New Adults?

So I'm going to write another novella. 20-45k words. A contemporary ghost story with a gay male protagonist. I'm in a cynical sort of mood, so it'll be a dark comedy, I think. I was inspired by this video and a phone conversation I had with one of my writer friends (*waves at Theresa!*)

I'm 24 - watch more funny videos

I want to write about "emerging adulthood." I find myself in this place--halfway out of "kid-dom" and halfway into "adulthood." I'm 23 and feeling nostalgic about my life. It doesn't help that my boyfriend just turned 34. I feel "adulthood" creeping upon me at a faster pace these days and it frightens me. Fuck, all my friends are married. With babies. And houses. And shit. And I'm like..."Hey, hey! Why are you running so fast? What happened to high school? College? You're all leaving me behind!" 

It sucks. 

Smexxxy Friday (Erotomechanics)

I'm referring to the greatest modern surrealist artist  of our time, H. R. Giger. If you watched any of the Alien movies (or Prometheus) then you've seen his creations. H. R. Giger came up with the design for the Alien creature. Wanna share two videos with you. The first are his sexy erotomechanics. It's strange and weird and yet...very erotic. The most beautiful monster porn I've ever seen. I was trying to capture this feeling when I wrote my tentacle story. I may or may not have succeeded.

The next video is about the artist. I think it is important to learn about the artist to get a feel for his overall work. I am sooooo going to buy H. R. Giger's art book, Necronomicon. Yummy! I love surreal art and dark eroticism. His expression is so...visceral. His art grabs you and forces you to think and then re-think. I love his unique creativity. A true artist. Eccentric and all. I hope people will look at me this way! Mad respect. Enjoy your weekend!

Smexxxy Friday

Been groovin' to Marvin Gaye recently. Have a great weekend, minions! 

What influences you?

...Aside from (of course) angry lingerie models? No, no, this is a serious blog post. I just happened to use this picture because I like this model's intense stare: "Yes, I'm photoshopped. No, this purple lace bra won't fit you." Telepathy. 

Anyway. Today I was reflecting on authenticity and the things that influence my writing. As the saying goes: "writers what what they know" and I would mostly agree with that. I am just now realizing how much my Catholic private school education has stuck with me. As a kid, I devoured science-fiction, comic books, anime, Edgar Allan Poe, psychology, and social activism. Ultimately these things shaped the person I am today, so I see no reason to hide that in my writing.

I'm almost done with this tentacle story, and I'm discovering my "style" for the first time. When I try to fight against my influences, I don't write authentically. Yes, I have a dark sense of humor, but I try to leave the reader thinking after they finish my stories. If even for a moment, I want you to wonder "what if?" That is my goal, and perhaps, the only modus operandi I can achieve as a writer. :) 

Smexxxy Friday

Yummy! Slimy monster sex! In all seriousness, this ad is a French public service announcement against AIDS. Safe sex, this weekend. OK, minions? Over and out. 

Discussing your book

Uhhhhhh...want to see an otherwise functional and intelligent adult morph into a babbling toddler? Yeah. I get cold sweats whenever random strangers/acquaintances ask: "Ohhhh you're a writer? So what is your book about?" It is more nerve-wracking than pitching to an agent. I mean...with an agent, I'm kinda already expecting the agent to either ignore me or reject me on the spot. Querying is very impersonal. However one-on-one conversations are nothing like that at all! You're forced to answer that one-on-one question with a one-sentence summary. "My book is about the Salem Witch Trials, Voodoo, slavery, lesbians, and um...werewolves?" 

This, of course, is followed by another question: "So who are your characters? What's the point?" I have two choices. I can continue the snarky route OR I can actually try to explain what my book is about. 9 times out of 10 I say something snarky because there's nothing more ANNOYING than a self-absorbed writer giving a long soliloquy about their fucking book. I refuse to be that writer. I really do. If I ever get famous (ha!) you're not going to find me on NPR droning on and on. I can't stand that! And I'm kinda uncomfortable talking about my book anyway. I care more about it than this random person and I don't want to waste their time discussing racial, feminist, LGBT politics. 

I need to be better at talking about my book to people...face-to-face. Perhaps I should say: "It's Toni Morrison meets Quentin Tarantino!" so they can scratch their heads and slowly back away from me. I've already decided on a "dedication" to put at the front of the book. "Dedicated to all the Pecolas and Preciouses of the world who found the teeth to bite back!" Yeah. I like the sound of that.