A few authors have shared how they use personal experiences as catalyst for some of their stories. What better way to test this notion than to dig into the past and try something different. Took a look into the distant past and dug up a memory that seemed to have a lot of potential for a story.

The Ladder That Traumatized

While walking to work and nursing the idea of maturing a personal memory, the concept of making a scary story grew in intensity. What if, instead of a romantic twist, it was really a scary story about fear. Cliche, sure. Silly, maybe. Interesting, definitely.

At the time of pulling this concept, which will be revealed shortly, there was a fear of sticking to one genre only and becoming type cast for that genre of writing. Becoming known just as a BDSM-flirt of a writer didn’t feel like the right thing to do this early in the blog’s life.

Well, the images grew and the scope of the concept captivated the imagination. Why not try something… different… and lean into the fear a bit more.

The Ladder

The title of the story may not grab a lot of attention, as it’s not the most creative of titles. “When Ladders Traumatize” could have been massaged a bit more and made more appealing.

Most people have some understanding of how ladders mixed with the fear of heights creates a lot of tension worth exploring in fiction. How that is linked into the world of kinky play is not very clear… nor was it meant to be.

In the distant past, ladders have created a lot of stress. Notably standing on a very old shaky ladder that was too short for the job. However, seeing professionals work their ladders is a thing of beauty. Just look at any demonstration of your local fire department.

In this particular story, the ladder is the anchor point for a romantic twist that keeps the main character from getting the girl he was dreaming of.

The ladder posed not only bad luck but got in the way figuratively and literally speaking. Strange things and stranger thoughts revolved around that ladder.

Won’t give the whole story away here in this introductory table of content post. All you need to know is that the young man got really close to getting his dream date but instead got a bit more than he bargained for.

For the record, the author (me) found the memory quite hilarious and impressed himself with the way the story matured into more than anything imagined on the drawing board.

The Characters

Bret is the lovely talented scholar nerd who thinks he has a shot at dating Zoe. Zoe is a super smart competitive scholar who hates to finish second to anyone.

For some odd reason, these two now are competing head to head for the top seat in an ultra competitive program that will showcase the school and earn it additional funding. There is only room for one student. The second prize is some lame low key event that doesn’t draw any media or money.

Bret sets out to win. Zoe finds out a little secret and takes advantage of it. The struggles Bret endures to ensure his victory pits him against a ladder that nearly ruins his chances of impressing Zoe and ensuring a victory.

Someone gets humiliated and gets the fright of their life. The memories of which haunts them for a time after the competition is over.

Feelings get twisted. Social limits are reached and the sensation of being stalked starts to rise… but… who is really after who?

Plus… there is a bit of hints about a character in the story… for those who read all the way to the end and pick up on the clues…

This and more to play in the chapters of “When Ladders Traumatize”

Here is the portfolio project lists for this story… followed by the expanded table of content

The Initial Ladder Idea

Types: Behind Ladders

Tags: Behind The Scenes, Ladders

Bonus – Behind the Idea

When Ladders Traumatize was based on real life events. What prompted the writer to share this now? Find out inside this post

The Ladder That Traumatized

Types: Series

Tags: Ladders

A series based on real life events… a ladder that left a traumatic memory

The fictional version of the story has the trauma… thank you.

Bret and Zoe are fierce scholarly competitors. There is only one top prize and full ride to college.

Will the events surrounding a ladder ruin college and romance at the same time?

For the list of chapters…

Introducing When Ladders Traumatize - Introductions - Part 1 Zoe is a fierce competitive scholar. Bret is happy go lucky smart guy Somehow, their paths cross. Romance seem ready to bloom, but something goes horribly wrong. Will Karma play a role? Will their competitive ways destroy romance before it even gets a chance?
When Ladders Traumatize Intro Part 2 - Introductions - Part 2 The school board and the principal have some tough choices to make for the coming year. Betty seems to be the only one not stressed about what will be the fate of the principal's choices
When Ladders Traumatize Part 1 - Part 1 - The Story Bret discovers that his top performance does not get him the top earned reward. Zoe gets the gig he was after. Sure, he likes her and thinks she's pretty and all... but... For now, he must get used to the fact he's going on a trip to a mud pit on a farm as a thank you for his hard work. What was up with Bucking Betty though?
When Ladders Traumatize Part 2 - Part 2- The Story Bret, looking for a cool place to escape the drudgery of the mud pit field trip.. finds a cool building with a sweet looking white ladder. As friendly as the staff is, something is really bothering Bret. His tummy rumbles, his thoughts grow weary. Something is off. But what... The weird feeling is proving very distracting. There are so many beautiful women around... he nearly forgets he's attracted to Zoe If only he could figure out what that weird feeling was...
When Ladders Traumatize Part 3 - Part 3 - The Story The gals are teasing him. Bret is sure of this. Why would such beautiful women find him hot while he's in pain? But man were they beautiful. And boy was he in pain. Yet, that white ladder was messing with his head... drawing him... punishing him. Bret felt he was going crazy in a sci-fi vortext. Eventually Bret finds himself inside that mysterious loft. There was a boy in there. The poor fella was scared to death. Also was helpful in getting him away from these overly sexed gals that were all over him on the ladder...
When Ladders Traumatize Part 4 - Part 4 - The Story Something is really wrong. Badly wrong. That boy is not who he appears to be at all. Who is this boy? Why are all the girls only after that mysterious teen in the loft? Bret now needs to figure how to get out of that crawl space. Things are just getting too weird. The pain though. The gals giggling. The boy talking. That S.O.S message . Was it for him? Bret needed answers but he needed to escape more than anything. Especially with this massive amount of pain wrecking his body, survival depended on his ability to escape. But how?
When Ladders Traumatize Part 5 - Part 5 - The Story Just when Bret thinks his nightmare is over, it is not. The boy-ish thing is following him everywhere. Popping up in the worse places. Bret feels like he's fighting for his life while the girl is flirting mercilessly with him. Is he losing his mind? And will he ever get out of this mess? Will he ever get a chance to hold Zoe close again? The reach of that boy-ish thing is hellbent on keeping him in agony, no matter how much Bret fights. Worse, it's night time and everything seems a threat.
Epilogue of Ladders - Epilogue - When Ladders Traumatize Bret, now older, discovers that Zoe has feelings... But, what do these feelings mean? Where does this White Ladder really fit into this story? Will these questions get answered? More importantly, will Bret have his way with Zoe the way he's always fantasized? Is this the end??