Narcissism and sex writing
Nov. 4th, 2004 12:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
itsallovernowIndulged in serious retail therapy last. The new Hem, which I like very much, although it doesn't have the same dreamy, drug haze and voices in a basement full of lullabies vibe that Rabbit Songs has. Nor does it in fact have rabbits.
Also bought Storm Hymnal, which is a collection of Grant Lee Buffalo songs. It's very good. His voice with his band reminds me sometimes of The Waterboys. It's much richer and more pure as a soloist, but the band has such a force that it's compelling. Hee, but then, much as I love The Shins, I always think they sound like Yes if someone had kidnapped Rick Wakeman's synthesizer:)
Bought Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson even though he does, on occasion, make my head hurt. I think William Gibson does cyberpunk better - and more efficiently - but I wanted to give Neal another try. Also bought a crappy romance novel because it had a hip cover, but alas, it was not Jennifer Crusieesque, merely crappy and modern.
Am also indulging in one of my favorite autoerotic fashion statements, meaning I get amused and turned on at myself by wearing my black thigh high socks. There's something weirdly appealing to me about the dark socks against the non-fat part of my thighs. It's much sexier than stockings and garter belts, makes me think of black wool stockings, boots and petticoats and well, dude, at least I can entertain myself
Mostly, it makes me think about writing about sex, because partly, I'm entranced by the scene I just finished writing, but also because writing sex for Farscape is a challenge. No one wears pretty dresses, and those pants do not look to be easy access. Therefore, writing about sex is also - for those of us who can't actually breath when a character on screen inhales a cigarette until said character also exhales - full of detail. I have to know about the boots and the socks coming off. Where does the gun belt go, do the pants come all the way off. Silly stuff, but important, because who wants the reader to be thinking, "dude, she's gonna trip and land on her ass if she doesn't kick those pants off of her ankles." It's hard to write up against the wall sex without going into the logistical details because there are no skirts to get shoved up to anyone's hips, no easily ripped off underwear:)
It also presents a variety of challenges to meet those difficulties, turning sex into a form of communication, letting it be funny, messy, awkward, possibly even bad, or start out bad and turn out good. It can be voyeuristic, or dirty, or clinical, and it all gets conveyed through the details. Slipping down the zipper, sliding a hand inside is sex, and you don't have to do much more than give a hint at the scene for that to take on a variety of meaning and layers. If there are other people around, it's illicit, if not, it can be desperate, not even taking the time to undress.
And as much as I like reading about sex, this is also why the sort of lovey dovey, we are communication how much we love each other by taking 10 pages to get off porn doesn't really do it for me. I know that these people love each other, or hate each other, or don't know how the hell they feel, but I want you to show me that through their actions, through their doubts, and their physical choices. I think![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
robynbender pulls this off very well , but she's also consciously layering in a way that doesn't happen very often, she's incredibly talented, and exploring specific aspects to the relationship and I'm always hot and sweaty when I finish reading her stuff, as well as thoughtful.
It's the idea of show don't tell. Don't tell me how much Aeryn wants to make John happy, show me her makin' him happy. Vigorously. And dude, let me just say that in that aspect, it is very rarely a lovely, gentle expression of sweetness and adoration, and the girl doesn't have the attention span to make it so. Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves. But, well, it's also just my own stuff. It's why I can readrubberneck's stuff over and over and over again. Because there's action, and reaction, pushing and pulling and tension, and it's so bloody hot that I have to go put water on my cheeks. And when her characters are tender with each other, you see it, you feel it in the way they interact.
It's why I adore Out of Their Clothes, becausecrankygrrl shows me lust and the glimmers of love, ridiculous situations, and small connections, and again, it's just really frelling hot.
It's one of the reasons that I have a hell of a time, despite my lack of inclinition, to write John/Scorpy slash that's NC-17. Dude, I just don't have the brainpower to figure out A) how Scorpy actually gets off, or B) if it involves getting out of that suit, how the hell does it happen!!
Also bought Storm Hymnal, which is a collection of Grant Lee Buffalo songs. It's very good. His voice with his band reminds me sometimes of The Waterboys. It's much richer and more pure as a soloist, but the band has such a force that it's compelling. Hee, but then, much as I love The Shins, I always think they sound like Yes if someone had kidnapped Rick Wakeman's synthesizer:)
Bought Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson even though he does, on occasion, make my head hurt. I think William Gibson does cyberpunk better - and more efficiently - but I wanted to give Neal another try. Also bought a crappy romance novel because it had a hip cover, but alas, it was not Jennifer Crusieesque, merely crappy and modern.
