What do you look for in a story?

[Fancy Doors]

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

I’m curious to get a sort of census regarding what people look for / like when reading a story on the site. What sort of writing styles, length, type of haircut, consensual/ forced, etc.

Don’t think it will necessarily change how I write since I normally write mostly for myself but interested to see what others like seeing.

[klaatu48]

I think the main thing I look for it an insight into what at least one participant is feeling, whether it be terror, joy, or arousal at the prospect of what they’re doing or having done to them. If a portrayal is done all in 3rd person without any inner thoughts or feelings, it doesn’t do much for me.

A bonus, and what I try to include in my writing, is whether the character is concerned about what other people will think, or how the cut will end up looking considering there’s no going back (if there’s an element that allows instant restoration of her hair, that pretty much kills it for me because where’s the risk?).

My favorites are when the subject doesn’t know what’s in store for her, just because that’s an opportunity to really ramp up the anxiety she feels or the deviousness on the part of the stylist.

[Ginger Herten]

It took me a while to think about answering this, but honestly I’m just happy you write. It never occurred to me that I wanted to read a fantasy retelling of the historic events at the Citadel, but it was interesting. It gave me a really different perspective on Shannon Faulkner than the one I had from listening and watching news accounts on TV and the radio.

I’ve written stories that were more about having an idea and trying to force a story from it, and they come out a bit flat. Im pretty sure others pick up on them, because they are never particularly popular. I need to write them, because I need to get the ideas out, but they just also always leave me a little disappointed wishing I’d done better.

It’s the stories where I’m just inspired and can’t contain myself as I type out the words that I find I’m really happy with. The stories I have an emotional attachment to, not just an idea I need to explore. They aren’t always super popular, but I’m generally happy with them in a way that is different. They are much more likely to be somewhat popular though.

I mean we can go over my personal preferences, but that’s what they are. I don’t like a full clean to the skin shave, other people love those. In fact I would wager that those that love a full down to the skin shave outnumber those of us who don’t by a lot. You’ll go nuts trying to please everyone.

I do think that some of it just falls into the more generalized rules of good writing. Like when you get to the subject of forced vs consensual, I think there really does just have to be some level of conflict, whether it’s purely internal, or an external one, if some one is just “hmm, I think I’ll go get a haircut for no particular reason than I just kind of feel like it” it doesn’t lead to much of a plot no matter how well you describe the haircut itself. Conflict is always necessary for plot, no matter what kind of story it is.

[snatcher]

There are a few things I like in haircut stories.

Just like any story, the setup is really important, and maybe even more interesting than the eventual reward at the end.
I typically dislike when a character is physically forced to cut her hair, feels really wrong to me. However, I do enjoy it when a girl decides to get a haircut and it ends up not the way she expected it. Or when someone is forced into a position that they can’t refuse so they end up accepting. When there’s good buildup the story turns out believable by the time the cut actually happens.

One of my favorite stories on the site, “All of It” by klaatu84, is all about the buildup. At the beginning we see the main character get the idea of a cut. Throughout the story she contemplates that idea, and at the end the pay off is really great.
Another form of buildup is when it gets progressively worse for a character, like in Ginger Harten’s “Crew Standard”. They find out they have to get their hair cut, and it just gets worse for the first girl (Jill). It builds up in a great way.

Another recent story that I really enjoyed up to a certain point is “Change Is Good” by PT. The buildup is great – we hear about this relationship between the main guy and his girlfriend. She forces him to get his hair cut, then he forces her (they were both at a barbershop). While a bit bizarre, it was still believable. However, it turns messy towards the end. The girl had really long hair, so even a bob would be a drastic and difficult change, but the story takes it a bit much further and she ends up with a flattop. That story is still great in my opinion, just because of the buildup, but the pay off is just not as good.

[Carl Blankenhorn]

humiliation of authority figures via head shave and eyebrow shave

[Stef]

For me I like the story is not to long. Some writers make it very long and use a very lo g introduction before the haircut begins.
I like the setup of a salon and dominand hairdresser. And the most thing I look for in a story is a caping Part. Most of the stories don’t have it and no discribe of the cape. Color, length, closure, neckstrip, chair pumped up. I love to read how the client is being prepared and captured by the cape and chair.
I also love forced stories of young women or girls and love feminization. And for myself I love haircuts but not shaving. Love pixie amd bob styles but no bald heads.

[Shroudedone]

I love stories of women’s transformation to be progressive,but a haircut needs to be long to smooth-bald,pretty much,for the best dramatic impact.(The reverse of Stef…bald heads yes,pixie and bob NO unless ephemeral stages on the road to shiny scalp).

I want the central woman to be willing at every stage of her transformation even if the stages go far beyond what she would have agreed to when she started.
I don’t want her to be unhappy or have any character who has acted with malice toward her escape punishment.

[Author]

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