[Link] Truth, Power, Art: A Critical Manifesto on Creative Nonfiction

Lauren Markham and Chris Feliciano Arnold on the Urgency Writing Truth to Power

by Lauren Markham and Chris Feliciano Arnold

Back in 2017, White House Press Secretary Kellyann Conway coined the phrase “alternative facts” to describe realities that were inconvenient to the first Trump Administration. Eight years later, as the second Trump Administration reconfigures the federal government around the facts, opinions and impulses of its choosing, the US public is becoming desensitized to life in a country where reliable information is harder to find—and where the few remaining independent news outlets are routinely attacked for faithfully recording the realities of our fast mutating world.

At a time when reporting the facts is becoming a lost art, how can artists—no matter what they’re making—respond to history in the making?

This is work that used to happen in newspapers. But since the early 20th century, the roughly 24,000 newspapers regularly published in the US has been reduced to 6,000. The US has lost some 2,900 newspapers since 2005 alone, 130 of them in 2023. And with that dramatic reduction in news coverage, thousands of reporters and editors—writers trained in how to seek, evaluate and communicate facts in the form of stories and images—have lost their livelihoods. Worse yet, much of that storytelling and image making has been outsourced to machines and algorithms.

Not only are news sources dwindling, but, in spite of the right-wing obsession with the so-called “leftist media,” an increasing number of outlets are owned by the right. The brazenly conservative Sinclair Media controls 294 broadcast stations nation-wide. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, where he attempts to manipulate his editorial staff to cater to his business interests—and has recently shown a willingness to even to pull advertising critical of the administration and its billionaire allies. Speaking of billionaires, Patrick Soon-Shiong owns the once venerable Los Angeles Times. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, both of these newspapers declined to run an endorsement for President in the 2024 election.)

A recent Pew poll shows that 20 percent of US Americans rely on Meta for their news, and another poll showed 59 percent regularly using X for news. The billionaire owners of those corporations have made their subservience to the Trump Administration clear as day.

Even as readers are drowning in information, our ability to reliably source facts, and to make meaning from those facts, is more imperiled than at any point in US history. As journalists, we are devastated to behold the wreckage of our field. As writers and artists, we wonder how literature can help fill the void.

Read the full article: https://lithub.com/truth-power-art-a-critical-manifesto-on-creative-nonfiction

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION PRESENTS HEROES OF THE WEST

The western frontier of America’s past produced many great heroes, both real and fictional. In this new collection, they are well presented in five action-packed pulp adventures. The book kicks off with the classic Masked Rider, then opens the trail to such great historical cowboys as Wild Bill Hickock, in not one, but two gun-blasting tales. Then real-life figures, Bat Masterson teams up with Annie Oakley and finally, the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp wraps up the volume.

 Here are stories by Alan Porter, Teel James Glenn, George Tackes, and the late John Rose. With both interior illustrations and cover by Shannon Hall.

 This is western action as only Airship 27 can whip up.

 AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION.

 Available now from Amazon in paperback and soon on Kindle.

Using Fiction Technique in Nonfiction

On the surface, nonfiction writing might appear to be much easier than fiction writing. With fiction, the writer has to create a distinct world, characters, atmosphere, and plot, engaging in cerebral “heavy lifting” to tell a tale. Nonfiction (in some quarters) is mostly seen as compiling facts, data, information, and the occasional direct quote. If you didn’t know better, you would swear that it took no effort to create a nonfiction piece.

But writing nonfiction can be as creatively engaging as fiction, and I have the experience to prove it. I have written newspaper editorial columns, zine pieces, pop culture essays (published in such fine collections as Rising Son Reruns and When the Shadow Sees the Sun), and even academic pieces for the DePaul Pop Culture Conference. Spoiler: writing nonfiction isn’t “easier” than writing fiction, but you can find fiction-writing techniques scattered throughout various nonfiction works.

First, consider your “main character” of the work. Whether you’re writing a biography, an oral history, or a narrative of an event, there is always a protagonist (or group of protagonists), antagonists, and a general sense of conflict. Highlighting those protagonists and their efforts, and finding a naturally occuring arc, can provide a sense of that the overall “story” is about. Harvard University professor Yunte Huang integrates themes around assimilation and Chinese-American culture into his work. Two of his books focus on specific individuals: the first, Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History, not only focuses on the fictional character but also his creator, Earl Der Biggers, and how the character has impacted American culture. It also integrates Chang Apana, the Hawaiian detective who may or may not have influenced the creation of Chan, and provides insight into the relationship between a cultural assimilator and the assimilated. His latest work, Daughter of the Dragon, focuses on Chinese-American actress Anna Mae Wong‘s career and her efforts to integrate aspects of her culture into her acting and other professional efforts.  In my essay for ATB Publishing’s Outside In Regenerates, I used the fictional character of the Monk to generate insights into the Doctor Who story “The Time Meddler.”

