Usually what I do when writing stories about high school age characters is just say their class. Saying "Alice was a sophomore" is a lot less risque than saying "Alice was fifteen." The class implies the age, but doesn't define it. Theoretically, Alice could be a really stupid eighteen-year-old. That being said, anything younger than high school loses you that deniability. My advice, is to never define the age of underage characters. This site gives authors a lot of leeway with implication.

 

I have a question.

Does anyone else have more than 1 story going at a time?

I write whatever gets my attention that day so its not unusual that I have 3 to 5 story ideas going in my writing app.

Just some conversation...

 

I normally dont, my mind has a one tracked mind and it is easily derailed. When an idea comes to me, I try to get it down before I forget it. Many of my stories do not take me very long to write as I try to think through the plot before starting. That is how I decypher my stories, if I can not get the idea, the plot, etc out of my mind, I know it is worth writing.

 

I write a lot of ongoing stories, which are just minefields for writer's block. I've found one of the best ways to alleviate writer's block is to focus that creative energy into a new project. So yes, I'll write multiple stories at once, usually an ongoing piece and a stand-alone that acts as my writer's-block-fixer. Although sometimes that results in me becoming much more interested in the new story, and abandoning the ongoing story all together, so it's a double-edged sword.

 

I tend to write what I call an outline, then I'll keep going back and adding things I feel is important to the story. So I'll write the summary and then go back and disect each paragraph. Adding the things I might have forgotten or changing sentence structure and wording. So I like having a few different subjects to write about.

 

I have a suggestion @BashfulScribe you may be able to put forward but I also wonder what others think.

One of the challenges that exists for writers is being able to numerically judge their writing, especially when they first start. Sure you can get comments on occasions but as we all know they are often few and far between and many are either "This made me cum" through to "this is crap" which doesn't help with improvement.

The current voting system here on the XNXX side is positive or negative with no shades of grey in-between (no pun or reference intended) and this can often mean to the writer they are either getting it right or wrong but no measure of their journey's progress.

I write on another site (a lot more posted than on here) and the voting there is 1-5 so you can see how your stories improve in ratings as your writing skill develops, it also allows you to measure a story in your own head against your own standards. For example when I first started writing my aim was to get over 3, which meant more liked it than hated it, now if a story averages under 4 I am gutted, if it's over 4.5 then very happy. I aspire to get all my stories to 4.5 and above.

 

Here is another question...

I like to think my kink is BDSM or DDLG. I find that I am more critical of anything I write in that genre. What I mean is I can write Femdom, Bi, or Incest and I will just post without a thought. But if I write a BDSM story I tend to second guess myself in every aspect.

So what I'm wondering is do you think its because I care more about the content or I just figure, fuck it the Femdom story isn't my kink so I don't care? Thanks in advance...

 

I find I try harder where I am out of my comfort/knowledge zone. I wrote a pony girl story once, took me months of research and chatting to people who were into the fetish to even try to get an inkling of what it was all about. The same goes with other genre where I lack experience. When it comes to what I know well then I find I am more focussed on the story than the sex acts. In regards to BDSM those days are long behind me as I kept tripping over my whip.

 

I seem to be the opposite. I worry more about the responses from stories on genres that I am not into, just to see if what I write sparks the interests of those who are into that genre. For an example. I have always dabbled with writing incest stories, mostly sibling or cousin, etc. I had never attempted to write about parent/child until recently. I wrote one just to see if I could.

BDSM is a genre that I do not get into much, mainly because I have very little experience. I can do the light, sensual Dom/Sub thing but when it gets past that I am grasping for straws.

 

I too, have multiple stories going simultaneously. Quite often, my mood will dictate which one I work on. I am in no way in the league of "Shady Lady Julie" with the number of stories in progress, my number is more manageable 7 or 8. However, I am very critical of the BDSM lifestyle. Without going into any detail here, there are good Dom's and bad Dom's. Since this topic has a high level of non-discussion, teaching someone how to choose a good Dom versus someone who is just a sadist (usually it's too late when that person is figured out). Anytime, anyone tells me that they are dabbling into the BDSM world, I caution them with this analogy: To own a gun most states make you take firearm training. To be able to drive all states in the US require driving lessons before getting a license. However, because of the lack of discussion about BDSM, predators lurk in the shadows. It's a shame that there isn't some sort of 'class' to instruct those who want to dabble or become fully involved in that lifestyle. To quote someone else on this site, "BDSM can have scary dark powers".....This of course doesn't mean there isn't proper training/teaching out there. If there is YEAH!!…..ok, I'm off my soapbox now....thanks for the read.

