We, as Black people, believe in scarcity. We believe that there is a finite amount of success/fame/wealth and that we have to prevent other people from getting our piece of the pie or else we won't get any.
I write erotica. Every day, people compare me to Zane. Not once, has anyone ever compared me to Jaid Black, the leading white erotic writer or even Sage Vivant, the only other person who writes personalized or customized erotic stories. I appreciate that Zane has opened the door for Black erotica but I don't think by any stretch of the imagination that Zane is the end all be all of Black erotic literature. Zane's position in the market is established and I can do nothing to diminish her standing NOR do I believe that she can diminish mine. I strongly believe that there is more than enough room in the erotic world for AfroerotiK and Zane.
Zane is not a good writer. In my humble and possibly worthless opinion, Zane does not possess the ability to create a complex storyline nor can she deviate from urban format where every woman is a materialistic, cheating, and without integrity or depth and men are little more than place holders for extra large genitalia. Granted, I've only read a half dozen of her stories but the ones I did read . . . I thought were comical. The story about the Barber Shop was just downright gross. Negropectate was classic, it's just so ghetto it's laughable. The other story I still laugh about to this day was in Sex Chronicles and it was about a woman who was a Madame with a twist, her job was to have her whores sleep with men to test run their abilities for high powered female executives who were too busy with their careers to have sex with men themselves. Yeah, that's realistic. I know a least a half dozen black women who have careers that are so time consuming that they need other women to sleep with potential mates. The part that made me want to blow big chunks was the whole assertion that this Madame was so gorgeous and wealthy that she was too good to wear clothes off the rack, it was only haute couture for her. She even had to be made ugly by a makeup artist. Give me a fat fucking break. I read her attempt at writing horror. While I will admit that it was more grammatically correct than any of the other stories I've read, it was simple, like it was written by an eight grader. The plot was stupid, not scary at all. Zane is coming out with TV shows and she's got her cruises and plays and any book she writes is going to be on the NY Times Best Seller List.
Here's the deal. I am an exponentially and phenomenally better writer than Zane. I bring more to the table because my writing is socially relevant, uplifting, doesn't fit any overly simplistic format and deals with vitally important issues that facilitate the healing of Black relationships. All of my stories are realistic and describe facets of Black life beyond the one where Prada and Alize reign supreme. I've never met a person who only buys CDs from one recording artist, only goes to movies with one actor in them NOR have I ever met a person who only buys books from one author. I'm finding it hard to wrap my head around the concept that Jackie Collins is sitting at home biting her acrylics because Danielle Steele is releasing a book. I would be hard pressed to believe that Andrea Bocelli is losing sleep that Pavarotti is releasing s box set. I'll be damned if I'm going to panic that Zane is releasing a new book or producing a play.
I release fear, jealousy, envy, and competition. I respect that Zane has done a tremendous job in creating her fame and fortune but it certainly doesn't detract from my talent. It's a big enough universe for me, Zane, Sally, Suzie, and Shemica to all shine. My book of erotica, when it is finally published, will not be the last book of erotica people will ever buy. I doubt that Zane fans will forsake her and run to form an allegiance with me.
Writing Black erotica is a lot like rapping. Anybody who can come up with three words that rhyme can call themselves a rapper. Sadly, there is a whole entertainment industry that has convinced a lot of people that the crappiest music has merit. And the masses eat it up, not expecting or demanding more. Anybody can write a story with the words dick and pussy. Publishers realized that the same people that buy crappy music will buy crappy . . . books, I can't use the word literature when describing the majority of what's out now. Even with the proliferation of crappy music and books and the mediocrity, there are still those that appreciate the melodies and harmonies of jazz, who feel the angst of Morrison’s Beloved and the beauty of the Eleone Dance Theater. The universe gave me a voice and a vision and I'm quite sure Zane or anyone else can't keep me from my destiny.
