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Monstress

10/23/2023

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I love writing monstrous women. Many of my characters have monstrous attributes - this allows them to do and say things a ‘nice’ character would not. Writing monsters gives me freedom and is an act of feminism.
 
What makes a monster?
There is the long-running belief that personalities are defined by either nature vs nurture. I’ve always felt this belief was erroneous. Monsters are born with potential, which life then defines. Whenever I write a monstress, she always holds that capacity, but it’s only expressed when she’s pushed beyond her limits.
Throughout history, characteristics portrayed as monstrous in women, are viewed as heroic in men. Traits such as aspiration, power, knowledge, strength, and desire in women are to be reviled.
 
Mythologies cast women as monsters
Greek: Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Instead of punishing Poseidon, Athena turned Medusa into a monster. The message? If you get raped, it’s your own fault and you deserved it. Also, no one will want to look at you afterwards.
Japanese: The Yamauba are exiled women accused of crimes, or elderly women abandoned when resources are scarce. Out of rage or desperation these women transform into horrible monsters who feed on humans and practice black magic. The message? Women are disposable and become monstrous when no longer under the protection of men.
Maori: Kurangaituku, the bird-woman, was betrayed & defeated by Hatupatu. Sometimes she’s described as a witch or an ogress, other times as a guardian of birds and other small creatures. The message? If women are different or other, they don’t deserve respect.
Anglo-saxon: In the saga of Beowulf, Grendel’s mother is hunted down and killed after she avenges the death of her son. The message? Women have no right to vengeance, that’s the purview of men. Women who step outside of accepted behaviours will be killed.
Myths have encoded the expected behaviour of women in society, to go beyond those boundaries is monstrous.
 
Who is the biggest monster?
Misogynist and patriarchal societies cast women as monsters to be controlled and conquered. The tools in their arsenals include psychological and physical abuse, rape and murder. When women reclaim their power, they’re accused of using their womanly ways to trap men and villainised for no longer fitting the mould.
Many of the stories I write begin at this point. The point where a woman pushes back, where she reclaims her voice, where she says no. No matter how monstrous she becomes, I want the reader to always question who is the biggest monster?
 
The power of the monstress
The monstress shows us who women can be when they're not constrained by patriarchal expectations. A monstrous character can be familiar and offer us strength and comfort. She can do, say and be the things we can’t. The monstress can challenge convention and moralities but, most of all, she can explore what it means to be human.
When speaking on a panel on this subject I told the audience I write from a position of rage - fuelled by six decades of pent-up fury. By creating and writing monstrous women, I can vicariously stab, rend, rip and torture through them. All the condescending, misogynists I meet out in the real world should be grateful – having this outlet is all that stops me from stabbing them in the eye with a pen.
 
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Writing Good Sex

10/13/2023

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​Writing good sex is an art. If you don’t want to become infamous by being nominated for a Bad Sex Award, then I have some advice for budding writers of erotica, or anyone who wants to include sex scenes in their stories.
 
Sex ≠ Intimacy
Sex is physical, while intimacy is emotional – a state of mind. Sex is best described using action words: hot, thrust, lust, wet, hard, desire, need. When adding intimacy use emotive words: heart, care, soft, warm, love, want. Both come together in romance but intimacy isn’t a requirement when writing sex scenes or erotica.
 
Writer Confidence
How confident you are affects how you write. You need to be comfortable with the content of your story or risk coming across as shy and hesitant, or even worse - prudish. Readers can sense when a writer is not being authentic. If you think a word is insulting, then don’t use it. Likewise, if you find certain sexual acts perverted, do not write about them. There are plenty of authors out there who can, and will, write on the fringes, so you don’t need to force yourself into spaces that make you uncomfortable.
When writing sex, you don’t need to follow that old chestnut “Write What You Know”. I’ve never fucked an elf, but I write about elves fucking. BUT…you absolutely must do your research. Take care when writing sexualities that are not your own. If in doubt, get a sensitivity reader to check your work.
 
