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My Plausibility Essay

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kov
Male Member

USA
Posts: 15
#31 | Posted: 14 Oct 2011 14:12
I just posted this as a comment on the article, but I want to repeat it here to make sure it's part of the discussion.

In many cases, there is no plausible explanation for how the way a spanking is conducted would make sense in the real world because stories are deliberately intended to bend the rules a bit. In practical terms, the stories are set in a world that is almost identical to ours, but is a bit different in some ways relating to spanking.

For example, when teachers and principals spank kids on the bare bottom, it is often because the author is envisioning a world where that kind of thing is accepted (or tolerated) at least in certain kinds of schools, not because there is some reason why a similar school in the real world might reasonably expect to get away with it. Similarly, spanking writers routinely exaggerate the severity of spankings it is considered reasonable to give kids - especially for any but the most serious of offenses. And adult spanking stories often envision a slightly different society where there is a lot more room to get away with giving adults non-consensual spanking if their behavior justifies it, or for authority figures to offer to substitute spankings for other kinds of punishments or consequences, than there is in the real world.

In these kinds of situations, incorporating an explanation into a story would not make sense because the explanation is part of the world the characters live in, not part of the story itself. This leaves authors a choice. They can make readers wade through a disclaimer explaining how the society their story is set in is a bit different from ours. Or they can assume readers will be smart enough to figure that out for themselves, at least after they gain a little experience reading spanking stories. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.

The situations that really bother me are ones that cannot be explained by recognizing that the world in the author's imagination is a little bit different from the real world. For example, if authors do a good job of creating a feeling that a character deserves a spanking, it is relatively easy to disregard the fact that the spanking would be considered an act of assault in the real world. But in order for disobedience to justify a feeling that a spanking is deserved, it is necessary to establish why the person administering the spanking is in a position where it is reasonable to demand obedience. Otherwise the spanker comes across as an arrogant jerk and it feels ridiculous for the spankee to react as if the spanking were reasonable without some kind of explanation for the reaction. Similarly, as Rollin pointed out, warnings can make a huge difference in whether readers perceive spankings as deserved or as not making sense.

The more difficult it is to explain why the reasons for a spanking are fair, the more need there is for an author to explain why the spanker expects to get away with it, and the more need there is for some kind of explanation if the spankee does not react to the spanking as unfair. Even when stories are deliberately intended to be outrageous or outlandish - for example, many of Grace Brackenridge's stories - the stories work much better when there is some kind of explanation for what kind of twisted logic causes spankers to make outrageous or outlandish decisions, or why spankees do not react negatively to unfair spankings, than they do in the absence of any meaningful explanation.

rollin
Male Member

USA
Posts: 938
#32 | Posted: 14 Oct 2011 15:07
kov:
This leaves authors a choice. They can make readers wade through a disclaimer explaining how the society their story is set in is a bit different from ours. Or they can assume readers will be smart enough to figure that out for themselves, at least after they gain a little experience reading spanking stories. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.

Indeed there are. I struggle with how much back story to write to create the reality that justifies the spanking. I'll just give some examples. Falls Creek Women's Prison is set in 1955. Not much of a stretch to imagine strappings for inmates. Flash forward to present day. Jacque and the Professor is a boy meets girl story where the spanking theme starts as a joke but curiosity and hormones cause it to escalate.The Island has country gal heroines and state trooper husbands and slowly it is revealed that they have old fashioned approaches to marriage. Too much back story? You be the judge but I think the spanking scenes are believable in the context of each story. But in each case I had to think it through and not just rush in there and have characters spanking each other without setting it up.

kov
Male Member

USA
Posts: 15
#33 | Posted: 14 Oct 2011 17:31
There are three very different approaches writers can take to spanking stories:

1) Try to come up with a scenario that is plausible in the real world. This results in more realistic stories but limits what kinds of elements can be included in stories - especially without raising ethical and moral issues that may bother writers or readers.

2) Pretend the world works, or worked in the past, a bit differently from how it actually does or did, and either implicitly or explicitly ask readers to share in the game of make-believe. This requires more effort from readers to suspend unbelief (at least until they get used to the differences) and can turn off readers who are unwilling or unable to go as far as is necessary. But it allows a much wider spectrum of stories than would be plausible in the real world, and allows wider latitude in ignoring ethical and moral concerns.

3) Invent a possible future, or a different world, where you can make up your own rules. This allows flexibility without directly contradicting facts about the real world. But the world won't feel as familiar to readers as a slightly modified version of current reality, and readers may have trouble suspending unbelief if they don't think the way the world is set up makes sense. It's also a lot more work to invent a different world and make it make sense, and to convey that world to readers. So this approach works best when authors have more reasons to invent a different world than just a desire to have the rules regarding spanking be a little bit different from the real world.

Each of these approaches has its place, depending on what kinds of stories authors want to write and what kinds of stories readers want to read. I've used all three myself in different stories. (I haven't tried posting any of my stories thus far, aside from a couple in an extremely obscure location a few years ago, but I've written more than enough to know what kinds of things can go on in authors' minds.) The key is that no matter what approach authors take, stories need to be internally consistent and fit with human nature enough to feel reasonable. Characters don't have to react to situations the way most people would in the real word, but their reactions need to make some kind of sense, so it helps a lot when authors explain why if characters react in ways outside the boundaries of what readers can be expected to understand without an explanation.

barretthunter
Male Author

England
Posts: 1015
#34 | Posted: 14 Oct 2011 20:59
Given that thoughtful analysis, kov. I encourage you to post here!

rollin
Male Member

USA
Posts: 938
#35 | Posted: 15 Oct 2011 01:49
I've used all three, kov and I'll just cite some examples using your numbers:
1) Sun Valley Serenade. BTW easier to do if all characters are adults because of the romance angle.
2) Voyage to Perdition. It could have been this way in 1923, or at least I think it is an easier sell.
3) Menace from Mongo. A cruel and barbaric culture.

anitalynn
Female Author

USA
Posts: 134
#36 | Posted: 17 Oct 2011 18:31
barretthunter:
Given that thoughtful analysis, kov. I encourage you to post here!

I second that motion!

BTW- I would recommend any of the Rollin's stories listed above as a great read.

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