Lissau's workbench (summer 2014)

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  • Two more pages written this morning. Includes one realllllllly gross scene. Splatter and gore.
  • Script completed. Last two pages written on my deck as the cicadas buzzed.
  • edited September 2013
    NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW.

    OK?

    In a continuing effort to stretch as a writer, I wanted to pitch for the femme-friendly SMUT PEDDLER porn/erotica anthology. I reached out to a pair of female artists with a few ideas, and one quickly said yes. (The other passed due to scheduling.) Here's my pitch, which the artist helped fine-tune. I think it's suitably erotic/sexy but also has a damned good story, which really was what I wanted. And the woman is the hero, in control the whole time, which porn/comics/literature need more of.

    POKER? I HARDLY KNEW HER

    By Russell Lissau

    9/13/13

    WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Poker. And sex. And aliens. And
    double crosses. And Sex.

     WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT: In the dingy backroom
    of a dingy bar on a distant, dingy planet, gamblers of a variety of humanoid
    species are playing poker – a universal game. Around the room, groupies and
    onlookers are performing a variety of sexual acts, but the gamblers are focused
    on their cards. It’s a serious game.

    The stakes grow higher and higher as the game wears
    on, until the lone human player gets a monster hand and bets everything he has.
    His beautiful girlfriend sits nearby, cheering on her man. He figures he has
    the pot until a horned, tattooed Tiedian on the other side of the table raises
    by putting up a rare, jeweled necklace that supposedly has orgasmic powers for
    its wearer. He knows the human can’t call the bet and reaches for the chips –
    but then the human puts up his girl to call. She doesn’t seem to mind at all –
    “I’ve always wanted to do it with a Tiedian. Does your dick really go to your
    knees when it’s hard?” she says. “You’re about to find out,” the Tiedian says,
    grinning lasciviously. The players reveal their hands – and the human loses.

    The Tiedian takes his sexy prize
    back to his quarters, which are filled with sex toys, fertility relics and
    sexual paraphernalia. She begs him to let her put on the necklace. He refuses,
    until she fellates him so well that he relents. They have wild sex,
    furniture-breaking sex. They collapse on the bed – and the Tiedian snatches the
    necklace back from the woman.

    Weary, the Tiedian stumbles into the
    bathroom to relieve himself. But suddenly he’s whacked on the back of the head
    by a statuette of a fertility goddess. Pull back to show the woman holding the
    statuette and smiling over the unconscious alien. She snatches back the
    necklace, grabs her robe and heads for the door.

    When she opens the door, her
    “boyfriend” is standing there. “Did you get it?” he asks. “You bet your sweet
    ass,” she responds, showing him the jewel. It was all just a ruse to get the
    valuable necklace. They walk off. “Did his dick really go to his knees?” he
    asks. “Why don’t you go back and fuck him and find out?” she teases. THE END.

     

    -30-


  • I'm not finding much in the way of art samples for her. If you can point to some, or get her to jump on here, that would be lovely. In any event, good luck with the pitch. I'm still looking for a partner, but I have an idea...
  • It has been suggested that I consider using a pen name for this story. Now, I don't think anyone in comics will look down on me because I wrote some erotica, once. However, I could get shit for it in my day job, from the politicians and gadflies who look for any excuse to bash an enemy. Consider this:
    http://www.cdobs.com/archive/chicago/daily-herald-russell-lissau-in-breathless-campaign-against-walsh/

    In all seriousness, I'd like some advice.
  • Wow, that was quite a hatchet job. But did it actually have a noticeable negative effect on your life and career? If so, then you may wish to use a pen name for this. You also have your kid's comics to think about. I'd say, use a pen name if you are NOT going to sit at a convention table selling SP14 along with the rest of your books. If you do plan to hawk it (assuming you get in of course) then you may as well be proud and loud about who you are.

    Still,  Buster Marblenuts would make a wonderful pen name, should you go that route.
  • Each creator gets 10 copies, I'll sell those at shows, I expect they will go at the anime shows.

    If they go fast, I will order more.
  • Well then, you've already crossed the Rubicon of mixing your comics and journalist's identities by using the same name. No point in confusing the issue now and looking ashamed of the work.
  • Interesting challenge to draw an erection going to his knees. Does it start at his ankles, or does it point downward?
  • @RussellLissau I say use your real name. In instances where what you've written might matter, a job interview for instance, I don't think it will have much impact. I mean would you really want to write for a paper that would black ball you for writing a piece of erotica? 

