Tag: fiction

The Art… frustration of writing

~ byroncane ~ 4 Comments

The standard of writing is no head-hopping.

Jack thought she was the most beautiful and exasperating woman he’d ever met. I just want to put her over my knee and spank that sass right out of her.
Jill thought he was the most arrogant and handsome man she’d ever met. I just want to slap his face and then kiss him all over.
Jack toyed with his tie. I wonder if she likes bondage?
Jill twirled her hair. I wonder if he picks his nose?
Jack thought the steak was tough. Her fish looks okay.
Jill thought the service sucked. His expression turns me off.
Jack said, “I’m having good time, are you?” Frowning when he saw her roll her eyes. She needs a spanking!
Jill lied, “It’s great.” When the fuck is this date going to end?

Jack and Jill never went up the hill or anywhere ever again. Thus the potential for a romance of the ages died over surf and turf because the writer couldn’t decide who’s POV was preeminent.

Modern writers/editors deal with this issue by writing paragraphs all the way up to entire chapters in one POV only. Then when the POV switches to another character, the first paragraphs are a recap of the previous action as viewed from someone else. The rules are that you can never, ever, have one character know what another character is thinking or doing without direct observation or spoken dialogue.

Jack admired the beautiful woman seated across from him in the crowded restaurant. He knew his exasperation likely showed on his face, but something about the way she conversed sparked a desire to put her over his knee and spank the sass right out of her. Toying with his tie, he felt his face heat and his groin swell wondering if she liked bondage as well. He’d never thought about doing those sorts of kinky things to past girlfriends, not that Jill was a girlfriend, not on a first date. But still… his hand paused, fork poised to place the steak – the tough overdone meat – in his mouth. He watched her twirl a strand of curly black hair. Such slender fingers, he thought would look nice wrapped around his cock. He cleared his throat and put his fork back down on the plate. “I’m having good time, are you?” Frowning when he saw her roll her eyes. She needs a spanking!

Jill lied, “It’s great.” When the fuck is this date going to end, she fumed silently. It had started off well. He was handsome, well-groomed, sharply dressed – she felt a bit intimidated by the restaurant, the prices at least – but she hoped her nervousness didn’t show. She hated that she coped with nerves by being defensive and a bit sassy; as well as twirling her hair as if she was flirting. It tended to piss men off, but Jack didn’t seem to mind. That was, until he started to drone on about his career and possessions. Figures, she’d muttered to herself, just a another arrogant A-type. He probably picks his nose and flicks the boogers on the wall. She giggled and covered her lapse by saying the service sucked. When he wrinkled his face as if she’d farted, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

So remember writers, no more head-hopping!

A Free offer for spankos everywhere

~ byroncane ~ 3 Comments

If you are coming here from Lurv Spanking, then welcome to Byron Cane Fiction. If you’re not, welcome as well, because everyone should be reading. As the title states, there is a free offer available for a limited time. As some of you know, I’ve been wrestling with my ‘Grace’ novel, my completed novel, for many years and have only within the past week, began editing again after a lapse of four years. Detailed post here if you want more information.

I’m also sure that many of you search on-line booksellers and know that free samples are available for many titles before purchasing. Usually this is about 10% of the actual word count. My novel will be around 100,000 words.

So, as you have guessed, I am offering the first five chapters, 24 pages and 9,185 words for free, yes free, for anyone who wants to receive an email that will have: Free Grace Sample, in the subject line and be sent from Bryoncanefiction@gmail.com.

Now, you can use the ‘Contact’ page at the top of the blog, or leave a comment on this post and I will use the email address you commented with, or send an email directly to Byroncanefiction@gmail.com by clicking this link which will open in your email provider.

I do want to post this warning that this excerpt is rated 18+ and filled with spanking and BDSM and bad words. It is also dark and contains about every single trigger you can imagine. If that’s not what you want to read, then don’t request a copy, please. And of course, follow common sense as to where and in front of whom you read this.

So what is this novel all about?

Well, it has spanking, BDSM, D/s, D/D, polyamory, Christianity, LGBTQIA, abuse, violence, and takes an unflinching look at the way corruption intersects with juvenile justice. There is lots more than that: the narrative device is two timelines eight years apart that come together with plots that go spinning off in all directions, affluenza leading to wasted lives and people finding love in all the wrong places. It is not an easy read, and it will piss a lot of people off.

