What makes a really good tickling story?

I just thought I'd ask. What do people think makes for a really good tickling story? Is it the descriptions? The characters? Is it the plot? What does it for you?

For me, it is two things that make an excellent tickling story: the characters and the descriptions. The people in the story have to seem real, to be actual three-dimensional people, and the description of the tickling has to be detailed and realistic.

I hope that this thread leads to some interesting insight. I am a frequent reader in the story section and I have recently started to contribute.

For me it is a combination of 3 things: scenario, characters and execution through descriptions. Of the 3 though, I would say execution is the most important.

I have seen stories with great scenarios be busts because of poor execution. Nothing is worse than seeing an awesome premise and get a paragraph in and see "hahahahahaha stop hahahaha" every other line.

Formatting can also play a part in the quality of a story. I've seen good stories turn to great stories because authors didn't take the extra time to format and space their work and left it one giant paragraph.

I've also seen authors write multiple works with very repetitive descriptions where it is essentially the same story, same formula with different names. I am afraid of falling into this trap and will probably take a little break from writing after I wrap up my current series

Pghtkltorture said:

Nothing is worse than seeing an awesome premise and get a paragraph in and see "hahahahahaha stop hahahaha" every other line.

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This is very often the point at which I stop reading. A paragraph of 'hahaha' adds nothing at all to a story. Tell me how the ticklee writhed and squirmed. Tell me about the gleam in the tickler's eye.

For me realistic dialogue and well-rounded characters are the best starting point. Then an intriguing premise and some hot, spicy descriptions. It doesn't seem like much to hope for but it's rare to find.

Then again, I suppose everyone enjoys something different.

How to put it…?

I think the purpose of an erotic story (which may at least intersect with what you're asking) is to attempt to convey the essence of a particular feeling. The characters and plot can be interesting or decorative or endearing, but what's important is their function as the tools the author uses to converge on that feeling – those particular moments in the story when the thing is actually happening.

Like, if someone is helpless and tickled to death – no real character or plot development, just a description of the moment – that's certainly enough for many forum readers to appreciate. Many stories do that well. But it doesn't feel like much more than seeing something typed out that could be easily imagined.

It could be even more appreciable if by that point it was understood that, let's say, the helpless person had some deeply fearful but ardent fascination of that ever happening to them. Acquainting the reader with the character, surreptitiously explaining how it feels to be that character through scene-setting or dialogue or action, is a reason to write more around that moment.

Then when it happens, there's this additional feeling that "oh my god, it's actually happening! That must be so ______ for them!" And if the reader relates to that personally, then surely they'll be disposed to indulge in whatever feeling they can find in those sentences. ("That would be so ______ for me!")

What I find particularly positive about that preparatory explanation is that even if the reader doesn't understand the erotic feeling, they're at least invited to understand it and given some framework for doing so. And if they're reading, no matter who they are, they're willing to put at least a few seconds into trying.

(And if you've read all this and haven't guessed that I think proper conventions are also worth heeding, then… perhaps don't worry about that.)

The easy answer for me would be: everything that makes a good story is good for a tickling story~ You know: pacing, suspense, interesting characters, a well-thought plot...

When I write like to see the characters from many angles. What's in the head of the 'Ler? What's in the head of the 'Lee? Don't just write "Hahahaha!" I eventually dropped that and started writing, "Her laughter released like a staccato flurry of childish giggles." I found that more visually satisfying.

When I write like to see the characters from many angles. What's in the head of the 'Ler? What's in the head of the 'Lee? Don't just write "Hahahaha!" I eventually dropped that and started writing, "Her laughter released like a staccato flurry of childish giggles." I found that more visually satisfying.

Sorry.Don't know how it duplicated.

1. Well-written, with paragraphs and and easy to read structure, no major grammatical errors, proper diction and reasonably good spelling
2. A cute ticklee (either describe a girl I'd like to see get what's coming to her, or let me picture one of my own)
3. A fiendish, lecherous tickler
4. Limits to the backstory. Get to the good stuff.
5. Foreshadowing, suspense, anticipation
6. It's not what show and tell, it's what you don't

On that last point - I like girls in skimpy yoga shorts. But skimpy yoga shorts don't show as much as a bikini. Yet, the skimpy yoga shorts are much more interesting to look at, not because of what they show, but because of what they almost show, but don't.

milagros317 said:

For me, it is two things that make an excellent tickling story: the characters and the descriptions. The people in the story have to seem real, to be actual three-dimensional people, and the description of the tickling has to be detailed and realistic.

