Incest story idea - a surprise?

[LaRascasse]

I'm kicking around an idea for an Incest/Taboo story. Not very long, maybe a couple of Lit pages at the higher end.

The reason I am a bit circumspect about it is the category it should go to.

Since there is sex between a father and a daughter, Incest/Taboo is the obvious candidate.

But... the way the idea is in my head and the way the story is structured, the fact that they are father/daughter is the big twist in the story - the sting in the tail if you will. I feel that if I put the story in the Incest category itself, the story loses a lot in terms of the twist and a surprise element.

On the other hand, I am aware that if I put it in another category (say Mature because of the age difference), the average reader might not like suddenly discovering that the couple are father and daughter.

What is your take on my dilemma?

 

[Damoiselle]

The only way I could see a story like this working in a way that doesn't alienate people is if you have some kind of bait and switch between who will actually partake in the incest.

Because, if you put in another category and it ends up hinging on incest, won't Laurel just adjust the category anyway?

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

.....

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

The only way I could see a story like this working in a way that doesn't alienate people is if you have some kind of bait and switch between who will actually partake in the incest.

Because, if you put in another category and it ends up hinging on incest, won't Laurel just adjust the category anyway?

Obviously, it's Laurel's discretion, but she's posted my chapters with I/T and incest-themes in other categories and never returned/rejected any of my submissions. Either she or I simply put an Author's (Editor's) Note at the beginning of the submission.

Edit: It may take the "sting" out of the story, but many people that don't like I/T are adamant that they don't want to read I/T. It's different than other squick factors; like EoN pointed out, for many readers, this would come off more like an offense than a surprise ending.

There are stories Laurel allows authors to post without disclosures where the incest isn't critical to the story, or it's only hinted at. But here, it sounds like the clandestine incest relationship is the crux of your story, and therefore it's an incest story regardless of where you post it. Therefore, as Damoiselle and I noted above, regardless of where you'd want to post it, Laurel would likely add an Editor's Note at the beginning that it's an incest story in any category besides I/T, if you don't add that to an Author's Note yourself.

 

[Island_Barbarian]

I would go non-incest. Screw the stupid categorization. It actually takes the surprise out of all the stories. When I originally read erotic stories (book, magazines), did not know if they were gay, incest, S&M, or what. Much more fun that way, and if it takes a turn you don't like, flip virtual page and start next one!

Internet is great, but it killed the mystery.

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

I think you should take into account that this isn't the typical story surprise. You'll be "tricking" your readers into vicariously participating in what turns out to be incest, and some of those readers will find it upsetting. Whether or not they should feel upset by that is beside the point. Some readers will have a very negative reaction to the device and some will have a very negative reaction to its author. It might cost you readers who ordinarily follow your work, but opt not to read your work in the incest/taboo category.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm kicking around an idea for an Incest/Taboo story. Not very long, maybe a couple of Lit pages at the higher end.

The reason I am a bit circumspect about it is the category it should go to.

Since there is sex between a father and a daughter, Incest/Taboo is the obvious candidate.

But... the way the idea is in my head and the way the story is structured, the fact that they are father/daughter is the big twist in the story - the sting in the tail if you will. I feel that if I put the story in the Incest category itself, the story loses a lot in terms of the twist and a surprise element.

On the other hand, I am aware that if I put it in another category (say Mature because of the age difference), the average reader might not like suddenly discovering that the couple are father and daughter.

What is your take on my dilemma?

My suggestion for your story is that the father and daughter should experience the twist surprise in the end as characters, but your readers should be let in on the "secret" gradually and with foreshadowing, and that your story should be posted in incest.

By doing it this way, you will gain the largest possible audience, and you will not piss them off. But they will vicariously experience the surprise, and whatever other emotions you want them to experience, through the characters. I don't think the story has to lose much if you do it this way.

But before focusing too much on the audience, focus on exactly what kind of story you are trying to tell. My own personal philosophy of erotic stories, especially short ones, is that there should be an erotic focus -- what's the focus if it's one sort of story for 75% and another for the last 25%? What sort of effect are you trying to create? Do they stay together after they find out? Or do they break up? Is it a happy ending or a sad one? Comedy or tragedy? Or a light farce?

 

[lovecraft68]

I get your dilemma if its in incest, you're telegraphing your ending

Guess what? Who cares? If you write the story well enough it will build the readers anticipation for what is inevitably coming, but yes, it would be nice to be able to deliver a little something extra.

I know you read Siblings with benefits, and remember chapter one? Okay, sis is at the airport, her brother picks her up, they go back to his place...this is I?T we know they're going to have sex....