    In a case like the blog you linked to it won't make a difference one way or the other. They aren't dealing in facts and there isn't anything you can do or not do short of wholly backing every idea they support that would make any difference to them.
  • Hello everyone! Hopping on the discussion as per request.

    I gave the use of a pen name a bit of thought, but I've decided against using one for just about the same reason as Steve Wallace described. Those who would judge me so negatively over erotica aren't really those I'd ultimately be interested in keeping company with, anyway.
  • Welcome aboard, Rose! Go to the Introduce Yourself thread and, well, do that.
    Check out the various threads here, which are aimed at inspiring all of us.
  • So we can assume that Rose McClain is in fact your real name ;) Welcome Rose! Hope you stick around. Should this get picked up, I'm sure we'd all love to see the development art.
  • edited September 2013
    I mean would you really want to write for a paper that would black ball you for writing a piece of erotica?
    It really isn't as simple that though, because there's a whole range of things that can happen short of professional blackballing ... that still kinda matter.

    I used to take that attitude about being openly queer (roughly the social-taboo equivalent of writing porn) ... until I did an on-camera soundbite for Gay Pride Day on the local news, and had a job offer rescinded the next day because of it. (Yes, they said so. That's legal in Michigan.) With my unemployment benefits about to expire, suddenly I kinda did want to work for a place that'd blackball me for something like that, at least temporarily.

    That's why – before I started connecting myself online with ... well, y'all know the kind of stuff I write and draw – I made the decision to googleproof my name, modifying it enough that potential employers, people who know my family, etc wouldn't stumble across it. You wouldn't necessarily need to go so far as to disavow this work and credit it to "Buster Marblenuts", but crediting it to (for example) "Russel Lissow", "Russ L. Lissau", "R. Middlename Lissau", or even "R. Fakemiddlename Lissau" might save you (or your family) some grief.
  • I did use a pen name for some porn I wrote for an online site. But I will use my name for Venus in Furs. I have a comics connection for the graphic novel to hook into, whereas the porn stories were an unrelated lark, and considerably more explicit.
  • Great chat, guys. After mentioning Jason's suggestion, my wife suggested "R.W. Lissau," which utilizes my middle name. I like that a lot. It's not a lie, I'm not denying my work -- I'm just crediting it differently.
  • There is nothing wrong with a pen name. Authors have been doing it since humans began writing. And I think I know more people that use pen names / internet names than use their real names outside of this forum. 
  • I have a friend who writes science fiction under her married name, and romance/erotica under her maiden name. Not so much because she's afraid of being "found out", but because she thought it was a good idea to keep those two "brands" distinctive. That way, a fan of her erotica won't pick up one of her sci-fi books and then be disappointed that there's no boinking it it.
  • If you are concerned about your day job then I say, use the pen name.
    It's a great idea to say, "Screw the company that cares about what you do in your off hours" but it's another matter entirely to have to go out and find another job in the same field because the company didn't approve of what you've written.
    If you are concerned about how you are branding yourself, then use a pen name.
    These are all perfectly legitimate concerns and if you are at the point where you are considering it, then it's likely that you have a good reason to be. Go with your instinct.
  • This is one of the things that Beth and I talked about on the car ride over the weekend. Ultimately I decided to pass on pitching SMUT PEDDLER this round for a few reasons:

    1) It doesn't mesh with the brand I'm creating for myself - Brand Trevor
    2) I don't really have a strong story in me to tell in this genre at the moment
    3) There are other stories that do support Brand Trevor that I could be focusing on, which are things I could proudly show off to an editor and possibly get more work
    4) While the allure of a $30 book on my table is powerful, I'm not exactly sure where I could move this book (beyond a select few at ACEN)

    I wholly agree with the pen name for the script credit, to avoid any potential blow back from having your name associated with the project (didn't even think about that). Especially since you've written so many all-ages stories, and may continue to knock those out over the years.
  • My only concern is the political impact on my day job (not from bosses, but from politicians and sources).

    As far as the comics biz goes, if I was ashamed of the story or the project I wouldn't submit it. I dig the story a lot, and I think it's an interesting writing challenge. I'll proudly sell it at shows -- under wraps, of course.

    I have hard-core horror on my table as well as the kids books. It's a matter of steering kids to one and away from the other.
  • Ah, got ya. Yes, your day job is quite different from mine. Definitely encourage the pen name so there's no possibility of blow back on the day job.

    That's what pays the bills, after all. ;)
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