Is there anyone else using a BDSM theme in their erotic fiction?
This is a brief synopsis of my project at hand:
The focus of this work is multi-faceted. My two main characters are both on journeys of self-discovery.
My heroine is a young woman (between 25-35) who has been emotionally scared by both her father and ex-husband, and also physically abused by the latter. She survived by escaping into “the golden room” a place that exists only in her mind. In the realm of BDSM she is a “submissive” and during the course of her journey she learns that it doesn’t mean she is a doormat to be used, abused and discarded, but rather by being so, it gives her more power and control than she had realized.
My hero is a learned man and naturally dominant. “From the time he was old enough to understand the concept of “thinking,” Alex Morgan had been captivated with the human mind.” This is the first line of his story. Obviously, he goes on to study psychology, but as he learns of BDSM, he loses focus on the “why” people are attracted to it, (and all that it encompasses) and puts his understanding of psychology to teaching and eliciting “controlled behavior responses” from those he considers subordinates. He is a psychologist as well as the owner of a large and successful fetish club. It is though his meeting the heroine, that he begins his own voyage.
Also, I want to explore the realm of BDSM and de-mystify and de-vilify it by breaking it down into it’s individual components: Bondage and discipline; Domination and submission; and Sadism and Masochism and examine the elements of each.
The novel is written in alternating chapters, hers is in first person present tense, and his is in third person limited, past tense.
If there are others using BDSM in their work, I'd love to bounce ideas off of you.
Thanks!
gyps
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"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately no-one knows what they are." ~Somerset Maugham~
"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you've got something to say." ~F Scott Fitzgerald~
"There is absolutely
50,844 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2008 - 11 09
Well, my nano is not BDSM themed.
However
I have a story in the works that is. The main character, Frank, is a submissive. From the beginning he is discovering himself as far as his own sexual desires including sexual orientation. Right now, I have his initial meeting with the man that will become his Master, but don't have the full sex part written just yet. I also have a scene where he has to watch a video they made and his friend sees it, and gets aroused so fun ensues. Just finished a segment where his Master instructed him to go out on his own and flirt or more with someone else, while wearing his collar.
There is much to write on it, but it's going pretty well so far. When I entered the first part into a friends erotica contest she was impressed by the SM culture of it.
52,452 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2008 - 11 09
I have written several stories with a BDSM theme.
Yours sounds like an interesting premise, but if it is going to be a text book reveiw of the BDSM world and its characteristic parts, you may have trouble moving the story forward. What is your heroine's desire, her discovery? How does Alex fit into that discovery? What is HIS desire and his discovery? What is their 'joint' discovery? The exploration of the BDSM world should come through your characters' experiences.
Sounds trite but, talk to your characters either before they enter the 'storyline' or as they move through the storyline. Characters often take the story and run in a direction you never really intended, and that's not necessarily bad.
14,510 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2008 - 16 44
I'm doing a BDSM one, although I'm not actually part of that world myself. (I'm not eighteen yet and BDSM is of borderline enough legality in this state without getting that mixed into it.) I know an experienced dom who has given me some discussions of the philosophy and rules and what gets done, although every time he attempts to show me the tools used circumstances intervene to prevent it.
The novel is about a vampire-run BDSM club called the Blood and Roses, which is also a safehouse for whatever Shadowlight (supernatural) creatures happen to be around. It centers on the romance between Lily, who used to be Lilith back before she left Eden, and Belial, a devil. While they try to figure out what they are to each other now, millennia after they broke up the first time, there are these bodies popping up in the Blood and Roses, drained of blood, with marks like they were killed in a fight or during play. So while she's trying to figure out what's going on with her romance (and engaging in some hot bondage scenes on the way), she's also got to solve these murders...
Now, if I could just get her to actually do fire-play in the fire-play room instead of using it for private conversations during which she figures out vital clues to the murder...
