Sunday 26 August 2012

Adding Not Subtracting

Instead of removing scene's, my guest turned it around and added scene's instead. So let's see what Tara Chevrestt has to say on this weeks topic of Deleted scene's as we near the end of our Virtual Tour.

I’ve never done deleted scenes. Really. So when I saw the “deleted scenes” topic, I griped, bellyached, thought real hard, then decided to talk about added scenes. I’ve done quite a few of those. Here’s where I started:
When I penned my first romance novel, I said, “I’m not going to have a sex scene. Nobody needs it. We all know part A goes into part B.” And so I wrote a lovely little story about two people meeting, falling in love, all that, and though I had them “doing it”, it was closed door. They entered room, shut door, kissed, said words of love, end of scene. The next scene was pillow talk.
This book got contracted with a romance publisher. I received my first edits from an editor. To the right of my ms was a little comment box. “We don’t do closed door sex. Tell us what happens here.” And even though there was a little smiley face with it, I gasped. “Noooo! I cannot write sex! My family will disown me!”
I said this to the editor. The editor asked the higher ups. They said, “No sex at all, not even implied OR the scene must be there.”
This being a contemporary romance and the characters being who they were, I needed them to have relations for the story line to reach the satisfying conclusion (yes, that’s a pun) I was aiming for. I felt between a rock and a hard place (another pun). I was deeply embarrassed and frustrated by this turn of events. A consultation with a very important person was in order.
I texted my dad. The conversation went something (not exact) like this:
Me: Dad! So I signed over this romance story I wrote, and they want me to add sex! And it’s already contracted! I’m so upset!
Dad: Why?
Me: Cause it’s SEX! How will you and mom feel about me writing that?
Dad: Sex doesn’t have to be nasty. Make it special between two people that love each other. It will be a beautiful thing then.
And later, my editor said, “It will help show their relationship evolve.”
After two hours of pulling my hair, texting my dad, emailing my editor, and ranting to my pug, I finally sat down at the computer and wrote my first sex scene.
I’ve wrote many more since then. You could say I finally broke a barrier (bad pun!) that night. The book has done decently. It’s well-liked, and readers really love the romance between the characters.
I ran into the same awkward moment when I subbed a f/f story a few months ago. The publisher liked it, said they wanted it, but added a note, “Now’s a good time to add that ménage.”
*sigh* There was a reason that ménage was missing. I didn’t want to write it! LOL
Regardless, I texted my husband, griped at my pug, sat down, and typed. And you know what? I actually enjoyed it. *grins*
You’ll see the results of my labor this October when When Hubby’s Away, the Ladies Play releases from Secret Cravings.
Meanwhile, if you wish to sample another f/f piece, The Submission is available from Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-submission-by-d-f-krieger-and-sonia-hightower/


Blurb: The editor is always right... Katia Lane, a down on her luck writer, finds this out the hard way. When she submits an erotic tale to Daring Desires Publishing, one head strong woman meets another as an author/editor war ensues. There’s no room for a diva in the publishing industry...and Sylvia L. Avers means to demonstrate this to the fledging writer. When you submit a manuscript to Daring Desires, you submit more than a book...you submit yourself.

As a BDSM conference nears, both women prepare to face off. Which one is going to be on top?
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Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. She is very happily married.
Tara also writes as Sonia Hightower. Sonia writes the racy stuff and argues that she was here first. She just wasn't allowed to be unleashed until the last year.
While Tara and Sonia continue to fight over the laptop and debate who writes the next book, you can find buy links, blurbs, and other fun bits on their website: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for hosting me. I had fun with this one!

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    1. You're very welcome. I'm glad to have hosted you this week :)

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  2. What a great post! You've come a long way baby! (pun intended lol)

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  3. Tara, that's exactly how I would feel about writing a sex scene. In fact, I edit out most of the bad words in my blog because I don't want my friends to disown me! But you have inspired me...

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  4. Thanks, Gayl, and Peggy, I'm glad you're inspired. Go for it! LOL

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