Another technique is developing a unique atmosphere around your nonfiction subject through selected perspectives. Fiction handles this through descriptive prose and dialogue, establishing a sense of “world building” that engages the reader to dive more deeply into the subject. Two Marx Brothers-related works achieve such an atmosphere: one through engaging in a similar tone to their movies, the other through stark differentiation. Roy Blount Jr’s Hail, Hail, Euphoria!: Presenting the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, the Greatest War Movie Ever Made provides a pitch-perfect match of scene-by-scene commentary and insight into their 1933 film that fosters both readability and strong narrative. In contrast, Robert J. Bader’s Zeppo: The Reluctant Marx Brother provides a down-to-earth examination of the youngest Marx Brother (and the one who seemingly has less of a reputation). Bader provides a historical and emotional context that provides a much-needed source of humanity and relatability to an individual who opted to wander back into relative obscurity. 

(In my Rising Suns Reruns essay “Family Bonding Through Kaiju Fighting”, I started discussing the obscure tokusatsu show The Space Giants by describing the media landscape during my childhood…but framed it through my experience. It provided the proper historical context while generating empathy and identification for the reader. After all, many of us have rushed home from school to watch our favorite shows, but very few want to have a scholarly discussion of analog UHF/VHF broadcasting…)

One final fiction technique that works well in nonfiction is adopting a casual narrative tone. Like fiction, nonfiction strives to develop a unique voice that engages the reader. Although creating an atmosphere is critical in writing nonfiction, that atmosphere will not work if the writer takes a Jack Webb-style just-the-facts-ma’am approach. Finding the right approach to discussing a subject can differentiate between a piece read repeatedly for reference and a one-shot read that informs but doesn’t last. David Maurer’s The Big Con was initially written in the 1930s as a then-contemporary linguistic exploration of “con men” culture, but grew in prominence to eventually influence such television series as Mission: Impossible and Leverage through its descriptive and engaging insights into the workings of the confidence game. Another great example comes from Patrick McCray, writer of The Dark Shadows Daybook and The Dark Shadows Daybook Unbound. His essays about the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows take a casual yet insightful look at particular episodes of the series, integrating McCray’s experiences in theater with an extensive knowledge of the series’ storylines. 

(And I’m not just a reader – I’m a close, personal friend)

Writing engaging fiction is a challenge. Writing nonfiction also has challenges, but using fiction techniques can make it easier and your work more engaging.

(Visit the author's website.)

Movie Reviews for Writers: The Green Woman

Full disclosure. This is not a great movie. This is probably not even a good movie. But it is an interesting movie. 

There, I said it. 

There's some fun acting and an intriguing premise, but this one does suffer from the defects of a lot of indie film projects of the low-budget variety. So, if you can't enjoy micro-budget movies, just avoid this one. If you still find weird, little "writer meets alien while breaking up with his girlfriend" oddness potential to be fun, then The Green Woman just might make you happy for an hour and a half. 

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk plot. 

Rommy (short for Romulus -- Pretentious much?!) is a writer who is earning his keep but just barely. He's living with his girlfriend Mary, who is a severe Type A who constantly tries to push him into some kind of corporate, stable working environment. To add more stress to his life, Rommy begins to have visitations by a green-skinned alien woman who claims to have been sent by him (from the future) to help him in the present. Did I mention she's cute? That'll be important later. She also has a few favors she needs from him, mostly gathering random electronic parts he can steal from around his neighborhood. 

The questions abound? Who is the green-skinned alien? Will Rommy and Mary reconcile? Why does he have to collect random electronics? Is the green woman even real or just a figment of his stressed, addled, alcohol-riddled, breaking-down brain?

I'm not going to answer those questions. You'll just have to watch the movie. Suffice it to say that it'll surprise you even after you think you have it all figured out. 

If there's a lesson for writers to be learned, it is this: Being a writer can be a tough gig when you are with someone who (a) doesn't get it, (b) doesn't support it, or (c) wants you to relegate it to a hobby. 

