Monday, March 25, 2013

The Final Page

by Kathleen Bradean

This is my final post for Oh Get a Grip. it's been fun, but it's time to move on. The subjects have been interesting to explore and I love seeing what the others had to say. I'd like to thank my fellow Grippers for interesting insights and discussions, and thank readers who commented on my posts. 
Novels are the main reason I'm leaving. I'm writing two a year and that's all I have time to do anymore. It looks as if the new crew (and the remaining folks) will be an interesting group. I plan to check in to see what they have to say in the future.

I've written erotic for ten years. It's been a decade of wild change. This sounds like gramps on the porch, but I remember when agents wouldn't represent erotica writers and no one took our work seriously. It was trash. It was what you wrote only if you were desperate to be published. It was morally wrong. And that's only what writers in other genres openly said about it! They probably still do. And yet, the reading public has spoken, and they want to read it. The walls of shame are crumbling. The phenomenon of 50 Shades of Gray (FSOG) wouldn't have happened without the internet, fanfic, and all those brave writers who dared to write erotica long before it was popular.

I haven't read FSOG (I realize the topic is 'What are You Reading' not 'What Won't You Read, Ever') so I have not discussed it much, but since this is my farewell on a blog by erotica writers, I thought I'd say this about the biggest event within our genre since Anne Rice's Beauty series shook up the literary world: Books don't have worth. They have stories. Not every story is for every reader. I promise to try to be more understanding toward readers who like stories I don't. (and expect to fail spectacularly, but I'll keep trying)

As for what I am reading, I'm discovering Elisabeth Sanxoy Holding. She's amazing. But I'm also taking a detour through the classics of literary erotica. Perfume by Patrick Suskind. The Lover by Marguerite Duras, Delta of Venus by Anais Nin, Under the Rooftops of Paris by Henry Miller. I'll probably tackle Georges Bataille next or if I'm in a milder mood, Milan Kundera, or Paulo Coelho. It's a hard to define space, literary erotica, and it's dismally small. If you think of titles (Not The Story of O) please send them to me.

~

While I'm glad for readers and writers that erotic romance is gaining in popularity, as a literary erotica writer, I sometimes feel as if my niche has been pushed aside. That isn't exactly true. It's been overshadowed. But literary erotica has always existed perilously in the margins and will probably remain there. Literary eroticists have a small readership. I'll never enjoy huge sales, and there will never be a literary erotic con where readers line up to get my autograph. I've made my peace with that. If I wrote for money or a following I wouldn't write what I want to and frankly, FSOG aside, there's never enough money in writing to waste my time telling stories I don't like. So if you pick up something I've written, know that I wrote it for the pure joy of it. I hope it shows.

~

Somewhere between the clinical and the vulgar, there's a language of sensuality waiting for us. I addressed that (tried to) in my blog post Ephemeral Blaznous a few weeks ago, then found Anais Nin made a similar (and more cogent) comment in her forward in Delta of Venus. All these years later and it still doesn't exist. We may have to invent this language. Create it in your stories. Weave it into your tales. Write something wonderful. And write for the love of it.    

KB

~~

You can still find me on my personal blog,  or on ERWA blog for my monthly article Writing this Novel.

My erotic horror novel Night Creatures will be released soon (one way or another). Look for news on my blog.






11 comments:

  1. i've enjoyed your posts on here, Kathleen. Bataille is actually quite vulgar, but in beautiful language. enjoy!

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  2. It's great that you're writing novels, Kathleen, but we lovers of short stories will miss reading more of yours.

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  3. First of all, sorry to see you go from OGG but I hope you'll be lurking around ERWA at least.

    I'm really glad you included Patrick Suskind's "Perfume" with classic erotica. What a sensual book that managed to satisfy all the senses, and the film made from it actually portrayed the story fairly faithfully, even though it didn't turn much @ the box office. Methinks the critics couldn't get by the creep factor to see what the story was all about.

    Be well-
    DX

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  4. Sorry to see you leave here, Kathleen, but I'll be looking for you & your alter egos elsewhere in cyberspace.

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  5. Amanda - If only I could read French, I'm sure the original would be better.

    Sacchi - I still write short stories, but something had to give in my schedule and it coincided nicely with the revamping of the Grip, so it was a good time to go. You know you'll see me around.

    Daddy X - I'm always lurking somewhere. One never knows.

    Jean - you know where to find me. Plus I'll still contribute monthly to the ERWA blog for now.

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  6. Dear Kathleen,

    Thank you for your wonderful contributions to OGG - including this one. I'll miss you, but everything changes. That doesn't diminish the worth of what has gone before.

    I can't wait to read Night Creatures.

    With affection and gratitude,
    Lisabet

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  7. Lisabet - You do an excellent job wrangling this blog. Thank you for making me part of it.

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  8. Ive enjoyed reading your comments and stories.
    lauratroxelatyahoodotcom

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  9. Hi Blogmate

    You've been here quite a while and I'm sorry to see you go. I `came close to leaving once because of time problems but Lisabet's innovations helped me stay.

    Please come back and check in on how we're doing. And I think we'll still be seeing you at ERWA blog. Hey - if you're looking for fine quality literary erotica look for Alberto Manguel's thick brilliant anthologies "The Gates of Paradise" VOL 1 and VOL 2. They're out of print which is a shame, because these are the most gorgeous collection of short stories along these lines that I know of. I've been reading them slowly and enviously. They're absolutely worth your time if you can pick up a used copy on Amazon.

    Garce

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  10. Garce - Thanks!

    I have The Gates of Paradise somewhere...

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