But at the heart, it’s a romance about the devastation of abuse inflicted by adults upon children and the power of faith and redemption to bring healing to broken survivors. 

And I will say this, I like writing erotica, not so much for the thrill or titillation of the forbidden, but because I really don’t like hypocrisy.

My goal with this offer is not to solicit – because that’s not legal except in Nevada outside of Las Vegas – editing, but rather for any and all commentary on the story. I’ve edited this many times, but stuff slips through and, I’ve switched from 1st person to 3rd person so many times that there may be errors. But feedback is very important to me. If you hate it, that’s fine, my writing is not to everyone’s taste. So please consider providing specific feedback if you’re able.

Once the novel is completely rewritten/edited, I’ll be calling for a small group of beta readers before I move forward with publishing, as well as advice for agents and publishers.

In the future, I’m going to be posting updates and offers on this blog instead of Lurv Spanking, so if you aren’t a follower yet, please do follow Bryon Cane.

It always pays to take care of your tools

~ byroncane ~ Leave a comment

Monday Writing Prompt from Clarian Press.

The constant drip-drip of melting ice filtered through her consciousness; the first day of spring, and snow lay heavy beneath the fragrant pines. The circuit training had payed off as she dragged the wrapped bundle down into a hollow, huffing frosty steam from her panting mouth. It was a moot question now: Would she have fallen so hard if she’d known his secret from the beginning? The razor sharp edge of the shovel bit into the softening ground. By the time some hunter stumbled across the remains next fall, she’d be long gone. Rather sardonically, she addressed her statement to the murder of crows cawing out questions of her. “If I wanted vanilla, I’d have ordered ice cream, instead of a man who thought it was funny — after he fucked me — I actually believed he was a Dom.”

Do you need a prompt to write?

~ byroncane ~ 2 Comments

I most frequently write to prompts, at least for blog posts. There is a new prompt, offered by Clarian Press, called:

Based upon a snippet of conversation: “The first prompt is a piece of dialogue that I overheard once when I was in the public library. It was many years ago, but I can still envisage the little old lady who asked the question of one of the librarians!”, the prompt is as follows.

There are many obvious lines that spring to mind.

1. “Why yes, he gives me a pedicure every day.”
2. “He is quite handy. My feet enjoy the massage.”
3. “Shhhh. He has a fetish for toes. His tongue tickles.”

Moving on [or up] from feet, you can take an erotic turn with different genders.

4. “I need his mechanical expertise. The power drill has a dildo attachment.”
5. “That’s why I wear short skirts and go commando. He cleans up my cum.”
6. “I need relief from the stress, and he loves to suck my cock.”

You can also try more societal lines.

7. “Ever since the new computers were installed, IT has been camping out.”
8. “I can never remember which plug goes where. He is handy.”
9. “Nothing like a tool belt slung off a tight pair of jeans.”

Of course, being fixated on spanking, I prefer to utilize discipline with my prompts.

“Do you always keep a man under your desk? How handy!”
“Well, Lorraine, I got sick and tired of people making up excuses for tardy book returns.”
“Oh really? Does he pop out like a harlequin and scare them into complying?”
“No, hardly. He puts the patrons over his knee and gives them a good old-fashioned paddling. One whack per penny due!”
“Goodness gracious! Sounds like my dear departed Elmer. How I miss that man.”
“In that case, Lorraine, this Agatha Christie is overdue by an hour.”
“I see. Rules are rules.”
“Exactly. Glad you agree.”
“Oh my. He is a handsome devil, isn’t he. What else does he do under your desk?”

Vote in Smut Marathon Round 2

~ byroncane ~ 1 Comment

Smut Marathon Writing Round 2 has now closed, and voting for your favorite story is now open when you click this link here.

The assignment for round 2 is:
Write a micro-fiction story using any one of the entries from the first round.

