ChardT:
I think the single most common mistake people make in writing spanking stories is that they try to write a story about a spanking. The story has to be about the characters and they need to be three dimensional people the reader can relate to. The spanking is just something that happens in the course of the events the characters are going through.
Absolutely, could not have said it better myself. There's a reason why 'The Talk' has nearly 50 more Favorites than any other story in the Library. Yes, there is a spanking involved and it is long and painful. However, it's almost secondary to the overall plot of false accusation, forced to confess a shameful secret, agonizing all day over the choice to be made, and finding the fortitude to go through with it. Meanwhile Mom has her own thinking to do about what's occurred and what her daughter needs. So there's quite a lot of build up before we get to the 'main event.' So if you're looking for an example of the 'right' way to write a spanking story that's the example I'd cite.
I've tried to learn from it, so my stories tend to go a little longer than some. There are only so many different ways to describe an actual spanking; it's the before and after that will either satisfy a reader or leave them shaking their heads at wasting 5 minutes of their lives.