How do you feel about Zane and her writing? What’s your opinion, good or bad, about her and what she has to offer? More importantly, how do we rid ourselves of this belief that there’s only enough room at the top for one person?
I write erotica. Every day, people compare me to Zane. Not once, has anyone ever compared me to Jaid Black, the leading white erotic writer or even Sage Vivant, the only other person who writes personalized or customized erotic stories. I appreciate that Zane has opened the door for Black erotica but I don't think by any stretch of the imagination that Zane is the end all be all of Black erotic literature. Zane's position in the market is established and I can do nothing to diminish her standing NOR do I believe that she can diminish mine. I strongly believe that there is more than enough room in the erotic world for AfroerotiK and Zane.
Zane is not a good writer. In my humble and possibly worthless opinion, Zane does not possess the ability to create a complex storyline nor can she deviate from urban format where every woman is a materialistic, cheating, and without integrity or depth and men are little more than place holders for extra large genitalia. Granted, I've only read a half dozen of her stories but the ones I did read . . . I thought were comical. The story about the Barber Shop was just downright gross. Negropectate was classic, it's just so ghetto it's laughable. The other story I still laugh about to this day was in Sex Chronicles and it was about a woman who was a Madame with a twist, her job was to have her whores sleep with men to test run their abilities for high powered female executives who were too busy with their careers to have sex with men themselves. Yeah, that's realistic. I know a least a half dozen black women who have careers that are so time consuming that they need other women to sleep with potential mates. The part that made me want to blow big chunks was the whole assertion that this Madame was so gorgeous and wealthy that she was too good to wear clothes off the rack, it was only haute couture for her. She even had to be made ugly by a makeup artist. Give me a fat fucking break. I read her attempt at writing horror. While I will admit that it was more grammatically correct than any of the other stories I've read, it was simple, like it was written by an eight grader. The plot was stupid, not scary at all. Zane is coming out with TV shows and she's got her cruises and plays and any book she writes is going to be on the NY Times Best Seller List.
Here's the deal. I am an exponentially and phenomenally better writer than Zane. I bring more to the table because my writing is socially relevant, uplifting, doesn't fit any overly simplistic format and deals with vitally important issues that facilitate the healing of Black relationships. All of my stories are realistic and describe facets of Black life beyond the one where Prada and Alize reign supreme. I've never met a person who only buys CDs from one recording artist, only goes to movies with one actor in them NOR have I ever met a person who only buys books from one author. I'm finding it hard to wrap my head around the concept that Jackie Collins is sitting at home biting her acrylics because Danielle Steele is releasing a book. I would be hard pressed to believe that Andrea Bocelli is losing sleep that Pavarotti is releasing s box set. I'll be damned if I'm going to panic that Zane is releasing a new book or producing a play.
I release fear, jealousy, envy, and competition. I respect that Zane has done a tremendous job in creating her fame and fortune but it certainly doesn't detract from my talent. It's a big enough universe for me, Zane, Sally, Suzie, and Shemica to all shine. My book of erotica, when it is finally published, will not be the last book of erotica people will ever buy. I doubt that Zane fans will forsake her and run to form an allegiance with me.
Writing Black erotica is a lot like rapping. Anybody who can come up with three words that rhyme can call themselves a rapper. Sadly, there is a whole entertainment industry that has convinced a lot of people that the crappiest music has merit. And the masses eat it up, not expecting or demanding more. Anybody can write a story with the words dick and pussy. Publishers realized that the same people that buy crappy music will buy crappy . . . books, I can't use the word literature when describing the majority of what's out now. Even with the proliferation of crappy music and books and the mediocrity, there are still those that appreciate the melodies and harmonies of jazz, who feel the angst of Morrison’s Beloved and the beauty of the Eleone Dance Theater. The universe gave me a voice and a vision and I'm quite sure Zane or anyone else can't keep me from my destiny.
