Pre-plugs

I have just realised that this may have been taken the wrong way and the "No brainer" could refer to readers.
This is not my intention; I meant that a short 1to 2K word story is to me something of a no-brainer to write as [i]in my opinion the real effort as Rollin says comes in developing story lines, depth of characterisation, and story structure.
that is not to decry short stories, it is a real skill to write a good succinct and satisfying short- with my innate verbosity this isn't particularly easy, but they take a few days, whereas a serial takes many weeks, months or even years to get right.

I must take exception, not so much to what you said (or intended to imply) as to what might be inferred. Almost ALL of my stories come in somewhere between 1,000 and 2,500 words, and very seldom (in my opinion anyway) are they mere descriptions of spankings grafted onto some flimsy premise. Without going in the other direction to disparage longer stories, I will say that it's quite possible to tell a real STORY in the 1000-2500 word range. I think I was even able to do it recently with a 300-word snippet. The craft of GOOD story-telling can be executed in both longer and shorter works.


That's not mystifying at all. When a member clicks on any story, he/she doesn't really know what it's about or whether he/she will like it or finish it. If it's a stand-alone story, the view still shows up as a 'view' even if the reader exits well before completing it ()which you can spot on the Activity Page as redres go quicly from one story to the next). On a multi-part story, that will happen with the first view (with some liking and therefore finishing the story) but almost never on a 2nd part, since the reader who didn't like part 1 will never view part 2.

PinkAngel
She then answers an odd sounding job ad in the classifieds and finds herself working in a factory that specialises in bespoke spanking implements...

This theme was tried on the old Flaming cheeks site as a collaborative story effort, called the Saddlemaker's Apprentice describing the adventures, and the tales told to the eponymous heroine. I don't know if it made it here as it was a collaborative effort


I've currently got a stalled story where the very vanilla protagonist offers her spanko husband the chance to act out one of his fantasies - and I know what you're thinking, ( indeed, what she thinks) but he doesn't choose the obvious. It is a story of control, the relinquishing of it and the effects of doing so. Trouble is it's reached a point where I'm not content with the way it's going.


As to trying to please everyone, I agree with Rollin, it's best not to try, we're not doing this for a living but for entertainment aren't we?

How do you do that quote thing?

Heh, I actually wrote a short story a bit like this. Title is "Product Testing."

Hi-light the text you wish to quote and click 'quote' at the top of that post

Sounds like you need to give yours a break and then go back to it. I do often find that it suddenly flows!



I shall have a read of that. I am planning to finish mine, or make a good start today, so I might write first then read yours

This is extremely worrying NJ!! I find I am in complete agreement with you on this!!

That IS disconcerting... but... since I know that *I* am right, it must be something purely random on your end.

My goodness it is dangerous to know you are right, NJ!! I always hope I am right!! That way you have less egg on your face when you are proved wrong! I don't think you need more than two thousand words to tell a good story complete with believable premise though.

Well, sometimes it has taken me, say, 2,300 words. But I've done it in fewer than that as well.


Ah, yes - dangerous. That's me! A hint of danger in all I do.

I agree totally. Both you and Rick and many other authors write exceptionally good stories without massive word counts.

There are of course also some who write the same thing, in slightly different ways, over and over but they too have their following so must work for some readers

Personally I don't have the patience to wade through very many long series, although I did like Discovering Jordie by Kimmy but then I validated it so not sure I would have read it without...