Of Panting & Underwired Words August 16, 2007
Posted by Jen in : Novel , trackback
It’s funny how things happen all at once or not at all. I wrote 1,000-odd words yesterday (as opposed to 1,000 odd words).
My inspiration? Pants. M&S boring pants and bras, thrust into my thoughts while buying school uniform online. Hmmm, I wondered, what sort of undies would my characters wear? Not M&S, that’s for sure. After a browse through Agent Provocateur, my thoughts were off like whippets. I changed a character’s name from Nicky to Rajni and, somehow, she just sounds far more like herself now. She is also headed for glamorous, sumptuous seduction which I’m rather looking forward to writing. Saucy, sexy opulence, mmmmm.
They do say that there’s a little bit of us, as writers, in our characters. So am I set for some delicious decadence? Nah.
I have another character. I get to be like her, slomping and sliding knee-deep in mud with a stinking dog. I secretly prefer that to a life of excess though. Shhh, don’t tell anyone will you?
East Sussex porn queens do it in wellies. Apparently.
Comments»
Details of what type of pants and bras, please……….
There’s a great line in Monsters Inc where Mike and Sulley are in the locker room. Mike asks Sulley if he’s got some ‘perspirant’ and Sulley offers him: Wet Dog. Brilliant!
OK, underwear and seduction…
Nick Hornby wrote a great line in High Fidelity that says: women only put on nice underwear when they want someone else to take it off. When they’re at home with their other half they wear the five-year-old cotton knickers.
I really have to stop quoting people - but it’s difficult because I’ve just finished critiquing an unpublished novel for an unpublished authoer (IYSWIM) and I need to put some goodness back in my head.
That’s something I’ve never thought about… what underwear would my characters wear… I’ve thought about near enough everything else about my characters and I thought I knew them inside out, obviously not!!
Underwear says a lot about people… clean/matching/off-white…
This is a whole different aspect… I’ll have to rethink the naughty scenes in my book.
Ooh, Liz, click on the Agent Provocateur site and see for yourself!! It worked wonders for me, oops, I mean my characters…
Brennig: Ooh, I love Nick Hornby. I can see a whole new underwear thing going on now…
A Writer - That’s it exactly! I have jotted down soooo many things about my characters but, still, like a complete mental, I’m wondering about their bloomin underwear when all I meant to do was buy shirts for the kids. I was completely undecided how/whether to include any racy scenes but now? Ooh, I can feel a little something coming on…
Oooh, I do love that picture of the corset. That’s all I want to say: anything else I say may be taken down and used in evidence against me…
Oh yes, underwear, very important. I pay attention to that when I’m doing my freewriting descriptions. And what about the character who doesn’t wear underwear? I’m looking forward to your racy scenes - you could always give your blogreaders a preview, go on go on go on do!!!
JJ, I love it too! It’s by Kimberly Poloson - she has a few prints on art.co.uk that I quite fancy… I love all that vintage stuff. Sexy but so stylish.
Zinnia, good point! Hadn’t thought about the no-underwear thing.
A preview of the racy scenes? Hmmmm… maybe! Haven’t quite thrown myself into it yet… still beating around the bush, as it were…
Ha ha ha ha ha ROFLOL (er, ok, I admit it, I have had a couple of glasses of wine, but that was REALLY funny Jen)
S’funny - I always start off with what a character has in their pockets…
Zinnia: ho ho! (Gawd, I am shameful, woeful and many other things.)
Hedgewizard: Oh, pocket stuff, brilliant! That is SUCH a bloke thing - has just made me realise that the chaps in the novel are rather under-considered. Thanks!
My characters are always changing their pants, especially (perhaps surprisingly) the men! In boxers they’re action men, ready for business, cool, calm and confident. When they switch to more, shall we say ‘fitted’ items, they become skittish, prone to making rash decisions and more distracted. Large, mottled Y fronts often accompany feelings of self-loathing, sexual frustration and social dislocation…
Love this blog. I shall return!
Mya x
Mya, mmmm, large, mottled Y-fronts conjure up a scrummy image. You have clearly done your homework in this area, I’m impressed!
And thank you - I rather love your blog too, as it happens.
X
You’ve written half a b…… novel, girl - I don’t call that ‘fannying around’!
Thought I might see you on the Wannabe message board - as you’ve got me hooked on the book? In fact have stopped writing novel to re read Wannabe and draw lots of little plans/thought bubbles and flow charts. Very pretty - not sure if they’ll help though.
Oh, you know what Fiona? I forgot to log onto that Wannabe thing! I’m going to re-read her book and draw diagrams and charts too - I might even post up my scary pinboard of ideas!