l​We writers tend to be an insecure bunch. We doubt our ability from day one and even publication doesn't always take away our self-doubt.  This erotic romance writer also questions her validity a a published author.
 
I recently took part in a small romance writers panel at a local library. They asked my writing group if we had members who would like to participate, I jumped at the opportunity to 'get my name out there', but as I sat at the front of the room with three fellow published romance writers I had an overwhelming feeling of inferiority.
 
They were all with well-known 'big' publishing houses. I'm with an obscure small publisher. They have full-length novels. I have short stories.
 
They are published. I am published.  Yet I felt like an imposter.
 
Ok, I'm not the most committed writer and could probably hold a world title in procrastination but I've put words on paper. I've finalled in a few competitions. An editor thought my work worthy of public consumption. Yet somehow I still feel the need to compare myself to others. To measure my achievements and find shortcomings rather than seeing them as proof of my ability and success.
 
The perceived stigma that e-publishing certainly had years ago has pretty much disappeared, especially with so many 'big' publishers now embracing ebooks and shorter story lengths. Romance today is such a melting pot of big, small and self-published. Novels, novellas, short stories.
 
If I happen to tell someone I'm a writer, and they ask if I'm published, I say 'yes'.  I don't get asked 'who with' or 'how long is your story', so why is it such a big deal in my head? Why was I sitting on that panel, feeling like I didn't have a legitimate right to be there? That I had 'aspirations above my station'. 
 
I know I don't need to become a New York Times best-selling author to feel I can truly own the title of 'published author'. None of my fellow-writers have ever made me feel less of a writer because of my (self-perceived) more meagre publishing credits. Nor do I feel that way about other writers
 
I have come to view my feelings on that night as a wake-up call for my self-esteem and self-confidence (particulary as I am now venturing down the self-publishing path). To quote that well-known ad 'it won't happen overnight, but it will happen'.
 
In the meantime I know I can rely on my fabulous writing group for reality checks. At the MRWG we have a running joke that if someone makes a self-deprecating comment about their own writing, or their ability, someone else will say 'stop talking like that or I'll slap you'.
 
Andra Ashe
www.andraashe.com
 
Andra is re-releasing one of her short erotic romance stories  – Miss Blaine's Misconduct.
Available now at Amazon. 

Up until my current WIP I’d only written contemporary settings.  I knew the world my story was set in and describing that world wasn’t too difficult.  Then a story came to me that demanded a historical setting and it was a whole different ball game.

Page one, paragraph one – I could see it all in my head.  The hero’s arriving, in the middle of the night, in a carriage.  Ok, a carriage.  The one in my head is pretty generic but, like the cars of today, I know that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ periods.  Two wheels?  Four?  Open? Closed?

Google.

Carriage sorted.  Hero arrives.  Meets heroine.  My instinct is to have them shake hands –that all-important first physical contact and all that, but was it ‘the done thing’ back then?

Google.

Heroine needs to show hero upstairs to his room but does she light the way with a lamp? Candles? 

Google enlightens me that lamps were somewhat smelly and there is more than one type of candle possibility ...

... and I was still only on Page 1.

As I write erotic romance it wasn’t too many pages before my heroine was being undressed.  I’d undressed heroines before and it wasn’t too tricky to describe their underwear but what would lie beneath Louisa’s Regency dress was a complete mystery to me. Probably not such a mystery to the hero, but he was no stranger to 1815 undergarments.  I was.

I rummaged in Google’s lingerie drawer and found the appropriate bits and pieces for Louisa.

This trip into a time-warp was intriguing and educational.  And extremely distracting. 

I’m not the world’s fastest writer and definitely don’t need yet another handy excuse to stop writing but my story needs to be historically accurate.  I also need to finish it without making half a dozen detours every time I need to check details  (research and procrastination aren’t the same thing in different clothes, right?).

In the interest of finishing my story and forcing myself to ‘just write’ with lots of brackets to (check this later). 

My brain wants answers and my fingers itch but until this story is finished, I’m pushing through the urge to Google.  

The competition quandary – no contest. 

