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Seren chooses the oddest times to interfere. I’m driving alone, windows down, the wind caressing my face, playing havoc with my ponytail. Not a cloud to be seen, sun warming my left arm. Summer in spring. Classic rock blares on the radio. My shoes are in the passenger footwell, my toes bare on the gas and the clutch. I have no idea why; I think better barefoot. Perhaps, there is a snapshot in this.
Seren decides to be contrary. Despite the glorious summery day unfolding beyond my windscreen, she insists that there is an image involving fresh snow, a pine forest, a remote cabin, and a beautiful girl reading erotica in front of a roaring hearth, sipping at her Riesling. I assure you, offending a Muse is a terrible idea, so I will be posting the resulting snapshot in a day or two.
Sometimes, it is completely futile trying to comprehend or control a Muse. Even Dragons must simply go with the flow.
It’s spring around here. Spring is a time for rejuvenation and renewal. And it’s wet around here. No. Not that kind of wet. Well, maybe that kind of wet, too.
What should a Dragon do when she’s awakened at dawn by thunder and lightning and rain?
Write Snapshot #036?
What is a Snapshot, you ask? And even if you didn’t ask...
Once upon a time, there was a place to post erotic stories called ASS(M). It was a strange place, full of wonderfully diverse authors and readers (and trolls, but that is another tale). One talented contributor was named Suki, and she often posted Images by Suki. Images were short sweet expositions meant to invoke a picture in the mind of the reader, and hopefully, when they worked, some emotional response. Suki was incredibly talented at these. I sometimes wonder whatever happened to her.
Snapshots are a clumsy Dragon’s spin on this concept. These days, I think we might refer to them as flash fiction. There isn’t necessarily heavy character, plot, or even sex. But there is generally atmosphere and setting, and sometimes, with the right reader, these suggestions can coax an emotional response and sometimes even be erotic. In my case, Seren flashes me an undeniable mental image and sometimes I can resist it, but generally not for long. The only way to get it out of my head is to write it down. Some images are intensely personal. Some are mundane.
Regardless, I can’t promise to post all the snapshots I write, or have written. Recall the intensely personal description above.
Seren has been whispering of late, so at least two new snapshots will be posted in the near future.
I've never "blogged" before. This may seem odd. While I'm new to SoL, I've written and read many stories over the years, but I've never written a blog. I suppose this is somewhere one expresses thoughts outside of the story, perhaps a glimpse into the author's mind? Trust me... no one wants to go there. Dragon's minds are complex and scary. So, please forgive me if I’m not blogging correctly. I have no idea what I’m doing. None. But I’m gonna try anyway. If nothing else, I’m an adventurous dragon.
I recently posted a new story: The Odds. It's the only one currently in my story list, so it ought to be easy enough to find. I haven't written anything in seven years, a hibernation borne of strange circumstance. The Odds was emotional and difficult for me to write, even if this is one of the few times I did not suffer from writer's block. Sometimes, as writers, we get drawn into our crafted world and connect with our characters, our plots, our settings. This can be a difficult process, but also very rewarding, especially if our readers end up connecting with it as well. That is, if we've done our job correctly.
The Odds follows three strong women on a strange journey of self-discovery and fate. There’s even a pink cowboy hat in it. Our narrator can help an unhappy soul and she does, even if the journey is perilous. In the process, she learns about herself and her past, all while exploring a sexual wilderness.
I really didn’t know how to code this story. For anyone who knows how I write, descriptions of sex tend to be muted. I don’t write stroke stories, or at least I don’t think so. The Odds has more sexual content in it than average for me, but there really isn’t much actual sex. Much sex? Some sex? Who knows? I can’t explain it better than that, so, if you are curious, I guess you’ll have to read the story.
I also hesitated to put romantic in the story codes. Pixel the Cat assured me that it was accurate, but I still question it. He’s probably right. Yet romantic screams Harlequin to me, but this is not Harlequin by a long shot. And lesbian. I mean: is there love and sex between two consenting females? Sure. But characters are more complex than a singular label, right? Heck one of our primary characters is married to a man, and seems happy to be, even while temporarily exploring other facets of her sexuality.
I guess what I’m saying: sometimes stories are more than a bunch of story codes. Perhaps we should use them more to choose what we really don’t want to read, than what we do?
It took me about two weeks to write The Odds, which is a long time for me, but it consumed me while I was in that world. Pixel and Munkie can attest to that.
I still don’t know if I’m “blogging” correctly. But there it is. My first blog post.
Time for a glass of wine.
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