67,005 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 00 36
gyps, I love your novel idea! It sounds deliciously sexy and empowering all at once. I never thought about it, but my interest in psychology is also somehow mixed up in my interest in BDSM. I loved all the psychoanalyzing in Anne Rice's Beauty series.
I'm writing fantasy erotica where an older, experienced female character (32) hooks up with a young (20) strictly-vanilla male character. She was the submissive partner in a relationship with another woman years ago, but discovers her dominant side as the young man stumbles into his own discovery of the power of submission.
She's a trauma survivor trying to make something of her life, and he's a spoiled wastrel lacking in self-confidence and direction. For both of them, it's a story about enduring fear and shame, and finding grace and forgiveness on the other side.
This is my first attempt at writing erotica -- including my first sex scenes -- and so far it's been amazing. Excruciatingly slow, and my dialog is still awful, but the sex scenes themselves have been... very viscerally effective. ;-) Like you, I'm alternating perspectives (though mine are both in third person). I've never had much interest in female-dominant/male-submissive fantasies, but that's part of why I chose this challenge: if the underlying psychology is the same, can I make it work?
So far, it seems the answer is yes. I find submission incredibly sexy -- whatever the gender involved.
10,326 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 02 28
Mine's BDSM themed as well, with a female lead character who discovers both submissive and later dominant aspects of her nature through the course of the story. There's a lot about integrating and accepting these aspects of herself; in many respects, the dominant part is the harder.
60,172 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 03 22
I have plenty of BDSM themes running through the world my NaNo is set in, although the NaNo itself doesn't deal with them, but rather with an aspect of biology. I write in the fantasy genre, which gives lots of leeway for such things.
I don't have elves or vampires. I do have slaves. They do have sex. Frequently, that sex is against their will. Very BDSM in its way.
My world isn't earth, either, so these people don't have the religious based hang-ups that we got. There's no nudity taboo, and sex isn't a sin. Fantasy worlds can be fun in that respect, but the amount of world-building can be a pain.
21,500 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 14 44
Including a secondary character that is total submissive, and loosly implying that it is culturally common in the future (writing semi-sci fi).
(I'm not eighteen yet and BDSM is of borderline enough legality in this state without getting that mixed into it.)
A fact that makes me very, very, very sad.
183,923 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 18 46
Most of what write is on the darker side of things I especially write about th relation of trust between dom and sub. I would love to send some examples of my work. I believe that there are no rules that dictate literature. I use as an example The Sleeping Beauty trilogy by Anne Rice (A. N. Roquelaure) S/M is a fasinating subject especially when it is well written and not from a mere purient perspective.
All the Best
Greymure
Behind every beautiful thing there is some kind of pain."
~Bob Dylan
"The pleasure of the senses is always regulated in accordance with the imagination. Man can aspire to felicity only by serving all the whims of his imagination."
The Marquis De Sade
50,026 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 19 29
Mine is definitely BDSM themed. Sex and BDSM are considered normal in the fantasy world of my story, a little bit of a rip-off of Kushiel's Dart I'm afraid.
I'd be happy to have you bounce ideas off me.
I might need to return the favor later. Right now I'm just struggling with the basic issues of every erotic fiction writer. How many different mostly-tasteful ways can I refer to the same frikkin' body parts? I've resorted to making up words for now.
67,005 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 21 41
Yay! I love Jacqueline Carey. :-D I really should do that myself, i.e., create a fantasy world where BDSM is integral to the culture. Hmm... The possibilities are endless!
Aside from Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy, the only book like that I've read is Cecilia Tan's The Velderet (and that was sci-fi).
50,153 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2008 - 21 50
My NaNovel is a BDSM erotic murder mystery, with a plus-sized protagonist. That ought to give me enough to work with to make it through November! ^_^
25,004 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2008 - 07 20
I love Rice's Sleeping Beauty books. She also did another BDSM themed novel, Exit to Eden, that's a bit more realistic.
My novel is about a gay man and a lesbian submissive who fall in love. I'm thinking I may make her become the dominant in the relationship. Just because it's something to do.
