Need help with character development for erotic short story collection.?

Question

I am writing a collection of short erotic stories. All of the characters in the story are in the same town, and the stories could intertwine with each other into a larger story. One in particular will force/coerce many of the characters into participating in various acts, some taboo, immoral, or possibly illegal. Some characters will be willing to fall into his desires, but others may find it a bit shocking and will need to learn to enjoy the acts. This one controlling character (male) will need to have sufficient power/prestige to have 'bought' the police and have powerful connections, such that he would a) have little fear of being arrested, and b) could keep people from leaving the town by destroying them with rumors, imprisoning them, etc if they did. Given this, what ideas do you have for a background for this character? How did he get this power? Does a specific image come to your minds for how he should look? What kind of job do you see him in?

Answer 1

I agree with Maryn. This is a personal choice for you to make. However, I will offer a suggestion. Have you ever read Naked Came the Stranger? It is a very unusual book, circa 60's. It was allegedly written by one Penelope Ashe. It later turned out that a collection of reporters from Newsday on Long Island New York sat down over drinks one day lamenting over the quality of fiction on the market at the time - specifically the Jacqueline Suzann type stuff. They decided to write a book - the challenge being to write the worst book of all time. Each wrote a chapter and the chapters were combined into one book. The plot is similar to what you are doing in that it revolves around the people in the same Long Island neighborhood. In this case, the dominant person is a female. You might read the book to get some ideas. You might also research (yes I said research!!) sado-masocism and the Dominant/submissive relationship. There are many websites where you can get information. I have written about this subject myself and conducted dozens of interviews with people involved in alternative lifestyles to really delve into the mindset. This will help you a great deal. Quite honestly, his appearance and occupation would be probably quite unassuming - someone you wouldn't expect to have that kind of power over another person. In these lifestyles, that is quite common. Do your research. It is out there. This is not a subject you can write about without a significant amount of homework. It isn't about the various "acts", it is about the willingness of one person to give themselves over to another - what is called a "power exchange". You need to learn about it or quite honestly the book will fall flat on its face. There are more people than you can possibly imagine out there who are quite aware of these lifestyles and understand the details intimately. If you don't understand them with that degree of knowledge, it is going to come off sounding amateur and silly. Believe me, I have read many such things and there are literally laughable. Study your subject my friend. I will not post websites here due to the minors who chat here (it is against Yahoo guidelines) but if you e mail me, I will get you started on the road with a couple excellent sites.

Pax-C

Answer 2

Coming up with character is the author's job, and you won't be able to create a good one by committee.

I suppose his power could emanate from information he possesses which could be used to blackmail anyone and everyone.