![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Feb. 6th, 2015
Literary Analysis
Feb. 6th, 2015 10:24 amSo, after a great deal of talk, we have hit on where I've been going wrong, why I'm a has-been and how I need to get out of it.
Too many of my personal beliefs are creeping in.
Not my ideas. Nikolai was full of my ideas and projections, extrapolating from where my research took me. But my beliefs. My ideas about how the world works. These are becoming intrusive. "You can know a lot about an author just by reading their books." We trace the rise and fall of Laurell K Hamilton's marriage and divorce and love life through Anita Blake. We can track Stephen King's various addictions by the quality of the books, and the fears he addresses. And I am not different.
--Despair.
This shows a lot in Hard Reboot. The world is almost unchangeable. There will be no great revolution that destroys the arcologies. If Sean and Niall fought their way in, killed Zara and Gemini, the board of directors would simply appoint a new CEO, and probably be relieved to have the actual heirs out of their hair. And Leda Corp would continue. It's more my comment on a corporatocracy than an actual love story.
The DJ'verse suffers from this as well. DJ is smart, tough and making a living on the Nightside. Except the story ends up constraining, confining and making her dependent. As one of my readers said "She's the most obvious self-insert I've ever read from you, and I hate what the stories you tell about her say about your life."
Even Barbarossa's Bitch has a hopeful and happy ending. Humanity is back to being a going concern and starting to get something like modern civilization happening. Our hero gets an almost impossible fantasy come happily true. (and he's a daddy to three little girls as well) The older men of the group find a place to live in peace and practice their Before trades instead of riding with a motorcycle gang and being vigilantes.
But nothing I've written since has worked so well. And even as far back as Alive on the Inside, I've been wanting my books to be more than they are. But once I write everything in me on a subject, I'm dry. And it's never enough to make a good book.
--General Misanthropy
"Every man in Adventuresses is a rotter, a rapist or generally horrid. But every woman in every book is either a doormat or a high-iron bitch. I can't decide who you hate more."
In my experience, there are very few types of women. There are the dull mice. There are the manipulators, who act nice, but shiv you in the back every time. And there are the outright bitches. We may be mean or not, brilliant or not, but we take no shit and give no quarter. I write what I know. And I detest manipulators.
DJ is a bitch. She admits it freely. Sara Brown, in the Lord Withycombe adventures, revels in it, and is egged on by her equally bitchy male secretary. Lillian, ditto. She is a nonconforming woman and doesn't care. She has enough money to get away with it. Fran, likewise. Flossie appears to be a mouse, but turns out to have a bitch streak in her. And all the women in the Cyber'verse and Eight Thrones are terrifying.
I don't write men well, in conjunction with women. Men on their own, they do fine. But once women are introduced into a storyline, and especially as romantic interests, the men turn stupid and brutal and possessive. It's one of the reasons I don't write heterosexual content on a regular basis. I don't want to encourage what I see every day.
No woman I know has ever been better for having a heterosexual relationship. It always ends up damaging or destroying something in them.
--I'm not much of a plotter.
I do great characters, workmanlike action sequences, great quick-sketch descriptions that make the reader feel they are in a place without overwhelming them and snappy dialogue. But I'm not good at plot.
So, I improve what I can, root out my personality from the books, and quit tipping my hand.
Too many of my personal beliefs are creeping in.
Not my ideas. Nikolai was full of my ideas and projections, extrapolating from where my research took me. But my beliefs. My ideas about how the world works. These are becoming intrusive. "You can know a lot about an author just by reading their books." We trace the rise and fall of Laurell K Hamilton's marriage and divorce and love life through Anita Blake. We can track Stephen King's various addictions by the quality of the books, and the fears he addresses. And I am not different.
--Despair.
This shows a lot in Hard Reboot. The world is almost unchangeable. There will be no great revolution that destroys the arcologies. If Sean and Niall fought their way in, killed Zara and Gemini, the board of directors would simply appoint a new CEO, and probably be relieved to have the actual heirs out of their hair. And Leda Corp would continue. It's more my comment on a corporatocracy than an actual love story.
The DJ'verse suffers from this as well. DJ is smart, tough and making a living on the Nightside. Except the story ends up constraining, confining and making her dependent. As one of my readers said "She's the most obvious self-insert I've ever read from you, and I hate what the stories you tell about her say about your life."
Even Barbarossa's Bitch has a hopeful and happy ending. Humanity is back to being a going concern and starting to get something like modern civilization happening. Our hero gets an almost impossible fantasy come happily true. (and he's a daddy to three little girls as well) The older men of the group find a place to live in peace and practice their Before trades instead of riding with a motorcycle gang and being vigilantes.
