Spanking Storybook

Working on my own spanking stories, I have to remember that the basics of good fiction writing should always be first in the story.  It’s easy to get caught up in the unique elements of a spanking-themed story.  It isn’t just about the spanking.  For a spanking story that a reader will remember and hopefully return to read again, think about these quick tips to improve your writing.

1. Show Don’t Tell.  This one is drilled into any student of creative writing.  Think about how you show the spanking scene.

“Jake slowly lowered her panties and delivered several sharp slaps to her bare bottom.”

Or

“Please, Jake, Don’t take off my panties.  I promise to be good.  OWWW!” Annie gasped at the first painful cracks on her bared bottom.

2. Create An Intriguing Title.  Yes, I’m guilty of this one.  This is the first thing the reader sees as she scans a web page.  Which would you choose to read tonight?

The Next Door Neighbors

Or

Emily’s Learns An Unfair Lesson

Don’t you want to know what’s unfair about the lesson?

3. Know Your Audience.   Even in writing spanking stories, keep your focus.  Don’t try to write a story that pleases every flavor of spanking fans.  Don’t try to cover discipline, erotic, maintenance, M/F, F/F, F/M, consensual, nonconsensual spankings all in one story.  Be true to the characters you have created and your readers.

4. Spelling and Grammar Do Count.  Even though this is the internet that doesn’t mean you can throw out all the rules.  Quality writing still wins over poor writing.  When I find a writer who writes well, I’ll make sure I read everything she’s written.  Your readers will notice, and they will show you their appreciation with loyalty to your stories.

5.  Proofread, Proofread, Proofread.  I’m guilty of this too.  It’s hard to proofread your own work.  Whenever possible, ask someone to read through the story before you publish it to the web.

I’m sure you can think of many other good tips for writing spanking stories.  Leave a comment and share a few with us, and don’t forget to subscribe to our RSS feed!

Since my last review was a classic domestic discipline story, I wanted to review a story I read last night, an erotic spanking story.  This appears to be a real-life spanking story from Bonnie at My Bottom Smarts.  Spark and Hum (I love the title) is a short story that shows that spanking isn’t all about discipline.  Bonnie’s husband, Randy, shows some real creativity with an erotic spanking using a crop.

This is a brief story, and I don’t want to give too much away.  Let’s just say that Bonnie  did start off 2008 with some “spark and hum.” You’ll enjoy the dialogue between Bonnie and Randy at the end of the story as they discuss the scene played out earlier.  You may even want to take a few notes on this one to pass on to your partner.

Thanks, Bonnie, for a sexy spanking story to start off 2008.

What In-Laws Are For is one of CF Publications free samples in their spanking story archives. The author is noted as GRM. If you aren’t familiar with CF Publications, they go back to “before internet” days and provided print spanking stories and a newsletter. They are one of the first, if not the first, print spanking fiction providers. Now they manage several membership sites for spanking stories, as well as offering some single purchase spanking story ebooks.

I chose this story for a review not just because it’s from one of the first spanking story publishers. I chose it because it represents one of the most common themes in spanking fiction. This story is classic. Male spanks female, specifically, husband spanks naughty wife. Not only that, but there are two spankings and both are over the knee, bare bottom, hairbrush spankings. This story is purely domestic discipline.

I have to admit I initially skimmed passed this one because the title, What In-Laws Are For, made me think the story was about a couple going to one of their parents for discipline. That isn’t what the story is about at all. The “in-laws” are the wife’s sister and her husband. Both women have misbehaved - a traffic ticket and overspending. Again, very typical themes in domestic discipline stories, but the story works because it gets right into the action. It also has a key ingredient that I really like in a story, a lot of dialogue. When it comes spanking fiction, I want the author to “show” not “tell” me what is happening.

My least favorite part of this story is the continued reference to the sister’s “ample bottom.” OK, I got it the first time that she wasn’t thin. I did like how the spankings ended. The husbands required their wives to show them how sorry they were for their misbehavior. The wives each had to give their husbands an “affectionate hug and kiss.” The spankings are serious discipline spankings. If you prefer erotic spanking stories, this one is not for you, but if you love to read classic M/F domestic discipline stories, What In-Laws Are For, will show you the story of two very sorry, but very loved wives.

Have a little laugh on me.

I saw the book, Big Spankable Asses, in my local Borders. OK, I was in a hurry, but really wanted this book from the romance section. Big Spankable Asses, how could this not be about spanking? How could I resist buying it? But, this was days before Christmas, and the line was long. Standing in line with a book with that title, and the cover, well, no thank you. I’m just not that brave.

I found my husband in the magazine section, and told him about the book as we were headed for the door. He laughed at my embarrassment over the title, and decided to go back and buy the book for me. He did stand in line while I pretended I didn’t know him. The cashier was a young woman, and she just smiled - constantly - while he paid for the book.

Guess what? The book is NOT about spanking. Yes, there’s a bit of spanking in it, but I definitely would not call it a spanking story. Not even close. They even said “over the knee” on the back cover teaser, but no, no, not a spanking story.

Could you resist a title like that?

Over at My Bottom Smarts (love that name), Bonnie has created a poll for readers of spanking blogs.  I’d love to see her get a lot of responses making the poll more representative of what readers really want to find on a spanking blog.

Take a few minutes to check out her poll, What Do You Like in a Spanking Blog? 

(I’m rooting for fictional spanking stories to be in first place, of course.)