Stories within Stories
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SlaveMasterUK
Really Really Experienced
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- Jan 4, 2003
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TheEarl said:
pmsl! you're not wrong there!
Actually I didn't think Inversions was too difficult, it did kinda make sense, there are loads of possible answers to the ending; I am tempted to think 'culture agent'. I loved the whole universe in which it was set!
If you want confusing, try Feersum Endjinn! That I simply did not understand... Use of Weapons has an exceptionally good twist ending that doesn't require any hard thought to understand because for once it's written there for you.
ax
gauchecritic
When there are grey skies
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I often (and often unforgiveably) include what I term asides, sometimes as history or previous knowledge and which I suppose are very short (half a dozen paras or so) stories in their own right.
The characters are already there, the situations are explanatory to the 'plot' usually and they let me get to yet another sex scene really quickly.
They tend to serve as distractions or 'builders'. I like 'em.
Gauche
The characters are already there, the situations are explanatory to the 'plot' usually and they let me get to yet another sex scene really quickly.
They tend to serve as distractions or 'builders'. I like 'em.
Gauche
Lauren Hynde
Hitched
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I read a book, maybe one year ago, called The Fermata, by Nicholson Baker. The narrator of this novel (written as if an autobiography) had the innate ability to freeze time, and one of the things he did while the rest of the world stayed still was write erotic short stories. He called himself a literoti. (Ah, now you're beginning to relate to this guy, aren't you?) 
His modus operandi was, after finding a woman he was attracted to, freezing time in order to write the story and put it in a place where she would find it (once he burried it where a woman was mindlessly playing with the sand on a beach, while sunbathing; another time, he recorded the story and switched the audio tapes in another woman's car). He would then observed from a distance (or froze time again to take a closer look) for the women's reactions to his words. Instant feedback. How many of you wouldn't like to give that a try?
In this context, the inclusion of these stories didn't distract from the bigger story, and actually enhanced it a lot. Of course that a big part of this has to do with the relative importance and extension of each storyline. In this case, the novel was 300 pages long (18 chapters) and each of the two stories within it was a chapter with 14 and 30 pages.
I can see this format working perfectly on an Erotic Horror story, for example, if the author could avoid the clichés.
His modus operandi was, after finding a woman he was attracted to, freezing time in order to write the story and put it in a place where she would find it (once he burried it where a woman was mindlessly playing with the sand on a beach, while sunbathing; another time, he recorded the story and switched the audio tapes in another woman's car). He would then observed from a distance (or froze time again to take a closer look) for the women's reactions to his words. Instant feedback. How many of you wouldn't like to give that a try?
In this context, the inclusion of these stories didn't distract from the bigger story, and actually enhanced it a lot. Of course that a big part of this has to do with the relative importance and extension of each storyline. In this case, the novel was 300 pages long (18 chapters) and each of the two stories within it was a chapter with 14 and 30 pages.
I can see this format working perfectly on an Erotic Horror story, for example, if the author could avoid the clichés.
Quasimodem
Literotica Guru
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- Jun 30, 2001
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One of the most obvious recent cases of a story within a story would be "The Princess Bride." 
Like most other effects, it works well, if you can carry it off.
Like most other effects, it works well, if you can carry it off.
Octavian
Literotica Guru
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I used this in my one serious story, framing the main part with a prologue and an epilogue.
The main reason was that it served as an effective means of bringing the story to a proper conclusion.
It seemed to work too, because a number of people have written to me saying how much they liked the ending.
Octavian
My Stories
“Encase your majestic tree of manhood in the sublimely soft wondrous wet hallowed depths of my body,” she implored.
“Oh,” he replied, “you mean you wanna fuck!”
The main reason was that it served as an effective means of bringing the story to a proper conclusion.
It seemed to work too, because a number of people have written to me saying how much they liked the ending.
Octavian
My Stories
“Encase your majestic tree of manhood in the sublimely soft wondrous wet hallowed depths of my body,” she implored.
“Oh,” he replied, “you mean you wanna fuck!”
Uther_Pendragon
Really Really Experienced
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- Oct 5, 2001
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I think it can be done well. It also can be done poorly.
Actually, there are several stages. The first is what
I call a "frame."
The frame of my "Duty" was a visit by a Yank to the office
of a senior military officer of a country in Central
America. The visit is barely mentioned, during it,
however, the officer tells the visitor the story.
Then there is the other extreme where the story within is
less important than the main story. In *Heart Ball," I
had the main male's parents recall several events from
their past together. All the sex in "Perchance to Dream"
was set in the story's past. (I should post that on Lit
sometime; all the others involve underage people.)
There's lots you can do. "Berries" was mostly a story
by a man to entertain a girl he was sleeping with.
Actually, there are several stages. The first is what
I call a "frame."
The frame of my "Duty" was a visit by a Yank to the office
of a senior military officer of a country in Central
America. The visit is barely mentioned, during it,
however, the officer tells the visitor the story.
Then there is the other extreme where the story within is
less important than the main story. In *Heart Ball," I
had the main male's parents recall several events from
their past together. All the sex in "Perchance to Dream"
was set in the story's past. (I should post that on Lit
sometime; all the others involve underage people.)
There's lots you can do. "Berries" was mostly a story
by a man to entertain a girl he was sleeping with.
