White Circle of Shame

Actually I don't think every part of a serial does need a punishment to be able to enjoy it. OK a whole spanking story consisting only of white circle parts would be a bit weird
If reason and punishment fit it doesn't always has to be a birching, a simple hand spanking might suffice.
Personally the circle is a reminder that I didn't miss a spanking but there is none. As a German I sometimes 'fast forward' which means I am not able to translate as fast as I 'read'.

People have different preferences, but I think it's a pity if most people feel that stories with a white circle is not worth reading, be they parts of a serial or stand-alone stories. In my experience, some of the most intense and satisfying stories in the library belong to this category. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the introductory parts of Norland Hughes two latest serials, one just completed and the other one just started.

Hi,
IMHO there is no shame at all in the white circle, some of my favourite parts of stories have the same symbol if for example the spanking is in flashback. The validators often have a difficult task in categorising works so that the various systems can retrieve by request.
Your poem is delightful and, I note, that in the short time it has been posted it has to date attracted eight positive comments and two 'favourite' rankings. (I have entire series that have made less of an impression on the collective readership). Despite the fact that poems tend to attract fewer hits and that the white circle gives potential readers fewer clues as to the content, it is clear that like all your other works ' the Naughty list' has given many readers much enjoyment for which I for one am most grateful. Please do NOT be discouraged.

I appreciate all of the replies. I spent some time researching other submissions with the white circle designation and have concluded that I must have misunderstood the advice I received. There are so many examples of meaningful, on topic stories and poems within this group. It was absolutely a knee-jerk reaction on my part to consider this some sort of failure. Thank you all for the advice and encouragement.

I'm with kdpierre as well. I think that some of the best stories here are white circled, but that's because I take the view that most of the action in a spanking story takes place between the ears of the spankee.

opb
Thanks for adding your voice to this sentiment. Your response does open the door for an entirely separate thread perhaps. Where do folks stand on the importance of spanking action in a piece versus threats, reminiscences, and explorations of the action? I do believe it is clearly a requirement for some and maybe most. I wonder if the white circle folks are a minority?

I think the important aspect is to trigger the reader's imagination, whether that's through a vivid description of a spanking during the story, or by leading up to an implied spanking taking place 'offscreen'.

I should add that my latest 'white circle' story - 'Spicy Food' has received three times as many comments - all positive - as the full-length story I posted at the same time!

I can kind of understand Hotscot's initial reaction. I, too, was disappointed when I got a white circle for one of my stories. It initially felt a little 'off' because it contains a lengthier spanking description than some of my other stories. The only difference is the main character was thinking about what he wants to do, and isn't actually doing it yet I can understand how that makes it a white circle story, but I was hoping to get some other content icons, like an indication of the ages and genders of the characters involved.

The way it is now, the reader can only go by the title and the synopsis to decide whether it might be to their liking, and the story won't show up in any search results (but fortunately, white circle stories do show up in the Lucky Dip lists).
To know that, had I included one actual real-time swat, the story wouldn't have been much different but it would have made a big difference in content icons, was a bit of a downer. Especially because the title 'To Spank or Not to Spank' together with the white circle give it a bit of a 'Well, nothing to see here, folks!' impression The view count also dropped dramatically after it was validated, but honestly, there's no way to tell if that wouldn't have happened anyway.

I might not always personally agree with a validator's decision on whether a story contains an actual spanking or not, but I understand it would be an impossible task for the librarians to re-evaluate all white circle stories and assign them with content icons for ages and genders where they apply, so I accept the decision of the librarians and validators.

And it's true, white circle stories can be as great as any others. Some of them contain more spanking related content than stories in which actual spankings are happening. Others, especially within serials, are just plain necessary for character development and story progression. I personally do check out white circle stories when I stumble upon them in the Latest Loaded list or in Lucky Dip. Many of them seem to have a lower view count than stories with more content icons, but that is not true for all of these stories. It would be unfair to think white circle stories somehow failed to deliver what a reader might be looking for. If they wouldn't have sufficient spanking related content, they wouldn't be accepted in this Library.

I think it’s honestly just a sign of a good spanking writer if your able to make a spankless narrative interesting. In fact, the elements I often find the most “titillating” are the buildup, and anticipation surrounding the punishment. In fact, that’s why the first 3 parts of Penmask’s ‘Wish Fulfilled’ series are among my favorite works in this library, as they perfectly encapsulates what it’s like growing up as a full blown and self-aware spanko, without the need of superfluous “smack smack smack” tangents. (Although there is a time and a place for those too)

That's silly. Plenty of wonderful stories and poems in the library have a white circle designation. As a validator myself, I can assure you that icon is not an indicator of quality at all. I read your delightful poem and would have marked it the same way had I been assigned your submission. Keep writing what inspires you, what you enjoy, and go where your muse directs you -- and try not to worry about what is "worth the reader's time."


Not entirely correct. White circle stories still have a theme icon marked; for example, the poem in question has been marked as Christmas, so anyone doing a search for that category will have that poem show up in their search.