Skip it. Skip it good.
*Minor book spoilers below be warned!*
So Beauty and the Bitch primarily (but my other works as well) has gotten some criticism for "glossing over" or "ignoring" the negotiation stage of a BDSM relationship. This has ranged from just pointing it out "hey shouldn't they..." to rage quitting the book because the characters didn't have consent forms signed in triplicate and notarized before daring to touch each other even playfully. Honestly it's kind of an odd thing to focus on in the Brooke's Hollow universe but since people are I might as well address it.
Not that it's the only thing of this nature that gets sighted but lets use it as the prime example because many of the others are taste specific. So why do I skip or speed through the negotiations, contracts, etc that appear in so many other BDSM novels? Well the simple answer is that they appear in so many other novels! In a universe like Brooke's Hollow consent and negotiation would be as common place as deciding what to eat for dinner or dividing up bills and/or chores within a household. It's something mundane to the point of derailing the character-driven narratives I seek to present. Looking at books (and even more so the movie) like 50 Shades we see a heavy focus on contracts and negotiation and how did that turn out? As cinema sins so eloquently put it "but arguing about the contract is all you do!" So for things of this nature I prefer to leave them to so-called "off screen" moments unless it's something plot related.
This is something that has changed in me from book to book, however, and I am still fine tuning it. In Their Wild Little Girl consent was a big part of the narrative and there's an entire chapter long conversation dedicated to it (which is also an empowerment moment for Elizabeth). There are also numerous references in Their Wild Little Girl and Their Meddling Aunt to what they were eating. What I learned from writing those is that a lot of it was pointless. Sure the pancake thing is a cute quirk of Elizabeth's and the consent issue was a huge part of the relationship dynamic in the book but was it necessary to specify that they were eating chicken caesar salad or to spell out repeatedly that Elizabeth could say "no" even though she clearly understands this (as Marcus' nose can attest)? No. Looking back I didn't even have a plan to take a lot of those things anywhere (Elizabeth was never intended to use a safeword for example). It was just an unnecessary detail.
In later books I learned to chop that sort of thing out wherever possible. If it isn't important to the plot then the reader can be trusted to infer it. In Submission Backstory, for example, consent is discussed but certainly not to the level it is in Wild Little Girl. In fact the Alyssa/Jane encounter doesn't really have any discussion of consent. The scene is built to imply a sort of playful blackmail (a common erotic fantasy) with Alyssa's body language and enthusiasm left to convey that she is in no way doing it against her will. This story was more psychological, more about the inner temptations Alyssa was experiencing so consent wasn't all that big a part of the plot as the central conflict revolved around her wanting everything that was happening.
Next up, in Beauty and the Bitch (which was written during a hiatus from Master May I and is thus my 4th and 5th book depending on how you look at it) the story is meant for lighthearted escapism. Where the first 3 were varying themes on sexual temptation and grappling with one's desires here the idea is more about fun. Yes there's the fitness challenges and the job threat (not to mention that drug sub plot that connects to my upcoming release) but the story is primarily about being flirty and relaxed. Learning to be comfortable with who you are and to let down your guard and trust another person. Consent isn't that big a factor in the plot because for these characters it's all very much a game. The slap (that caused one reader to rage quit) was a playful thing which shocked Isabelle more than hurt her and the later sexual acts were all about exploration. If anything this story is the most hedonistic of my works to date but consent and care for one another are still there. They're just left to implications and subtle hints. The biggest one, of course, being Rachel's concern for Isabelle's well being as the competition grows closer.
It happens again in Master May I? (which I'm honestly surprised hasn't been criticized as heavily as Beauty and the Bitch for it). Here Alyssa can come across as ridiculously trusting. The concept is actually meant to show her experience and her self-reliance. The handcuff escape, for example, is meant to demonstrate that Alyssa always has a back-up plan. Now, again, consent is discussed in passing with both Darrius and Wendy but here more than ever it's brushed off. There are moments when even I imagined the character giving a little hand wave when answering questions about it. That is because these are very experienced players. The narrative is meant to lay out that, for them, safe words, consent, hard and soft limits, etc are all boiler plate things that everyone involved understands at a glance. If I were to have them really sit down "on screen" and hash it out it would come out as nothing more than 2 very bored people reading the terms of service on a new iphone. Sure, in real life, one would do that (right?) but in an erotic fantasy world that sort of thing would just be dull for the majority of readers.
All that said my books are exactly that, erotic fantasy. I keep the world as realistic as possible to aid the suspension of disbelief but since, as a reader, I don't care to read about how this character accessorizes, when that character uses the bathroom or how they discussed Red, Yellow, Green for the dozenth time I don't focus on that as a writer. Please understand that I am not writing how-to guides on real life BDSM (If you want one of those I suggest Screw the Roses Send me the Thorns). I should no more have to tell readers not to expect the real world to conform to the Brooke's Hollow norm than E.L. James should have to tell you that tripping into a Billionaire's office will likely not result in him marrying you. If you want non-fiction go to the non-fiction section. Erotica is a playground for fantasy and fantasy sometimes requires that we skip a few boring details.
