Authors of Erotic Romance

Being a writer is one of the most slavishly selfish occupations on this earth, yet one of the most giving.

I’m an erotic romance writer, so predominantly the authors in this genre are women. We have husbands (and a few wives), children, houses and pets to look after, errands to run, sports to chauffeur to, mouths to feed and poop to scoop. All this is not very conducive to getting the next sexy erotic romance out of the dark recesses of our brains and onto paper.

As writers we sacrifice a lot to bring you new and interesting stories.

In the majority, authors write in their spare time — but what exactly is spare time? After the 9 to 5 slog, there’s dinner to prepare, homework to help with, husbands to fondle … just where are you supposed to fit writing into all of that? Something has to go. But do you make the kids give up something so you’re not spending so much time in the car carting them to and fro? Put hubby on a regimented schedule where he’ll only see your lovely face but two times a week, because every other night your head will be buried in your keyboard? Give the dog his leash and tell him to take himself for a walk?

Of course there are those that don’t have to hold down a day job to pay the bills, but for most giving up all else just to park our butt in a chair and write isn’t an option. I’m lucky enough that at this point (not of my own choosing fyi *shakes fist at the greencard paperpushers*) I could be a full time author — well, when kiddo is in school — but I do have another ‘day job’ that takes up my time, even if it is done from home. But I still don’t seem to be able to find all the time I would like to dedicate to purely writing. I just can’t seem to park this slowly spreading arse of mine in that chair and type.

Theory is, if I sat in the chair for 4-6hrs a day, I’d have at least 5000 words a day, which in eBook terms means the basic outlines of a manuscript down in a week.

*Snort*, yeah, right!

I WISH I could keep that pace, and for a wee while I did, but my increasingly shortening attention span has kicked in and now I’ve got to go do a load of washing, wash my hair, do the dishes, sew a skirt, write another couple’a hundred words … and on the cycle goes. I’d really like to blame it on late onset adult ADHD, but I have a funny feeling my doctor would have a great laugh at my expense while calling everyone else in to take a look at the delusional foreign lady. So that theoretical week turns into very real months.

In an effort to get my waning self determination a kick in the pants I’ve started carting the laptop with me to kiddo’s tutoring appointments — 3/4 an hour of sitting in the car writing. It’s been great thus far, but now summers here … parked car, summer and Florida — not such a good mix, but I’m working with it. It might only be 3-500 words, but hell, it’s more words than what I had when I started!

I’d be interested to see what other people have come up with that are slightly unusual options for ‘git’in er done‘.