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BeginningAuthor

BeginningAuthor

Really Really Experienced
Joined
May 7, 2019
Posts
381
Hi everyone,

I have recently (last weekend) published my first story here in the Romance category. The ratings are around 4.45 and after a week there has been 5100 views.

I'm not getting any comments (good or bad) so I cannot tell how well the story is actually doing. How it compares against others and what I should change in my writing/style/etc. in order to make subsequent stories better.

Any hints on how I can determine what people do or don't like about my story and how I can improve?
 
Congrats on your first story! That's always a leap of faith, so good on you for putting yourself out there.

I read it and will PM you.

Van
 
BeginningAuthor said:
Hi everyone,

I have recently (last weekend) published my first story here in the Romance category. The ratings are around 4.45 and after a week there has been 5100 views.

I'm not getting any comments (good or bad) so I cannot tell how well the story is actually doing. How it compares against others and what I should change in my writing/style/etc. in order to make subsequent stories better.

Any hints on how I can determine what people do or don't like about my story and how I can improve?
Click to expand...
Not much, except write your next story, and don't try to second guess reader reactions. If you want more considered feedback (from writers here) start a thread in the Feedback Forum.

Expect around one vote per by hundred views, one comment per thousand - unless your story is very very good or very very bad ; then you'll get more comments. Right now, you're in the middle of the bell curve.
 
electricblue66 said:
Not much, except write your next story, and don't try to second guess reader reactions. If you want more considered feedback (from writers here) start a thread in the Feedback Forum.

Expect around one vote per by hundred views, one comment per thousand - unless your story is very very good or very very bad ; then you'll get more comments. Right now, you're in the middle of the bell curve.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but with one caveat. Your story is in Romance, where most readers are sane and polite.

If it's just a question of getting comments, Loving Wives has a reputation of bringing buckets of shrieking, personal and nasty invective down on authors, regardless of the merits of the story. As well, the inclusion of some acts is almost guaranteed to bring immediate negative comments, in particular gay male sex anywhere outside of Gay Male and any form of incest in a story anywhere but in Incest/Taboo.

Congratulations on your start. I do hope there is more to follow.
 
BeginningAuthor said:
Hi everyone,

I have recently (last weekend) published my first story here in the Romance category. The ratings are around 4.45 and after a week there has been 5100 views.

I'm not getting any comments (good or bad) so I cannot tell how well the story is actually doing. How it compares against others and what I should change in my writing/style/etc. in order to make subsequent stories better.

Any hints on how I can determine what people do or don't like about my story and how I can improve?
Click to expand...

If you want feedback, post a request in the Feedback Forum with a link to your story. That's a better way of getting meaningful, in depth responses, usually from other authors.

ElectricBlue66's estimate of average comments per views is significantly higher than mine. My stories average far fewer than 1 comment per 1,000 views. So it's not unusual that you would have few to no comments for a story with 5000+ views.

In terms of what's "normal," you have to keep in mind that story readership varies greatly by category. Many incest stories receive far more than 5000 views in a day, and some have over 100,000 views within a week. 5000 views in a little over a week sounds pretty good for a story published in the romance category.
 
I almost never get comments unless a story strikes some sort of chord, which isn’t something I can predict. Maybe others can, but not I. I take what I get and am grateful when the comments happen.

The key, to me, has always been to write what I like and not post anything I wouldn’t want to read myself. That way, the comments don’t really matter. Nor the votes, if you think about it.
 
Comments

BeginningAuthor said:
Hi everyone,

I have recently (last weekend) published my first story here in the Romance category. The ratings are around 4.45 and after a week there has been 5100 views.

I'm not getting any comments (good or bad) so I cannot tell how well the story is actually doing. How it compares against others and what I should change in my writing/style/etc. in order to make subsequent stories better.

Any hints on how I can determine what people do or don't like about my story and how I can improve?
Click to expand...

I see that you have received at least one comment :)

I remember your story. I liked it really well so I'm anxiously wanting for ch 2 (I added you to my Favorite list so I'll know when it's available :)). You write well and very fluently, although I'm not usually fond of reading stories in 1.person - but that's just my opinion so don't put too much weight on that.

As for the numbers of comments, I don't get many either, but I've found that it helps to ask for comments at the end of each chapter. Still, the Romance category is a lot "safer" than many other categories, and you do get more comments there than in Novels & Novellas.
 
Something I have just discovered is I have been getting a lot of email feedback that has been going into SPAM. So you might want to update your spam filters. I have also created a dedicated email address for LIT
 
Thank you everyone

It is nice to receive the positive thoughts, comments, and the constructive criticism I have received here and through PM. I am making a list and will check it twice in the future before posting additional works. :) I have already finished with the 2nd little piece of this story and have submitted it for publication here on Lit. It will probably will read about the same and have the same issues, but moving forward I will improve.

For some reason, but I didn't see the Feedback group until it was mentioned to some of your replies. I'll use that going forward for general feedback.

I will continue to write what I want to read going forward, this is one of the things I like so much about this site - except for a few topics, the audience here is receptive to a large variety of story topics.

