Same Old Same Old -- Sex and Boredom

I often hear complaints from erotic romance authors that writing sex scenes can become boring. That slot A only fits in slot B in so many ways. As a writer of primarily BDSM I felt lucky hearing these complaints. I figured there were inifinite possibilities beyond the typical vanilla sex that would keep me happily typing forever. But despite the fact I've published only three books, am halfway through a fourth (the sequel to Bound Odyssey) and written two freebie short stories, I've already noticed kinky scene writers fatigue. As I first began writing, making a choice about the types of BDSM play I included in a story was a factor of several things. First, the things that turned me on most. (Duh. I have to write the stuff, so what else should I do?) Second, the things I felt most capable of reliably representing. (Write what you know. Another duh.) Third, the play I thought appealed most to the reading market. Past blogs here have described some unusual kinks, many of which are not widely shared or understood by readers who may have just started their exploration of Dominance and submission in their erotic romance reading choices. And some topics are considered off limits by many erotic romance publishers. Scat play, urine play, age play, enema scenes to name a few (Other specialty publishers or self-published authors do include these topics. I've read some of it in books from high end erotica publishers.) I've written before about the difficulty including long term male chastity in stories when the expectation is of the partners reaching orgasm at some point. Tease and denial does not work in books for the same length of time it works in real life. And there are few cross-dressers featured as heroes in the mainstream BDSM erotic romance I read. The goal is still to write manly male characters, even those who are sexual submissives. Although boundaries are continually pushed in publishing, in any given moment there are limits to what is considered marketable. Given these limits and my own preferences I find it hard to avoid a lot of the same play scene variables in my stories. Although I was gratified to read a comment about the freshness of a scene in Magician's Chains that included some electricity play of the e-stim variety. But my typical short list includes basic bondage, St. Andrew's crosses, spiderwebs, sawhorses, crops, canes, floggers, whips, clamps, plugs, anal sex, oral sex, wax play, tease and masturbation. The list also includes painful spiked cages for male appendages and a variety of penis jewelry. I was recently asked to remove a reference to urethral sounds because they were too unfamiliar to readers. Sigh. Most of my list are respectable, time-honored components of BDSM play. They are nothing to scoff about. But still, I need to watch that I do not become stuck as a writer. Really what makes or breaks a great story scene is the emotional interaction between characters and the author's talent in creating the atmosphere and tension. That is not dependent on unusual toys or fetishes. The same old, same old can be magnificent if we've fallen in love with the heroes and heroines. But the idea of writing about something brand new does provide me with new energy. So what do you think? Do you write or read the same old, same old frequently? Do you ever wish for something new and exotic? What haven't you read about that you wish you could find? Or what old standards do you never tire of? Safe, sane and consensual, Michelle