52,525 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2008 - 09 58
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'm thrilled to know I'm not the only one writing about and around the BDSM theme. I find it a fascinating sub-culture of our society. The mind is a curious thing!
Please add me to you buddy list...and feel free to send email with samples if you'd like.
Be well and happy writing!
gyps
183,923 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2008 - 11 39
Aside from Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy, the only book like that I've read is Cecilia Tan's The Velderet (and that was sci-fi).
You also might want to read:
The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Licentiousness (Les 120 Journees de Sodome, ou l'Ecole de libertinage)
The Crimes of Love (Les Crimes de l'Amour, Nouvelles heroiques et tragiques)
The Marquis De Sade: The Complete Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings by Richard & Wainhouse, Austryn (Compiled and Translated by) Seaver
The Story of O by Pauline Réage
Petronius's Satyricon
Arne Hoffmann, Das Lexikon des Sadomasochismus. Der Inside-Führer zur dunklen Erotik: Praktiken und Instrumente, Personen und Institutionen, Literatur und Film, Politik und Philosophie.,
S/M-themed lesbian short fiction can also be found in Dorothy Allison's Trash (1988) and Cappy Kotz's, The First Stroke (1988). The Dog-Collar Murders by Barbara Wilson
Townsend, Larry The Leatherman's Handbook 1972 Olympia Press, seventh edition 2004
Anita Phillips. A Defence of Masochism, Faber and Faber, New edition 1999.
Gloria G. Brame. Come Hither: A Commonsense Guide To Kinky Sex, Fireside, 2000.
William A. Henkin, Sybil Holiday. Consensual Sadomasochism: How to Talk About It and How to Do It Safely, Daedalus Publishing, 1996.
Jack Rinella. The Complete Slave: Creating and Living an Erotic Dominant/submissive Lifestyle, Daedalus Publishing, 2002.
Dollie Llama. Diary of an S&M Romance., PEEP! Press (CA), 2006,
Janus, Samuel S., and Janus, Cynthia L. . The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior, John Wiley & Sons, 1994
Well thats enough for now, the more you read the better writer you will become.
Gryemure
10,326 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2008 - 17 12
I'd certainly love to have some readers for my work in progress, though I'll admit that it might not be for everyone.
50,018 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2008 - 10 58
A lot of Laurell K. Hamilton's later books have BDSM themes to them. Incubus Dreams in her Anita Blake series does a wonderful job of describing it, and - if I remember correctly - Blood Noir has some in it.
Her Meredith Gentry books have those undertones as well.
But my NaNo is BDSM themed.
Kat, a submissive, was raped. Disgusted at her reaction, Jack (her Master) leaves her. Kat runs to an old friend, Tom for comfort. She no longer wants to be a submissive, she doesn't want her body to react like that. Tom shows her that it's all right. That her last two Masters were assholes to her. They begin a relationship of their own, Tom promising never to hurt her or leave her.
But for reasons unknown to her, he has to leave her. This shatters her. Everything that they had worked so hard to build is ruined. And without the protection of Tom, Jack and Travis (her first and abusive Master) begin to harrass her. Tom returns to save her, but she no longer trusts him completely. He has to work to rebuild that trust and save the Kat that he knew from her destructive cycle.
I am into BDSM, (all components) but I am only 17 so.................*sigh*
18,585 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 06 00
Morven, I'd love to read your work. You can PM me and I'll give you my email.
My NaNo is BDSM themed at the moment; that may not wind up being the primary focus in the end but it will definitely be a strong element throughout. The protagonist is a woman discovering the power in submission, a subject that not everyone understands (including myself, at least not thoroughly).
56,000 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2008 - 05 29
I'm writing a BDSM m/m erotic romance. I find all my attempts at romances tend toward BDSM and explicit sex, so I just go with it and it's working out quite well so far.
This paricular story is about an artists model called David (submissive), and an artist called Aidan (dominant).
