Writer Be Aware

In completely unrelated news, I'd like to announce that if I didn't have mom, wife, cleaning lady, chef, frozen fundraiser pie delivery, field trip to the library, and visit to Grandma's and Doctor responsibilities today I would be heading to the department store make-up counter in pursuit of the perfect shade of red lipstick. Today feels like a good day to own a tube of red lipstick. I don't mean an off-shade like burgundy or wine, I mean RED. So red that people see my lips coming in the door before me. Well, okay, maybe not quite that red, but a red that looks great for the fast-approaching holidays. That is all I have to say about that.

 ~~

I recently wrote a sex-scene for my Nano novel. I've never written one before and quite honestly, I had to tap into the memory bank of all the lovemaking scenes I've ever seen in the movies. That task accomplished, I went on with my Nano-ing for the day, finishing at a respectable amount of words as I've been doing everyday since November 1^st.  (Expect yesterday, but I felt getting a bit ahead and taking a break was probably a good idea since I was beginning to feel a bit of a love-HATE thing for my story, more on that another day...)

I happily told my husband about the scene I'd written after the kids went to bed. I was excited that it had turned out quite well, in my opinion. I didn't want to write a porno-scene, but I didn't want readers to be bored with it either. All was well, my husband congratulated me and then asked a simple question that actually caused me to take a step back. He asked to read the scene. Of course I am happy to let people read what I've written, but my goodness... what if my nano-novel actually turns into something good and gets published and... my mother reads that sex scene, or worse, my Grandmother! My neighbor, my son's teachers. To use an expression from my old Jewish boss, "Oy vey ishmere!"

This past summer I heard the newly published Kelly O'Conner McNees speak about her book The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott (http://kellyoconnormcnees.com/ ). She was a very good speaker and I enjoyed listening to her as well as reading her book. One thing she talked about during her lecture was how surprised she was when she realized that people were reading her book. She mentioned a time that a perfect stranger commented on a scene from her book and she thought, "How did they know I wrote that in there?" It wasn't until then that she really realized what being published meant. It means anyone can pick up your book and read your words. All of them.

I'll likely keep the sex scene in the book, and in fact, I have planned an additional scene that I might not normally discuss with my mother or grandmother otherwise, but the story needs it. The scene will be food for the reader, and it is necessary to the story, I feel. But, let the words of those that have come before me whisper in your ear as you write, "EVERYONE will read this!"

*Gosh, if the fear of a bad critique isn't enough to scare you away from writing, now there is the awareness that if you do publish your book people will read it! LOL!