Bad Writing, Fast Writing, and Why I Do Insanity-Style Workouts

(Was tempted to title this post “Yey, this post doesn’t suck!” but decided to go with something slightly more accurate. :-p And now on to business…) 


A lot of times writers hear writing discussed with exercise phrasing: gotta work it every day, have to build up stamina, don’t use it you lose it. Okay, maybe not the latter, but still, the practice of writing is a lot like working out.

1. You should do it every day. Or at least on a schedule. To get good, or at least better than when you began, you have to put the time in. Even scheduling in days off. If you’re a workaholic writer like me, that can be especially hard to do, but the facts are that tremendous word counts (like over 2,000 words per day) take a toll on the mind and body, and you have to pace yourself to avoid hitting a wall.

2. Don’t expect to be good right out of the box. It takes years to build muscle, to increase stamina, to finally fit in those jeans you always wanted to. No one goes to the gym for a week, or a month, even a year, and becomes an Olympic athlete. Writing and exercise are less goals than they are lifestyle choices. You have to work to be good at them, to master your form, to gain speed and agility.

3. Challenge yourself. A phrase I heard the other day that resonated with me was “if you don’t fail, you’re not pushing yourself.” We all fail. Sometimes we need to do things we know we’re going to fail at. At first. (One-arm pushups anyone?) But if you keep pushing that challenge, keep learning your weaknesses, build that muscle, and practice, eventually you’ll realize things you never thought your body or your writing could do.

I do High-Intensity Interval Training or Insanity style workouts on an almost daily basis and did for years before I got pregnant with twins, carried on through the pregnancy, and continued as soon as my body allowed following the C-Section. I was weak. I (naively) didn’t know childbirth would be that big of a setback. I built myself back slowly, getting back to my original weight within months of giving birth. I also started writing again, on a consistent basis, every day while I bonded with my breast pump. Eventually those twenty minute writing sessions have turned into an hour+ and the workouts have gone from Insanity-inspired to straight up Insanity. I’m writing more on a regular basis than I ever dreamed possible and am in better shape physically (and mentally most of my family argues!) than ever. I feel great (most days, though as moms with toddlers will attest, this is relative), and couldn’t be happier with the way one exercise feeds the other.

A Few Pitfalls to Consider...

Fast writing might be a sloppy first draft, but should not mean a poor quality finished product. When people hear write fast, I think they interpret that as not writing well. These two are not mutually exclusive. First, define what good writing means for you. Some people like pulp sci-fi or trashy romance. And that’s fine. If that’s what you like and what you want to write, go for it! Some people might prefer something higher brow, more literary in bent, and that’s fine too. The point is to define what is appealing and what is possible for where you are and where you want to be as a writer, and to go with it.

Build from where you are, not where you think you should be. Have to admit that I shamelessly stole this phrase from my Spousal-Type Creature. He says this all the time, how people need to be evaluated on where they are, not where you think they should be. We’re all at different levels, and the level we see ourselves at may or may not be accurate. So the key here is being realistic, seeing what’s really there, and making decisions based off real data, not the stuff we imagine about ourselves.

Have fun! It’s easy to get lost in the goal—write a book, make a daily word count, build a six-pack, what have you—and forget that the process by which we get there, writing daily, eating well, making that commitment to work your body forty minutes a day, is the part we should be enjoying. Life can happen while we’re not looking; kids will grow up regardless of how your abs look and that ultimate daily word count will continue to avoid us. But if we’re present, live in the moment, enjoy the process of getting from one place to another and really experience what’s going on along the way, then those word counts and six-packs don’t matter as much, because we’re sure having a kick ass time getting there!

Thoughts? Questions? I’d love to hear from readers! So if you have any thoughts, please drop a line in the comments. Thanks! And have a wonderful day :-)

Jason Gurley on Manic Monday Book Review

Some of you might be wondering why an erotica blog is reviewing a sci-fi author who deals primarily with space exploration and post-apocalyptic scenarios.