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I agree. Realistic characters, and detailed descriptions of both the tickling and the 'lees reaction.

I think dialogue is more important than description, you know. Too much description can be boring unless it's a good writer. Decent characters are good but not always necessary (like CheRoy's stuff is pretty good and he ain't focusing on characters).

Really I'm into scenarios. There are a couple of things I like that you don't see often in tickling stories, like in Tysuio's stories with feet sticking through walls or ceilings, and that one Stocksville story with foot raspberries. Also the detached foot story by i64ever. You never see that stuff.

Cosmo_ac said:

I just thought I'd ask. What do people think makes for a really good tickling story? Is it the descriptions? The characters? Is it the plot? What does it for you?

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A good story has to stir emotion within you. Often with fetish stories the intended response should be arousal, but really any passion will do. A good story may make you laugh or cry, stir your imagination and leave you wishing you could spend a little more time with the characters.

Always, though, you should write the story that you yourself want to read: if I tell you that the best stories are F/f, but you prefer M/m, then if you try to cater to me, trying to write about women being tickled instead of men will give you a story that you don't put any enthusiasm into writing.

I'd say keep it real... if u can draw from your experiences then perfect. And romantic is best, meaning tickle sex. We're all human... nice looking characters, be descriptive, be reciprocal too. Mutual pleasure and torture is fun. And for me at least, don't forget feet

SharonP said:

Always, though, you should write the story that you yourself want to read: if I tell you that the best stories are F/f, but you prefer M/m, then if you try to cater to me, trying to write about women being tickled instead of men will give you a story that you don't put any enthusiasm into writing.

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It's a point of view. But some authors are more versatile than others. Just like you do not have to be religious to draw a beautiful picture of Christ, you can also not be turned on by what you write and yet make it a turn-on for someone else. I'll give you a personal example; as an author, I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone from time to time. One day, although I am like the straightest person on Earth, I wrote an M/m short story for a gay friend of mine. He was claiming that you had to be gay to write a good gay story; I was happy to successfully prove him wrong

SharonP said:

A good story has to stir emotion within you. Often with fetish stories the intended response should be arousal, but really any passion will do. A good story may make you laugh or cry, stir your imagination and leave you wishing you could spend a little more time with the characters.

Always, though, you should write the story that you yourself want to read: if I tell you that the best stories are F/f, but you prefer M/m, then if you try to cater to me, trying to write about women being tickled instead of men will give you a story that you don't put any enthusiasm into writing.

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I tend to agree with this. Arousal is important, but if the writer manages to stir more emotions as well, then that is a nice little cherry on top.

Some people have mentioned this, but I will reiterate it. I like characters that are realistic. Characters that have their own personalities. Characters whose actions I cannot always predict. I hate cliche, and I love ingenuity.

Interesting worlds are a plus for me, probably because I'm a bit of a sci-fi fantasy buff. I get much more enthralled by the stories about the tickle wizards, the kinky alien/fantasy races, and the ancient tickle wars than I am with the stories about the guy who tickles his girlfriend upstairs in his apartment.

I also like it when it's not just about tickling. It's pretty fun when tickling is used as a device to move the story forward, rather than as the end-all be-all off the whole story. One sign of stories like this, is when it does not actually end the moment the tickling is done. Still, since this is tickling fiction, I sometimes like to end with tickling as a little punch-line at the end, after the main event, perhaps with a playful tickle attack between friends, or with someone receiving a ticklish comeuppance for something she did earlier in the story.

During the tickling scenes, a sense of change or progress is important. As others have said, you want to try and be as vivid as possible. Describe how the ticklee looks, how the ticklee reacts to being tickled, and how exactly the ticklee is being ticked. Change things up with banter or dialogue. Remember that the ticklee is a character, and should have his or her own special way of reacting to tickling. Also, if the story is not just about tickling, feel free to use their exchanges for the sake of exposition, world-building, character building, or just to move the plot forward.

Plot, characterization, simple and lucid style are top perogatives.