Tag Archives: NaNoWriMo

Farewell, Vixen

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Bye-bye, Vixen

Bye-bye, Vixen

I’ve been trying to write the last installment of my “V for Vixen” column for the Hour. Basically, the deal is that they want to put two shorter columns in the space my column currently occupies. I’m not being laid off, exactly, as I was offered the opportunity to pitch another shorter version of the column (or an entirely different column) for one of those spaces, but I felt it was time to move on. I’ve been writing Vixen since October of 2007, and while I am still definitely interested in continuing to write about sex, love and relationships, I think I do need a different venue for those explorations.

I also need a break. I’m burnt out, and I feel like the things I’ve been writing lately haven’t been connecting with audiences very well. That’s probably because they’re not quite the things I’ve been wanting to write. How do you write about sex without being purely titillating? How do you write about sex in an intellectual way, without alienating over 90% of your readers? How do you share personal stories without over-sharing? What’s the point of sharing personal stories, anyway, if the only comment you receive is from some asshole who just wants to tear you down and make you feel bad about having written anything to begin with?

These are all challenges, not just for sex columnists, but for writers of all kinds. But I do think that sex writers are more easily pigeonholed than others, and that’s another source of frustration. Just because I write about sex does not mean I’m horny, easy, cheap, or morally bankrupt. It doesn’t mean I am a bad person, or that I was abused as a child. It doesn’t mean that I’m a sex worker, or that I want to fuck you. It doesn’t mean anything, really, except that it’s a subject I like to write about. Sometimes it’s fictional, sometimes it’s factual, but regardless, it’s me.

I can’t really escape the fact that I write about sex, that I’ve written about sex, that I will in all likelihood continue to write about sex. If that means people don’t want to hire me, so be it. I’ll go work somewhere else. And maybe that’s a good idea anyway, because writing about nothing but sex gets pretty old pretty quickly. It’s interesting, but I am also easily bored by routine; I like learning new things and finding new topics of interest.

So right now I am applying to get into graduate school, because I’d really like to write a novel. I have been starting and stopping novels for years, ever since I did my first NaNoWriMo, and I’m really bummed that I missed this year’s monthly writing marathon. I would like to write a novel, to edit a novel, to really and truly finish a novel, and see it go to print. If I get into this MFA program, that’s the goal. So I’ve got to finish up my writing samples and have those in by December 15.

I am still trying to find the right words for my last Vixen piece, because even though it’s kind of an ending, it’s also just the beginning. I don’t know where I will be writing, professionally, for the next little while, but I’ve still got Black Heart for all my filth and perversions. Check it out, if you haven’t already, and let me know what you think.

In the meantime, my last Vixen column is slated to run on December 17. Farewell, Vixen. It’s been swell.

Moving beyond the bedroom

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Cartoon by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (via Inkygirl.com)

Cartoon by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (via Inkygirl.com)

I’ve been thinking about applying for an MFA program, lately, as it would afford me time to write a real novel. Not just a 30-day NaNoWriMo marathon novel, which is all about quantity over quality, but a real, honest-to-goodness time-consuming, thoughtfully-penned novel.

That, quite frankly, is both exhilarating and totally terrifying.

Part of the terrifying aspect is that, like any application for school, you’re supposed to write up a succinct cover letter detailing any awesome aspects you bring to the table, which would convince them that you’d be an asset and a credit to the program. You’re supposed to sell yourself. They want to know about honors you’ve achieved, fellowships/grants/scholarships you’ve been granted, people you’ve impressed.

Sometimes, I wonder whom I’ve really impressed, or what I have to show for the past two years of freelancing work. I’m not saying it hasn’t been fun, but it hasn’t exactly added up to the kind of career I used to dream about when I was a starry-eyed creative writing major. Mostly because I haven’t been doing much creative writing.

Hence my desire to keep up with my haiku-a-day project, to do NaNoWriMo, to take on the 3-day Novel Writing Contest, etc.

So I have been asked to think about my goals, my dreams, my future—as these little questions are meant to prod you to write something about those types of things—and I am wondering where I really aim to go these days. Although I certainly enjoy writing about sex, and probably will always have an interest (some might say obsession) with this area, it’s not necessarily the area I want to specialize in forever. It’s just one of many interests, and it’s very easy to get pigeonholed when you write a sex column and run an erotica website.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’d like to be someone with a life outside the bedroom, to not be boxed into my boudoir, no matter how comfy it may be. Now the only question is where to go from here?

Moving beyond the
bedroom can be challenging;
I like a challenge

Top Five T-shirts About Writing

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I’m waiting for a guy to come and fix my clogged bathroom drains. Again. This is the story of my life, and I’d really like it to stop, but since I can’t concentrate (knowing that whenever I do get started on something, he will ring the doorbell and interrupt my work with a lot of banging), I thought I would post a round-up of writing-related t-shirts. Consider this your inspiration for the day. Or just another round of procrastination from your 500 Words A Day Writing Challenge.

Four Things You Should Never Say to a Writer (by Inkygirl):

4things

I would also add to this list, “Oh, you’re working on a novel, eh? Can I read it?” and “You write about sex, eh? Let’s go do some ‘research’ together!” (The answers to both now, and forever, are “no” and “hell no.” Unless you are my husband.)

NaNoWriMo’s 10th anniversary “Author” shirt:

nanowrimoshirt

I’m a big fan of this one, and like to wear it when I’m in need of literary inspiration. Way better than a thinking cap, particularly in the heat of summer. If it smells funny, you know it’s been on repeat in my wardrobe for long writing hauls.

“Shake” shirt by Sharing Machine:

shakespeare

Were truer words ever written… or read off a t-shirt? Shakespeare needs money for his rent, sucka, so cough up! Wear this shirt when dealing with editors who haven’t paid you, or when the landlord comes prowling for your monthly check.

Dorothy Parker t-shirt by Words + Paper:

parker

This one is particularly apropos, as I was reading Ms. Parker’s O. Henry Award-winning short story, “Big Blonde,” over breakfast this morning. Cheerios, coffee and DP: truly, the breakfast of champions.

“Plot, It Builds Character” tee, from Threadless:

plot

Currently on sale for only $9, this is a Threadless tee that’ll help you remember how to write when you’re making pitiful rookie mistakes. I’m also a fan of their “Movies: Ruining the Book Since 1920″ tee, since I’m crazy like that.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Fyodor Dostoyevsky “O Brother Where Art Thou?” shirt from Tres Normale:

dostoyevsky

Because Dostoyevsky wrote The Brothers Karamazov, get it? Yeah, since only a handful of people probably get this one, it only rates an honourable mention. But for those that do, it’s pretty cute. I think their Milton tee would also be a lot better if the caption read “Get lost,” but what do I know?

tooweirdI would also like to nominate these Hunter S. Thompson t-shirts for an honourable mention, because while I think that some of them are pretty cool (I particularly like the “We can’t stop here; this is bat country!” shirt), I also get the impression that ol’ Hunter S. would’ve been pretty horrified by his visage—and his words—appearing on a cheap cotton shirt. Particularly one that’s been made by Café Press, which (based on personal experience) produces a very poor-quality product. I’m also pretty sure that this type of thing is illegal, as it infringes upon a variety of copyrights (and yet has the nerve to claim copyright on these designs!), so I’m kind of hoping this site will go out of business. Of course, there’s no contact info listed anywhere, so who knows who’s actually running this show? Maybe it’s Thompson’s estate, playing a practical joke on us all.