Elements of a sex scene
I think writing a good sex requires much the same approach as writing a good fight scene. Both are physical but should not just be a blow-by-blow account of the action. A good sex scene involves all the senses: taste, smell, touch, sight, sound, it’s not just about the mechanics.
When writing human sex, it must be physically possible. If one of your characters is a middle-aged woman, can she really put her legs behind her ears? And, it always pays to count your limbs. Nothing is more off-putting to the reader than a third hand joining the party! Alien sex is less bothersome - four tentacles? Why not make it eight?
Your readers should have no trouble following who’s doing what to who. This is especially important when the sex scene involves three or more participants. Use the characters’ names or find some other way of identifying who is who.
I do my best to ensure my sex scenes are safe, sane & consensual but I sometimes blur the lines around sanity.
 
Avoid Purple Prose
For the love of all that is sacred please avoid explicit euphemisms for sex and anatomy in your prose. To a limited extent they are OK in dialogue, but really, it’s just best to avoid them. No one wants to read about a character’s love truncheon, towering pillar of manhood, oyster, or love cave.
At the same time, using technical terms can come across as cold and clinical. You need to find terms you’re comfortable using. Again, a little research and sensitivity readers can be invaluable.
 
Purpose of sex scene
Unless you’re writing pornography, sex needs to serve a purpose.
It can help strengthen an emotional attachment between characters and define relationships. Sex can often be used to reveal who has the power in a relationship, or to flip an expectation. Character can be revealed during a sex scene, someone cold and calculating can be shown as vulnerable and needy. A sex scene can expose hidden attitudes and reveal secrets.
 
Know your audience
Be aware of your audience. Putting explicit sex into a YA novel is a very, very bad idea. BUT, if you are writing solely for the erotica market, your readers will expect a sex scene to make them hot! Don’t let them down! Read widely in your genre to understand reader expectations. Personally, I think sex has a place in all genres (except for literature aimed at the under 18-year-old market), but it needs to be handled well so readers aren’t shocked. In the blurb for Letters From Elsewhere, I wrote, “If you like your fantasy and science fiction a bit dark, laced with humour and sometimes spicy, these stories will entertain, disturb and challenge you.” Anyone who buys the collection should know what they’re getting into.
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​Genre Blending

10/5/2023

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I often blend genres in my stories. I don’t do it to challenge standard conventions of genre, but as an extension of the “What If?” question. What if an elf finds herself in space?  What if a Greek god finds herself in Aotearoa? What if pirates are in space and use sex as a weapon, a reward and a negotiation tool?
 
What is a genre?
Genres began when Aristotle developed an absolute classification for Greek Literature: they’ve evolved.
Today, genre is an ever-expanding way to group books. Genres are used by librarians and booksellers to group books on shelves. They’re also a strong marketing tool and set readers expectations.
Genre fiction can be broken into a multitude of categories, including: comedy; fantasy; science fiction; climate fiction; dystopia; erotica; horror; crime; thriller; historical; romance; western; war; spy; and so on…the list is ever changing.
By blending genres, we create opportunities for new ways to tell stories. For example, science fantasy: where technology and magic coexist, and space opera: where science fiction, fantasy and drama can coexist.
 
How to blend
It’s important to start with a base genre. At its core what is the plot of your story about? Once the base is established other genres can be overlaid. It’s important that the secondary genres enrich, but don’t overpower the base genre. Each element must play a part in the plot or contribute to character development.
In my collection, Letters From Elsewhere, the story, Moths to the Flame, is at its heart a science fiction story with elements of fantasy, erotica and historical fiction.
 
Why blend?
Multiple genres can add depth to the plot. Readers don’t want to just know the science in science fiction, they want to know how it impacts the characters. Characters come alive. A detective story is one thing, but what if she’s having to deal with the challenges of being married to a vampire? By blending genres, the world gets bigger. We can create a universe where everything is not as it seems.
 
But the most important thing is to write a good story. All the genres in the world won’t make up for poor character development, weak world building or a lack of plot.
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