MacGreg

Excellent post, Mike! You hit the nail on the head about the slow journey and the diversity of D/s. That can't be stressed enough. If no two people are the same, how can D/s play out the same between them? How can timelines be the same? I've often had to modify my methods. That's why listening, communication, experimentation and intuition are so vital between Dom(me) and sub(s). You do have a special boy in tim. We all recognize it and admire it. But, like you said, he wasn't made a perfect boy overnight. And us Doms are far from perfection, too. D/s relationships are similar to vanilla relationships - they need constant care. In fact, I believe they need even extra care. I look forward to hearing more from you!

Hmm, why did it post twice...?

Excellent! We need more Mike blogs. Open, honest discussions like these are healthy.

Yeah, I'm not an over-confident a-hole in my pickup. Slow, steady and patient is a good philosophy about many things!

Damn, it's really snowing hard now. Think I'll just stay put in the office.

There's a pic of the green hair in my photos. That's it.

Another great AAA installment, Carlos! I enjoy learning more about authors and their motivations, some whom I'm familiar with and some I need to become familiar with. So many great answers! I like hearing how authors put heart and soul into their writing. (As for why I once had green hair... I also once had a mohawk... and no hair... but that's careening off the AAA page.)

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right? Thanks for reading and sharing your personal experience with bridging that distance, Thorn.

Discourteous a-hole.

I deal with contractors like that. Sometimes homeowners, too.

Rude as f*ck.

Glad you read and liked the Lessons, c081huang.

Putting out a few fires. How about you?

I think all POV styles can be interesting if done well. Most writers tend to fall back on first-person narrative because it's easiest. It's good to experiment, mix up writing styles. I personally prefer third-person when reading, but then I wrote Dissonance in third-person limited, which means we see the story through only one character's viewpoint, although it is not first-person. I did stick one chapter in the middle that is third-person POV from a second character's perspective, and I struggled with whether to include it or not, but the creative flow demanded it, so I kept it in. Writing lately in second-person POV has been an interesting exercise.

Hello and goodbye. I'm taking off from work now.

molly, you're a good girl. Always respectful and faithful, and you don't hesitate to lift up others around you. Thank you for sharing your perspective on these lessons. I hope they do inspire you in the day-to-day.

Thank you, Puppi. I always like hearing from you and appreciate you reading these.

Thank you, my friend. I appreciate you sharing more with me offline. Food for thought.

Perhaps you feel like you know him because there's a bit of him inside you, Thorn. I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on it sometime, if you care to share. At any rate, thank you for reading and commenting about it. There will be more at some point in the future.

Well, they're easy chapters to binge, as they're not very long. My goal is to keep them succinct. In answer to your question about past issues, no, not every sub comes to the table with issues, however there tends to be a pattern of physical need, anxiety, repression, self-doubt that can be assuaged when a sub receives discipline. In this context, discipline does not mean punishment. Discipline is used to guide the sub back to a better frame of mind. As tim said in a comment above, when he's in a negative space, he needs discipline to re-center him. Other subs will likely agree (if those subs feel like chiming in, they are welcome to). Jeffrey, I appreciate you not only taking the time to read the lessons but having an open mind and a willingness to try to understand. That means a lot. Feel free to ask any further questions. Cheers.

Yes, still early in the relationship, Dom and sub figuring one another out, working through challenges, understanding dynamics. Both need to be on the same page. I'm glad you read this and shared your perspective, Reader. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Parker. I rather like that it hypnotized you, however that was not my intention. This lesson is but one moment in time, not meant to be a downer. That boy has come a long way, but he still needs guidance.

I'm liking the 2nd-person style, too. It works well for this kind of writing. As you know, I didn't go into it with the intention of choosing this style - it more or less chose me, as that's how it came out. Thanks for reading and commenting, A. I, too, hope he can find peace.

We know this Life is not only about bedroom play. It involves the day-to-day. In the beginning, even the mundane can be a lesson, depending on the circumstance. I've been accused of being too strict before, but it isn't only about discipline, it's about bringing the sub to a better place, a better mindset. Sometimes, that requires a little TLC, sometimes it requires a more disciplined approach. I tend to lean more towards discipline, because most subs respond better to it. When the effort to obey is present, I'm never disappointed. you're a good boy, tim, and your positive attitude and enthusiasm is always welcome.

Sometimes, you can get them there. Other times, they stumble. Still, we work on them, care for them, waiting for that enlightened moment when it all comes together, like it has for tim. Thanks for reading and commenting, Mike.