O is for Orgasm

On Being a Published Author
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A to Z Blogging 2012
Day 15


Welcome to the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge. This year I’m focusing on things I’ve learned, observed and experienced in the nine years I’ve been published. If you’re a reader, I hope to offer an inside glimpse into the writer’s world. If you’re new to writing, I hope I can provide an insight or two. If you’re an established writer, maybe you’ll see similarities to your experience. Whatever path you walk, I welcome you to mine and hope you’ll enjoy the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.

No matter what you call it - the Big O, climax, release, to come, to cum, get off - the sexual orgasm is an essential part of erotic romance. It doesn’t matter if you write straight het, man-on-man, or for the ladies, the orgasm matters.

We all like the romance, the building of the relationship. We root for the two (and sometimes three) main characters to find each other, and common ground. And we want them to experience the unique bonding of the sexual orgasm.

There are as many schools of thought about how the climax should be handled as there are readers. As a writer, how do we please them all? The short answer is - we shouldn’t even try. Above all else a writer has to be true to their own voice and characters.

When I first started to write, I bought a book by a very well known romance writer. As in very well known. I read it, then passed it on to my mother for her opinion. What I got was a comment I’ll never forget.

“I guess it was a good enough story, but this woman only knows one way to have sex and it’s boring.”

Yes, girls and boys, that was my Mommy’s comment. It set me back on my heels a bit, coming from her, but I got over it. Mostly. (Yes, it made me think things about my mother best unthought.) The thing is, she was absolutely correct. I reread the book and every sex scene was exactly the same, and Mother wasn’t talking about Part Boy fitting into Part Girl. She referred to the emotional intensity, or lack thereof, of the orgasm.

Is every time you have sex the same? No. At least for your sake I hope not. We make love slowly, or we have quickies. We’re full of energy, or not. We orgasm multiple times, or not at all. We do a little oral, or a lot, or not. We may like toys, or visual aids. We may be in the mood to go to bed early, and alone, for some private time.

It doesn’t matter which scenario we choose as long as we tap into the emotions present when the sex act happens. It’s that balance of feeling and action that most readers like and keeps them reading.

Is it easy? No, but no one said pulling pure thought from the air and turning it into a romance novel would be easy. Taking it one step deeper into erotic romance is even harder. But the best things never come easy.

No pun intended.

KC Kendricks
website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kckendricks

Coming tomorrow - P is for Promotion.

C is for Contracts and Conventions

On Being a Published Writer
April 3, 2012
Day 3
A to Z Blogging Challenge 

Oh, my goodness the offer of that first contract! It was a Saturday night and so I checked my email and there it was. The Offer.

I screamed. I cried. I scared my poor partner right out of his recliner (no mean feat, that).

It was surely a magical moment. Looking back with older, wiser, and sometimes jaded, eyes, I see how fortunate I was to land with a reputable company.

Of all the advice I could give you about any contract, the best would be to read it and understand it. If the language isn’t plain enough for me to understand without legal counsel, I’m going to turn it down. What are they hiding in all the mumble-jumble? I don’t care to get burned to find out.

These days, there’s less magic in a new contract, maybe because I understand what to expect each time through the process that takes the author and publisher to release day. I know what can go wrong. And being an older hand at this, I know just because some publishing house offers me a contract doesn’t mean I’m going to jump to sign it. I don’t have to – and neither do you.

A bad contract is a thousand times worse than no contract, so use your head. If you have questions, ask them. If you don’t like the answer, give the contract a pass. Don’t worry. There will be more offers. Don’t be in such a hurry to get published, or get into company XYZ, that you bind yourself up in misery. And that is some of the best advice I can give you.

***

Conventions. I’ve been to one and it was absolutely fabulous! If I could afford it, I’d go to a convention every month.

Yes, it was a hassle to drive four hours to get there. Yes, the food was lousy. Yes, the hotel was in the middle of renovations. But what could be more exciting than twelve hundred people speaking my language? Nothing in the intervening years has come close.

I went to 2007 Romantic Times Pittsburgh with one purpose in mind. I didn’t make any agent or editor bookings. I didn’t sign up for the book fair. I went so I could quietly observe the actions of publishers, editors and other writers. I came away from Pittsburgh convinced of the validity of my future in epublishing, and with valuable insights on career paths to avoid. In my opinion, knowing where not to go is equally important with knowing where I should go.

A convention on the scale of Romantic Times is the publishing world encapsulated. If you have the opportunity to attend conventions, you owe it to yourself to go. Observe. Participate. Talk to the people around you. Absorb everything you can from everyone you come in contact with, even the guy behind the coffee bar.

This is your business. Use everything at your disposal to learn it well.

You’re a writer, and everything you learn will feed your passion and create your success.

KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Life through the eyes of Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

Interview up!

Recently, I had the distinct pleasure to meet author Mahalia Levey. Not only is she a published author, but she's a reviewer for NovelSisterhood, and maintains the Novelsisterhood blog. When she asked if I'd like to give an interview for the blog, of course I said yes!

It was posted this morning at: http://novelsisterhood.blogspot.com/2010/05/please-welcome-author-kc-kendricks.html

I hope you'll check it out. And check out Mahalia Levey's new book, "Embrace the Moment," on her website at www.mahalialevey.com .

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com