Teresa Inge: Beginning with the Business

Teresa Inge is an award-winning mystery author. Her work appears in over a dozen anthologies and novellas including First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, Murder by the Glass, Virginia is for Mysteries, and Coastal Crimes. 

Teresa grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. She is a member of SinC, Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Virginia Writers Club.

She works for a global financial firm as an admin, notary administrator, and corporate reporter. When not writing, she displays her 1955 Ford Thunderbird at car shows. 

Teresa resides in Southeastern Virginia with her husband A.J. and dog Luke, a mixed shepherd-lab. 

Tell us a bit about your most recent work. 

I am finishing edits on The Bride Arrived DOA, a catering hall mystery set in North Carolina's Outer Banks. Cass Kennedy inherits a motel from her estranged brother who died under mysterious circumstances. She investigates the events surrounding his death and discovers that her brother had promoted the motel as a top wedding venue, which was anything but. 

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work? 

My southern coastal mysteries feature female protagonists who run their own businesses. Each protagonist conducts investigations outside of a typical office environment. These businesses include motels, beach shops, wine shops, dog walking and grooming services, wedding and event planning, and fabric stores among other enterprises. 

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer? 

I grew up reading Nancy Drew. Her adventures in her blue roadster motivated me to pursue a career as a mystery writer. Additionally, her influence contributed to my decision to purchase a 1955 Torch Red Thunderbird, which is displayed at car shows and during book signings that often generate fun discussions.

Motivational Monday: What is Literature for? (video)

 

Sunday Funnies: Not Your People

[Link] Red Flags for Indie Authors

by Raven Belasco

Many of us authors set out into the world of independent publishing full of frustration with traditional publishing’s very real limitations. We also have a belief in ourselves as artists, a desire to oversee our own fates, and a willingness to roll up our sleeves and do what it takes to “make it.”

At some point, many indie authors hit a period of panic. After pouring sweat, blood, and tears into our passion career, we see disastrously low sales numbers. This is the moment when indie authors learn that it’s not just about hard work: it’s also about luck and having deep pockets. There are indeed ways to boost yourself—but they are going to cost you.

That’s what unscrupulous companies are waiting for. These companies have one vital thing in common: they are trying to make money off your desperation. Authors who are panicking about keeping their businesses from failing are authors who will forget that “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” For authors who are having trouble spotting the red flags, here are scams to watch out for.

The first you probably already know, but this article would be remiss without mentioning it: the vanity press (also termed a subsidy press) offers publishing services for a fee—which can grow to thousands of dollars as services are tacked on.

For an author concerned about how much work independent publishing is, vanity presses seem like a possible solution: they do the work you don’t know how to do yet, and you just pay them for doing that work, right?

Not right at all. You’d be paying an outrageous fee for minimal (and often low-quality) effort on their part. For this dubious privilege, you assume all the risk while giving up the rights to your work. Their first communication may promise you literary glory and a deal for a Netflix series, but, after they have hooked you, the costs will just keep mounting and the results will not.

Read the full article: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/97625-red-flags-for-indie-authors.html

Reese Unlimited is proud to announce the publication of THE STRAW-MAN BOOK FOUR!

From the shadowy backwoods of Grove’s Folly, the mysterious Straw-Man has become the protector of the innocent… and the scourge of evil. When a powerful wizard comes to the city, hoping to steal the power of the Hellmouth under the city, the Straw-Man tries and fails to prevent a reality-altering event. Now he and several of his Dark Society teammates — Catalyst, the American Crusader, and Singularity — must come together and restore the world to its rightful setting.

Featuring a breathtaking cover from Thomas Peterson, the fourth volume in the exciting Straw-Man series continues to bring the thrills and chills that readers have come to expect!

The paperback version retails for $13.99.

The eBook edition is $2.99. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, the book may be read for FREE!

Writing Folks Who "Just Ain't You"

As writers, we all know that little swell (or maybe massive swell) of butterflies when we try to capture the voice/characteristic/personality of characters who clearly aren't us. It may be writing across gender lines, racial lines, sexual identity lines, or just a pessimist trying to write an optimist, or a rural trying to write an urban. 

For this roundtable, let's talk about how we do that in a way that satisfies a writer's need for authenticity. 

Where do you fall on the scale between "I can write any kind of anybody" and "It's really hard to write people who aren't like me"? Why do you think that is?