I’m a Libran and we prefer things in life to be balanced, particularly our emotions.  Guess I shouldn’t have become a writer then huh?

As writers we’re constantly in one of two states of mind; self-doubt interspersed with (if we’re lucky) the occasional rush of self-confidence.  If we already beat ourselves up about our abilities, why would we give the same privilege to someone else by entering competitions?

Because if we want to grow and improve as writers, giving our word-babies to others to inspect, to poke and prod and pass comment on, is a necessary evil.  Unless you have no interest in becoming published then other people’s opinions (and ultimately an editor’s) are the only gauge we have as to the quality of our work. 

Having critique partners is nice and personal.  You don’t have to tell anyone what they say about your writing and no-one else needs to know how much work you still have to do.  But entering a competition is a huge challenge because you’re forced to burst the ‘just me and my writing’ bubble and face comparison with other writers.  Face reality.

I don’t know about you, but when I receive the final ranking sheet I automatically go to the end and work my way up, looking for my title and hoping it’s not too close to the bottom of the page.  While it’s not very altruistic, for me there is a sense of relief if I’m not in the last few, that at least I’ve done better than someone. 

I’ve been lucky enough to final in the last two competitions I’ve entered, but it was not doing so well in the previous ones that spurred me on to try again to do better.  It was probably a few years between my last entries and the latest ones in which time, as you would hope, my writing obviously improved.  That didn’t, however, take the terror out of hitting the ‘send’ button or lessen the stomach-clenching anticipation of getting the results.  I doubt that ever goes away.

In the interim I also judged some competitions.  This gave me a real insight into the other side of things and I’m convinced it helped me inch my way up the rankings list.  It really brought home how important it was to make sure I went through the sample score sheets before sending my entries to make sure that my writing fulfilled all the criteria that would be judged.

Competitions are a double edged sword – they’re good for us but the process is stressful and can be painful.  However, as an avenue for not only improving our writing but also growing the thick skin which is a necessity for all writers, they’re invaluable.  

Andra Ashe

www.andraashe.com

I’m very excited to be a part of a spectacular new website for readers and writers of romance : The Naughty Ninjas.

While I’d love to be the one to tell you all about it, one of my awesome fellow Ninjas has already penned a few words to let you know what you’ll find at our humble abode, so I’ll put you into her capable, but occasionally sticky (don’t ask!)  hands …

 

We’re six naughty authors, with sneaky ninja powers... (Chuck Norris can deny paternity all he wants, but our mad ninja skills speak for themselves)

Who’ve started a website...

And we’re on a mission to bring you the lurrrve.

Like a bit of romance, erotica or chick lit in your day? So do we!

Want to hear some opinions about the pressing issues facing the world? You know, the important ones, like what to make of Fabio's new hairstyle or how dodgy dinosaur erotica truly is? We’ve got so many issues to wrestle with that our super ninja hideout is running out of room, so we’ve stored them all at Naughty Ninjas Say.

Want to know about forthcoming releases or what old favourites keep us coming back for more? Check out Reading Ninjas where we salivate over what tickled our pleasure centres and glory in the naughty bits.

Love food? Really, really love food? Awesome! So do we! (See, we knew we’d all be friends.) Come with us for a walk around Eat Me, our ninja pantry. It’s packed with recipes for optimal ninja bowel health, awful aphrodisiacs, anatomical cakes, and all the best munchies excitingly shaped like genitalia. If you like a bit of plonk with your pudding, we even have a resident wine critic to give you the stealthy lowdown.

Are you staying up at nights wondering what the difference is between a snizz and a Ding Dong McDork? No fear! Our Glorious Glossary of Naughty Anatomy is here to rescue the day on a brilliant white charger with its kilt flapping and pectorals glistening.

Do you suffer from tiny hands? Are you anxious about twerking etiquette? Is your boss a giant bag of dicks? Yes? Well, never fear genteel reader, our advice columnist, Lady Fluffy Beaver, is an expert at ass-kicking a crisis.

