Your Inner World - What Are You Reading?
A book (or movie) can get you in the mood whether it is “that kind” or not. Reading something that puts you in a place, setting, or lets you hang out with characters that you enjoy can create a state of mind that turns you on. I find that whatever I am reading at the moment can have a huge residual impact on my outlook. Sometimes that means I have to take a break from a book that I really like, just to get a change of pace. I tend to be a very involved reader.
I find that a story that is really absorbing can be much more effective than a simple stroke story for putting me in the mood. A stroke story can be more intense, a quick turn on, but if you’re not really ready to get in the mood, completely ineffective. Something that really takes you away to the time and place and completely immerses you sets up a deeper, richer involvement that opens up a world of possibilities.
I think this is why when I write, sometimes my sex scenes come about are inspired at the most inappropriate moments. Those are always my best scenes.
Right now I’m reading Interview With a Vampire again, purely for the state of mind. I was 14 the first time I read it. It has been years since I tried rereading it and I’m very curious to see how it reads for me now; if it delivers that same sense of awe and wonder.
The decision to reread it was a simple one. I am reading some great books right now, but they aren’t producing the desired effect. I want to be in a mental state that is more creative and productive. To really notice the world and all the little beautiful things that used to leap out at me. I want to be engaged in the moment. There were several books that encouraged that for me, set the mood, and helped me reach that state of mind.
Of course, reading is not the only tool I am using to reignite my sense. Music, smells, tastes, lighting. What I am really trying to capture is an overall state. One of the beautiful things about that state is not only an elevated mood, but heightened sexuality.
How on Earth to explain it short and sweet? It is an awakening of all the senses. A rich inner world created by direct enjoyment of my surroundings, allowing me to see in a way that is so much fuller. A way that gets blocked and overrun sometimes.
Things seem to fall into place this way. All the underlying beauty reveals itself. And when that happens anything is possible.