Specific requirements:

– the entry you use should NOT be your own
– the entry you use should NOT be altered
– the number of words does not include that of the entry you choose to use
– your flash fiction story is a maximum of 100 words plus that of the entry you choose
– give your story a two-word title
– when you send in your story, please also mention the number of the entry you have used from the first round

Smut Marathon 2018
Smut Marathon 2018

As in the first round, you can vote for the three entries you liked best. There are 62 short stories and after this round of voting closes on March 10th, 2018, only the top 40 authors by combined point totals of the first two rounds, will move on to round 3.

Please vote and tell all your friends as well. The more people vote, the better all the writers will feel. 🙂

Writing for Readers

~ byroncane ~ 4 Comments

I’m both a reader and writer; more of the former than latter. I’ve always maintained that there is no such genre as fiction, primarily because actual fictional prose would be incomprehensible. Not so much in terms of language or syntax — even that makes sense when done correctly — but in the shared human existence. When we read, we filter the story through our own biases and empirical history. Even if we have no relevant parallel to the narrative, we can still imagine the scenario and empathize with the fictional characters.

As a writer, the question becomes: Do you write ‘what you know’, or create an entire landscape with no semblance to reality? The most successful books, screenplays and movies, are either lushly detailed fantasies set in exotic realms far away, or romantic struggles that echo the common frustration and exhilaration of finding that special life-partner. “Know your audience” is drummed into every hack that has ever put stylus to papyrus. There is no magic formula for writing; just hard work and placing word after word until the manuscript is completed.

Last year at this time, I was working on a short story for a Sexy Little Pages submission called “Corrupted”. The editor, Charlie Powell, broadcast the following information.

“Since the beginning of time, everything has been promised to liberate women has also been accused of corrupting them. Think suffrage, trousers, the pill, the internet, feminism, learning to drive, owning a house, having a bank account, working… Or, more recently, alcohol consumption and selfie culture. I’m looking for fresh and sexy takes on these issues, along with anything else that women have been criticised for doing.”

I started blocking out a plot, who, where, when and why. The lead character is in the title: Ghosting past Emily. As always, that came first. The ghosting refers not to specters haunting a dark mansion, but the practice of deliberately — and without warning — dropping all electronic contact with someone.

The place, San Francisco. Silicon Valley. Emily is in tech, not programming though. She’s Japanese-American, another strike, and lastly, a dominatrix on the side. All the ingredients needed to raise the hackles of white male dominated corporations. The irony is, this was written before that bastion of power and sex started to crumble under the relentless onslaught of pissed off women.

My short story of 3,900 words was accepted for inclusion in September, 2017 and Ghosting past Emily is now available for order from Amazon Kindle for $3.99. The publication date for the Corrupted anthology is March 8th, 2018.

byron-cane

I didn’t choose the sentence in the graphic, by the way. I’m unsure as to how much if any of my story I can share, so for now, that will have to do.

Now the polls are open: Smut aweigh!

~ byroncane ~ Leave a comment

The first round of writing has now closed and voting is available at this link here. Between Sunday, Feb 11th and Saturday, Feb 17th, you can read all 75 entries for Round 1 of Smut Marathon 2018. All the entries are anonymous — mine included — and your task as a voter, is to choose the top three that best meets the assignment. Please consider leaving feedback for the authors, your comments will be posted after the polls close.

Writer’s Assignment Round 1: Write an Erotic Metaphor
Specific requirements:
– only one sentence
– give your text a one-word title
– your text with the metaphor is a maximum of 30 words (excluding title)

Writers are not allowed to tell anyone which entry they have written!
You can only vote once.
The voting round closes on 17 February 2018 at 23.00 CET
Results of the voting round will be published on this site on 18 February 2018 and then will announce the author of each metaphor.

A “FREE” spanking? Cool.

~ byroncane ~ Leave a comment

For a very limited time, a few days only, you can download The Case of the Disciplined Valentine to any ereader device for FREE. If you love vampires, sex, Victorian-era romance, steampunk, spanking and other forms of delicious discipline, then take this opportunity to grab some alone time and read your way to…. err, bliss.

Take a sensual journey on over to Amazon by clicking this link, and be transported to steampunk London, where it is early February in the year 1854 and a certain vampire is about to come face-to-face with a most exasperating and intriguing female. And then he meets his Valentine.

A comedy of Victorian manners mixed with delicious spankings and sexual encounters guaranteed to raise even a vampire’s blood pressure, Byron Cane sets a torrid pace in his historical paranormal erotic novella.