Are you a member of the Nerd Herd? We’ve got you covered. (You can’t see us though, we’re sneaky.) Browse Grammar Ninja, Nerdy Ninja and Ninjitsu—it’s like ninja writing school... with rude bits. (Be prepared for the odd discussion on the literary merits of hedgehog ménage and porpoise snuff fiction.)

Fatigued from all the Ninja Awesomeness? Well there’s still Naughty Nature where you can delve into the mysteries of nonhuman courtship, plus the Ninja Horoscope where Madam Lady-bumps interprets your month according to the stars and her latest novel.

And let’s not forget the starfish gang-bang that is Ninja Love, where dozens of guest ninjas and a score of interviewees mingle and reproduce.

Sound amazing, awesome and hella sneaky to you? Fantastic! Because we want to share the love with our Launch Competition where we’re offering a $80 Amazon gift voucher prize.

All you need to do to enter the draw is to sign up for the weekly Ninja Newsletter (we promise on our ninja mothers’ honour not to spam you, and you can unsubscribe whenever you want) before 14 March.

So come and join us in the giant ninja hot-tub, today! We’ll even let you take a turn at Jacuzzi karaoke using our rhinestone-studded disco stick.

 ‘Word painting’ is a term I’ve borrowed from the title of a book by  Rebecca
  McClanahan.  It’s such a rich,  evocative term – and one I wish I’d thought of myself and the book is a great  resource for all writers with regards to making the most of using  description.

 They say a picture paints a thousand words but as good writers, we  aspire to use fewer words to paint a picture.  Everyone who puts pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard writes  description.  It can’t be avoided.  Whether fiction or non-fiction, a story or a boring financial report, it all involves describing something.

 Why do we need to go to the extra trouble and effort when our scintillating dialogue and riveting plot may well be enough to carry our  story?

It’s because we don’t just want to tell our readers a story.  We want them to live it.  Sure, simply telling them things will do the job, but showing them in a way that engages emotions and senses will make their time with your story more fulfilling (and hopefully leave them wanting more of the same.)

 Description is the hardest working element of our stories. It not only tells us how something looks, it can show so much about the  place or time, the characters and their emotions.  Description isn’t something that is solely visual, it can also convey mood, tone, memory – all aspects which add richness and depth to the  story.

Ok, so we’re going to embellish our work with unique and compelling description, but where do  we put it?

Description isn’t merely decoration.  It can’t be hung on every sentence,  that’s like overloading a Xmas tree until all you see is the fancy stuff.  Like everything else in your story, every word needs to count, to serve the story. It should blend seamlessly into your story, not be a signpost saying ‘this is so you understand this particular aspect of the character, setting, plot’ aka the dreaded ‘info dump’.  Don’t waste description where it’s not needed. Don’t say it was a blue vase if the color is irrelevant.

Use detail where it’s significant, where it serves a purpose :             
‘It was a strong and handsome face with eyes that surprised her with their intense colour. Blue.  Not baby blue, or
dark blue, but the colour of her lapis lazuli  crystals.’
This isn’t just a description of the hero’s eyes, it gives us an insight into the heroine’s personality – that she thinks in terms of crystals we  could assume that she’s ‘new age’. The reader can form perceptions of how she may think and act.   As well as giving a concrete detail about the hero, it gives an  indication about the heroine as well.

Similarly the items on a credit card statement or  shopping list can build a picture of someone’s character – or the mere fact that  they have a ‘to do’ list.

Effective description doesn’t have to be complex or long.  It should play beneath the storyline like subliminal music.  
 
How?
Be precise and relevant in your details. If describing something that is ‘white’, what (from the POV of the person observing the white) would they see?  Alabaster? Milk? Bloodless?  Cloud? What about them, their situation, would colour (no pun intended) their perception of white?

Be aware of the sound of your words and the impact that  can carry. For example, short, long, abrupt, heavy, sad, light, sharp etc.  One word of the right tone can often  say more than a sentence.  
 
Think of description like expensive jewellery. Understand its quality,  appreciate its value and know how to use it to its best effect.
 