Ron Thomas: Fortunately, there is more than one “me” in my head! I can draw on my serious side for a lead character and my wise ass side for the sidekick. Even the villains draw on a bit of “wish fulfillment” for me. I heard a long time ago that mystery writers are closet criminals...

James Palmer: This is always a challenge, especially if you're writing BIPOC or LGBTQ+ characters. I don't know what the answer is except for getting to know different types of people, especially those from these groups, and read the fiction they write. Any writer who gets it right is a good choice too. Matt Ruff is a white dude, but his Lovecraft Country is a masterclass on how to write black characters without comparing their skin to coffee or cocoa every paragraph.

Brian K Morris: I like to think I can write, pretty much, any type of character. To do it correctly, I need to research them, their way of life, their mode of thinking. In a way, it’s profiling the subject by studying others.

And this doesn’t just cover a demographic. When I’m asked to write an existing character, or I pitch a story to do so, the same kind of research needs to happen. I need to get them right. If they have a distinctive way of acting or speaking, I need to emulate that as best I can.

Sheela Chattopadhyay: I find that this is more of a matter of perspective, rather than just a straight line issue. You need to understand the cultural differences that can affect someone's perspective to make this happen in some cases. In other cases, you have to understand where the person is coming from and their motivations.

Movie Review for Writers: The Great Gatsby (2013)

It's a long-accepted literary theory that the great American novel, The Great Gatsby, is not written (in fact) by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but actually written by Nick Carroway (being channeled by F. Scott Fitzgerald). The 2013 movie version of that novel really leans into that idea, though it is largely ignored in the earlier version (which doesn't really suffer from that thanks to amazing performances by both Mia Farrow and Robert Redford).

As the movie begins, we see Nick talking with a counselor/psychologist about his experiences and being recommended to write it all down in order to finally make sense of these events that have clearly affected him on an existential level. He's trying to work through his feelings about his cousin and her husband, both "careless people" hiding away in the money from responsibility and justice. He's trying to work through his feelings for Jordan, who (at least in this film version) he never really clicked with. But most of all, he's trying to work through his feelings for and about Jay Gatsby. 

Nick: I don't want to talk about this,Doctor. I can't talk about THIS.   

Doctor: Then write about it.

Nick: Write?

Doctor: Yes, write.

Nick: Why would I do that?

Doctor: After all, you said that writing brought you solace, once upon a time.

Nick: Yeah, well. It didn't bring anyone else much solace... I wasn't any good.

The Doctor offers Nick a pen; but Nick does not accept.

Doctor: No one need ever read it. You can always burn it.

Nick: What would I write about?

Doctor: Anything. Whatever you can't quite talk about; a memory; a thought; a place... Write it down.

There's a lot to unpack in this apocryphal exchange that was added to the movie to make the central conceit work more naturally. 

Motivational Monday: Imagine the Stories

My ConCarolina's Schedule

 

Friday, May 30

In the Public Domain... Using characters in the public domain
6:00-7:00 PM

Saturday, May 31

Build a Superhero
10:30-11:30 AM

Poetry Slam
11:30-12:30 AM

Fiction As a Tool of the Resistance
1:30-2:30 PM

For a full schedule, click here.

[Link] Beyond the Accent: Writing Speech Patterns Authentically

by Elle Jauffret

When developing memorable characters, few elements bring them to life as vividly as the way they speak. Speech patterns—whether accents or impediments—quickly establish background, personality, and history without exposition. However, as writers, we carry a significant responsibility: to represent diverse voices authentically rather than falling into the trap of stereotype or caricature.

The power and pitfalls of accented speech

In storytelling, accents serve as immediate shorthand. They can place a character geographically, hint at their cultural background, or suggest their social standing—all without explicit exposition. As our society becomes increasingly diverse and globally connected, representing this linguistic variety authentically becomes both more important and more challenging.

Research confirms the power of accents in shaping perception. Studies have demonstrated that listeners often make immediate judgments about a speaker’s intelligence, socioeconomic status, and trustworthiness based solely on their accent. A 2010 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that participants “orientated themselves nearly exclusively on the spoken accent while categorizing people,” with accent perception affecting key cognitive processes including memory and social categorization. Other research shows that non-native accents can reduce “cognitive fluency”—the ease with which the brain processes stimuli—which can inadvertently affect credibility judgments.