Thanks for letting me join your community and I hope you notice my writing improving posting by posting.

All comments and thoughts are always wanted and sometimes welcomed.

Thanks again.
 
I commented on your story, however I did it from mobile so I don't know if it went through, didn't go through, or if it did go through but there's a delay on comments being posted?

Edited for clarity - I liked how you’re using “you” in the flashback parts of your story. It’s something you don’t see often in first-person kind of stories.
 
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PoisonPen33 said:
I commented on your story, however I did it from mobile so I don't know if it went through, didn't go through, or if it did go through but there's a delay on comments being posted?

I like the second person point-of-view. It's very rare to see that in any story, and your use of it...just works. Very "you are there."
Click to expand...

It's actually first person. The narrator uses "I" to describe himself and his point of view, although the story is addressed to another person described using "you." That's first person POV, not second person.

First person: I love you. Or I love him.
Third person: She loves him.
SEcond person: You love him.
 
SimonDoom said:
It's actually first person. The narrator uses "I" to describe himself and his point of view, although the story is addressed to another person described using "you." That's first person POV, not second person.

First person: I love you. Or I love him.
Third person: She loves him.
SEcond person: You love him.
Click to expand...

Ah. I see where I was wrong. Thanks for the explanation!

Edited my initial response for clarity.
 
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I just learnt that feedback gets sent our emails through this thread... i set up an email for this site and never check it haha

Regarding how to see if anyone's actually reading/commenting, I sometimes ask for comments in the story itself and this works. You can ask either at the start or ending of the story.
 
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I'm also in the same boat as you with the comments but I don't mind. I enjoy writing the stories just for the fun of them.

Also, I also recently discovered that feedback from people goes to your email so you might want to check there. I found some helpful feedback from a few stories back haha.

Sorry, I'm not much help! I'm also pretty new to Literotica so we're navigating it all together. :)
 
BeginningAuthor said:
Hi everyone,

I have recently (last weekend) published my first story here in the Romance category. The ratings are around 4.45 and after a week there has been 5100 views.

I'm not getting any comments (good or bad) so I cannot tell how well the story is actually doing. How it compares against others and what I should change in my writing/style/etc. in order to make subsequent stories better.

Any hints on how I can determine what people do or don't like about my story and how I can improve?
Click to expand...

I don't know if your question has been answered or not. I'll give you this. Readers in the Romance section want to read Romances, not just sentimental stories. They'll tolerate a lot of things, but they won't necessarily reward something that doesn't fit in the Romance niche.

So, a small number of views, no comments, and a score that leaves something to be desired probably means that they're being tolerant and polite. They aren't always.

I went through this issue with the category a few years ago, and some of the most respected authors in the category gave me input. A romance starts with a man and a woman (specifically) who don't know each other, but meet and develop a mutual interest in a relationship. They struggle through barriers to make it come true, and in the end they have a happily-ever-after ending.

I haven't read your story, but from the short descriptions, it doesn't sound like a romance. It might be well-accepted in the Mature category where age difference is the norm and (I'm told) sentimental outcomes are rewarded.
 
NotWise said:
It might be well-accepted in the Mature category where age difference is the norm and (I'm told) sentimental outcomes are rewarded.
Click to expand...

They are rewarded. Very much so.

And it doesn’t seem to matter much whether it’s the woman or the man who’s older.
 
Voboy said:
They are rewarded. Very much so.

And it doesn’t seem to matter much whether it’s the woman or the man who’s older.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's an appreciative category. I've got a couple of older man / younger woman stories that did nicely there.
 
NotWise said:
It might be well-accepted in the Mature category where age difference is the norm and (I'm told) sentimental outcomes are rewarded.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for the category information. Is there anyway to change a category once a story is published?

I have the last part of the story up for publication - should I change the category to Mature and see if those readers like it and pick up the first two parts?
 
BeginningAuthor said:
Thanks everyone for the category information. Is there anyway to change a category once a story is published?

I have the last part of the story up for publication - should I change the category to Mature and see if those readers like it and pick up the first two parts?
Click to expand...

I strongly recommend reading this: https://literotica.com/s/love-your-readers-categories

It's the Bible on understanding Literotica categories. It's very useful.
 
purpleeduck said:
I'm also in the same boat as you with the comments but I don't mind. I enjoy writing the stories just for the fun of them.

Also, I also recently discovered that feedback from people goes to your email so you might want to check there. I found some helpful feedback from a few stories back haha.

Sorry, I'm not much help! I'm also pretty new to Literotica so we're navigating it all together. :)
Click to expand...

I have checked my email spam folders - thank you. I guess it is all a learning process and both of us will get it soon.

BTW, I did read your stories and liked them very much. Hope to see more from you in the future.
 
BeginningAuthor said:
Is there anyway to change a category once a story is published?
Click to expand...
Yes. Re-submit the story with 1) EDIT added to the title, 2) your new category selected, and 3) a note to Laurel that you're changing categories. The move might take a week or more. Cheers!
 
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