Andra Ashe’s recently released, erotic romance, ‘The Biker and the
Ballerina’, is available from Jupiter Gardens, follow the link below. 
http://jupitergardenspress.com/shop/the-biker-and-the-ballerina/


http://www.andraashe.com/
http://andraashe.blogspot.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/andra.ashe.5

Andra Ashe, an erotic romance author, has been reading avidly and writing since I was a child. It was hearing her poem, about a puppy, being read out on the radio at the tender age of 11 that gave her the first boost of confidence in her writing ability. She’s been putting words and ideas on paper ever since.

The old ‘Loveswept’ books were her first taste of romance and she started  (and still continues) to learn  how to write in this genre.  As publishers upped the allowable  level of heat, her interest in the emerging phenomenon of erotic romance grew and she knew that it was the sub-genre I wanted to write. “Now the bedroom door (in romance) is now well and truly open, I’m there and taking notes!” she says. "Bottom line -  I love creating sinfully sexy situations for characters to indulge their lust, and fall in love.”

Andra is published with Jupiter Gardens Press. Her very first published story, “Diving In”, is part of their Boys of Summer Anthology. 'Miss Blaine's Misdemeanour', her second published short story, appears in the Beyond Bounds anthology and recently she has released her third novella, “The Biker and the Ballerina”“


"The Biker and the Ballerina” is about Brody, a tattooed but oh-so-hot biker, who doesn't let women on his bike, let alone into his life, but he can’t ignore a damsel in distress. Petite Cara isn't his type – though his body is telling him otherwise.

Ballerina Cara is stranded on a deserted road in the blistering heat. Brody wasn't exactly the Prince Charming rescuer she'd imagined, but she can’t be picky.

Both live their lives on the road but in very different worlds. Fate and torrential rain seem to conspire to bring them together for one erotic night – but will one be enough?

Excerpt:

“Are you ok?”

Someone was shaking her. Cara struggled out of a hot, sweaty sleep.

There was a hand on her knee. A strong, tanned hand. With the claws of some sort of black reptile inked onto each finger, the body snaking its way up the arm. She pulled away, shuffling sideways on her behind to shake of the hand.

Then she saw the boots. Black, scuffed with a metal ring and studded strap around the ankle. Worn, dusty jeans. And beyond him, on the side of the road next to her car a hulking, black and chrome motor bike.

Oh God. The sudden, hard thump of her heart spurred her to action and she stood up, backing away with her eyes on her car and wondering if she could make it there before he caught her.

Sharp pain jabbed the sole of Cara’s foot as she stood on a stone and lost her balance. A tight grip on her arm steadied her against a body that was hard and, despite being dusty and hot, smelled fresh and tantalisingly masculine.

“If you’re going to do a runner, then it’s advisable to put your shoes back on,” a deep but soft voice said somewhere above her ear. He let go of her arm.

So why wasn’t she running, hell for leather, to her car?

Because something in the tone of his voice told her she wasn’t in danger.  Cara stepped away so she could get a look at this contradiction of tattoos, leather and a voice as smooth as melted dark chocolate. But all she saw was the top of his head with its thick, dark hair.

He was on his knees?

“Lift up,” he said, tapping her foot. Too stunned to reply, Cara lifted her foot only to lose balance and grabbed his shoulder to steady herself. When on stage she could hold a perfect arabesque, but now she couldn’t lift her foot six inches off the ground. Wow, his shoulder was broad and rock solid.

“Steady there.” He circled her ankle with his hand. With the other he slid one shoe on. “Other one.” Cara obliged and she slipped both her shoes back on. “There you go, Cinderella,” and he stood up.

She knew she was short. What ballerina wasn’t? But he was a Titan. His chest, his wide, muscled chest which strained against a tight black t-shirt, was at eye level. And so was the outline of tight nipples. Cara swallowed hard and looked up.

“Brody Hall.” Full, sexy lips smiled a slightly crooked smile. A smile that urged one in response and Cara obliged.

“Cara Daniels,” she said, stepping back to make a space between them, not only so she could see him better but so she could breathe. Since when did tattooed bikers have perfect bone structure and designer stubble that didn’t look passé?

