I’d only write 100 more words. When those words were written, I told myself I’d write 100 more. Logically, this shouldn’t work, just as logically receiving an email with three words (Go! Go! Go!) shouldn’t work, but this did… at least for me.

How do you ‘trick’ yourself into writing more words?

Note: Some blog readers have asked, “If writing is so tough, why do you do it?” Since many writers think of their stories as their babies, I’ll use the baby analogy.

Babies are a shitload of work (both literally and figuratively – they’re pooping machines). They cry. They wake up at all hours of the night. You worry about them constantly. They cause chaos in previously organized lives.

Some days, you might wonder if you’ve made a mistake, if you’re capable of raising your screaming red-faced bundle of joy. Then she wraps her little fingers around your thumb, looks up at you with those big trusting eyes, gives you a (gas-prompted) smile and you know all of the work, all of the heartache was worth this one moment.

THAT is writing.