Explanation: If a badly written book can turn you off, then a beautifully written book can make the synapses running along your neural pathways sing and arch their little synapse-y backs in delight. And the author turning me on today is Jason Gurley. Although he’s in no way related to the “active romance” genre, good writing demands to be recognized, and Gurley’s writing is precise, lyrical, and filled with those strange, almost surreal situations that delight me as a reader on an almost cellular level.

While Gurley is primarily known for cover design, his books seem to be gaining traction. His latest release, Eleanor, is even available in hard copy at Powell Books in Oregon.

The Offspring and I read grownup books quite often, and today we finished Deep Breath Hold Tight. So far we’ve made our way through The Last Rail-Rider short story and The Settlers (Movement #1), though I read Eleanor on my own. It was killer to read The Settlers (Movement #1) out loud every night, painstakingly making our way through it, since I wanted to gobble it all down greedily. But the richness of language is so wonderful in this, and all of Gurley’s books, that I’m very glad we’re taking the time to read it all through slowly. Reading out loud has given me even greater appreciation for Gurley’s storytelling ability. He never over-explains, always has his characters act in realistic ways, has people talk to one another the way that people actually would. (You would not believe the number of books where this is not the case.) I’m not a sci-fi fan, but his characters are so well-crafted, the language so wonderful, the pacing just right, that it creates the mysterious alchemy of all: compelling a reader to read on.

There’s just so much richness here, so much depth and complexity of character, skilled use of language, just so much to admire. Hearing Gurley interviewed on the Self-Publishing Podcast, he said he has an image of a giraffe hiding in every cover that he designs. It might not be discernible to the naked eye, but it’s there, somewhere, in the background. I feel this way when reading his books as well, that there’s this wonderful polish and overlay to the whole thing, more going on than meets the eye, making the work standout and shine.

This is one of those authors that no matter what your genre kink may be, he’s more than worth the read. While there’s no such thing as an author for everybody, he’s definitely an author for who’s earned my fan-dom.

W(h)ine-ing :)

Not psyched about the wine I’m drinking tonight. I was a member of a wine thing for a while, not a club but a wholesale thing (nakedwine.com if you want to check it out), but they’re having issues with shipping to Michigan, so am back to staring dumbly at the wine aisle at Meijer trying to decide what intoxicant to barrage myself with. Went back to a Grand Traverse flavor that I used to like, but now find too sweet and too mellow. It’s a decent wine, but rather unremarkable compared to the bold Melbecs and House wines that I got spoiled on. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no wine snob, but my writing process has come to require a glass when I sit down at night post-shower, just to let the worries and stresses of the day go away so the creative shit can flow without thoughts about this fall’s calves or the spring payment on the new mower conditioner intruding. Believe it or not, money concerns are not conducive to the creative process.

Also found a decent naked grape vintage that is a little harsh but not too bad. Missing my nakedwine seriously tonight. :-(

WTF Wednesday

WTF Tuesday has become WTF Wednesday. So what was supposed to be a day to share some work in progress (making it WIP Wednesday) has become a day in the life. Enjoy!



“What can I get you?”

The dark-haired woman wiped the counter with a bartender’s towel and braced her hands on the counter.

Alessandra’s wide-eyed gaze flicked to the blackboard hung on the wall behind the counter, traveling over the choices with a frantic terror



“I said no!” I hear my Spousal-Type Creature (STC) say over the Tom Petty playing in my earbuds.

It’s 9:30 P.M., the toddler is still awake, and the STC is attempting to put together some prefab furniture pieces for our kitchen storage project. I’m not sure who designed our old cabinets, but they are from a time period that apparently did not believe in storing cereal boxes in an upright orientation.

Stopping mid-sentence, I went to his aid. My STC is a terrific dad, rarely losing his patience, but the Offspring is at that stage where he doesn’t understand we tell him no to ensure his safety, not out of meanness.

The Offspring and I went outside to take a turn around the porch and cool off, literally since it’s probably the coolest August on record, while the STC located the screws our sweet little miracle hid in the chair.


Again, Alessandra felt that weight between her hip bones, as if something had settled there, constricting the air from her lungs at the same time to make her feel lightheaded.

