Hello! I have wanted to make this thread for while but never found the time, until now apparently. As a newbie author here, I have found this site to be an unusually friendly and inspirational place, and I’m constantly impressed by the quality of writing and the imagination on display.
There are so many very talented, popular and established writers I admire on this site, but this thread isn’t about them.
One thing I’ve found the more I explore is how many lesser known (at least based on the likes/views I notice) but extremely impressive works there are on CHYOA. So, I wanted to make a place for people to talk up their favourite stories and/or authors who maybe aren’t as well known, or who you think should just be celebrated more than they are.
For me, I wanted to get this topic started with the best example I can think of: https://chyoa.com/user/QueerKestrel
BDSM isn’t a genre I would normally click on, and I’m not 100% sure I remember why I tried QueerKestrel’s story “Secret Masochist”, but I am so glad I did. The thing that impressed me the most about QK’s work was the ability to put me in the head of a character completely unlike me who was undergoing an inner conflict and personal change beyond anything I could imagine, but did it so well I couldn’t get enough. In my favourite thread, the protagonist RC has to go see a prof she hates about her failing grade, and ends up in a psychosexual tutoring that makes her doubt some of the core beliefs she had about herself.
https://chyoa.com/story/Secret-Masochist.19927
For me as a writer, this work made me re-evaluate how I write the inner struggle of my characters and how I can best demonstrate a narrator’s conflicted or changing mindset. That’s just good fucking writing IMO.
But instead of making this all about how much I like this one particular story, I’d love to hear what other people think. What authors do you think should get more shine? What perhaps less popular genres on CHYOA have exceptional work that should be more widely read? What other imaginative and well crafted stories are out there that I haven’t seen before that I shouldshamelessly crib find inspiration from?
There are so many very talented, popular and established writers I admire on this site, but this thread isn’t about them.
For me, I wanted to get this topic started with the best example I can think of: https://chyoa.com/user/QueerKestrel
BDSM isn’t a genre I would normally click on, and I’m not 100% sure I remember why I tried QueerKestrel’s story “Secret Masochist”, but I am so glad I did. The thing that impressed me the most about QK’s work was the ability to put me in the head of a character completely unlike me who was undergoing an inner conflict and personal change beyond anything I could imagine, but did it so well I couldn’t get enough. In my favourite thread, the protagonist RC has to go see a prof she hates about her failing grade, and ends up in a psychosexual tutoring that makes her doubt some of the core beliefs she had about herself.
https://chyoa.com/story/Secret-Masochist.19927
How do I feel? The question makes your cheeks burn red hot. You feel confused and ashamed and excited all at once. You feel proud that you were able to endure the punishment from Mr. Peterson. Remembering the small smile he gave you, you feel an intense need to... please him? What the fuck? More than anything, though, you feel like your pussy is on fire.
How can you tell him any of this? Just thinking it makes you sick with embarrassment. Your least favorite teacher just hit you with a stick, and now your panties are soaked. It doesn't make any sense.
For me as a writer, this work made me re-evaluate how I write the inner struggle of my characters and how I can best demonstrate a narrator’s conflicted or changing mindset. That’s just good fucking writing IMO.
But instead of making this all about how much I like this one particular story, I’d love to hear what other people think. What authors do you think should get more shine? What perhaps less popular genres on CHYOA have exceptional work that should be more widely read? What other imaginative and well crafted stories are out there that I haven’t seen before that I should