Yawn?

But what I did was stun the reader with not just Mark's Marque De Sade bedroom, but the scene went from him trying to start slow into a scene so rough it was as much a fight as it was sex, and whether the readers liked it or hated it, they were left stunned and what did I just read?

You're a very good writer, you can come up with something to give them what they know is coming, but make it memorable.

Also...in the end? If you put any I/T tags odds are we're having a mute discussion because Laurel will stick it there anyway

 

[LupusDei]

It probably should go into incest anyway.

I have similar idea with the same problem, with added uncertainty was it even incest at all.

[[A man in his forties develops new relationships with two women who are connected, but not direct relatives, in parallel. One is roughly his age and he remembers her from a short but intense episode twenty years ago (involving him spying on a group of skinny dipping and frolicking girls and eventually having sex with one of them, a stranger he knows nothing about, before or after), but haven't seen since and isn't sure she remembers him at all; the other is a girl half their age. The older woman knows all about his relationship with the younger. (I'm not sure about the opposite, probably not, at least not to his knowledge.)

Relationship with the younger woman progress faster, not in small part by her own doing, but also for him it is quite a deja-vu, a slowed down and realized reliving of a fantasy of what might have been if that past episode wasn't confined to single time sex between strangers. They too soon have sex, and even live together for a short while (in his place), but then the girl goes away rather abruptly, seemingly for a good reason (like studies abroad). The relationship technically ends, but remains inconclusive, and he remains hopeful about her.

Still the other relationship advances rapidly then, at part by him seeking consolation. After their first time sex the older woman not only confirms she remembers and knew back then he was watching, but also claims that the other girl is in fact his daughter from the woman he had sex with back then, but she doesn't even know it herself.The man isn't sure can he trust her for such a claim, but the new information checks out and when he reflects back he concludes that the girl did in fact knew or at least suspected all along and probably found some kind of confirmation he unknowingly gave, and that might be the real reason she ended their relationship.

The story ends right there, intentionally inconclusive in a way.]]

How it's cut, it forever remains just "one woman told about the other" uncertainty and not a given any incest ever took place at all. Also is it really "incest" if neither did know at the time (and I'm not interested to discus legality of the situation, but as I understand even that's somewhat dubious)?

It is possible, even necessary to foreshadow the incest angle and, like, make him ponder about guilt for having relationship with a girl that could be his daughter by age and so forth, so it could sit in incest quite comfortably I imagine, but still, the category would be a dead give away of the supposedly quite world crashing twist.

Then I suppose waiting that inevitable twist would be the kinky thing in the mind of the category reader and source of arousal on its own. But I don't know a thing.

 

[Enchantment_of_Nyx]

Then I suppose waiting that inevitable twist would be the kinky thing in the mind of the category reader and source of arousal on its own.

That's a point all by itself. If the reader enjoys incest stories and doesn't know it's an incest story until the very end, is it depriving the reader of what appeals to them about an incest story?

 

[SamScribble]

The partial (and sometimes total) elimination of ‘surprise’ from stories is simply a by-product of the digital age. Not a lot that any of us can do about it.

 

[MassiveGiantBrain]

Which hat to wear?

I don't think it would be a good idea to wear at Trump hat to one of Joe's rallies. Well, if there was such a thing as a Joe rally. My point is that you should probably play to your audience. If the story is about incest then that would be the place to attract the most attention to your work.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I would go non-incest. Screw the stupid categorization. It actually takes the surprise out of all the stories. When I originally read erotic stories (book, magazines), did not know if they were gay, incest, S&M, or what. Much more fun that way, and if it takes a turn you don't like, flip virtual page and start next one!

Internet is great, but it killed the mystery.

It doesn't have to, though. In a single-category system like Literotica has, it's hard to avoid category-based spoilers. But in a tag-based navigation system, there are established ways for dealing with this.

For example, one of the other sites I use has standard tags for major squicks like violence, under-age, non-con, etc. But it also has an option for authors to skip using those tags and instead mark their stories as "this story might contain squick material, I'm not telling". That way, authors don't have to spoil major plot points through the tags, but readers who don't want to read about those elements can avoid all the "author chose not to use warnings" stories, and everybody's happy.

 

[Zionisacat]

There's two ways I can think of to pull off your surprise.
1) Tack on a few pictures and post it illustrated.
2) Have your character write letters back and forth with their best friend detailing their infatuation with an older/younger person and then at the end spring the whole "it's my dad/daughter" surprise and post it under letters and transcripts.