However, accented speech in fiction has often devolved into shorthand stereotyping. Consider how many villains speak with vaguely Eastern European accents, or how Southern (American) accents frequently signal a character is either unsophisticated or prejudiced. These portrayals perpetuate harmful assumptions about intelligence, trustworthiness, and capability based solely on how someone speaks.

Read the full article: https://janefriedman.com/beyond-the-accent-writing-speech-patterns-authentically/

Pixie Dusted - Out Now!

Get your mitts on the awesome third installment in the Fractured Fae series!

Chessa Moon and Gwendolyn Evenshine started C&F Investigations with a clear objective: pursue justice for the countless fae who’d been let down by the system. Unfortunately, the lines of succession and a botched insurrection tore Gwen away, leaving Chessa to press on without her partner.

With help from Norman, a rehabilitated criminal wizard, and Cross-Eyed Quincy, a disreputable half-ogre, C&F scrounges for business, crippled by its connection to the Seelie Throne.

Until Xander Aster is pushed through the front door.

Xander’s brother Mandrake was murdered, and the teenaged pixie doesn’t believe the story the cops are selling. When the case leads to Avalon, the seat of Seelie power, Chessa must determine who is trustworthy before the magic inside consumes her and a new evil is let loose upon the world.

Available from: 

• Amazon
• Direct (Falstaff Books)
• Other Retailers

Ratcheting the Tension

Let's talk tension. No, not the way your back and shoulders feel after watching the news, but the dramatic tension in your stories. 

We're all taught that the best (or at least easiest) way to build tension in your stories is with a ticking time bomb. Have you found this to be effective for you? Examples from your work?

Peter G: I avoid the ticking clock as much as possible. Or, at least, limit its presence. My Hannah Singer books, for example -- there is a sort of ticking clock when Hannah is arguing in court. Once a petitioner's fate is decided, there's no do-overs, so she only has one chance to get it right. But, to ratchet up the tension, that's where the trial arguments come in. I intentionally make the stories where she gets the toughest cases, so the tension comes from seeing if Hannah can figure out what is going on AND can circumvent it. Telling the stories in first person and walking the readers through her mental processes helps. As a result, the tension shifts from getting something done in a certain amount of time and over to how smart she is.

Bobby Nash: I have used figurative and literal ticking bombs in stories. Putting a clock on solving a problem is a great way to ratchet up tension for the characters and readers. Knowing something bad is coming and they are no closer to solving it can make characters snap, lash out, or go introspective. Those things radiate out to the reader.

In Snow Hunt, Snow and his former C.O., a bomb disposal expert, are trying to catch a bomber who has been hired to assassinate someone of importance. They know the general where, the how, and the who. The tension comes in finding the bomb, which could be hidden almost anywhere in the conference center. Then, there’s tension when it’s found. Can we diffuse it in time? Then, there’s tension in trying to catch the bad guy before he gets away. There are several opportunities for tension in those scenes.

Sean Taylor: For me, it has always been the simple question of "will they" or "won't they." That's my ticking clock, and I have till the end of the story to resolve it. This can be a life-or-death situation, such as will they catch the killer or will they escape the death trap, as in my pulp stories. It can also be a more subdued, normal situation, such as will they fall in love or will they be able to reconcile. But regardless of the question, if it has the power to drive the narrative, it will have the power to build tension regarding its answer. 

Currently Available for Taylorverse Books!

Taylorverse Books

Kathryn Sullivan and a Dad's Love of Sci-Fi

Kathryn Sullivan has been writing science fiction and fantasy since she was 14 years old. Having read her father’s collection of sf and fantasy, she started writing her own. Any place and any object is at risk of appearing in her stories – the river bluffs surrounding Winona, MN, where she lives, can become the windswept cliffs of an alien planet or the deep mysterious woods of a fantasy tale. She is owned by a large cockatoo, who graciously allows her to write about other animals, as well as birdlike aliens.

Tell us a bit about your most recent work.

Talking to Trees is the sequel to The Crystal Throne. Both are portal fantasies, where kids from our world are pulled into a magical world with wizards and elves and talking horses.  Talking to Trees also has gryphons and trees that talk to those who can listen.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

I like to write portal fantasies.  But I also like to include psi powers, whether they are considered science fiction or fantasy, clashes with other cultures, and people trying to do the right thing.

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer? 

My dad's science fiction collection.  I had read everything in it (back in the days when it was possible to read all the science fiction available) at the age of 14 and decided that I could write it as well.