How do you feel about Zane and her writing? What’s your opinion, good or bad, about her and what she has to offer? More importantly, how do we rid ourselves of this belief that there’s only enough room at the top for one person?
7 comments:
As you've probably guessed by now, erotica is not a primary interest of mine. I like it occasionally, but for the most part, I get hot off intellectual pursuit. But you can write your ass off. That I know. When you get a wild hair to talk about racial "issues," you're as good as it gets. So as far as I'm concerned, "Zane" (whoever that is) is doing what Zane's here to do and you, Scottie, are doing what you're here to do. Expression is all about the Self. Your Self is beautiful. Let it shine and don't let the confused get you down.
Zane does her thing for people whom love her.
You do your thang for peopl whom love you.
There is plenty of room for everyone.
There are only a handful of white people that get "it," that are capable of dismantling the fallacy of white supremacy beyond saying, "Color doesn't matter." You are one of those people and I'm incredibly blessed to get your feedback and to be able to read your ruminations. Zane is a NY Times Bestseller and, as far as I'm concerned, an embarrassment to Black literature. Of all the great Black writers that have gone before us, who put pen to paper now, Zane writes the most simplistic, the most bane, trite, and superficial "stories" possible. I wish I dind't have to endure the comparisons but she has become the standard of Black erotica and everyone is supposed to meet her standard. Unfortunately, her standard resonates someone around the seventh circle of the bowels of hell.
I'm terrified that our standards have become so low that crappy writing is passing itself off as good. There are those that can't form a cohesive thought and who can't articulate an idea. Then there are those who possess the basic skills to tell a story. Zane has those basic skills and nothing more. She's lauded as the best. Great writers are magicians with words. Great writers invoke feelings of emotion and bring the reader into the story with pictures painted with words. Zane has no such talent.
Every erotic story I write deals with race issues. In infuse my knowledge of African and African American Studies and Black psychology into everything I write. We are a nation dying. It's more than imperative that we not waste our time on frivolous erotic stories without merit or substance.
Re-reading my comment, Scottie, I realize that it could be construed that I don't grasp how much you're dealing with racial "issues" in your erotic writing. Not true. I see it and dig it. And sometimes, I even dig it! ;-) But I'm old enough that I'm still dealing with a relatively rigid comfort zone when it comes to sexuality (interesting since I was a serious warrior in the sexual revolution of the 1960's :-D).
But that's certainly not about you, your writing, or the dent that you're making in terms of releasing people of color (and others) from bondage to a past (and present) that uses sex as a racist weapon. I think you're doing important work on a number of levels. You push the envelope (an understatement!). And you're both creative and adept as a writer. Nothing can keep from you what belongs to you. Not even Zane.
Afroerotik I agree with you 100% about Zane's writing and frankly I'd be insulted by the comparison if I were you. Her stories read like a 12 year old boy's fantasy. Some of the most juvenile poorly written stories I've read in a long time. It's not erotica!! It's like some silly backyard porn movie only on paper. I'm so sick of her being featured in magazines and radio programs like she's some Toni Morrison of erotica.
I can see you are extremely passionate about what you do, and I have a great deal of respect for that. I got turned on to you by the coolest white person I know, changeseeker, so I check you out every now and then. I have not read any of Zane's work, but I've read a few of yours;"Making Passion A Priority" had me going. Keep doing what you're doing, your creativity is tastefully juicy, and you manage to squeeze in important social subjects, that's alright with me. The belief and committment that you have for what you do rings through every piece you write, whether it's a story or a comentary, that's real!
I've read two or three books from Zane. The one that I actually had enough interest in to finish was "Addicted". It was simple and the the sex scenes sucked. I guess I kept reading because I thought it would get better. No such luck. Other books, I don't even remember the names I didn't finish because the sex scenes (again the sex is what I was reading it for duh!) weren't arousing. So on that note, no Zane does not do it for me. Also yes, I do agree with you. Zane makes it all very stereotypical, and that's why she's so sucessful mainstream.
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