Getting into the minds of your characters?

I think it is interesting how this thread has become a vehicle for self-plugging.
I would never do that, so I won't. There are lots of great stories in the library that describe the emotions, especially those of the spankee. I think all the best ones do.

So I'll try to reply to this without resorting to self-plugging! It shouldn't be too hard as it is a kind of story I enjoy very much myself, but memory is a slippery thing. Here is a first attempt:

billboard has some excellent stories of the kind: "Friday Afternoon Punishment Parade" has become something of a classic here, and I also very fond of "Cleansing Confession" and "They don't Paddle Seniors".

Sarah89 is also very good at such stories. I recommend "Fairness for Finn" and "The Party" (three part serial)

Susan Thomas writes wonderfully in all genres, and one that seems particularly apt here is "Eighteen"

Alan Barr is another "universal" writer. "A Miscarriage of Justice" seem to fit here.

Gabrielle Pearson is another favorite of mine. "Dad's Car" or "Missed Curfew" may be a good starting point.

And what about Guy Spencer, e.g., "Hardscrabble" or "Girls Get in Trouble, too"?

And old favorite is Kephren's "I am Going to Get Caned", and as always I give a general recommendatio of Carolina Jim's stories. He has a way of showing what is going on inside people's heads without saying very much.

And finally I should come to Fiona's rescue and point out her sensational debut story here: "The Neighborly Thing".

Without plugging any particular story, I will say that getting into the minds of my characters is something I do a lot. When I create a character, I think about his/her personality, including what experiences, values, and opinions motivate this person. Once that personality is formed, I find it difficult or impossible to make that person do something that would be out of character for them. I imagine myself as the character and try to imagine what he/she would feel, think, and say in a certain situation. I often spend quite a bit of time on a small piece of dialogue as I wrestle with exactly how a character would express him/herself.
And when I want to take a story in a certain direction that requires a character to do something that might, on the surface, seem unlikely to a reader, I will try to explain the characters' thinking and emotion that leads them to a certain course of action. I think that makes the action more realistic and plausible which, in my opinion, is an essential part of a good story.

Good list, Alef. I particularly like Susan Thomas's "Eighteen" as well.
I might add a couple of yours to the list - "Coming of Age" and "A Feeling of Emptiness".

But, there are so many by so many different authors, it would take pages and pages to list them, and even then I would omit some, so I won't try.


How can anyone write a believable story without getting into the characters' minds? I have to almost become them, and I think that is why I can't normally dash off a story quickly.

Well, may be kind of self-plugging, but really helpful to the original poster, too.... I also have plug other authors' works as well.

Well, I'd reiterate that, given my primarily F/M orientation, many of KD Pierre's stories especially accomplish this type of 'insight' for me.

In addition to "His and Hers," which he himself suggested, I'll recommend "Pride," "Bare-Bottomed Contemplation," "Storm Goddess" and "Crushed," the last of which involves a 'coming-of-age' realization by its youthful female protagonist.

"Does She Have to Be so Clinical" by brian9 is another one I'd suggest.

I'm in agreement with other posters to this thread in that a focus on emotions and reactions--whether involving spanker, spankee and/or even witnesses--is typical of the best spanking-oriented writing, plus ideally the psychological context is demonstrated by dialogue and description of behaviors.

However, I wouldn't truly consider it to be "self-plugging" for an author to mention some of his/her own works (which he/she would presumably know better than anyone else) in response to a direct request like this one... --C.K.

I ask because I've tried writing and I find this process very difficult. Trying to put myself into a situation that I have never been in seems impossible. It's part of why I read the stories here, to try, if briefly, to live inside the minds of people that I don't really understand. I'd like to be able to what the authors do myself, but seem to lack the talent. The kind of writing on this site is sometimes more honest than what I might read in a novel in that this site is an exploration of a very specific branch of a lot of the authors' fantasy lives. I find it fascinating and exciting, though sometimes also off putting or frightening, when I identify an emotion in common with character in a frankly imaginary and usually taboo situation.

When asked to recommend one of my own stories, I usually go with:
The Ones Who Do Not Return
- whose theme is borrowed from someone who borrowed it from someone who borrow it, well it goes back quite far. It looks at a moral issue and implicitly asks "Would you return?".

Focusing on the thoughts of spankees, you might enjoy
Cared Enough
- which about a girl who is neglected by her mother (a mother that gives her everything except time) and envies the negative attention that her friend receives. As far as the narrator is concerned, no one has ever cared enough about her to spank her.
or
Waiting In The Corner
- a girl in her late teens enjoys standing in a corner while pretending she is waiting for a spanking. She begins by facing a corner in her room, fully clothed with the door locked, but as time passes she experiments more and more daring ways.
or
Keeping Her Word
- She vowed that she would get an "outstanding" on her employee review and only achieved "excellence". She doesn't want the spanking that is coming, but she has to keep her word. It includes a quoted song lyric:
"Though your promise count for nothing / you must keep it nonetheless."
which really sums up her approaching spanking. In the end, it doesn't really matter if she is spanked, but if she can't keep her word to herself then when would she keep it?

All three of those focus on someone having fantasies about being spanked, so you might find an emotion in common with them.

You might also enjoy both parts of The Magistrate, which is mostly from the point of a Magistrate's niece, but that one is set in faux Victorian times.

I hope this helps you find enjoyable stories here.

Plugging one's own stories....gee I feel I should change my name to n.... Oh, never mind that. LMAO

I think and mind you sometimes I don't think really good the following may fit the bill.

Please Stop, I Had Enough...Part 1
Lenard's Consent
Mirrored Reflections

Cheers and hope you find what you are looking for.

CS

I always say that regarding sex, what happens between the ears is far more important than what happens between the legs, and a similar thing is true regarding spanking; the best spanking stories represent this, so as an author I'll spend most of the time trying to show how the characters are feeling. Whether I succeed or not is up to the reader.

As to self-plugging - far be it from me to conceive of such a thing...

However for a light read, Sixer Day is about how a young woman copes with a strange circumstance, and for a heavier read Never too Old tries to get into the head of a man as he copes with the difficulties which life throws at him.