“Thank you,” she said to the proprietress. Their fingers brushed as Alessandra took her drink, the cup rattling discordantly against the saucer beneath, causing Nicholas to wince. His tinnitus, from years spent hunting with the baying of dogs and bugles.

[Vienne is extremely flirtacious and the



76 words in this time before I heard a loud, familiar thump of a diapered bottom hurling itself onto the floor and a frustrated child start to cry. Again, mommy flies to the rescue, to a very hot child and a patient looking daddy.

“Buddy, sometimes in life we just can’t use the edge of the couch as a tightrope,” the STC explained.

After some teamwork, we did get the kid to bed, and all was forgiven. I even made my word count, finished the laundry, cleaned off the counter, cleaned out the refridge, took a shower… who says the life of a writer isn’t glamorous? ;-p

Five-thirty came way too early, and so did tremendous amounts of unexpected road construction on the mail route, a couple of detours, road closed signs, an irritated customer who keeps calling to complain about his mail, a certain co-worker who’s feet need to run as fast as her mouth, a child flipping himself upside down in the car seat… but it’s lunchtime now, on WTF Wednesday, and round 2 will commence post-naptime. I leave you all with one last snippet, from this morning’s writing session. Enjoy!



Vienne closed the space between them, coming to stand an arm’s reach away. She took Alessandra’s hand, turned the unresisting palm up to inspect the lines.

“You know what I saw here, earlier?”

Alessandra shook her head.

“Want. Need. Desire. You are so aware of everything, so keen to use all your senses. Yet you stay with that old man.”

“He’s kind to me.”

“I’m sure.”

“He gave me permission to be here.” Alessandra wished the words back in mouth as soon as they escaped, but she persisted. “I won’t leave him, I can’t, but…”

“But you want something else as well?”

Alessandra nodded.

Vienne trailed her fingers over Alessandra’s palm and wrist, eliciting the most delicious thrills over the younger woman’s flesh.

“Come with me then. I want to show you something.”

The “Meh” Factor: Is it better to write a bad book or a “meh” book?

I encounter an obscene number of books on a yearly, if not weekly, basis. Free books, bargain books, books to review, books at the library, books for adults, my kid’s books, books that cover something I want to read, books that cover something that I don’t—there’s just So. Many. Books.

Something I found myself pondering while writing the last paid review I did was, is it better for authors to write a book that is bland, one that doesn’t win legions of fans but doesn’t piss anyone off either, or is it better to write a book that everyone says is awful?

Now, ideally, we’d all be J.K. Rowling, but the marketplace is simply too diverse and will never be big enough to support that, even if everyone in the world read. There’s always going to be someone out there who hates the same book you love.

So with that in mind, I wondered if I preferred to hate a book, as in read bits aloud to my spouse because they are so deplorable, or feel “meh” about it, as in can’t find anything in particular to characterize the work that’s worth reading to anyone.

After some consideration, I’d rather hate a book—I’d rather see one with spelling errors, racism, blatant disregard for grammar and style, sexist comments, and factual errors than be faced with a book that’s best described as “nothing really wrong with it, it just didn’t do anything for me.”

The latter experience is what bad sex is to mediocre sex: at least with bad sex you know you’ll have a kick-ass story to tell at the end of it, whereas with mediocre sex the best you can say about it is… “meh.”

The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport - Review

Finished listening to //The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nickolas and Alexandra // today. Wonderful book. Really paints the lives of the sisters and their relationships with one another with precise and heartbreaking accuracy. If your information about the last tsar of Russia and his family comes from the Disney version of Anastasia (as mine does), //The Romanov Sisters // by Helen Rappaport is a must-read. I promise there are no singing gargoyles (am I confusing this with //The Hunchback of Notre Dame? Oh well, whatever) and the bitter-sweet love of family in the eye of revolution and war will captivate even novel-loving fanatics.

