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Hi folks, I'm on the road so the post will be short. This week I've been down to the Johnston Space Center in Houston and toured the simulators and checked out mission control. I've also kept my eye on the Mars landing and the possible discovery of water on the red planet. Those images of Mars are haunting. It's red, rocky and desolate. Everything about the space program inspires me to reach for the stars, but most of all it's the astronauts who make me think anything is possible.

I'm so inspired by the tenacity, fluidity and single mindedness of the astronauts. It takes all out efforts to get into space, and that strength to do whatever it takes helps me get up each morning and sit in that chair and make the magic happen. It also takes a person who goes with flow and moves with the ebb. This fluidity to lay hold of the task at hand lends me great strength. Last of all, you've got to sleep, eat, and taste that mission objective. That's the attitude that I want to bring to my novel writing. I want to wrap my mind around the mission objective and get it done.

And to bring this all around, my quote of the week:

“That some achieve great success is proof to all others that we can achieve it, as well.”

Abraham Lincoln


Doodle of the week: Some Bunny

Remember: ©Molly Blaisdell, all rights reserved. If you want to use my cool doodles, ask permission first. It is so wrong to take people's doodles without permisison!

Don't be scared to write about sex! 

To help us all, I went to the expert to help us become more comfortable writing about all things sensual. Rachel Kramer Bussel wrote the excellent Lusty Lady sex column at the Village Voice, and edited Best Sex Writing 2008.

Every week I ask a different writer Five "Easy" Questions about their craft. I break the interviews into pieces for easy reading. The Publishing Spot Library indexes those posts in a single place.

Follow this index to read more about Rachel Kramer Bussel...

Bussel showed us (complete with a web video feature) How To Build A Better Public Reading.

Then explained How To Go From Short Stories To A Novel.

Also tackling the juicy topic, How To Write About Sex.

And most importantly, she said How To Write The Best Love Letters.

"I want to feel like we are our own entity, existing in a private universe that nothing and no one else can pierce. That life is all about looking at her, in her, nothing more, nothing less. Without makeup, she is the perfect combination of girl and woman, and she fills me with a need to hold and protect her that leaves me raw and open and more vulnerable than any person should ever be." 

That's our special guest Rachel Kramer Bussel in her short story, "The End." It was selected for  The Best American Erotica 2006. Today, that sensual writer gives us a sneak peak at her love letter skills. 

If you want to write your lover like that, you should take Bussel's love letter writing class before Valentine's Day. Check it out here. Most recently, Bussel edited Best Sex Writing 2008, and she's been our guest all week.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:
You are teaching a class on love letters. Without stealing your thunder what's one piece of advice you would offer to a young lover as they write? What are the best books/writers to read for love-letter inspiration?

Rachel Kramer Bussel:
I'd say being totally honest, open, and raw is key. Continue reading...

"Amber lingered at La Petite Coquette, her hand reaching out to stroke all manner of silk and lace in all the most beautiful colors ... her eyes were solely on the luxurious merchandise, the bras scalloped with flowers along their artfully stitched edges, the camisoles that promised to caress her every curve, the panties that offered her tight but imperfect ass the promise of supermodel stardom."

That's a sexy little number by Rachel Kramer Bussel, the short story writer and editor of Best Sex Writing 2008. Today she explains how she struggled to move from erotic short stories to her first novel.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:
You are finishing a novel right now. What's been the hardest part of that process? What would be your advice to first-time novelists as they start their projects?

Rachel Kramer Bussel:
I've been writing my novel for a year and a half and the entire process has been hard. Continue reading...

"When I tell people I write about sex, I can see immediately whether their judgment about me has changed in the second it took me to say it. Most of the time, I don’t have time to sit and explain how complex a topic we’re talking about. Now, I can just hand them this book, which asks just as many questions as it answers, and hopefully does what good sex should do: leave you wanting more."

That's Rachel Kramer Bussel explaining a little bit about her writing life. She wrote the Lusty Lady sex column for the Village Voice, and recently edited Best Sex Writing 2008--among other erotic anthologies. You can see her website for that book here.

This kind of focused, jam-packed career brings its own share of scheduling problems, and today she explains how she keeps her writing life balanced.

This is my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog

Rachel Kramer Bussel:
Well, I have to admit I laughed at bit at the last part because my stress level is way high. Continue reading...

Sex. Sex? Sex!

It's a major part of our lives, but we don't usually talk about it around the watercooler. And since the topic is shrouded in so much cultural wrapping paper, your average writer has absolutely no idea how to write about human beings being sexy.

Today, I went to the expert to help us become more comfortable writing about all things sensual. Rachel Kramer Bussel wrote the excellent Lusty Lady sex column at the Village Voice, and edited Best Sex Writing 2008.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:

It takes a lot to write frankly and vividly about sex. There are so many clichés and taboos to steer around. What's your advice for a writer looking to write more physical, sensual, and sexy nonfiction? How can we avoid clichés and stop gettting hung up on taboos?

Rachel Kramer Bussel:
I think the first thing to do is to forget about anything you think you "should" do. Continue reading...

What will web videos by writers look like in ten years?

I hope they won't look like Hollywood movies or trailers for Hollywood movies. It's so silly to have this new lo-fi, do-it-yourself medium of web video and pretend like we need to imitate Hollywood movies.

If you are a writer interested in web video, just do it. Don't wait until you can cut together the next Citizen Kane. There are plenty of real movie directors who will do that. Web video is supposed to be playful and short.

If you don't believe me, check out these creative and loopy videos from writers:

Brandon Scott Gorrell made a web short about his glamorous life of a young writer. Ellen Kennedy made a hypnotic video about a vegetarian meal for Ass Hi Books. Finally, Chris Killen created a flash love story about a computer and a bag of potato chips.

Thanks to Tao Lin for linking to all these writers. Look for some of my video work next week as Rachel Kramer Bussel stops to discuss The Best Sex Writing of 2008. It will be the steamiest Five Easy Questions feature, ever.