Saturday, August 3, 2013

Review: Grammarly Premium

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because they offered me $20 to try out their Premium service on my original 8/3/13. About 9 months later I received an email from the Grammarly rep I worked with noting:

"Would you mind removing the link to Grammarly from the sponsored blog post we worked on together? It's been brought to my attention that Google's Webmaster Guidelines don't approve of sponsored posts that include links to the sponsoring site."

Earlier this week, someone from Grammarly emailed me and asked if I'd be willing to allow them to sponsor a blog post in exchange for a $20 Amazon gift card. After a couple of emails back and forth, I decided that I'd go ahead. My son is dying for a water bottle rocket, and what better way to use an unexpected gift card than on something your kiddo really wants?

Before I agreed to allow them to sponsor my blog post, I did some research and was disappointed to see that they were asking for a credit card number to activate the free trial. Luckily, they didn't do that with me. They simply set me up with a username and password, and I was ready to put Grammarly through the paces.

After logging in, I was taken into the Grammarly program, where I can copy / paste or enter text to review for spelling and grammar errors.

40 of 100? Grammarly is very kind.
I decided to type a poorly written sentence to start out. I typed: "I definately love cHocolatechip Cooqies." It caught all of the misspellings and offered suggestions on how to fix them. To the left of the text box, there is a rating system based on the errors that were found. This sentence earned a score of 40 of 100. I'd have given it a much lower score, but that's just me. I'm a hard ass like that. So far, so good.

Checking for plagiarism.
The next feature I wanted to explore was the plagiarism checker. This is a valid concern for a writer. I like the idea of being able to upload my text and see if it's floating around on the internet without my permission. I know there are other programs that perform this function, but I thought I'd see if Grammarly worked for it as well. I copied and pasted my last blog post into the text box and hit the plagiarism button...

It didn't take the program long to identify that I copied and pasted something directly from another website. All of the text that was plagiarized was highlighted in red and a window popped up encouraging me to credit the source(s). Very, very good! But a blog post is easy. I wanted to see what would happen if I checked text from one of my previously published e-books

I copied and pasted the text of an entire e-book and clicked the button. The result it kicked back was disheartening to say the least. Out of 3,736 words, only 2% of the document--the disclaimer--came up as plagiarized. I decided to remove the disclaimer and run the check again.

Not Good.
Nope. It came up as 100% original. This book can be found all over the place: Amazon, Smashwords, All Romance...Seriously, it's everywhere. Maybe because it wasn't published on a blog or website it didn't recognize the text as stolen. This isn't Grammarly's primary function, but I do feel that if they're going to offer a plagiarism function, it should at least identify eBooks. 

As far as the quality of the grammar checker goes, it's pretty basic. It notes the same things that my word processor notes. In some cases, it flags things that are correct or that fit within the context and writing style. In the above image, Grammarly had a problem with the sentence: "Isabel felt heat and moisture rise between her legs." and suggested I change it to "Isabel felt the heat..." I wholeheartedly disagree. I left that article out of the sentence because writing it that way perfectly expressed what was happening to sweet Isabel.

My overall impression is that Grammarly is easy to use, but that it's not much better than the grammar and spell check in my word processor. I could see it being a huge help to someone who doesn't have a basic grasp of grammar rules or who has a hard time writing, and it might be great for students who are trying to write a paper for a class, but it's just not right for me. If I, as a professional writer, incorporated all of Grammarly's suggestions, my writing would be stiff, too formal, and no fun to read.

While I've had a lot of fun playing with Grammarly, I think I'll stick with my word processor's functions. They're free and I don't have to copy / paste anything.

Have you used Grammarly? What do you think of it?

Friday, July 5, 2013

Vanquishing the Erotica Stigma

There are people in my real life who would never, not in a million zillion years, understand why I write erotica. Some of them would find it shameful because they are devoutly religious and sex is seen as a shameful and dirty thing that should never be talked about.

Some would shake their heads in dismay because they see erotica as a cheap market, a place where crappy writing is gobbled up like a 9 inch cock. To these people, anyone who writes erotica is automatically less intelligent, less educated, and of a lower caliber than all the other writers of all the other genres out there. Nobody who can write well would ever choose to write erotica. What a waste of talent that would be!

I have friends that I haven't told because they call themselves feminists and they see the whole idea of erotica as inherently damaging to women. These women love sex and talk about it as often as they can, but when it comes to reading erotica, they tend to clamp their legs together like nervous virgins. What they don't understand is that not all sex stories are about the subjugation and objectification of women.