This book reads as a beautiful tribute to these amazing young women and their family, taking into account their weaknesses and foibles, while painting a realistic picture of the last Russian tsar’s dynamic family. Readers should not expect a Disney story in these pages. For all the joy and light the family experienced, dark days haunted them in the form of illness, uprising, untimely deaths, political turmoil and misunderstanding between them and the Russian people. There are few happy endings here, as the First World War washes away the ordered and more civilized days of a previous century.

The one thing that I found puzzling was at the end where the family is taken out and shot. (I’m not counting that as a spoiler, folks, sorry.) Everything else is covered with such thoroughness, and this is treated almost as an afterthought. I read/ listened to the book because I was unfamiliar with the history of the Romanovs and wanted to learn more about them as well as the four sisters, so I’m unsure about why there would be such an omission. It could be due to lack of records and personal accounts, and that would be totally understandable. However, nothing as such is noted in the book, and I find that one of its few weak points. It drums the family out of the house to a cellar and then cuts to the account of a young man whose father came home and told him the family had been shot.

As I was listening to and not reading the book, I missed exactly who this boy or young man was, and as such it’s an awkward transition in an otherwise thorough and completely captivating narrative. Since the author wrote this following another work, //The Last Days of the Romanovs//, a more thorough explanation may be found there, but the missing pieces here makes the end of the book somewhat of a let-down after the thorough descriptions of earlier days. But readers should keep in mind that this is a very small portion of the book, maybe five minutes of the several hours of narrative, and that it should not be dismissed merely for this fact, unless you’re a reader strictly interested in the last day of the family.

Last things on this book, I HIGHLY recommend the audio version. The narrator, Xe Sands, is fucking awe-mazing to listen to through some thirteen hours of all things Romanov. Also, the narrative itself is very engaging, unlike some nonfiction. The prose is crisp and concise, even as the lives of the subject feel brittle and measured. The author does a wonderful job of sketching each member of the family so that as the revolution approaches you’ll find yourself anxious for them, or at least I did. The pacing of this book is especially remarkable; I found myself swept up in events, holding my breath through tense moments, and breathing a deep sigh of relief if the person in question escaped danger. That combined with the voice of the narrator made me eager to return to the world every day, even as the noose tightened around the fate line of the family. Definitely a must-read of the year, nonfiction with an engagement level akin to thriller fiction.

Dark Aemilia by Sally O'Reilly: Book Review

Took some time off over Fourth of July to spend some much-needed time away from the desk and with the Offspring and Spousal-Type Creature. While the STC spent most of his vacation from his mistress (aka the Army) watching Criminal Minds, I became engrossed with a wonderful new author. While she’s not erotica, there are erotic elements in her novel, and her prose is so rich that reading it makes you feel as though you’ve been stroked. I absolutely love encountering novels that affect me like this. It’s what keeps me reading.

Before giving you a run down and summary, here’s a quote:

“Once I am in Will’s bed I forget all my terror, and what we do now is like no other love-making that I have ever known, such is its silence and its slow tenderness. As we twist and rock together, I feel my mind fill with a profound sweetness, and I smile as I kiss him, locked closer, closer till we finish as one creature, still soundless, deeply bound.”

Sally O’Reilly has won a life-long reader in me with this book, titled Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady. The story is about Aemilia Bassano, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, who began life as the illegitimate daughter of a court musician, became the mistress of Lord Hunsdon, then, upon becoming pregnant, was hastily married to Alfonso Lanyer. History, poetry, and magic combine in this tale to tell a hauntingly realistic story of the Bard, Elizabethan London, and Aemilia herself.

In general, I’m skeptical of historical fiction when it involves such a huge historical figure as Will Shakespeare. Put in the wrong hands the entire book can flop, hoping to hang on the notoriety of the figure alone, without taking time to construct their own version of the person in the context of the story. But O’Reilly does no such thing, and her rich language, so ripe that the book practically oozes on the table, engaging characters, and vivid descriptions continue to drift through my thoughts. This is one of those books that will enter into my personal literary canon, and I hope others enjoy it that much as well.

Have you read Sally O’Reilly? Have an opinion on using historical characters in fiction? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment! When the “official” review is up, I’ll be sure to post a link.