Good plot or good writing?

For me, writing as an author, even more than reading, the narrative has to have depth colour and interest independent of any spanking that may occur. A challenge is to achieve this within the limited word count that one can realistically submit to a story site of this kind. Too lengthy character or context development before coming to what many readers are seeking, reduces readership.
I try to strike a balance, writing only what I would myself enjoy reading but feel my best work and that which gives me most satisfaction is that in the two novelettes I have published

In my opinion plot is very, very, important. I try to write (most of) my stories so that they would be worth reading even without the spanking(s).

Spankings are, of course, a good plot device, even if the story is mostly about something else. In punishment stories they allow conflict between characters and its eventual resolution by a spanking. One party has definitely "won" that conflict because however reluctant the spankee they have submitted--without restraint a spanking can only be delivered to someone who "consents" and in most circumstances co-operation is required before someone can be restrained.

Not only do you have conflict and resolution, there is also the happy ending as the victim is hugged and comforted by the spanker and shows her (sorry, my bias) love for him and "gratitude" that he should take the time and trouble to discipline her.

The reader will have difficulty in understanding the dynamic between them and the circumstances that make the spanking believable without a plot, and even more importantly characterisation of the players.

The plot explains how it is that spanking is a suitable conflict resolver but characterisation explains why those characters resort to it/accept it as a suitable resolution.

Geoffrey Stirling.

Quite so. My imagination can really take off sometimes.

Poorly written ANYTHING bugs the hell out of me, so I have to go with well written over good plot. That being said, a good plot is part of good writing; it's not just selecting one of a few basic storylines (seven for a spanking story?) into which the author merely inserts characters (choosing names, ages, genders), chooses a misdeed, and then selects implement, position and severity for the spanking. A good author develops a good plot, in tandem with developing the characters, who have to have the motives to move through the plot.
Dialogue, description (of the spanking, along with everything else), pace, mood, theme and setting along with characters and plot must all be handled with expertise to produce a good story.

One thing I've seen while writing for this site is the spectrum of likes and dislikes. What I mean is, on any given story I've submitted, several times, I've had comments that say I've touched a nerve, or it tugged at someone's heart. The very same story, the very next comment I get may either be someone that didn't like the story very much if at all, or a giant, meh.

so, you write what you like, you write a plot that you like, in a manner you enjoy. Some people will love it and say so, some people won't like it, and will say so. What makes the horse race, you never know which story will be loved by the most people or will generate the most compliments.

In my work, I try to make everything 3 deminsional and "realistic." In short, the spanking must be organic to the story not the purpuse or the add on.

Very good point Steven, and from my perspective it is often in the first two paragraphs that you sense whether the story is for you or not.

It seems to me that it is not quite clear what is meant by "plot" and "writing" - both concepts can be given a narrow or a wide interpretation. If we use a narrow interpretation, we may miss an important part of the story which I will refer to as "the composition", and which is somewhere between plot and style. As the name indicates, it is about the way you put the story together: about the point-of-view, about time (it is told chronologically?), about when and how you introduce certain themes etc.

With the limited number of plots and with the importance we attach to certain words and ideas, I think composition is particularly important in spanking stories - a good composition is often what makes an old theme look fresh and new. And then there is the fetish element - if you manage to introduce the word "spanking" at exactly the right time and in exactly the right manner, it may not make your story much better from a literary point of view, but it will enhance its fetish value immensely!

A well written story for me wins hands down, of course i want a plot, the requisite corrective element etc, however my own vivid imagination can fill in any plot gaps etc.

I guess what is definition of good writing or a good plot? Some like Shakespeare others enjoy a chick lit.

I have commented previously that stories here on LSF are like a selection box of chocolates, there are dark ones, sweet ones, exotic ones, fruity ones and others that are nuts, so there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Some of the authorship here on LSF in my opinion is frankly is up there with todays literary elite, others give us stories which just provides the reader that short sharp spanko related hit that one seeks, and others combination of the two.

I most definitely would not criticise a story here on LSF, if it not to my liking, it will likely be liked by others, eg when we had the story challenges, my rating of the stories often did not concur with the announced overall winners ratings.

I'm going to say "good plot" as I can forgive a few typos, or misused words (e.g. their, there, they're). Honestly, it's to the point that you open the newspaper and see typos all over the place. Please note that I don't mean abhorrent writing.

What I expect is a well thought out story. A story that doesn't drop elements, or brings in a character in the eleventh hour. A story that keeps and holds the tempo. Not one that builds the climactic action, then drops back 20 years to discuss a really significant blouse selection. In such instances, I think the writer looks at their self as being a Dom/Domme and their readers as submissives, and need to teach their readers a lesson in patience.

That said, any good story is a flirt between writer to reader. You string the reader along hinting at what is going to happen, teasing and titillating without fulfilling until the climactic end.
...anybody have a cigarette? heh heh