Sunday, March 29, 2009

Literary Downturn and Upside


I hosted an event at Skylight Books today. A panel of writers discussed their work in the Young Adult Fiction world. One of the authors spoke of how the economic downturn had affected her career: her editor was let go at the publishing house she was with and two of her book contracts were canceled. It was discouraging to hear.

I'm trying to produce work, primarily for my collection of short stories. When I hear accounts like the one I just heard, I think: Oy! Hopefully, the economic climate is better when my collection is finished.

On the upside, I have been making strides in my writing. Today, I begrudgingly sat down to write. I didn't want to, but I was disciplined enought to do so. When I started tapping on keys, it didn't turn out so good. Then--boom!--it began to work. I rewrote the beginning of a short story. The story is called The Positive Effects of Yoga on Peter Dantes:

After every yoga class, I feel horny. As soon as I get home, I lie in bed and jerk off. Sometimes two or three times. I used to think I got turned on by all the women bending over or arching their backs. But when I do yoga at home, just a few sun salutations to start my day, I get an erection.

4 comments:

Kerry Slattery said...

Noel, I loved your blog today. When you're an artist, you just do it -- despite such outside elements as business, "downturns" etc, which mean nothing in the long run (unless you include them in your art). -- kerry

Cheryl said...

Ditto to what Kerry said. Also, there will always be a market for hot yoga lit.

josephine anne lin said...

The opening of The Positive Effects of Yoga on Peter Dantes made me laugh out loud. I have a vivid memory of the first time my husband and I tried yoga. The instructor said, "Just focus on how it feels..." My 6'2" husband said, in soft whimper, "It hurts."

The contract with Peter's experience was just so funny that I had to share :)

Peter Varvel said...

I had read an article (in Frontiers, maybe) about how two men, after having exceedingly hot sex, later realized that they had both attended respective yoga classes earlier that day, which had opened up their energies to be (even more) receptive to exceedingly hot sex.
So, no coincidence your post-yoga horniness, methinks.
And damn - I'm sorry I missed this Young Adult Fiction event at Skylight.