I woke up this morning with the idea for an erotic novel in my head. I don’t think I was in the throes of such a dream myself, cos… as it happens, the lead character in my novel idea is male.

I’m reminded that I HAD planned to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) IF I could think of a plot idea. Now… what I have in my head is a little thin… but perhaps I should just go with it and see where it leads?! Also, I haven’t actually signed up for NaNoWriMo. I know that not starting on day one and starting on day five is nothing – although I can imagine it’d cause angst in others (who I’ve seen proudly tweeting their word counts).

I’ve been feeling a bit unsettled about the lack of progress in achieving… stuff…. It’s now day five in my new locale and there’s no great novel written; no ideas pitched to potential magazine blogs or actual magazines; no approaches to organisations to take out advertisements and the like. Nope. I have, however, unpacked a shitload of boxes and my place is starting to look more like me.

I also pulled three books from my shelves and reread them over recent days. ‘Reading nourishes me,’ I told someone a day or so ago. Like having my stuff around me; reading makes me feel more like me. So I’m finally starting to feel as if my life is less in abeyance than it has been over the past four-five weeks since I finished work.

Which, I suspect, is why I’m tapping my watch expectantly – wondering why I haven’t accomplished more.

Which brings me back to my erotic novel: a little project if you will. And, because my readers are special, here’s a sneak peek into my thinking… handsome burned-out 30 something PR Exec / Lawyer-type  moves to small sleepy locale and somehow falls into a role as a local Gigolo, offering his services to the ladies in town – fulfilling any fantasy they may have (sexual or otherwise). Prosaic and clichéd? Well, yes.

However (and there are always buts!), I’m already wondering WTF I’m thinking:

• am I just jumping on the ’50 Shades’ bandwagon with this idea? Ummm… possibly, but I guess that doesn’t matter as we seem to have moved on from vampires and wizards
• in the midst of a long drought and perennially single (yes, oversharing again!), am I really the right one to write erotic fodder? Again it probably doesn’t matter. I’ve got a good imagination. I’ve been exposed to my share of porn – though my girlfriends and I always thought we could most-certainly write plot sequences more ‘appealing’ to female viewers than what-seemed-to-be-standard (ie. NO plot!)
• I’m actually not that interested in erotica and cannot imagine getting swept away (creatively) when writing such a novel. The old ‘write what you know’ (and love) edict isn’t really working for me here, but perhaps that doesn’t matter.

So… although I’m not exactly brimming with enthusiasm; perhaps after I catch up on my blog reading and get some overdue Advertising and PR stuff done for Debbish, I may very well sit with my fingers at the ready and see where my imagination takes me.

Or not.

What are your thoughts? Too many 5o Shades of Grey offshoots out there? 
Should I just pen to paper either way?
Should I go back to a previous idea I had of writing a fictionalised story of my parents’ life together?

PS. In case you were wondering… I’m not planning on enacting a real life female version of my plot idea (having made a seachange myself)!
PPS. I’m also not casting aspersions on those who write erotica / romance novels. I know people ‘diss’ Mills & Boon type books but am aware that ANY book is hard to write and getting ANYTHING published is a huge achievement.