My mind is going wonky. I have to admit it, this whole Covid19 business is having an effect on me as an author. I have begun a few projects, left a few others on back burners, spent hours avoiding focused writing, and wasted too much time reading and responding to Covid19-related articles, posts, and tweets on social media. And for all of that, I have learned that the human race has an issue with common sense and ethical-moral behaviour.
This morning, I checked in with this Naturist Fiction blog site to check to see what time this post was going to show up. I somehow had convinced myself that I had written up this post two weeks earlier so that I wouldn’t find myself scrambling at the last minute trying to write something worthwhile for our readers. You can imagine my surprise when I got here to find that there was no post ready to publish. Oh my god [or goddess]! Once again I found myself wondering what I was going to write. I scrambled around in my head searching for topics only to find I had used them in my personal blog site. ‘Oh good lord!’ I worried. ‘Will and Paul with revoke my license as a Naturist Fiction writer and toss me to the curb!’ Yes, anxiety does strange things to one’s head.
A second cup of coffee seemed to ease the anxiety a bit and I began to think rationally, well perhaps just a bit more rationally though not quite on an even keel. I have been here before in the past when there was no Covid19 to blame. The truth is, temporary insanity is perhaps a vital component to writing anything worth reading. By “Temporary Insanity” I mean a writer has to have a thin membrane that separated normal outer world reality from the chaotic and populous world in the inner unconscious contents. One’s person unconscious, as well as the collective unconscious contain the muse that writers rely on for “inspired” works.
One can write using templates which is how many books are written, books with a script and structure that is replicated time after time. There is a place for such books as they provide a comfortable and predictable reading experience for many. However, for the naturist-fiction genre, going deeper into the human psyche, human relationships, and the natural world is vital. At least, that is what I tell myself. I don’t doubt myself as a writer. I do doubt myself as a writer who produces stories that please many readers.
The sales of books tell a story that is uncomfortable for the ego. Naturist stories don’t sell all that well. Those stories that end up to be more “literary” sell even less. Naturist fiction and non-fiction books don’t have a large share of the naturist reader market. Strangely, this doesn’t matter. Writers such as Will and Paul don’t write to make a living. They write because they have no choice. The Muse demands their attention. And because they listen, they produce books that matter, books that will stand the test of time.
Hi Robert, I totally understand. To my knowledge your “license” is still valid, hombre!
I think all of our naturist fiction books – and not just of the writers on this site – are important, worthy attempts to communicate the differences that naturism can make in people’s lives. And I know in my case the Muse is certainly what motivates me to write *naturist* fiction, whether it sells all that much or not. The challenge is that the Muse is not always present when it’s time to get to work! 😉
Ah, Will, I truly didn’t think my license was at stake. Your words are important in helping to define the intent of naturist fiction and the challenge to write. Thanks. With that said, I have a short story to deal with … it seems the word “coffee” got overworked. 😉
First off, I don’t think it necessary to write a new post if you are not feeling it. I tried to write something every week for my blog, but stopped when I realized I was churning out a lot of sub-par content. If the inspiration hits me, I’ll write.
As for ‘naturist fiction’, I think the mistake here is in the label. We don’t necessarily need to consider our books ‘naturist fiction’ any more than Game of Thrones is ‘incest fiction.’ Believe me, I have spent decades mulling this over, and the solution, I feel, is to make casual nudity a normal part of the story, just as you would any other element. Unless your book is *solely* about nudity, in which case, you probably won’t sell a lot of books.
I have a file on my computer, which I have been working off and on now for several years, titled “Gods of Aenya.” It is a sequel to Ages of Aenya. The first four chapters deals almost exclusively as an argument for nudism. I think they are fairly well written chapters, and I’ve gone over them many times. But I am probably going to trash all of it, because non-nudists will find it preachy, or not-of-interest. When, if, Gods of Aenya ever makes an appearance, the story will stand on its own, whether the heroes are naked or not. Most likely, I will start at a point after they are accepted into society, and Xandr’s and Thelana’s constant nudity will only be implied. I am using a similar technique for the Thelana prequel novella I am currently writing. It’s a survival story that should appeal to anyone, with her nudity being implied, never overtly stated.
Well said, Nick. The whole point was, that I “wanted” to write a post. I had thought I had already written it. I encourage you to read my Rene Beauchemin novels. You will find that they are far from solely about nudity. The books, however, are far from typical novels that are easy reads. Blame it on my writing style which is more literary and psychological. Nudity happens and is not the central focus. Thanks for your comment.
Robert,
Worry not. You’re part of the team and you will be until you don’t want to be any more (and only then we’ll let you go under protest).
It’s true. Naturist fiction is there to enlighten others, to entertain others. Not to get rich on.
It was tongue in cheek, Paul. ha ha ha Thanks for the affirmation.
A minor comment in regard to sales of naturist fiction.
Perhaps what really matters is not how many people buy the books, but how many appreciate them?
My understanding is that few writers make a living from their craft – even some who are relatively successful have “day jobs”. (And just consider how many great writers in the past wrote alongside significant salaried employment?)
I’m just grateful that all of you continue to write, to write interesting books, to write books which demonstrate that naturism is an integral part of the lives of many – and enhances those lives.