Another story done
Somewhat to my surprise, I got a story finished and submitted to Circlet Press' dystopian-themed anthology: "A Single Splendid Movement". This involved staying up way too late and getting up for a data-entry job, plus I've been without heat in my apartment since Thursday.
Just as my research into Victorian sexuality went into Innocent's Progress, my research into the psychosexuality of fascism and fascism's psychosexual impact went into "A Single Splendid Movement." Laura Frost's book Sex Drives was a particular inspiration.
I also took George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. I had listened to it in audiobook form before, and only intended to skim it for style and quotes, but I rediscovered just how good it is. Not only was Orwell a visionary, basically foreseeing the Cold War, but he had an amazing ability to depict the internal, subjective impact of living in a totalitarian state.
The other big influence was Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter, which is in large part about living in the aftermath of a dystopian society.
I also learned a whole new vocabulary from The Abu Ghraib Investigations, edited by Steven Strasser: "Mutt and Jeff", "IRFing", "pride up", "fear up harsh", "pride and ego down"
The story was a bit rougher around the edges than I would like, and I wish I had taken the time to work out some of the ideas more. The relationship between real-world, non-consensual violence and consensual BDSM violence is much more complicated than many people think.
Just as my research into Victorian sexuality went into Innocent's Progress, my research into the psychosexuality of fascism and fascism's psychosexual impact went into "A Single Splendid Movement." Laura Frost's book Sex Drives was a particular inspiration.
I also took George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. I had listened to it in audiobook form before, and only intended to skim it for style and quotes, but I rediscovered just how good it is. Not only was Orwell a visionary, basically foreseeing the Cold War, but he had an amazing ability to depict the internal, subjective impact of living in a totalitarian state.
The other big influence was Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter, which is in large part about living in the aftermath of a dystopian society.
I also learned a whole new vocabulary from The Abu Ghraib Investigations, edited by Steven Strasser: "Mutt and Jeff", "IRFing", "pride up", "fear up harsh", "pride and ego down"
The story was a bit rougher around the edges than I would like, and I wish I had taken the time to work out some of the ideas more. The relationship between real-world, non-consensual violence and consensual BDSM violence is much more complicated than many people think.