It wasn't intended to be a story about a submissive who finds out how different a good master can be to all the sadists he's known in the past, but that's what it's turned out to be as I've written more of it. It turns out that David's had some pretty bad experiences in the past - only he doesn't realise that things can be any other way, so he just accepts that as what BDSM is all about.
His personal life falls apart just after he meets Aidan and in spite of a whole host of reservations, he agrees to become Aidan's submissive - just so he can have a few hours now and again where he doesn't feel responsible for the whole world - where he can just submit and be himself.
Kim Dare.
21,345 / 50,000
Nov 17, 2008 - 06 19
There is a bdsm relationship in my Nano as a subplot and I might not get to go into it any deeper because of my MC's first person narration but alas.
I'd gladly help anyone out with any questions or stuff like that (especially m/m) as I'm into that sort of thing and thus have quite some experience (I'm just assuming that with the masses of youngins here some of you are writing about things you never tried before so... yeah). So feel free to message me. (aka help me to procrastinate, please...)
50,073 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2008 - 19 25
I've got lots of BDSM in my nano. I'm not giving out skads of details, but let's just say my protagonist is a writer of erotica who broke her arm and has to read her books aloud to get them typed into voice recognition software. The next door neighbor can hear her and thinks she's fantasizing about him doing all of those things to her...
50,035 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2008 - 20 24
That actually sounds insanely hilarious XD
--BaKa-NEKO
(I'm Your Frinedly Neighbourhood)
22,285 / 50,000
Nov 22, 2008 - 12 28
I loved Exit to Eden. There's a scene where the man has been naked for some time, and the description of him putting his clothes back ON is surprisingly hot. Now, that's good writing.
SweaterGrrrl
50,018 / 50,000
Nov 23, 2008 - 11 50
I loved Exit to Eden. There's a scene where the man has been naked for some time, and the description of him putting his clothes back ON is surprisingly hot. Now, that's good writing.
SweaterGrrrl
I've got the Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, I'm going to start it tonight or tomorrow. I should see about getting Exit to Eden if it's that good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
07 - Angels from the Ashes
08 - saving His kat
I'm sorry. Did my sarcasm hurt your feelings? Get over it.
50,622 / 50,000
Nov 24, 2008 - 21 30
My story this year was *supposed* to be fantasy. I wanted to do *one* NaNo with no BDSM or sexual scenes at all.
..... Needless to say, it didn't work. I started over, with a completely different story, with a very bdsm-centric plot.
..... Well, technically not bdsm, because it doesn't follow the "safe sane consentual" rule, but yeah. My MC, Marissa, has a huge crush on a co-worker that she just happens to know has a very violent past. She ends up telling said co-worker (Kris), and at first Kris is nice and politely turns her down, explaining that bdsm isn't her thing.
Marissa begs, and soon a very borderline-consentual relationship forms. For awhile Kris doesn't realize that Marissa actually has a crush on her, she only knows about the submissive/masochistic stuff, and when she does figure out that Marissa actually gets turned on by it, she freaks and it comes out that she's a complete homophobe.
.... Which hasn't stopped *me* from writing many interesting sex scenes. lol Kris is sexual with Marissa only in a dominant/humiliating/painful way, which suits Marissa just fine. Most of the time.
Heather
54,142 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2008 - 09 21
Well I am not sure if it technically qualifies as BDSM but my MC is definately exploring her desires for rough sex and playing the submissive role, despite the fact that she is extremely strong both physically and mentally. I don't think I know enough about the BDSM world to go any deeper than that at the moment.
I would love to read a novel with the themes you are exploring!!
50,965 / 50,000
Nov 30, 2008 - 03 13
Mine has a definite BDSM subplot and scenes between different characters. Whether the whole thing is BDSM themed...I'll figure that out in the rewrite. Right now it dabbles in a little bit of everything (sigh).
50,075 / 50,000
Nov 30, 2008 - 16 58
Mine is definitely themed in BDSM - it's about a girl's journey in discovering it and playing, etc. It's not even close to done and I've already got two scenes and a weird scene-dream in it. Which'll probably get edited out, but still.