I have written two and a half books that fall generally in the romance novel category
Book 1 (54,000 words) explores and explains by examples the erotic world of whips, bondage, pony play and other BDSM pleasures. This is about 70% a primer in extreme erotica and 30% a story of romantic relationships. This book was written in one month about 10 years ago for the NaNoWriMo challenge.
Book 2 (109,000 words) begins when a young woman agrees to a public sex ceremony with a man she has fantasized about to revive a failing New England town. She finds herself initiated into a world of spells, helpful spirits, witch politics, and personal and professional growth. This book is about 40% erotica, 30% witchy grimoire, and 30% a novel of romance and adventure. This book was written in 4 months two years ago.
Book 3 (30,000 words - incomplete) is about a young woman escaping an oppressive family building a life for herself in a town where people with unusual abilities congregate to remain safe and hidden from the mundane world. So far, it is about 60% detective novel and 40% a coming of age novel. It has a brewing romance, but no sex scenes. This was a conscious choice to avoid writing another erotic novel. I had been writing this for about 2 months this last winter, when I put the project on hold.
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I have written more engaging descriptions that attempt to lure one into reading a book, but I went with pithy and factual to give you and idea of how I haven't really settled down into a genre or written a second story in the same world. I feel I owe it to repeat readers to write novels with a similar feel
I mention the amount of time writing because I was struck by your statement that Finding Max was written in 8 days. To me this shows the inspiration ideas fueling a drive to write. When I write, I set the initial stage and create characters, then the characters write the story. I often plan to write one way, but find my characters mostly do what they want to do, and new characters step into change things without my direction. I plan elaborate 2 chapter scenes in my head and write them in 2 paragraphs then write something unplanned.
For a couple of years, I tried writing stories where I began with chapters 1 and 2 in mind and tried to write to a middle moment and an ending. This is because I have read publishers want novels written this way. Those stories died slow and clumsy deaths. That process doesn't work for me. I enjoy exploring the story rather than driving it somewhere.
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I will post an honest review of your first published novel after I read it. It is due to arrive on Thursday.