But nothing I've written since has worked so well. And even as far back as Alive on the Inside, I've been wanting my books to be more than they are. But once I write everything in me on a subject, I'm dry. And it's never enough to make a good book.
--General Misanthropy
"Every man in Adventuresses is a rotter, a rapist or generally horrid. But every woman in every book is either a doormat or a high-iron bitch. I can't decide who you hate more."
In my experience, there are very few types of women. There are the dull mice. There are the manipulators, who act nice, but shiv you in the back every time. And there are the outright bitches. We may be mean or not, brilliant or not, but we take no shit and give no quarter. I write what I know. And I detest manipulators.
DJ is a bitch. She admits it freely. Sara Brown, in the Lord Withycombe adventures, revels in it, and is egged on by her equally bitchy male secretary. Lillian, ditto. She is a nonconforming woman and doesn't care. She has enough money to get away with it. Fran, likewise. Flossie appears to be a mouse, but turns out to have a bitch streak in her. And all the women in the Cyber'verse and Eight Thrones are terrifying.
I don't write men well, in conjunction with women. Men on their own, they do fine. But once women are introduced into a storyline, and especially as romantic interests, the men turn stupid and brutal and possessive. It's one of the reasons I don't write heterosexual content on a regular basis. I don't want to encourage what I see every day.
No woman I know has ever been better for having a heterosexual relationship. It always ends up damaging or destroying something in them.
--I'm not much of a plotter.
I do great characters, workmanlike action sequences, great quick-sketch descriptions that make the reader feel they are in a place without overwhelming them and snappy dialogue. But I'm not good at plot.
So, I improve what I can, root out my personality from the books, and quit tipping my hand.
- Fri, 02:15: Difficult day http://t.co/y3tin9ayxB
- Fri, 11:24: Literary Analysis http://t.co/sX0XD544sZ
Better than Fifty Shades February
Feb. 6th, 2015 06:38 pmWhen people as "So what kink DO you read?" this is one of the series I point them to.
This is the one with the images that stick with me: The Barn. Noah facing down Phan's father. Tobias delivering the foal. Noah facing his fear of the cage. Tobais scarring a T into a sub's back with only a toothpick. Phan and his leather hair ribbons. This is the one that added ideas to my fantasy life.
Buy Link
I read all five. And I think the first four are the best. (The fifth seems to lose its way when the men are no longer working, Men draw most of their identity from work) I also highly recommend Rough Draft. It's one of the few nonkinky contemporaries I like.
My favorite scene is in Domination. Noah has told his Sir, Tobias, about one of his fantasies, and Tobias (with a little help) is making it come true.
~~~
Tobias moved. He didn't run, but he rushed up against Noah and propelled him into the brick wall ahead of the car, one hand up and out to keep Noah from being hurt by the impact. He pressed along Noah's body, his other hand on Noah's mouth. "You think you can dance like that and just walk out? That you can tease and put on a show and leave a man wanting? Slut."
Noah was quiet for a moment. He struggled a bit, disoriented, but turned his head far enough to get a look at Tobias and went still. He was breathing hard and his heart was pounding. It only took him a few seconds to form an appropriate response. "I... never promised you anything," he growled.
Tobias allowed himself a flicker of a smile as Noah jumped into the game.
He shoved a little harder, willing to be rougher now that Noah was at least aware that he was even there. "You made a promise to every man watching, Pretty Boy," Tobias said, a little louder. "Just that I'm the one who got out here to collect." He dragged his hand down Noah's body, fingers digging into muscle and pulling at cloth.
"Gentlemen ask first," Noah drawled. "But you're not a gentleman, are you? What if I told you I already have someone waiting for me? What then?"
"Then I'd say you don't seem to care much either way." Tobias dropped his hand lower and grabbed Noah's cock through his trousers. "Hard as a rock, slut." He licked Noah's ear and laughed softly. "You want it."
Noah didn't bother to cover his groan. "How do you know what I want? Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked, pressing his ass back into Tobias' hips. "Out here in the fucking parking lot..."
"Did you see him leave?" Came a voice off to their right. Logan.
"No, but it looks like we're too late, man," Bradford said in reply.
"Jesus, look at him. The fucking slut."
"There's no point in butting in, Tobias doesn't share."
Noah groaned again and glanced over his shoulder at Tobias again, his mask reflecting the shadowy light. "Jesus... "
Tobias laughed again, his hand rubbing Noah's erection and slipping down to cup his balls for a moment. "Good evening, gentlemen. You're a little slow." He ground his own prick against Noah's ass, his breath speeding.
