I'm Hitting the Hot Spot today ...

... talking about the voices in my head. There's quite a party going on in my mind, come and joint in, if you like. Over here: http://totalebound.blogspot.de/2012/10/the-voices-in-my-head.html

Let's make some noise!?

I've always been fascinated by steampunk. The intricate workings of the machinery, and the concept of using heavy mechanics rather than printed circuits make it seem like a more honest, more accessible kind of technology to me. And, I must admit, the sheer beauty of the old materials makes me want to touch them and run my hands along smooth metal and shiny glass surfaces.

So, being an erotic romance writer, I thought I'd try my hand at writing an erotic romance story with steampunk elements. The writing is going more or less smoothly. I've got a plot, a couple of characters and they are ready to experiment. One of them is a collector of steampunk machinery. Of course his extensive collection includes a steampunk fucking machine. My female character is turned on by the sight of it. The raw power of the thing, the idea of being fucked mechanically while being watched by her lover makes her go all hot and bothered. Things get steamy quickly (pun intended). They decide to try out the fucking machine and …

BANG CLANK CLANK CLANK BANG CLANK CLANK CLANK BANG CLANK!!!!

Do you see my problem?

Any kind of steampunk machinery would be loud! Very loud! The steam engine would make clanking and puffing noises and the cogs and wheels and push rods and whatever other metal parts would make a lot of noise too. There would also be steam, but that could be dealt with by installing chimneys. But what to do about the noise? I don't know about you, but I would probably be turned off by the noise. Like a bad vibrator turning you off as soon as you turn it on, you know?

So, what to do now? I'm contemplating several ways out of this fix at the moment and you'll certainly hear more about them in the near future. But I'd love to hear your ideas on the subject. So, please leave comments!

Keeping your distance

As a writer it is sometimes hard to leave the imaginary world you are creating. I know, this sounds a bit weird. After all, many writers have difficulties getting into that world in the first place. We try all kinds of things from researching online and visiting our settings to wearing period costumes (a writer friend of mind walked around in a corset and crinoline for hours on end while she was writing a period piece a while ago). 

It also seems to be a cliché among erotic romance writers that they've tried it all out before writing it down. You know, all the kinky things their characters get up to. I'm not going to talk shop here, but I also write sex with monsters and I can definitely swear that I've never tried any thing remotely like that. 

What I mean is that, once you've really gotten into a story and the words are just flowing, shaping themselves into characters, scenes and settings, it is really hard to snap back to reality. At those times, I sometimes forget that I have a body in the here and now. I am so immersed in the story that I don't remember to eat or drink or even go to the bathroom. 

With erotic romance stories such an immersed experience can be quite a turn-on. Of course, writing a hot sex scene is also a kind of outlet, which allows you to live out your most deviant and intense fantasies. But then, sometimes a girl also wants to try them out in real life. Ah, well ...