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Maxime Jaz
I write books about men falling in love in various settings and times.
I write books about men falling in love in various settings and times.
Yes and yes. There are animals and kids in my books, all have a crucial play in my characters' life and are not there as accessories. They do add an emotional dimension to whatever is going on, and in my upcoming book, a certain cat will almost have a fate determining role. Sounds a bit like a fairy tale? But life is, in a way. All the connections I had with all my animals feed these stories and some are very personal (you won't know this as the reader but might guess). Some writers will not put pets or kids in their books, but if you like them, you'll have plenty in mine.
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There were several posts on Twitter on writing process, how writers write, tips and tricks, which have triggered this post. I was mildly comforted to find writers who have a similar process, meaning that they "dream up" or have "movies play in their heads/minds" because this is what happens to me. I think in pictures, I have a brain which sees in pictures, thinks in pictures and I have a photographic memory which is a blessing and a curse at the same time in me every day life and my day job.
I don't sit down to face a plan, an excel sheet, a story planner app or software (does such a thing even exist?). I sit down when the urge of writing down the scenes in my head becomes so strong that I just have to write. It is an exhausting yet thrilling process, the words will just churn out, pour from my fingers and, sometimes, when I re-read myself, I am a bit puzzled at what I wrote. This has the distinct disadvantage of the whole writing process stopping when the "film" stops and then I just wait until it starts playing again. I sometimes try to gently coax my "movie director" muse to continue, dreaming up pictures, scenes, so the wait can be more or less long or short, depending on my fickle muse's spirit and work ethic. Of course, as a cheeky being, it sometimes starts a brand new movie, distracting me from my WIP and then I have to write those new scenes down... This is why I have so many WIP, sitting patiently, waiting for me to pick up the thread. I imagine my characters just lounging, waiting to "play" again, a lingering guilt inside of me, that I am letting them sit and wait whilst my muse and I chase each other and play games. "I should continue and finish the Romans..." "No, Max, not yet...I have new scenes, watch..." "We're not even done with this one yet..." "Doesn't matter. This is what you have to write about now..." No, I'm not crazy, just having a "film" about my muse. Should I write about it? I write fiction and this should say it all, really. Whilst I make a reasonable effort to research jobs my characters have, or times they live in, it is fiction at the end, and not non-fiction. I may get things wrong or not totally accurate, and to me, this is fine, because the main story line is still my characters falling in love and ploughing through life with all its challenges.
There will always be an expert out there who will know better than I do and pinpoint mistakes out, and that's fine. If this is how you choose to read fiction, who am I to judge you in any way. Feel free to write to me, I like learning from my mistakes. My stories are mean to make you feel, to entertain, to take you somewhere else, maybe also out of your comfort zone. Hopefully, to dare you to live your life to the full, maybe get inspired. I don't have pretensions. If you like my book, it is already a win. I write tales of love because love is powerful and should not be reserved to anybody. Love is universal and the driving force of our whole world. It is the single best thing that can happen to a human being. Love and be loved. Dare to love against all odds. The characters in my books are flawed, as every human being, and have struggles and emotions. My works in progress don't have super handsome billionaire jerks waiting to be rescued by the "grey mouse" clumsy youngster who turns out to have Stockholm syndrome. If this is your preferred story, you might want to look elsewhere.
My main characters have all sorts of sides, sometimes deep hurts, which will influence their relationships. How you see these relationships is up to you. I also write about grief, emotional pain, and trauma, which might trigger you, but there will always be a disclaimer for any of my books, so you know what you will face. I have to write a few lines on this because I feel it's important to inform the reader what awaits them in my worlds. I used the term "romance laced with erotica" on purpose, because that's exactly how much sex you will find in my books.
My characters have sex, of course, and sometimes it's quite passionate, but sometimes, you will just get a hint at it without any further detailed action. If you are looking for pure erotica, or mainly erotica, or raunchy, anatomically precise sex scenes, then you might be disappointed. That being said, there are plenty of great authors who write just that, I am just not one of them. If you're looking for sex as part of love stories, then you are in the right place. I have several works in progress, as my brain always gives me new ideas and I have to just give in and start writing them down. Not sure whether it's a curse or a blessing.
The latest one in the works is a love story set in a mental institution. Other dormant works are love stories set in Ancient Rome, in a fantasy land, and in space (sci-fi...don't ask me, ask my brain...). |
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