Stories

[semprini]

As I read the wonderful stories posted on this site, and I start to write my own again I have often wondered about what makes a good story, and any response would be great. Do any of the writers out there create characters based on what they would be attracted to in real life? Where do you gain your insperation from? What kind of situations does you like to see ticklees in such a spy, college co-ed, accidently trapped, or with a supernatural setting? Any help would be much appreciated, Thanks.
~ Semprini

 

[dig dug dog]

Thanks for asking!

I, for one, would love to see stories of tickling interrogation or mild punishment in any of the following settings:

--captured spy who has important information; she can't be physically harmed for diplomatic reasons
--sorority girl caught doing bad things and is tickled for her sorority's secrets
--stuck up cheerleader gets taken down a few pegs by guy she's walked all over
--mean babysitter is confronted by boy she sat for years before, when he is grown up (he is about 18, she is about 25)

For me, "realism" is important, that is, logical motivation for the tickling and ESPECIALLY that the ticklee not give in to the tickling too quickly. Have her put up resistance, make the tickler work for that laughter and the tickling victory will be so much sweeter!

 

[Capt. Spalding]

Tickling the write way...

Ooooo, I love riffin' on writin'...
Some of the protagonists in my tickling tales have been based on folks
I've known and never, to my regret, ever tickled, or did get to tickle--and want to again, if only in prose. I prefer, though, to
compose original characters, if only because this way I'm not bound
by preconceptions, and, in the writing, the characters can surprise
me as much as (hopefully)they do the reader.
While all of the scenarios you mentioned appeal to me, I suppose I
find the "tickled by a remarkable coincidence of accidental circumstances" stories most enjoyable to write because they're such
a devil to plot convincingly. I mean, a revenge tale or a romantic
story, with clear human intent, is pleasurable, too, and usually more erotically charged. But the "accident" stories are a kick to write and
read because, perhaps, of their implication that blind fate would dispassionately operate to tickle someone silly.
I think a most important rule a tickle wordsmith need to remember
(besides being liberal with tickle action)is that tickling has more impact when it is placed in a well-wrought scenario with interesting
characters. I ask myself, "Self, if I take the tickling out of this story, would I still find it worth reading?" If the answer is "yes,"
if the plot is clever, the characters compelling, and the prose
pleasing to the eye and mind, then the story should tickle me as much
as it does the characters.(But, then, none of us in this Forum would take the tickling out of any story, would we? In fact, we wonder why
more stories don't have tickling. Think how much greater THE SCARLET
LETTER would have been with some tickling! Why, I never would have
relied upon the Cliffs Notes for the Sophomore Lit final if it had.
But I digress...)
What inspires my writing a tickling story? Sometimes, I read a
"mainstream" story or see a "mainstream" movie and wonder what the
tale would be like if tickling played a key part, and off I go...
(I did that with "Five Fingers" in TALES FROM THE ASYLUM #15, using
a recent viewing of the wonderful 1946 horror film THE BEAST WITH
FIVE FINGERS as a springboard.) I'll see a couple playfully (and as if they were under a mutual compulsion)tickle each other while eating Good Humor bars in Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan, and some time
later will come "Sundae Best" in TFTA #18. Or I'll read an article
in the newspaper and think, "Hmmm... I've never seen that element in
a tickle story," and awaaay I go...
'Course, a lot of these inspirations come to nothing. For every story
I finish, I end up leaving ten undone, their plotlines unresolved,
perhaps because I wearied of the characters, or I couldn't convince
myself of a plot contrivance, or I couldn't make the tickling seem
different or vivid enough. Ah, but never delete, because six months
later, one may pick up an old fragment and, with renewed enthusiasm,
finish it with a flourish of laughter.
I'm delighted you're writing again, Semprini, and look forward to
enjoying your stories. Do tickle us...

 

[TicklesaurusRex]

the gift of writing

Semprini, I guess writing's a gift just like music. You either have it or you don't. If you don't have it, not even the biggest practising efforts or the best university courses can make you a great writer. But if you have it, you're able to weave a good story around virtually everything: your fantasy, real experiences, inspirations from books or movies, and so on.

Although some sound effects like "hahahahaha" are good as background music, they shouldn't dominate any story. Like Capt. Spalding says: Create an interesting storyline and fill it with unique characters. Then, there's a good chance that the story will become a successful one. Read Capt. Spalding's stories, and you'll know what I mean.

 

[tklr5150]

As a writer, I personally enjoy writing tickling stories for a few different reasons. While I naturally take some care to develop characters and believable plots, the fact that a tickling story does not have to be graded, approved, revised, edited, or published is liberating; another way of putting it is that I'm not as strict with myself in structuring a tickling story because its purpose is pure fun. It is a great relief from the painstaking thought and stress that sometimes goes into a longer, more "serious" (if you will) project. There is no need for subtext or subplot or symbolism or extensive character nuancing.

My bread and butter for some reason is celebrity fiction, so my inspiration comes from two things: 1) who do I want to see tickled, and 2) can I come up with a sensible reason for them to be tickled. I always like to see celebrity fiction that, even if it's not probable or even plausible, at least subscribes to some sort of internal logic. I particularly enjoy writing fan fiction for this reason, and also because I know and love the characters and have a great deal of fun writing for them.

 

[Shem the Penman]

I'll echo what others have said above. When I write a tickling story, I want something that works as a story rather than as just a tickling scenario. Why should I waste my time writing about characters I don't care about, just so I can throw in a little tickling? You don't have to go all Russian-novelly, but don't be afraid to give your characters a bit of personality.

I'd steer clear from overused premises (spy interrogation), unless you can come up with a clever twist on them that makes them fresher.