"Or you're a little fast," came a voice on the left. Tobias had to actually turn his head to see who it was this time. "Let that tease go, Tobias, he's not worth it, take me instead," Nikki offered.
Tobias grinned and looked him over slowly. "Sorry, kid. You're a little... well. You're not this one." He gave Noah's cock a squeeze. "Gonna fuck you, Pretty Boy," he said to Noah. He flicked his wrist and undid the button on Noah's trousers.
"Oh, God." Noah was half in the scene and half in a fog of arousal, Tobias realized with smug satisfaction. "No, no," Noah mock-protested quite convincingly. "You can't, not here --I have a Master, he's waiting." His body betrayed him, however, and he groaned again. Tobias could feel the adrenaline pumping in him, feel his pulse race, his temperature rise.
"Do it, man!" came another voice behind him, and another one followed.
This is the one with the images that stick with me: The Barn. Noah facing down Phan's father. Tobias delivering the foal. Noah facing his fear of the cage. Tobais scarring a T into a sub's back with only a toothpick. Phan and his leather hair ribbons. This is the one that added ideas to my fantasy life.
Buy Link
I read all five. And I think the first four are the best. (The fifth seems to lose its way when the men are no longer working, Men draw most of their identity from work) I also highly recommend Rough Draft. It's one of the few nonkinky contemporaries I like.
My favorite scene is in Domination. Noah has told his Sir, Tobias, about one of his fantasies, and Tobias (with a little help) is making it come true.
~~~
Tobias moved. He didn't run, but he rushed up against Noah and propelled him into the brick wall ahead of the car, one hand up and out to keep Noah from being hurt by the impact. He pressed along Noah's body, his other hand on Noah's mouth. "You think you can dance like that and just walk out? That you can tease and put on a show and leave a man wanting? Slut."
Noah was quiet for a moment. He struggled a bit, disoriented, but turned his head far enough to get a look at Tobias and went still. He was breathing hard and his heart was pounding. It only took him a few seconds to form an appropriate response. "I... never promised you anything," he growled.
Tobias allowed himself a flicker of a smile as Noah jumped into the game.
He shoved a little harder, willing to be rougher now that Noah was at least aware that he was even there. "You made a promise to every man watching, Pretty Boy," Tobias said, a little louder. "Just that I'm the one who got out here to collect." He dragged his hand down Noah's body, fingers digging into muscle and pulling at cloth.
"Gentlemen ask first," Noah drawled. "But you're not a gentleman, are you? What if I told you I already have someone waiting for me? What then?"
"Then I'd say you don't seem to care much either way." Tobias dropped his hand lower and grabbed Noah's cock through his trousers. "Hard as a rock, slut." He licked Noah's ear and laughed softly. "You want it."
Noah didn't bother to cover his groan. "How do you know what I want? Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked, pressing his ass back into Tobias' hips. "Out here in the fucking parking lot..."
"Did you see him leave?" Came a voice off to their right. Logan.
"No, but it looks like we're too late, man," Bradford said in reply.
"Jesus, look at him. The fucking slut."
"There's no point in butting in, Tobias doesn't share."
Noah groaned again and glanced over his shoulder at Tobias again, his mask reflecting the shadowy light. "Jesus... "
Tobias laughed again, his hand rubbing Noah's erection and slipping down to cup his balls for a moment. "Good evening, gentlemen. You're a little slow." He ground his own prick against Noah's ass, his breath speeding.
"Or you're a little fast," came a voice on the left. Tobias had to actually turn his head to see who it was this time. "Let that tease go, Tobias, he's not worth it, take me instead," Nikki offered.
Tobias grinned and looked him over slowly. "Sorry, kid. You're a little... well. You're not this one." He gave Noah's cock a squeeze. "Gonna fuck you, Pretty Boy," he said to Noah. He flicked his wrist and undid the button on Noah's trousers.
"Oh, God." Noah was half in the scene and half in a fog of arousal, Tobias realized with smug satisfaction. "No, no," Noah mock-protested quite convincingly. "You can't, not here --I have a Master, he's waiting." His body betrayed him, however, and he groaned again. Tobias could feel the adrenaline pumping in him, feel his pulse race, his temperature rise.
"Do it, man!" came another voice behind him, and another one followed.
Friday Photodump
Feb. 6th, 2015 07:32 pm
Hosted by The Grill, an Aberdeen pub which disallowed women from the 1920s to the 1980s.
I blamed Sarah Brown for this in the current book.
( Read more... )