I heartily endorse every word of this thoughtful article about the multiple facilities of the LSF, albeit my juices stew in a slightly different manner to that of the esteemed authoress! Thank you, Gail - an encomium that I'm sure would have earned you a double gold star from the UGH Headmistress.

Yes indeed, the perfect article to introduce "the library" to newcomers, and to remind the rest of us how fortunate we are to enjoy it.

The LSF certainly is a great place indeed and I am sure will most definitely stand the test of time. Thank you Gail for such a well written introductory article to the site.

You have captured the essence of the LSF perfectly, Gail. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you so beautifully said!

The Headmistress would have had no choice but to deliver a treble-E repot on Gail's well done-out dissertation ....

Excellent Erudite Essay!

Gail is right - this is without a doubt the best place to be if you want to try your hand at writing spank-fiction. She describes so well the support you can expect to find in this community.

Whew! This is a primer on everything you ever wanted to know about writing. We who loved to write in school received feedback only from the English teacher, but here, we write for the community and hundreds read it and 10 to 20 will give us feedback. What a gentle process for building confidence in a budding author. Each time I welcome a new author, I write the phase I know to be true. "Welcome to the library, you are gonna love it here."
Islandcarol

A great article with plenty of good advice about the LSF. Thank you for writing.

Before the LSF, the internet was a cold and empty place for the spanko author. There were various forums and the like, but you were lucky if you ever got so much as a comment or two on any of your posts, ever, and the general atmosphere in most of them was not encouraging. Even three years ago, before the mandatory comments rule, the LSF admins and user culture encouraged feedback and interactivity, to the point where I quickly gave up on all the other sites altogether. Not to mention the features, the presentation, the infrastructure...

A massive and overdue thanks from me to Februs, Flopsy, Pink, and everyone else who helped make this place happen.

Well written Gail, you caught a lot of my own sentiments about this site. I truly value this place for all that it offers to me as a person and a kinky one at that. I write stories and comment on many, but in no way does my effort even come close to repaying this site for what it has done for me.

I never ever thought in my life time my stories were good enough to be anywhere except the trash bucket, but with help from the admins and a few others from all over the world I have a few stories on site. I have got comments and people reading my stories way beyond what my imagination ever thought was possible.

This site is a true haven for people with our shared interests. Thanks for sharing Gail.

Gail, this was fantastic. When I welcome a new author Flopsy has introduced in the forum my line is "Welcome to the LSF, enjoy the stories and all the company." Your article says that in some many more words. There is a lot of company here at the LSF, and it's a learning place as well as a library of spanking fiction. Your article spells that out quite well.

Quote:
At a higher level, there are the comments that call out a particular phrase, or remark on a character or the plot. They show that the reader has internalized the work; absorbed it and received more value than just getting the evening entertainment.
Unquote

This is so true. I always say, if you can make a reader mad or even furious at one of the characters, you've done your job. It's all fiction, but the sense of 'it might be one day a reality' can drive a person to dislike a character. Yet, we're right back to reading about this person all over again. Can't help it. It's TTWD.

For someone who has written spanking stories since a boy in high school but never posted one anywhere, finding the LSF has given me so much. I found the internet very late in life(less than 10 years ago) and it began as a treasure trove, I thought, when I only had magazines that were fiendishly expensive and hard to find before. I've since become more knowledgeable, for want of a better word, about the stories I seek out and find on the Web and discovering the LSF was just amazing...and it still is.
I found it and tried to just read everything, selfishly before I was gently persuaded that it should be a 2-way process and I have found more confidence in myself through adding comments to a story I've just enjoyed. I have also been excited at getting responses back from authors I have been in awe of, thanking me for my comments. I'm still too scared to put any of my own writing here, even if I knew how to do it, but maybe one day I'll take the plunge....as long as the LSF is still here to keep up my confidence. Thank you.

You said many of the things I've often thought about the LSF. I encourage anyone with an interest in this genre to visit and enjoy. I was recruited when Februs started the site up, I used to frequent another site and I can say categorically that the LSF knocks any other similar site into a cocked hat and it is one of the most enjoyable, welcoming and encouraging internet communities that I have ever been a member of.

I couldn't agree more. What's more, the Library is almost entirely free of the mean sectarianism and niggling undermining so common on other sites whatever the subject (and yes, I do include some spanking sites). It's also genuinely international (though with an unavoidable English-speaking bias). I compare with so-called international sites where Americans yell about (sorry:discuss) American politics or religious/social divisive issues repeatedly despite the site not being about politics and in the apparent ignorance that non-Americans exist and are not always interested in internal American disputes. Instead we have good-natured joshing about which game is the real football.

I've learnt a lot by posting here and from comments.

Now, Gail, you've given me an idea for a story, only the age thing could be a problem. Writing as a punishment at school? Young man (still at school) has a thing about his beautiful female teacher and particularly her bottom. She catches him sketching it. She puts him in detention. She is in charge of the detention. He's the only student being punished. She sets him a subject to write on - her bottom (or spanking it).

Well said! You have really touched on all of the factors that make this such a professional, high-quality, friendly, supportive and enjoyable place to be. And did I mention that it's all for FREE? Oh yes, I forgot...YOU already said it quite eloquently. Great article, gail!!

Although I have been a member for a few months, it is only recently that I have found this part of LSF.

This piece about budding writers expresses my thoughts perfectly.

It means a lot to a new member when a comment is acknowledged by the author. It is part of the friendly welcome, and then the encouragement from several people that I should try writing.

There were even offers to be a mentor to me, to review my grammar in English and to GIVE CORRECTIONS (of my grammar faults, I hope !).

I agree with everything that Gail has to say in her article. I started writing spanking fiction because I saw some of he stuff on a.s.s/s.s.s and spanko and realized that I could write one just as well as any and better than some.

The quality of the writing here is very good and encourages me to be better as well. I find that I pick up a lot of pointers from some of the authors here. I think I am a better writer for my involvement here.