Monday, May 17, 2010

What to Wear?

She stood stiffly, her back to the corner. Eyes cast downward, hands wringing together, waiting for the words that would seal her fate. She knew the spanking was inevitable, of that there was no doubt, but was there any hope for her modesty? Had she been bad enough to bare it all?

As an author of spanking fiction I regularly find myself at this juncture. The spankee’s fate is set, she’s earned her marks and all that remains is to determine exactly how the discipline will be carried out. There are of course other kinds of spankings, but today I’m thinking about the disciplinary sort because it ties in with the project I’m currently working on, The Spanking Days of Summer. (Check out the latest post on Quest Five for more information.)

One of the most controversial decisions I make is the spankee’s state of dress. What type of attire is she wearing at the start? Uniforms are always a favorite, but there is also the casual attire, the bed clothes, the swimwear, and more. You might consider it rather insignificant, but it can play a huge role in how a spanking plays out. Although I have occasionally written spankings over clothed bottoms, I am more inclined to at a minimum remove the outer layer of protection, be it pants, jeans, shorts, or a skirt. In my opinion this act of preparing for the spanking carries with it an emotional charge as the spankee and the reader begin to fully anticipate the spanking to come.

Sometimes, a bare bottom just doesn’t seem like it’s enough. Maybe the spankee is throwing around a little extra attitude, or maybe they went beyond bad behavior to deliberately destructive, but there come these times when the story needs to go a little farther. There are various stages of undress which can be employed from removing particular articles of clothing (ie. skirt, jeans, panties, etc.) to removing every stitch of clothing and every glitter of jewelry. I find these scenes particularly powerful because I can’t help but put myself in their shoes-- uh place (naked usually means no shoes, doesn’t it?). Humiliation and liberation collide until the spanking intercedes and leaves us with the absolute certainty the spankee has been punished. Or has she?

As you can no doubt imagine, I spend a lot of time considering the possible states of dress before, during and after a spanking. Every detail has to fit the story, the characters, and the setting. If I get it wrong, the story falls flat and an otherwise perfect scene is forgotten before it is even read. Whatever your preferences, I’m sure you’ll agree the attire (On, off, or somewhere in-between) plays a prominent role in the fantasy.

3 comments:

AL said...

Ash,

thank you for the interesting topic.I would have to agree in my opinion uniforms are a favorite(school outfits)...the other state of dress that is good to is when pants are at ankles,and like you said if the spankee has a bit of a attitude just baring the bottom may not be enough it may call for complete removal of clothing...oh and just thought I would mention liked when you said shoes UH place cause naked usually means no shoes LOL good line.
thanks for the post enjoyed it
AL :)

Paul said...

Ash,
I was passing through, not really expecting anything.

I find that I really prefer to make my own illustrations.

I absolutely agree that setting the scene is vital, but for me well chosen words do it much better than do pictures.

Your talent lies in your writing,
one of your strengths is descriptive writing.

I'm the sort of person who prefers the radio to the television, because the pictures are better.

Of course this is all about point of view.

Ash you are on the way to becoming a consummate writer, please walk your own path.

I will still read you whether you use illustrations or not.

Warm hugs,
Paul.

Ashley J said...

Al, Glad you enjoyed my little essay. lol. It's amazing the dribble that comes out of my fingers some days. I do think the clothing plays a crucial role in story development, but what makes it so difficult is that what clothes make the story, various greatly from person to person. I guess that's why I keep writing stories as varied as I can imagine them.

Paul, I know, I broke my schedule and posted out of the blue for no apparent reason. What was I thinking? For what's it worth, I agree with you in principle. The story, its words, arrangement, emotion, are all far more important than any illustration. The imagination paints pictures far better than any artist or camera in the world and I take great pleasure in finding the right words to guide a reader into imagining the scene that is playing in my head. I don't always succeed entirely, but when I do, it feels great.

Images, illustrations, etcetera, are more tools to help capture interest than anything else. The short tales I write for Friday's are a great example. I use the image accompany them as a type of springboard to find a story, but the images can only tell a small portion of the whole story, the rest is created in the imagination and viewed there.

Hugs,
Ash