It is 1854 in steampunk London, and Sir Nachton MacRath is warily returning to his home isle after decades abroad. He has good reasons to steer clear of the Royal Family, but is immediately snared by the Queen herself, who anoints him, Her Chastiser of Loose Morals, complete with elevation to the upper reaches of the aristocracy. Rather than a quiet existence as a vampire, he is now a Peer uneasily rubbing shoulders with the most powerful men in the Empire.

Phoebe Hayward is a lady of good breeding, but like all her contemporaries, longs for some excitement and romance. Valentine’s Day is only weeks away, when their paths cross with a bump. Despite later discovering the man ordered to discipline her is actually a vampire, she can’t help falling in love. The more encounters with Sir MacRath she makes, the more her body yearns to know what it is to submit to his vampiric touch. When he reluctantly agrees to be her Valentine, thus begins a Domination and discipline the likes she’s never dreamed.

MacRath doesn’t feel he deserves Phoebe’s love, and attempts to push her away by taking her deeper into sexual submission. She surprises him — and herself — by eagerly submitting to his every desire.Together, they explore the sensual heights that a woman and a man — a vampire — can reach. But politics and conflict are never far away, and the Valentine’s Day deadline comes all too soon.

The Case of the Disciplined Valentine
The Case of the Disciplined Valentine

Disclaimer: The Case of the Disciplined Valentine, with minor changes, is the same novella as previously published in the Lust in Lace anthology, as Sir MacRath Thrashes his Valentine. If you have already purchased the anthology in ebook or audio book, then there is no need to purchase it again… unless you want to financially support me. 🙂

 

The truth about editing

~ byroncane ~ 6 Comments

It sucks.

I mean; it really sucks.

You work really hard on a story, send it to someone, and they go; “Meh”.

I write a variety of things; poetry, essays, flash fiction, short stories and long-format novellas and novels. But no matter how meticulous I craft my narrative and characters, there is always room for improvement. The key is finding the right editor.

For me, it’s Ina Morata of Clarian Press. She has a keen intellect and an extensive depth to both grammar and vocabulary [albeit of the English-English language variety, which leads to interesting discussions when Americanisms crop up] along with a historical literary provenance, that creates a template for how a story should read.

The most important lesson I’ve learned from having my work edited by numerous people, is that the only goal an author should have, is to seek the best possible result. If an edit makes for a better book, then make the change and don’t mourn your original efforts.

Nearly as important though as a writer, is to find your ‘voice’; the style in which you are most proficient. That voice needs to be a solid base so that no matter how much editing is done, it is still recognizable as your own. A good editor trims the excess, prunes back the prose so that new growth and grafts make the finished product even more fruitful. Writing is not about word count, it is about making each word important and integral to the story.

I always start my long-format fiction in flash style. I think of it as splashing paint on a canvas. It’s not meant to be perfect, or even coherent. It’s an experiment to see if the characters and plot have potential. The more you write, the more you cast off. There’s nothing wrong with that. Always seeking the perfect first draft is guaranteed to make it impossible to ever finish anything. Imperfection is not only inevitable, but essential to editing.

What I call a first draft is a misnomer. Before I submit a piece of fiction, long or short, the manuscript has normally been ‘edited’ by myself at least a dozen times. I swap chapters, change tenses, substitute narrative for dialog and vice-versa. My style, my voice, has developed into exploring the emotional bonds we create and the consequences of our actions. I don’t fill in the background normally; the physical aspects of the characters, the detailed clothing or places they inhabit. I enjoy reading books that do so, but for me, as a writer, I don’t think in those terms when creating.

A good editor partners with the author by taking that first draft, reading it, then breaking it down into various components. Keep. Change. Discard. While ultimately the decision remains with the author, by explaining the whys, an editor guides the prose into becoming stronger and better. The mantra, “If it makes a better book, any change is good”, is very helpful in taking personality and emotion out of the process. Which leads back to the title of this post.

The truth about editing, is that it is extremely difficult and fraught with feeling: if you allow yourself to believe your first draft is perfect. It’s not. It’s only a starting point. Having other eyes read your work can be intimidating, but the payoff can be a spectacular result.

Happy writing,

Byron Cane