The need for an antagonist

More writing yesterday, and an entirely unplanned finishing total of 1111 words, which kept my short stories total as a nice orderly number, this time 8,765. I do like the story, but now I'm wondering if there's not enough drama in there - I'm already planning to add another couple of characters at the start to give our protagnoist someone to talk to while she's pining over her seemingly unavailable love interest, but now I think I need some sort of antagonist to try and keep them apart after they together. The way the story's structured, there needs to be something coming in to stop them diving into bed together on one day, delaying it till the next, so that could be it. I shall think over this more when starting the second draft.

Though before that I do need to get back to the work-in-progress too, as I'm still leaving it at a tricky place, not quite sure where to take the story next, and how to get our heroines out of their predicament. I'm sure by now my subconscious has worked this out, I just need to let it loose...

Back in the saddle

Phew, I managed to do some writing yesterday, and added 1080 words to the short story. Those few days without writing were weighing quite heavily on me, and I was starting to feel increasing pressure on me to get back to writing, and then of course, the pressure itself started feeling too oppressive that it was easier to ignore it and not write, rather than deal with it by writing.

That makes the total for short stories now 7654, which fits nicely with the 1234 words I wrote the other day. Maybe I should set 123,456 as the target for the challenge?

Still, very good to get writing, even if this story is starting to sprawl and make itself look like it's going to be a lot longer than I expected to be, especially when I have to go back into the rewrite and add in extra characters. Definitely novella-esque length, I think, which is a bit more than I thought it would be when the idea came to me. Good to have characters who want a longer story, and then might even return in something else later on, who knows.

Right, I have to get off to work, but hopefully there'll be time for some more writing this afternoon and evening. As well as finishing this story, I need to get back to the work-in-progress before it starts stagnating too much and I can't pick up the thread of it again.

And there's your badly mixed metaphor of the day!

Falling off the wagon

Life is what gets in the way when you're planning to write. I've now hit three days in a row without doing any, but I'm hoping to turn that around today. This is why having the buffer zone was important, as it means I won't fall behind the target for a day, even if 1200 a day might be a bit beyond me now.

In other news, thanks to everyone who downloaded a copy of Almost Chance during the free promo, and I hope you liked it. If you did then please leave a review on Amazon and let other people know!

Twenty two hours to go

Almost Chance is still free for another day. Thanks to everyone who's picked up a copy so far, and I hope you're enjoying it - and if you are, please leave a review on Amazon and let others know. I've made it into a bestseller list - though 'seller' is likely not the right word when something's being given away, is it? I'm around #700 in the overall list for free books on Kindle at the time of writing, and up to #66 in the erotica section. Probably #1 in the lesbian erotica section, if there was one, as all the ones above me in the list appear to be hetero from their titles and descriptions. And I do feel like rewriting my description to point out that my book doesn't feature a billionaire, unlike so many of the others. I wonder what might have inspired all those writers to make heroes billionaires?

Unfortunately, amidst all the free book excitement, I didn't manage to get any writing done yesterday, so no words to add to the total.

1234

The orderly part of my brain likes that I produced that many words yesterday. All on the same short story that I was working on the day before, but that's now getting close to the end of the first draft, and a good writing session might well take me there. Of course, it's now getting a bit long to be called a short story, but we'll see how long it comes out when it's finished in the next draft!

Anyway, that takes my total words for short stories to 6,574 which on top of thr 56,857 I've got on the work-in-progress (which I will be getting properly back to today or tomorrow) takes me over 63,000 words. Have a busy work week next week, though, so do need to make the most of this weekend, and the universe might be helping me by snowing me in!

And, of course, don't forget that Almost Chance is free this weekend, so make sure you get a copy while you can!

Get it for free this weekend!

Almost Chance, that is. While there may be other things available for free elsewhere, they're not coming from me.

Yes, I've decided to make it available for free on Amazon for forty-eight hours, so now's your chance to save yourself a dollar, a euro or 77p and get it for nothing. All I ask is that if you do read it and like it, then please leave a review and please tell others to get a copy as well.

For those of you who don't know what Almost Chance is, it's a 30,000 word erotic novella that tells the story of Jen. She's on a trip to go and see a friend when she spots an attractive woman on the train. The woman notices Jen's stares and announces herself as 'Mistress', someone who Jen can't help but obey. She then offers Jen the chance to enter a world of sensual pleasures with her, and all Jen needs to do is submit to her. Where will Jen's journey take her?

It's free in all Amazon stores - including the US, Canada and the UK - for this weekend only, so why not take a chance on it?

A diversion, and a sample

Yesterday, I didn't add anything to the work-in-progress. I didn't have loads of time to write because of work commitments and other things, and when I was at the computer, I just couldn't get my head into it, so I did some more on the short story I'm doing at the moment instead. It was only 801 words, so below the daily target, but the story's moved on nicely, and the shape of it's there, I just need to finish this first take on it, then go back and redo it with the additional characters in it that help it make sense.

And as it's a bit from a draft that likely won't see the light of day, here's an unedited sample from it for your enjoyment. Hey, it's Friday, we all need some excitement.

The shower was an old one, the head resolutely fixed to the wall and just about capable of turning a few degrees, but not being detached. I had wistful memories of my shower head at home that had been a good companion on many occasions when I wasn't getting any attention, but this time my fingers would have to suffice. I thought of Becky in the shower just a few metres away from me, imagined how her body would look in the mists of water, beads forming on her skin. As my fingers began working in my folds, easing my clit out to play, I imagined her standing in front of me, that amazing rear of hers rubbing against me while my hands reached round to play with her breasts. As we rubbed closer in the warm water, our bodies slipping and sliding over each other, her hand reached back to stroke between my legs, and it was that I imagined rubbing between mine rather than my own. My eyes closed, my free hand reached out to the wall to balance myself as my/her stroking became insistent, my already aroused body burning for her until I gasped and cried out, my body shuddering and shaking as my climax rocked through me.

There'll be more where that came from when it's finished.