The lovely Katie O'Connor, writer of romance and erotica, has come to visit today! She's got a new book,
The Gift, which is sure to steam up your glasses.
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| Click on cover to buy Katie's book on Amazon |
Plotting With My Pants Down
First off, I have to
thank Ute for being so kind as to invite me to visit her
readers here. So, I thank you Ute, I just hope you don’t live to regret this
kindness. After all, I’m kind of weird, but in a good way. (At least that’s
what my Mom says, but then she has never read any of the erotica that I write.
*grin*)
Recently, I learned
that there are two types of writers. Personally, I’ve always found the names
for them quite funny. I mean, how can you not laugh at the terms plotter and
pantser? When I hear plotter, I think grave yards and creepy old dudes with
shoves. Pantser? I picture someone dancing with their pants around their
ankles, and it ain’t pretty.
Seriously, plotters
are those writers who plan their stories from start to finish with all the
details, story lines, events and characters in place before they put pen to
paper, or fingers to keyboard. They even make notes! On the other hand,
pantsers are those writers who begin with an idea or character and start
writing, flying by the seat of their pants, making it up as they go along.
Being the difficult
person I am, as a writer, I am a hybrid. I am fuelled by licorice allsorts and
coffee or alternately by Vodka and Pepsi, depending on the time of day. Oh
wait, that’s not what I meant. What I should have said, is that I’m part
plotter, and part pantser. I start with a scene in my head and maybe part of a
plot. Then I wiggle it around until I have a storyline going. Then the fun
begins, and I start writing. I add details of the characters’ lives,
descriptions and conflicts as they come to me.
On a good day, I can
follow the characters where they lead me and writing is okay. On bad days, I
scribble and scratch down words only to delete them ten minutes later. This is
the flying by the seat of my pants part. I keep working and playing, hoping
that my characters will lead me someplace worth going. Sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn’t. Often, they lead me to some place entirely different from
where I was originally headed.
Last week, Jason kept
talking to me. Now, you have to understand that Jason isn’t a real person. He’s
is, or rather was, a character in my current erotic story. (Working title
Tessa’s Trio.) Jason kept telling me to change his name. His nagging voice
grated on my nerves and irritated me every time he appeared in the story.
Eventually, I gave in to the madness and changed his name. Thus, Mitch was
born. Jason is gone, and so are the voices. That’s good, right?
In the spirit of
making it up as I go along, I’ve been known to steal ideas where ever I find
them. On occasion, I pick up an idea from watching other people and can be
found eavesdropping almost anywhere. Many ideas come to me in dreams.
Yesterday, I woke up thinking of one of my many works in progress and words
popped into my head out of nowhere. I scratched them down as quickly as
possible. I thought what came to me wasn’t bad . . .
Peter crossed the room, a slow
smile lighting his face. Stopping before Beth, he cupped her cheek in his hand,
leaned down and kissed her softly. “Hi,” he whispered, his eyes sparkling with
happiness. “It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you.” He leaned in again, kissed
her senseless and walked away, leaving her staring at his retreating back,
listening to her heart pound.
***
Beth watched him from across the
room. Sweat glistened on the back of his neck. The game was tied, and both
teams were exhausted, but she had lost interest in the game. All she could see
was the sweat beading on Peter’s skin. She could almost smell its enticing
masculine aroma from here. She licked her dry lips, closed her eyes and lost
herself in the image of licking the sweat from his skin.
So now, I have two
paragraphs, and in my mind each has fleshed out to a complete scene. I’m just
hoping I can write them so they read as steamy on paper as they do in my mind.
As a bonus, each will actually advance the romantic plot! Again, this is the pantser
part. The story started with a great opening scene between two people forbidden
by circumstances to be together. I had no idea where to go from there. But over
time, their lives have changed and Peter and Beth have fumbled their way into a
relationship and what might be a lasting love. All I have to do know is invent
the ending.
So I’m off now, to
plot or maybe to fly by the seat of my pants. Have a good one!
Hugs
Katie
(And thanks again for
hosting me Ute.)
______________________
The above was written
by Katie O’Connor, She’s been a writer for eons. Okay, for so long she won’t
admit to a number of years. She’s written a number of novels and short stories.
This past December, her most recent work, an erotic novella called THE GIFT, was
published by Etopia Press. It was her first published book. Woot! Woot! Check
out her blog for links to purchase her book, or to read more about the insanity
that is her life.
When Katie isn’t
writing, she’s at the local rink watching lacrosse, or reading something
steamy, or both. You can also find Katie on:
Twitter: Katie O'Connor @KatieOhWrites
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/katieohwrites
Her Blog: http://katieoh.blogspot.com
Goodreads: as Katie
O'Connor
