This may seem odd-replying to myself but in fact this exactly what this is about.
I have chatted in the chatroom for a little over a week and have enjoyed it up to a point. I now understand me more clearly and have come to realise that I need to communicate on more levels than an exchange of words as a "talking" medium.
Writing stories is different as there is time to build character, emotion and so on. It is understood that it is one-way feed and no instant feed-back is possible or expected.
I can now understand how life-stylers can appear to look down on the chatroom. If I seem to be doing so it's my problem and not that of people who enjoy chatting.I envy you the commaradarie that you so clearly have built up and regret that I do lack the ability to participate.
I believe that it may come down to one important factor. That is the lack of body language.
I find the greatest thrill in watching my wife's eyes as we play. She assumes an expression that I am not equipped to describe in words. She takes my breath away. She captivates me. She turns me on so powerfully.Words in this situation are inadequate.
I do write poetry. Poems can portray more emotion than stories but it's such an individual reaction and unless one is a T.S. Eliot or a Shakespeare with a genius above that of most of us, still not good enough to capture the intense excitement of physical interaction.
BDSM is about how one reacts to stimulii. My stories in this genre are not deep and meaningful. My subs cannot be bound and spanked then turn to their Master and profess undying love as that is inappropriate. I try to express certain emotions but more than that try to convey the animal sexuality of the experience.
Perhaps at this point you could accuse me of lacking imagination.
This is not so. I can see an erotic picture and be away on an erotic journey. I read BDSM stories and sit there with the tissues handy (don't laugh-we've all done it!)
Qmoq posed the question of snobbery by lifestylers to milder onliners.
I would like to think that I've gone a small way to discovering why this is.
I'll close by thanking those chatroom people who made me so very, very welcome.
Contrary to how my bowing out of chatting may appear I did enjoy those long hours of amusement and I would say to anybody thinking of trying the chatroom to do so.
It's amazing what you learn.