It's a shame that there is such a stigma surrounding erotica. It's a fabulous, underrated genre that can be more empowering to women than some would ever believe. We're all adults here, so let's talk like adults. Sex is the most fun you can have with your clothes off. It feels good, and we all wish we could do it more often than we actually do. Sex can be passionate and slow, and take all night. It can be rushed and whispered in a few stolen minutes while your kid is in the shower. It can be comfortable and familiar, or it can be elaborate and creative. Sex can be so many things, but the one thing it should always be is fun for everyone involved.

I may write a story about a woman whose husband surprises her by tying her up and doing all sorts of scandalous things to her restrained body, but never, not for one single moment, are the women in my stories victims. They allow themselves to be put in situations where they can explore their dark sides. They are always willing participants, and shame doesn't wash over them when they put their clothes back on.

Erotica is a way for us to explore our own "shameful" desires. As a feminist, it's uncomfortable for me to admit that I fantasize about being licked and fucked by a room full of men and women, all of them trying to make me feel better than the person who came before them. As a woman in a happily monogamous marriage, I will never be in a situation where a room full of people compete with each other for my pleasure, but I can write about it. I can explore all those sensations in such clarity that it's almost like being there.

That's what erotica is for. It's not about setting up unattainable ideals for women to aspire to, it's not about women bending over and taking it up the ass simply because that's what a man demands of her. No, it's a way to explore the stuff you either can never or don't ever really want to experience.

It's my hope that someday, the genre will lose its stigma and that readers won't feel embarrassed by their bookshelves. I fully believe we can get there; we can vanquish this damn stigma, one well written sexy story at a time. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Forget Romance: Five Tales of Erotica by Alyssa Steel

Forget Romance: Five Tales of Erotica from Alyssa Steel

If you like it hard, buy it here!

Isabel: The Reluctant Mistress
A virginal peasant girl is reluctantly thrust into the spotlight as she auditions to join the king's court of mistresses.

Do You Trust Me?
Shelby and Chris are a not so happily married couple on the brink of divorce. One day, Chris asks her if she trusts him and Shelby has to decide how far she will go to please her husband and save her marriage.

Taken By Surprise
Jennifer often drifts into fantasies, and she and Alec enjoy sharing their secret desires with each other. One day, Jennifer comes home to discover that Alec has gone to great lengths to fulfill some of her darkest fantasies. Fighting her fears, anxieties, and indoctrinated social mores proves to be difficult for her as Alec leads her deeper and deeper into her fantasy world. 

The Concert
After two years of a hot and heavy office flirtation, Mike and Lori are finally going out on a date. When Lori runs into a friend during dinner, she gets some advice that is sure to knock Mike off his feet. Although nervous about making herself vulnerable, she follows her friend’s advice and ends up experiencing the most amazing night of her life.

His Heat, My Desire
After her fiancé moved out without a warning, a young woman decides go to a party. She hopes he will be there so he can see that she’s not heartbroken. She decides to take a short cut through an alley and comes face to face with her deepest desires.

If you like it hard, buy it here!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Sex Before Dinner










Thursday, January 10, 2013

Fifty Shades of Responsibility









Did you read that? Read it again.








Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Holiday Thoughts & Wishes from Alyssa Steel

This is a hectic time of  year for many people. There are so many things to be done, and it seems like there's just not enough time in the day to get everything that needs doing done.

My own life is a whirlwind of activity right now. Between homeschooling my son, (actually, don't tell him I said so, but my husband has now taken over homeschooling entirely so I can have more time to write) buying  Christmas gifts, making Christmas gifts, attending holiday parties, making cookies for friends and neighbors, and working on all of my various writing projects, I feel like I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in weeks.

I know I'm not alone out there, feeling the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season, so I just wanted to take a moment to remind you that it's okay not to get it all done. It's okay not to buy a gift for everyone in your office or to attend every blasted party you're invited to. It's okay to curl up on the couch with a good book, a cozy blanket and a steamy cup of  hot cocoa and to just take an hour or two for yourself. Take time to enjoy your family, take time to laugh and sing badly. Take a moment to kiss your partner in the toy aisle at Target. Paint a picture with your child, let your cat cuddle on your lap and scratch your dog's belly. These are the moments that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives, so please don't let the frenetic pace of the season distract you from them.

Slow down and enjoy a cup of cocoa on me.


Monday, November 26, 2012

His Heat, My Desire


Buy it now for your Kindle, Nook, or on Google Play

A tale of paranormal erotica.

Alyssa Steel's erotica eBookHis Heat, My Desire, is available on Kindle & Smashwords

Happy Holidays from Alyssa Steel ♥