Masala Monday
When ordering curry, do you have a 'fall back' dish? As in, -can't decide, last person to order and smiley waiter is tap-tap-tapping his pen on his notepad, so I'll just have...'the masala please?' You hand back the menu satisfied you finally made a decision, bring your chilled glass of wine to your lips, only to have the waiter raise his eyebrows..."Will you be wanting anything else with that, Ma'am? Mango Chutney, Tomato Chutney, Raita, Spicy Lime Chutney?
Eating is like writing, cooking is like blogging, food is like...um, you know chocolate? Chocolate is like sex... There's so much choice, you can never make up your mind, sometimes you want it spicy, other times, maybe extra coriander, or just...well, vanilla with a dash of cinnamon? * Pensive expression * Are we still talking curry? Yes! No! Maybe?
Truth is, firstly - I've been working on the 'love scenes' lately, and surprisingly I've made myself blush...did I write that? It's a little spicy! So I need to add a little mango lassi, tone it down. Secondly, I have been lucky enough to win an opportunity for two critiques, one being a critique of a 'love scene'. I know -great! Right? So why has it had this profound effect on me? On a loop, every couple of hours I feel like this...
1. I just want to edit a certain scene to death. Edit to perfection, and then some more...but isn't that the point of the critique from an expert?
2. Risk the ultimate embarrassment... 'You're good, but like, have you tried it this way? Much better. Yes!'
3. It literally scares the 'pants off me'. Am I ready for someone else to read this scene? *Faints*
4. Um, pick the most tame of the scenes? So what if it's just a kiss...it's a pretty damn hot one.
5. Hot-Cold-sweat...
So, you see - curry, sex scenes, cooking, writing, chocolate, sex...it's all the same really. Tell me though, how often do you edit-re-edit-edit- a love scene before you are satisfied? Ahem, and I didn't mean it that way. Really...
A/N: Hello Everyone! Hope you are all enjoying Monday! My post is a little later than anticipated, things got a little crazy in a parallel universe today, but hey ho - I'm happy. Hope you are too! I shall be working on edits this week, am almost finished the second draft of my main WIP. Have a lovely week!
Talei
xox
Eating is like writing, cooking is like blogging, food is like...um, you know chocolate? Chocolate is like sex... There's so much choice, you can never make up your mind, sometimes you want it spicy, other times, maybe extra coriander, or just...well, vanilla with a dash of cinnamon? * Pensive expression * Are we still talking curry? Yes! No! Maybe?
Truth is, firstly - I've been working on the 'love scenes' lately, and surprisingly I've made myself blush...did I write that? It's a little spicy! So I need to add a little mango lassi, tone it down. Secondly, I have been lucky enough to win an opportunity for two critiques, one being a critique of a 'love scene'. I know -great! Right? So why has it had this profound effect on me? On a loop, every couple of hours I feel like this...
1. I just want to edit a certain scene to death. Edit to perfection, and then some more...but isn't that the point of the critique from an expert?
2. Risk the ultimate embarrassment... 'You're good, but like, have you tried it this way? Much better. Yes!'
3. It literally scares the 'pants off me'. Am I ready for someone else to read this scene? *Faints*
4. Um, pick the most tame of the scenes? So what if it's just a kiss...it's a pretty damn hot one.
5. Hot-Cold-sweat...
So, you see - curry, sex scenes, cooking, writing, chocolate, sex...it's all the same really. Tell me though, how often do you edit-re-edit-edit- a love scene before you are satisfied? Ahem, and I didn't mean it that way. Really...
A/N: Hello Everyone! Hope you are all enjoying Monday! My post is a little later than anticipated, things got a little crazy in a parallel universe today, but hey ho - I'm happy. Hope you are too! I shall be working on edits this week, am almost finished the second draft of my main WIP. Have a lovely week!
Talei
xox
Comments
Jolene, I like your thinking. Better to start spicy and tone it down, at least there's something to work with. I shall read aloud, I do that...though it makes me cringe at times, its a worthy exercise.
Michelle, good point. Get inside their heads, they are always inside mine! ;-) Aw, and thanks re new pic. It was time to stop hiding behind the sunnies.
Meredith, thank you dear lady!
Danette, hello! Absolutely, all critiquing should be constructive right? I shall don my Batgirl cape to protect me! ;-)
Carol, Hmm - they can be hard (no pun intended). Perhaps, the hardest scene for me to write was the first one with my MC, it took me - LIKE forever, I recall blogging about it. Keep at it though, I think Michelle's advice is good, 'get inside their heads', feel what they feel and write it down, then edit it to death. ;-) My approach.
And, thank you. *blushes* I kinda like my 'antique-wash-pop-art' pic, it'll be there until I bribe my brother into taking a 'proper' one for me. ;-)
Jo, thanks hun. I love how you don't stress about, you can write if under pressure. CP's are invaluable!! I'm always on the lookout. ;-)
bethfred.com
Bish, it's as up close and personal as you can get, well...physically. ;-) We won't delve into the deep psyche.
Stephen, I have to say - and maybe its just me, I'm yet to meet a male author who's written a long sex scene. Lordy, I can't believe how much I am writing that word today. SEX. I think if short and sweet is good too, it really depends on the style of the book too right? Thanks so much for stopping by! ;-)
Melissa, a kiss - can be the hottest thing, in my books. ;-)
Beth, definitely depends on the genre, I do love YA. Sometimes just hinting is enough. thanks! ;-)
I've only ever written one (quite recently, actually) and definitely blushed more than once, but I'm happy with the overall effect. I will probably edit the lead-up before I touch the scene. We'll see.
:-)
Love the new profile pic, by the way.
Argh If blogging is like cooking then I'm screwed - I'm officially banned from the kitchen after trying to kill us off with a bad fruit salad!!!
When I wrote my first ever WIP, I ended up taking every single love scene ALL THE WAY in the writing, so that I knew that every single one of them would have to be edited back... I have enough extra material to start my own erotica franchise -oops!
Great post!
Lx
Laura, Hahaha! I've done exactly that, written a couple of scenes, one in particular 'all the way', and now - I could probably have an erotica chapter collection to, er...save for another book?
Don't worry about cooking, as they say...practice makes perfect...you can always, eat out? ;-)
Monica
http://oldermommystillyummy.blogspot.com/
Ideally, if you're going to have a love scene, why not go for the extra oomph, an extra dose of spice... and yeah, editing is good, but sometimes you have to remember that love should be a little messy... I felt so dirty writing this comment. Now I'm off to clean my kitchen and re-label my spices.
And I love chicken korma. That's my fall back!
Austin, this is a good strategy, we like that. I hope you re-labelled all your spices? Thanks so much for the follow too.
Talli, I love your fall back dish! ;-) Its amazing how long we can spend on one scene only to cull it right back in the end.
Nutschell, thanks! And, yes -its a good thing you don't write these for your genre!! ;-D
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