Wednesday, November 2, 2011

A QUESTIONABLE MOVE

I made a questionable move this week. I offered up erotica (or as my husband dubbed it – porn that could come back to haunt you if you become a big-time author—--now let’s go do research). Two flash fiction pieces to be exact. They were published in the Halloween issue of an on-line magazine that seeks: “sexually adventurous and sexually ghoulish works” – Tawdry Bawdry.

I treated it like any other publication of flash fiction.

I posted the links to the two stories. The only difference between advertising for this and my last G-rated flash fiction publication was a pseudonym. Not meant to hide from writers I know but to hide from readers I don’t know.

Response to the post: virtual silence. No doubt many writers had their notification dump right into their JUNK/SPAM files (X-rated was in the subject line after all), some must have burned with disdain and deleted it faster than a rabbit….

A few women feigned neutrality, were embarrassed, or refused to go see such a thing on line. I did get four male responses to the story. Three complimentary…”va va voom” “didn’t know you had it in ya” sorts of responses. One a suspiciously grateful one.

I won’t name the responder who asked “paper or plastic?” You had to have read one of the stories to know what plastic he referenced. Coincidentally, yesterday after posting about the explicit pieces, I HAD gone to the grocery store and HAD asked for paper bags for the first time in ages.

I understand. Truly, I understand. I even blush. The stories were far from tame, but what the heck, I’m an adult and followed the rules: no animals or children or violence. Was it a mistake to bring attention to that particular genre of the many genres I write? Maybe. Who’s lining up to judge me? Who is now wishing they hadn’t deleted that posted announcement? Smile.

- from the Inkpot

5 comments:

  1. Karen, I loved The Bubble! It was a great story. Spicy, yes, but i hardly blink at that because erotica is pretty common these days. I just made a new writer friend a few weeks ago here in Bend (OMG in Bend? I'm so shocked, lol) and she makes an excellent living writing erotica. She's a single mother of 2 living on her writing income. She just bought a house. No matter what you write, if it's something you enjoy doing, and if you can even make some money at it, that's a good thing.

    I think the virtual silence was probably because not everyone comments on everything that's posted to the groups. They may not even read it until later. And as a few people mentioned, yesterday was the first day of NaNo, so...

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  2. Writing what people like to read is not a mistake. And publishing it is cause for celebration! I don't read many genres--that "so many books, so little time" thing. But I am not offended by others' tastes, whatever they may be. Congrats on more publishing credits to add to your already impressive bio!

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  3. Huge high-five to you for getting your flash fiction pubbed in a magazine.

    Glad I cracked open the RMFW daily digest today :) Somedays are too hectic and I feel guilty that I don't pop around to all of the links offered. I bet that's the way it is with most of us crazy writer/editor people. Don't be offended with the lack of comments. I think on my last guest blog, I was graced with 2 from RMFW, but then after, I had HUGE handful of folks contact me via email about it... To each their own, I guess :))


    Keep writing, keep posting links and promos and Don't worry about being instantly gratified by numbers in the comments section. It's nice when it happens, but that's not really what this writing thing is all about, is it?

    You know you rock!

    I'm going to stop rambling now so I can go read your sexyspookystories before my hubby gets home :) Maybe I will toss on a sassy post halloween costume and put out a few scented candles!

    Ooooh lala

    ~~Tiffany Lawson Inman

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  4. I just caught the loop e-trail.

    Wait for it...

    Wait for it...

    (HUGE grin)

    Guess we all just burst YOUR bubble, now didn't we, Inky! ;-]

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  5. Congrats on the pieces. You're a hell of a writer, no matter what the genre.

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