What inspires you to write?

So many things. Soundtracks. Looking at a forest and thinking about who or what lives there. The works in the Art Show at a science fiction convention. I wrote one short story when I looked around my college campus and tried to picture an alien trying to navigate it. Science and archeology discoveries.  

Motivational Monday: Doing What I Can't... Yet

 

Talking Marketing with Sarah J. Sover and the New Legend Lounge!

 

I was lucky enough to talk about book marketing for indie writers on Episode 2 of the New Legend Lounge with Michael Gordon, Darin Bush, and Sarah J. Sover. 

Enjoy!

[Link] Don’t fully commit protagonist in opening scene

by Rob Bignell

Typically when a story starts, there is an out-of-whack event, an upsetting of the status quo that the main character must deal with. How the main character addresses this event forms the bulk of the story’s plot.

Sometimes, though, the main character is reluctant to act. That is, he is not fully committed to resolving the issue.

For example, what if our protagonist comes to believe that something bad has happened to a neighbor, as she mysteriously hasn’t been seen for days. He files a report with the police and decides he’s washed his hands of it, has fulfilled his civic responsibility.

To ensure we have a story, though, something must occur that convinces the main character to become fully committed.

Read the full article: https://inventingrealityediting.com/2016/11/25/dont-fully-commit-protagonist-in-opening-scene/

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION PRESENTS THE LEGEND OF BASS REEVES

Airship 27 Production is proud to present writer Mel Odom’s The Legend of Bass Reeves. This book collects all five of Odom’s previous published stories featuring the legendary black lawman as they appeared in Bass Reeves – Frontier Marshal. The volume also reprints all of artist Rob Davis’ black and white interior illustrations and features a cover by Adam Shaw.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Available now from Amazon in paperback and soon on Kindle.

Smuttin' It, Smuttin' It, Genre Style

Hey, all you writer types. Let's look at spicing up your genre (or even literary) stories with a little (ahem) action. How do you incorporate sexy time into your stories?

Let's say for you a publisher is open to spicy but not all-out erotica, how do you determine where to draw the line yet still keep the sexy actually, you know, sexy?

Elizabeth Donald: Sex is part of the human experience, to a greater or lesser degree according to a person’s personal drives. We don’t have to literally shine a spotlight on the penetrating moment in order for sexuality to be at the forefront of the story. A character may be consumed with deep need and powerful attraction - indeed, it might be the driving force of their actions and even the plot, without us actually following them under the sheets. It’s not censorship to construct a story about sex and sexual attraction without actually depicting the act; if you’re doing your job right with evocative language, the reader will feel all the things you want them to feel, regardless of the explicitness of your story.

L. Andrew Cooper: In the fiction I've published, at least, the sex I've described has always been horrific in some way, from attempts to conceive a child for sacrifice in Descending Lines to the relentless taboo-breaking of Alex's Escape. I guess some scenes in The Middle Reaches are steamy, but they're still weird. So mostly I don't have to worry about sexy... I have to worry about explicit description ("showing") parts and acts. I guess if I have to satisfy a prudish publisher, I describe less or cut more.

Chris Riker: Sex is a great time for internal dialogue. A writer doesn't have to re-invent the old Penthouse Forum; he just has to tell us what the sex means to the characters. 

"Then, while I was still trying to plot her trajectory, she said, “I won’t do anything on a futon, Zebulon.” The futon was in good shape, only a few beer stains on its lime green canvas, but it was a futon, so, as the French would say, ‘non humpez vous.’

I said, “There’s a big bed. The sheets are clean. And call me Zee, please.” I was hoping. Really hard. She kept me waiting a solid minute, standing there, considering her options. Then…

“Zee,” she said my name that way for the first time and put her arms around my neck. “Take me to the big bed with the clean sheets.”

Yes, I remember how her pencil skirt slid off her hips by lava lamp and the way her voice rose in primal song as she taught me to please her and the smoothness of her skin and the way my lungs drank in the scent of her hair. I remember giggling together afterwards and not being able to stop or wanting to. And when at last Jing fell asleep in my arms, I remember lying awake and feeling… real." - Zebulon Angell and the Shadow Army

Sean Taylor: I love to focus on the after or the before. I think there's a lot of magic to be covered there in the buildup or the afterglow. People get real then. Case in point, in this scene, Rick Ruby is visiting one of his, ahem, informants, a nightclub singer named Donna: