The most quoted chapter of The Marketplace
This is post #2 of my author chat here at the Circlet Press LJ! My visit begins one post below - be sure to check out all posts and comments for a chance to win a free e-book!
If there is anything I ever wrote that got away from me and changed the entire nature of what I was writing, it's the notorious Chapter Seven of The Marketplace.
Chapter Seven is structurally different. For one, it's short - two pages. There is no dialog, no plot development, nothing *happens.* In fact, the entire chapter is an internal musing by...no one.
Of course, if you actually read the books, you will come to realize who is doing the narration. But to a first time reader, it might sound more like "oh, look, the author is telling us something directly." But even as I was writing it, I have to admit - I wasn't exactly sure WHY I was writing it, except that it needed to be said. I figured, hey, it's a few hundred words, most people will skim it and some people will think, "oh, yeah, she's into this," and generally, it would be ignored.
Then, over the years, I started getting requests from people. They wanted to post chapter seven on their websites, use it in collaring ceremonies, put it in their household manuals. From time to time, people have told me that they might have written off the entire BOOK had it not been for chapter seven.
Now, I entertain idle thoughts of putting the entire chapter on a t-shirt, LOL. Or make a shirt that asks, "Have YOU read Chapter Seven?" so people who like it can find each other.
Here, for your perusal, is the single most quoted piece of The Marketplace:
Many aficionados of the scene imagine that being trained to be a slave is a journey through a magically erotic kingdom. They envision
an endless stream of sensual stimulation ranging from the most common sexual encounters to prolonged sessions of agonizing torture.
With all the participants suitably costumed, of course.
It is disillusioning for these people to realize that masters and mistresses do not often feel constrained to conduct their affairs in gleaming
black leather or latex, complete with jackboots or stiletto heels. Their faces fall in disappointment when they are made to understand that a slave’s life is mostly composed of patience and study.
Yes, study. If not before actual books, then following the example of greater, senior slaves. Or learning every nuance of their owner’s character, so that they can more completely and seamlessly offer themselves at the right time and in the right manner.
A true slave, one who will be cherished and valued, will never allow their skills and talents to become stagnant. They will never be satisfied with their level of competence. And they will always be willing to follow their owner’s lead, quickly, respectfully, and to the best of their ability.
To be thrilled at the touch of leather, aroused by the sound of harsh words, or satisfied by the security of rigid bondage is the mark of a lover.
To be thrilled at the opportunity to provide useful service, aroused by a pleased nod, and satisfied by the proverbial job well done, is the mark of a slave.
It may sound severe. Almost anti-erotic. Until you see two people, owner and owned, existing in a complementary relationship where each suits the other like balances on a delicate scale. Until you feel the energy of their rapport, you cannot understand how they fulfill each other, take and give in ways no negotiation could possibly express.
Then, you will understand that singular intimacy which drives such people on their search for perfection. It is beyond orgasm. Beyond love. It can almost be called rapture.
To achieve that level may require many years of training. But in the end, there is nothing which compares to it. At our house, we know this, and we construct our training with that exact goal in mind. We demand that applicants leave behind their foolish dreams and expectations, and we strip away any falseness that may linger. Those who survive and go on must be implanted with the urge to go further. Our name and reputation depends on it.
But it’s so hard to get good material these days.
If there is anything I ever wrote that got away from me and changed the entire nature of what I was writing, it's the notorious Chapter Seven of The Marketplace.
Chapter Seven is structurally different. For one, it's short - two pages. There is no dialog, no plot development, nothing *happens.* In fact, the entire chapter is an internal musing by...no one.
Of course, if you actually read the books, you will come to realize who is doing the narration. But to a first time reader, it might sound more like "oh, look, the author is telling us something directly." But even as I was writing it, I have to admit - I wasn't exactly sure WHY I was writing it, except that it needed to be said. I figured, hey, it's a few hundred words, most people will skim it and some people will think, "oh, yeah, she's into this," and generally, it would be ignored.
Then, over the years, I started getting requests from people. They wanted to post chapter seven on their websites, use it in collaring ceremonies, put it in their household manuals. From time to time, people have told me that they might have written off the entire BOOK had it not been for chapter seven.
Now, I entertain idle thoughts of putting the entire chapter on a t-shirt, LOL. Or make a shirt that asks, "Have YOU read Chapter Seven?" so people who like it can find each other.
Here, for your perusal, is the single most quoted piece of The Marketplace:
Many aficionados of the scene imagine that being trained to be a slave is a journey through a magically erotic kingdom. They envision
an endless stream of sensual stimulation ranging from the most common sexual encounters to prolonged sessions of agonizing torture.
With all the participants suitably costumed, of course.
It is disillusioning for these people to realize that masters and mistresses do not often feel constrained to conduct their affairs in gleaming
black leather or latex, complete with jackboots or stiletto heels. Their faces fall in disappointment when they are made to understand that a slave’s life is mostly composed of patience and study.
Yes, study. If not before actual books, then following the example of greater, senior slaves. Or learning every nuance of their owner’s character, so that they can more completely and seamlessly offer themselves at the right time and in the right manner.
A true slave, one who will be cherished and valued, will never allow their skills and talents to become stagnant. They will never be satisfied with their level of competence. And they will always be willing to follow their owner’s lead, quickly, respectfully, and to the best of their ability.
To be thrilled at the touch of leather, aroused by the sound of harsh words, or satisfied by the security of rigid bondage is the mark of a lover.
To be thrilled at the opportunity to provide useful service, aroused by a pleased nod, and satisfied by the proverbial job well done, is the mark of a slave.
It may sound severe. Almost anti-erotic. Until you see two people, owner and owned, existing in a complementary relationship where each suits the other like balances on a delicate scale. Until you feel the energy of their rapport, you cannot understand how they fulfill each other, take and give in ways no negotiation could possibly express.
Then, you will understand that singular intimacy which drives such people on their search for perfection. It is beyond orgasm. Beyond love. It can almost be called rapture.
To achieve that level may require many years of training. But in the end, there is nothing which compares to it. At our house, we know this, and we construct our training with that exact goal in mind. We demand that applicants leave behind their foolish dreams and expectations, and we strip away any falseness that may linger. Those who survive and go on must be implanted with the urge to go further. Our name and reputation depends on it.
But it’s so hard to get good material these days.