Pacing in BDSM stories

[delphi604]

Looking for advice on moving the narrative along in BDSM erotica. What do you like -- plenty of storytelling between sex scenes? Getting to sex scenes right away? Or my personal favorite, lots of sex and the sooner the better? I'd like to know what you think.

 

[AnnieLit]

For me any erotica and especially BDSM is about the story, about what's going on in characters' minds. Technically, BDSM story can easily do without sex at all, at least if by sex you mean penetration and/or orgasm by at least one of the characters.

 

[OddLove]

I personally have to be invested in one or more of the characters involved or I don't care, so things like story arches, personality, motives, values, etc, all build a good character. But if you look at some of the most 'Hot' stories, they're straight to the point. There is virtually no world outside of the sex/kink/fetish being written about.

You have to ask yourself why you're writing a story, like why are you being creative? And don't even answer it out loud, answer it personally, to yourself. Then when you have that true, you'll know what to write. It's either going to be exactly what you want, or exactly what will get you what you want. And there's no wrong answer IMO.

 

[Dearelliot]

I want my male sub to sweat, to step carefully, aware there are rules...if he breaks them he will suffer...and of course, as we all know, male subs arent perfect.

 

[cascadiabound]

I like stories that give me character development, a reason to like and care about at least one of them and a story arc that feels possible, at least emotionally. I prefer a teasing build up to sex scenes that happen early and often.

Someone was commenting in another thread about the apparent lack of consent so often in BDSM stories. I agree that seems prevalent. While they can be titilating to read they do skip over the complexities of consent which are genuinely important. Sometimes reluctance or uncertainty can be a very powerful element in moving a story along, but it would be good to have consent actually occur prior to what could easily be seen as rape.

As others have said, you can have a BDSM story with no sex at all. The essential element for me is some kind of power exchange although even that is not necessarily a required element in a BDSM encounter.

Good luck.

 

[delphi604]

I like stories that give me character development, a reason to like and care about at least one of them and a story arc that feels possible, at least emotionally. I prefer a teasing build up to sex scenes that happen early and often.

Someone was commenting in another thread about the apparent lack of consent so often in BDSM stories. I agree that seems prevalent. While they can be titilating to read they do skip over the complexities of consent which are genuinely important. Sometimes reluctance or uncertainty can be a very powerful element in moving a story along, but it would be good to have consent actually occur prior to what could easily be seen as rape.

As others have said, you can have a BDSM story with no sex at all. The essential element for me is some kind of power exchange although even that is not necessarily a required element in a BDSM encounter.

Good luck.

Thoughtful advice. Thank you. I can see that the power exchange itself is erotic.

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

Someone was commenting in another thread about the apparent lack of consent so often in BDSM stories

That was me, actually.

For me, BDSM happens in the minds of submissives and dominants. Themes like discovering Bdsm, overcoming society's expectations, finding a dom/sub, exploring boundaries etc. is so much richer than the action. Of course the action is also important, but the emotion going on as it happens is more powerful than the sting of the whip.

 

[dct10538]

I like conversation and articulating what is in their minds to one another. I'm probably in the minority, as I often find that spicier than the actual bounce.

 

[delphi604]

I like conversation and articulating what is in their minds to one another. I'm probably in the minority, as I often find that spicier than the actual bounce.

Thank you.

 

[PaxNurgle]

Looking for advice on moving the narrative along in BDSM erotica. What do you like -- plenty of storytelling between sex scenes? Getting to sex scenes right away? Or my personal favorite, lots of sex and the sooner the better? I'd like to know what you think.

I prefer there to be some kind of a build-up, some background to the characters, some sense of story or plot (Doesn't have to be super complex game of thrones kind of thing, but basically, some series of events leading to the encounter), and I like realistic dialogue between the characters, so you can really FEEL what they are experiencing

I've read some BDSM stories that read like a basic outline: "S/he tied me up, then s/he did x to me, then s/he did y to me..." etc, but without any dialogue or any details filling it in, no indication of what the characters are feeling , and so on. It goes straight to the naughty bits, but it doesn't feel that erotic when it just reads like an outline with cardboard cutout characters Such stories really didn't do much for me.

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

but without any dialogue or any details filling it in, no indication of what the characters are feeling

Yes, this issue seems to be particularly prevalent in BDSM stories. In Incest, Exhibitionism, Cheating, Reluctance you are more likely to find reflections and emotions.