 

Having 'dabbled' a bit myself perhaps I could bring up a couple of points that may influence your thinking.

For many things in life there is no training or instruction manual, marriage & children spring to mind, but in those situations we rely on two things, how we feel and lessons learnt from what others say & do.

If you apply that principle to BDSM then you will find that there is a huge spectrum of 'types' of Dominants & submissive from light to heavy and also bondage can range from the pair of joke furry handcuffs through to shibari, you do what feels right for you as a 'pair'. This is why, like marriage, not all relationships last as the needs & desires of the couple do not align, you will know what is right for you when you feel it.

You mentioned there is not a class for people to learn, well like bringing up children we observe others & read books/instruction manuals, take from it what we like and disregard what we don't like. There is the same massive learning pool out there for BDSM in the myriad of stories and writings that are both here and elsewhere on the net. Reading those stories you will either think, "that's not for me" or "ooo that sounds nice" The more you learn the more you will be able to develop your own brand of desirable BDSM if any at all.

You mention predators, they are not confined to the world of BDSM, ask any abused wife (or husband) who has been battered senseless by their 'loving partner'. I was once privileged to go to a formal collaring and can assure you that it was one of the most moving, intimate and loving things I have ever witnessed.

You mentioned dark & scary powers but you may want to consider this - "True submission is a gift given freely by the subservient to the Dominant and is not something that can be demanded by the Dominant. The Dominant once given that gift should treasure it closely as it is more valuable than life itself."

 

This is where my opinion comes from a much darker and painful experience. My lady and I dabbled in the lifestyle also for nearly a year. We started slow and kept it in the bedroom but as time progressed she got more and more excited and wanted to go outside the bedroom to making it a lifestyle choice. Here is where the train leaves the tracks, we asked others that we 'trusted' about selecting a Dom for the lifestyle training. All seemed fine for a while, then it made a sharp left turn. He began requesting that she come to his house without me, no matter what I said, he seemed to have a hold on her, mentally. She went to his house and stayed for three days. She was not allowed to tell me any information (address of where he lived, his real name, etc.) When she came home she was a wreck. He had been drugging her for the three days, I later found out. He took her and had his "mark" tattooed on her in two different places on her body. He went through her cell phone and erased all the contact numbers except his, blocking them all, including mine. The hold he had over her was unbelievable. Less than 24 hours after I got her back, he called and she left without any warning. He ended up using her, in a different city as his personal prostitute to raise money. As the police were closing in he fled the country with her at his side. The last I heard, through the 'rumor mill' was that they went somewhere in South America. I haven't heard from the authorities in a few years, so I'm guessing that the case is closed. Julie and Loretta: this was no "50 shades of Grey" story. The first half WAS fun and exciting. The left turn that this 'recommended' Dom made changed my opinion forever. I completely agree that the BDSM lifestyle CAN be fun and exciting. Which is why I only 'caution' others. I want people to have fun and enhance their life. So, let me try a different analogy to make my point....SALT. It can certainly be a great enhancement to your meal. However, if you put too much salt in a recipe it can destroy everything and you just have to start over. Do I think that the lifestyle is bad, absolutely not! Do I realize that what I experienced was not normal, absolutely! This will forever be a part of my soul that no duct tape or Band-Aids can repair.
My lady and I also had the invitation to a formal collaring. You are absolutely right! It was one of the most intimate things I have ever witnessed. Which maybe is one of the reasons my lady wanted to move it outside the bedroom and into a lifestyle choice.
I apologize for going on another rant, but to me, even after all these years it still is a painful memory.

 

Sorry, that your experience went so bad, and sorry I commented if that caused you to feel any kind of way. I'll not say another thing about BDSM in your thread.

 

Tcs1963 and Loretta Roberson Thank you for the sentiment.

 

If you had to pick out one story (not series) that you were the most proud of, the one that you felt defined you as a writer, what would it be?

 

In conception I've loved all of my stories and in some way they have played a part in how I write. But I would have to say the story I'm writing now is my favorite. As far as stories I have released on here and had the most comments about, "Growing Together" is the series everyone loved. It is also the story I know nothing about because its an incestual story. Whether that makes it good or not is questionable. Great question