"The Inspiration" by David Cramer (david@law.uoregon.edu). This and the previous story ("Tedi") are similar in the respect that both of them are written from a perspective that differs from my own. I am neither an extreme hedonist nor a talented sculptor. The previous story I rated somewhat negatively, because I felt that it did not allow me as an outsider to see the thrill of what was happening in that story; it just came across as a ritualistic listing of titillating events chained together because the formula called for events like those to fill that kind of story. The present story, on the other hand, DOES enable me as an outsider to feel the thrill of artistic creation. I think the contrast between these two stories offers a good example of the difference between a mediocre and an excellent erotic story.

I won't try to describe the present story in detail, except to say that Thomas is a sculptor who becomes almost intoxicated with the need to sculpt a beautiful woman. He eventually makes love to her, and this enables him to bring his artistic effort to fruition.

I enjoy art; but as I have said, I am not a visual artist. I cannot even draw those bonus.jpg pictures that occasionally show up on this newsgroup. However, I have a friend who is an excellent artist. She has drawn a great picture of two lesbians making love. She is not a lesbian herself, nor am I; but her painting makes me believe that the emotions it displays are real. I once asked her how she did this. Did she have to make love to another woman to express the emotions shown in her picture? She said no, and she added that as far as she knew the models were not lesbians either; but she said she did have to walk around inside the heads of the people she was painting.

I mention the information in the preceding paragraph to make the point that I don't even buy this author's apparent premise that it would be important for an artist to make love to a woman in order to sculpt her perfectly; but he conveys his story to me in such a way that I can say to myself, "Yes! That makes sense!" This author has an insight that is different from my own and from my friend's; but unlike the author of the previous story, he conveys his insight to me in such a way that I am at least temporarily able to set aside my own perspective and accept his. That is the mark of an excellent writer.

I don't want to over-analyze this story, but one of the ways the author accomplishes his goal is by being so accurate and vivid in the aspects where his character's thoughts and actions do overlap with my own experiences. For example, although I am not an artist, I myself have had the experience of being suddenly and constantly aware of a person whose existence I had not previously noticed. This author describes a similar experience in the first lines of the story. He seizes that and other details and integrates them into a plot that enables me to blend my own experience with that of a person who is not at all like me.

I really enjoyed this story. This is a talented author, and I hope we can see more of his writing.