The bike, the boots, and the tat had painted an image in her mind, a clichéd image, but clichéd bikers didn’t smell delicious or smile like a heart-breaker movie star. Or make her want to run her hands under the black t-shirt, over the hard planes of his chest to find those hard nipples.

“How long have you been out here alone?” the concern in his voice sounded genuine.

She looked over to where the sun was now beginning to sink towards the horizon. “A couple of hours I think. Car’s dead.”

“Well I didn’t figure you were just taking a siesta. Are you ok? You’re probably dehydrated. Wait here.” And he was striding back to the bike. Cara stared after him at his long, muscular legs encased in the body-hugging dark denim that moved like a second skin across an arse as tight and toned as any professional dancers.

She smiled. There any resemblance to the men shed had in her life over the past ten years ended. Dark ink shaded both his arms in what looked like a Celtic design, black against tanned skin, which disappeared under the short sleeves of his t-shirt. The cotton fabric stretched tight over tanned biceps and clung damply to broad shoulders and back as he reached into a cooler strapped to the back of his bike and drew out a bottle.

Brody walked back to her, dangling the bottle between his fingers, a prince riding to her rescue. But while ballet princes were clean-cut and generally not that much taller than her, this one was rugged and dusty with height that could have been intimidating, but instead created a strange sense of protection.

“Here.” He handed her the icy bottle. “Get some of that into you and then we should get out of here. Weather’s gonna change soon and you don’t want to get caught out here in a downpour.”

http://jupitergardenspress.com/shop/the-biker-and-the-ballerina/

Andra’s current project is 'Pleasure's Mistress'.  She say's "Finally, inspiration struck and I'm away on a new story, set in Regency England."

Blurb:
Louisa Bellamy runs a 'finishing school' for young men where she teaches them how to pleasure women.  New protege, Jonathan, thinks he knows it all and will be a challenge, but not as much of a challenge as his guardian, Nash, who bears a striking resemblance to her dead husband - the man who taught her all she knows about love and pleasure.

http://www.andraashe.com/

It’s almost Christmas and at our  MRWG Christmas party we will all bring a writing-related Kris Kringle to  share.  While I love selecting a  little something, wrapping it prettily and hoping the recipient will like it,  what I wish for you is a Writer’s Survival Kit – a box full of the things that I  think are  essentials

 Bum  Glue
A giant tube for those who, like  me, are princesses of procrastination and are never short of an excuse to either  get up from the desk or not sit there in the first place.  Even when inspiration has fled and the Muse getting rejuvenated at the  day spa, our posteriors need to be firmly glued to the seat and write  something  – anything.  It’s not about making  progress on our WIP, it’s about making writing a  habit.

Permission to Write  Crap
Used in conjunction with Bum Glue, this is what let’s our writing move forward.  I have found this the  most useful ‘tool’ and remind myself of it constantly –particularly when I found  myself editing the very first sentence of a new story!   As Nora Roberts once said ‘you can’t fix a blank page’ and it’s easier to  fix a page of crappy writing than a page of nothing.  

Thick Skin
A  cute little suit, in the color of your choice (mine’s a lovely leopard print),  which you slip on and zip up before being critiqued or while waiting for news  from publishers.  What makes this suit special is that it lets you take in feedback and criticism, sift out the  useful, relevant and positive comments while not taking anything negative  personally.  

Thirst for  Knowledge
Knowledge nourishes growth of both  the author and the writing . Whether we’ve been writing for a year or a decade,  whether we’re published or unpublished,  one thing we will always need is the desire to keep learning about craft, the industry or just our own writing.  

Support
Writing is a solitary pursuit but  no writer is an island (pardon my liberty Mr Donne) and we need validation that
our passion is worthy of the time we put into it.  Ideally this will come from loved ones as well as fellow writers and will  not be dependent upon ‘success’ but an understanding that this is something that
gives us pleasure and something that is as much a part of us as breathing.  

This  is the bundle of writerly goodies which I hope is under everyone’s tree this  Christmas.