Workshop: Writing BDSM by Ladyoneill

[jij]

A big thank you to pervyficgirl and ilyena_sylph for reading and giving me lots of helpful suggestions

Comments

[greeneyelove]

Wow. I think you did a great job explaining it. And you certainly write it wonderfully.

Thumbs up!

[ladyoneill]

Thank you! Now, second guessing myself, I'm thinking maybe I should have gone more detail oriented--here's how you tie someone to a cross, here's the various types of floggers *g--but I really wanted to touch on the aspect few write about--the lifestyle.

[bradygirl_12]

You're absolutely right, m'lady! The world does need more DCU BDSM stories! ;)

Good job explaining the different categories. It's a fascinating psychological world.

[ladyoneill]

Thank you! I've failed a lot on the psychological end when writing fic--tending to go for the first two categories and ignoring the third until recently. It would probably be easier to understand if I lived the lifestyle but it's a fascinating subject to research.

Of course, fun and games fic is damn fun to write too!

[saavikam77]

Mmmm, plot bunnies, plot bunnies. ^_~

Thanks for the focus on lifestyle and domination/submission. That was an aspect I hadn't really thought about much, but I *have* read a few stories with Clark reluctantly subbing, where it was more about fear of losing control, so that all makes more sense now.

Great essay!

[ladyoneill]

Thank you! At first I was surprised at the lack of lifestyle type fics out there but then when I got to thinking about it, I wasn't really surprised because it is hard to write, especially if all your knowledge is purely theoretical. Dealing with the emotional repercussions is difficult but when done well it can blow you away.

[saavikam77]

Oh, absolutely. I have some friends that dabble in the lifestyle, and while it all looks like fun and games from the outside, there's some serious stuff going on there.

And btw, I *love* your icon!!! The Doctor is WIN!! :D

[ladyoneill]

I know people in the lifestyle, too, and it is very serious to them. :)

The Doctor rocks!

[dm_wyatt]

Thanks for writing this.

I've written one, very long and very dark Smallville with a lot of non-con and the reactions were at times extreme. Going in, I could see why people might get upset, but now that I've done it I'm not sure I had expected the virulence of the anger toward me.... Even some of my more mild stories got strong reactions at times.

BTW: I enjoyed your Deathstroke/Tim story a lot and I loved your Lionel/Chloe ones...

[ladyoneill]

Non-con is incredibly touchy. I learned a long time ago (after flames for rape) to give numerous warnings in my subject line and header.

It's a very popular fantasy to write, though, as well. So you have two sides to the issue and sometimes that can get heated.

Thanks for the compliments on my fics! Lionel/Chloe are my Smallville OTP and I just adore Slade, redeemed, evil, canon, whatever.

[dm_wyatt]

Actually, come to think of it, a lot of the better BDSM Smallville stories are DC Comics cross-overs and involve Bruce and Clark, and Lex to a greater or lesser degree....

Here are a couple of my favorites, but I'm a major hurt/comfort fan...

Tryptich:

http://smallville.slashdom.net/archive/27/triptych.html

Superman gets hurt very badly and Bruce gets consoled by an equally devastated Lex.

Tierce:

http://smallville.slashdom.net/archive/29/tierce.html

The sequel to Tryptich, the aftermath is devastating to all three men.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

http://www.smallville.slashdom.net/archive/46/downthe.html

Clark discovers BDSM circuit parties, Bruce teaches him more and Lex benefits...

[blackrosebard]

Excellent essay. I have explored the lifestyle genre in the stuff I don't put up on my LJ, and it is a difficult subset to work with. It can be a great tool for character development stories, though.

Thank you for writing this!