Am also indulging in one of my favorite autoerotic fashion statements, meaning I get amused and turned on at myself by wearing my black thigh high socks. There's something weirdly appealing to me about the dark socks against the non-fat part of my thighs. It's much sexier than stockings and garter belts, makes me think of black wool stockings, boots and petticoats and well, dude, at least I can entertain myself
Mostly, it makes me think about writing about sex, because partly, I'm entranced by the scene I just finished writing, but also because writing sex for Farscape is a challenge. No one wears pretty dresses, and those pants do not look to be easy access. Therefore, writing about sex is also - for those of us who can't actually breath when a character on screen inhales a cigarette until said character also exhales - full of detail. I have to know about the boots and the socks coming off. Where does the gun belt go, do the pants come all the way off. Silly stuff, but important, because who wants the reader to be thinking, "dude, she's gonna trip and land on her ass if she doesn't kick those pants off of her ankles." It's hard to write up against the wall sex without going into the logistical details because there are no skirts to get shoved up to anyone's hips, no easily ripped off underwear:)
It also presents a variety of challenges to meet those difficulties, turning sex into a form of communication, letting it be funny, messy, awkward, possibly even bad, or start out bad and turn out good. It can be voyeuristic, or dirty, or clinical, and it all gets conveyed through the details. Slipping down the zipper, sliding a hand inside is sex, and you don't have to do much more than give a hint at the scene for that to take on a variety of meaning and layers. If there are other people around, it's illicit, if not, it can be desperate, not even taking the time to undress.
And as much as I like reading about sex, this is also why the sort of lovey dovey, we are communication how much we love each other by taking 10 pages to get off porn doesn't really do it for me. I know that these people love each other, or hate each other, or don't know how the hell they feel, but I want you to show me that through their actions, through their doubts, and their physical choices. I think
robynbender pulls this off very well , but she's also consciously layering in a way that doesn't happen very often, she's incredibly talented, and exploring specific aspects to the relationship and I'm always hot and sweaty when I finish reading her stuff, as well as thoughtful.It's the idea of show don't tell. Don't tell me how much Aeryn wants to make John happy, show me her makin' him happy. Vigorously. And dude, let me just say that in that aspect, it is very rarely a lovely, gentle expression of sweetness and adoration, and the girl doesn't have the attention span to make it so. Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves. But, well, it's also just my own stuff. It's why I can read
rubberneck's stuff over and over and over again. Because there's action, and reaction, pushing and pulling and tension, and it's so bloody hot that I have to go put water on my cheeks. And when her characters are tender with each other, you see it, you feel it in the way they interact.It's why I adore Out of Their Clothes, because
crankygrrl shows me lust and the glimmers of love, ridiculous situations, and small connections, and again, it's just really frelling hot.It's one of the reasons that I have a hell of a time, despite my lack of inclinition, to write John/Scorpy slash that's NC-17. Dude, I just don't have the brainpower to figure out A) how Scorpy actually gets off, or B) if it involves getting out of that suit, how the hell does it happen!!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 09:39 pm (UTC)*hee*. you must go read
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 10:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 09:58 pm (UTC)OMG. The images. *facepalms* That said, your porn is very good.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-04 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 12:54 am (UTC)A. Your writing has infected me. I find myself using 'lush' over and over. "Lush curve of her buttocks", "lush curve of her hips", and so forth and so on.
Your porn is never just porn, and the effort you put into making sex mean more than it can is what keeps me coming back for more. Oh, and it's so very, very lush. *g*
B. John/Scorpius is just wrong, wrong, wrong.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 01:14 am (UTC)So thank you very, very much.
B. John/Scorpius is just wrong, wrong, wrong.
Hee -- this from you? That baby did steal your brain:) Maybe we need to have Stars make some new soup:)
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 01:22 am (UTC)Yes, me. *sticks out tongue*
I have never advocated John/Scorpius. I have written non-con, but never our John with our Scorpius as anything other than that. Icons, on the other hand, are fair game.
Now, Astro's positing an idea that's garnered my interest. John and Harvey!Aeryn, anyone?
*vbg*
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 01:32 am (UTC)Oh, God, I'm laughing so hard, I'm gonna cough out a lung
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 02:55 am (UTC)One word: frottage.
Oh wait, maybe that's just MY kink.
Sigh.
show me her makin' him happy. Vigorously.
BWAH! Okay, I have a language kink, too. *g*
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 07:18 pm (UTC)And dude, I have such a language kink as well:)
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 04:41 am (UTC)I do find the pants issue distracting, when I see someone has left out a step in the undressing.
Unless, of course, they're "Magic PK baby-birthin' pants" which would also be good for frelling.
seva
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 07:11 pm (UTC)