Me, I'm not crazy about celebrity fiction, but that may just be because I've never been able to write it very well. 🙂 It just feels artificial to me, since I don't really -know- the people I'm writing about, not the way I do the characters I create or the fictional characters I adapt. But if you can do it well, more power to you.

I usually find my way to a good story by thinking of a situation ("The Liberation," which I posted recently, started with the idea of someone who couldn't be touched but enjoyed being tickled with feathers) and working backward from that, constructing reasons someone might find him- or herself in that situation.

 

[bandt001]

Feedback

I just wanted to echo what Dig Dug Dog said, so I'll quote him here instead of thinking for myself. 😀

"..'realism' is important, that is, logical motivation for the tickling and ESPECIALLY that the ticklee not give in to the tickling too quickly. "

Lots of attitude and resistance, followed by a discovery about their own ticklishness that's a surprise to the ticklee, followed by unconditional surrender.

Also, one of my absolute FAVORITE things in a story is the "flashback scene," where the ticklee remembers some experience that shaped their current attitude about tickling.

Lastly, the whole "mean babysitter is confronted by boy she sat for years before, when he is grown up (he is about 18, she is about 25)" is a personal favorite of mine, and I don't believe it's been done yet.

Good luck!

 

[guitman69]

My 2 cents

Not to be contrary to what everone else has said, but I personally like the supernatural story lines. The more fantastic the story the better. When I read fiction, I don't want it to be like ordinary life. I hold this same attitude when I read main-stream fiction.

Now while the premise in the story should be out of this world, the characters should be believable. I personally like it when something really strange happens to someone who has trouble believing that this is really happening to them.

 

[semprini]

Wow so many great ideas from so many excellent writers. I agree with everyone of you, the problem with me writing stories is I take forever to get started and to keep working on a story, for example Rachel's Holloween Horror took me about a year and a half before I posted it. Personally most of my stories unless true lean towards the supernatural side. For me it is a departure from the real world a just a wee bit fantastic, but not to much. I greatly appreciate all of the responses that my question brought I will use them to better my writing so hopefully you all can enjoy them like I do.
~ Semprini

 

[dig dug dog]

Hey Shem,

I respect your view about new ideas, but I have rarely read a spy interrogation story that did much justice to the potential of the situation. If Ms. Spy is just going to crumble and beg at the first touch, what is the point of making her a spy? I mean, even a highly ticklish spy would make a decent effort to hold out! Let's see a spy story where the tickler must be very shrewd, persistent and creative to get the information he is after.

Great thread guys!

 

[Capt. Spalding]

more write stuff

Semprini,
I adored "Rachel's Halloween Horror" and thought you did a lovely job
establishing a nervous, goosepimpley atmosphere in which the tickling
gave Rachel (and the reader) a jolt. I wouldn't be too concerned about
how long a story takes to gestate. You're not on a deadline here in the TMF, after all. As Shem wrote (delightfully), you don't have to get all "Russian-novelly," but, on the other hand, there's no reason
to post a story until you feel it's damned good and ready.

Bandt001,
You'll find a story along the lines of the "baby catches babysitter
years later" scenario you described in TALES FROM THE ASYLUM #17. It's
"Melissa," a cunning entry in the Tales from the Nylon Dungeon series by Xodlirv.
As with all the entries in the series, it is merciless (which is just
the way we like 'em, thank you).

 

[Daumantas]

Generally, for me (this is somewhat repetitive to the many good comments above) it's all about character development. You can come up with scenarios that are either straightforward or incredibly fantastical; but if you don't care about the characters, what difference does it make what happens to them, tickling or otherwise? The characters I like best in the Nylon Dungeon series are those that have enough personality that I can imagine them as real people, as opposed to just a cardboard cutout marked "Pretty girl being tickled." They are the ones, generally speaking, that I return to, and they tend to take on a life of their own. The plot in those cases becomes less relevant; the real "plot" becomes the psychological development of the characters and their actions/reactions regarding their situation -- whether the characters are prisoners trying to cope with their captivity or ticklers taking advantage of their situation while trying not to ruin a good thing.

As Shem says above, the key is to ask whether the story would be worthwhile if you didn't have any tickling in it at all. If so, then you've got a good story.

 

[Traveler]

Plot lines and character development is good and will make for a good story and get many reader's.I personally write to entertain and have the reader respond to what I write.I read alot of the stories in the forum and really enjoyed them,all I have written several recently and I hope they have been entertaing.I write about things like stock torture and tying up young actresses and singer's and the like because.that is what I understand and like.I write not to only entertain the reader but,I must entertain myself.Again,a good story will come from what you enjoy to write about.

 

[Ayla ny]

write for yourself first. that's about the only advice I can offer. I enjoy writing my stories very much and hope that others enjoy them too... but they start out as a way of spending just a little more time in a very nice daydream. 🙂

 

[semprini]

Hey Shem I have to ask you a question. I was just wondering if you practice any martial arts, I really enjoyed your quote.

 

[Shem the Penman]

Karate brown belt (taking the test for black belt, if all goes well, in the fall).

The quote isn't really related to that, though -- I just liked the wordplay. And it is getting a bit stale ... I'll have to find something else.

 

[semprini]

Hey Shem good luck to ya. I just about had a heart attack when I passed for my black belt. Any other martial artists on the board? Anyway to get back on topic sort of, my girlfriend and allround ticklee and I met through my karate class, I actually have a short story written about one of our advertures before class, if I find it I'll post it.
~ Semprini

 

[Daumantas]

I guess Carl Douglas was right when he said, "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting." 🙂