So Beauty and the Bitch primarily (but my other works as well) has gotten some criticism for "glossing over" or "ignoring" the negotiation stage of a BDSM relationship. This has ranged from just pointing it out "hey shouldn't they..." to rage quitting the book because the characters didn't have consent forms signed in triplicate and notarized before daring to touch each other even playfully. Honestly it's kind of an odd thing to focus on in the Brooke's Hollow universe but since people are I might as well address it.
Not that it's the only thing of this nature that gets sighted but lets use it as the prime example because many of the others are taste specific. So why do I skip or speed through the negotiations, contracts, etc that appear in so many other BDSM novels? Well the simple answer is that they appear in so many other novels! In a universe like Brooke's Hollow consent and negotiation would be as common place as deciding what to eat for dinner or dividing up bills and/or chores within a household. It's something mundane to the point of derailing the character-driven narratives I seek to present. Looking at books (and even more so the movie) like 50 Shades we see a heavy focus on contracts and negotiation and how did that turn out? As cinema sins so eloquently put it "but arguing about the contract is all you do!" So for things of this nature I prefer to leave them to so-called "off screen" moments unless it's something plot related.
This is something that has changed in me from book to book, however, and I am still fine tuning it. In Their Wild Little Girl consent was a big part of the narrative and there's an entire chapter long conversation dedicated to it (which is also an empowerment moment for Elizabeth). There are also numerous references in Their Wild Little Girl and Their Meddling Aunt to what they were eating. What I learned from writing those is that a lot of it was pointless. Sure the pancake thing is a cute quirk of Elizabeth's and the consent issue was a huge part of the relationship dynamic in the book but was it necessary to specify that they were eating chicken caesar salad or to spell out repeatedly that Elizabeth could say "no" even though she clearly understands this (as Marcus' nose can attest)? No. Looking back I didn't even have a plan to take a lot of those things anywhere (Elizabeth was never intended to use a safeword for example). It was just an unnecessary detail.
In later books I learned to chop that sort of thing out wherever possible. If it isn't important to the plot then the reader can be trusted to infer it. In Submission Backstory, for example, consent is discussed but certainly not to the level it is in Wild Little Girl. In fact the Alyssa/Jane encounter doesn't really have any discussion of consent. The scene is built to imply a sort of playful blackmail (a common erotic fantasy) with Alyssa's body language and enthusiasm left to convey that she is in no way doing it against her will. This story was more psychological, more about the inner temptations Alyssa was experiencing so consent wasn't all that big a part of the plot as the central conflict revolved around her wanting everything that was happening.
Next up, in Beauty and the Bitch (which was written during a hiatus from Master May I and is thus my 4th and 5th book depending on how you look at it) the story is meant for lighthearted escapism. Where the first 3 were varying themes on sexual temptation and grappling with one's desires here the idea is more about fun. Yes there's the fitness challenges and the job threat (not to mention that drug sub plot that connects to my upcoming release) but the story is primarily about being flirty and relaxed. Learning to be comfortable with who you are and to let down your guard and trust another person. Consent isn't that big a factor in the plot because for these characters it's all very much a game. The slap (that caused one reader to rage quit) was a playful thing which shocked Isabelle more than hurt her and the later sexual acts were all about exploration. If anything this story is the most hedonistic of my works to date but consent and care for one another are still there. They're just left to implications and subtle hints. The biggest one, of course, being Rachel's concern for Isabelle's well being as the competition grows closer.
It happens again in Master May I? (which I'm honestly surprised hasn't been criticized as heavily as Beauty and the Bitch for it). Here Alyssa can come across as ridiculously trusting. The concept is actually meant to show her experience and her self-reliance. The handcuff escape, for example, is meant to demonstrate that Alyssa always has a back-up plan. Now, again, consent is discussed in passing with both Darrius and Wendy but here more than ever it's brushed off. There are moments when even I imagined the character giving a little hand wave when answering questions about it. That is because these are very experienced players. The narrative is meant to lay out that, for them, safe words, consent, hard and soft limits, etc are all boiler plate things that everyone involved understands at a glance. If I were to have them really sit down "on screen" and hash it out it would come out as nothing more than 2 very bored people reading the terms of service on a new iphone. Sure, in real life, one would do that (right?) but in an erotic fantasy world that sort of thing would just be dull for the majority of readers.
All that said my books are exactly that, erotic fantasy. I keep the world as realistic as possible to aid the suspension of disbelief but since, as a reader, I don't care to read about how this character accessorizes, when that character uses the bathroom or how they discussed Red, Yellow, Green for the dozenth time I don't focus on that as a writer. Please understand that I am not writing how-to guides on real life BDSM (If you want one of those I suggest Screw the Roses Send me the Thorns). I should no more have to tell readers not to expect the real world to conform to the Brooke's Hollow norm than E.L. James should have to tell you that tripping into a Billionaire's office will likely not result in him marrying you. If you want non-fiction go to the non-fiction section. Erotica is a playground for fantasy and fantasy sometimes requires that we skip a few boring details.
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