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Disappointing

kurrginatorX

kurrginatorX

Literotica Guru
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Posts
15,384
I know, as a rule, we are not to place too much emphasis on a story's ratings, yet there are times I will submit something thinking that it will be one of my highest rated stories ever only to see it stays at the 4.00 mark. I'm not complaining, more just wondering if it is fickleness of the readers or if a batch of new readers comes along that outweighs my regular followers and don't find the story too attractive. It could be any number of things, I know, therefore to speculate would be a dead-end vocation. I do what I always do, though, and write another and submit it. I currently have 20 "Hot" of the 69 I have submitted, so I'm happy with that.
 
kurrginatorX said:
I know, as a rule, we are not to place too much emphasis on a story's ratings, yet there are times I will submit something thinking that it will be one of my highest rated stories ever only to see it stays at the 4.00 mark. I'm not complaining, more just wondering if it is fickleness of the readers or if a batch of new readers comes along that outweighs my regular followers and don't find the story too attractive. It could be any number of things, I know, therefore to speculate would be a dead-end vocation. I do what I always do, though, and write another and submit it. I currently have 20 "Hot" of the 69 I have submitted, so I'm happy with that.
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I get you. It can be so maddening and frustrating.
I know I complained about this already in another forum, but my latest chapter of my current series pretty much seems to be overlooked.
I really expected some people to love what's happening, some to hate it and be pissed, but instead it seemed no one even cared one way or another.

And I am impressed by your 69 submitted stories! It takes me forever to write, reread, edit, rewrite, and submit so I have like 16 stories here.
But I get so sad when any of them go under 4.5. To me anything under that is shit and needs to be destroyed, but I truly am my own worst critic. And it's not even that they lose the red H, it just seems to me that anything under that number means it's really badly written, or the plot is shit, or something along those lines.
 
My latest short story was posted a few days ago. For the first day, it had a perfect 5 score. And then the one bombers arrived and it was down in the weeds of the 3-point-something. Now it is working its way back up. However, I don't discount the possibility that the one-bombers will return. Such is Lit. :)
 
Very likely most professional writers, say Steven King, don't publish something thinking it will get mediocre reviews. Most movies are not released with the expectation that they will bomb. But readers and movie audiences are composed of individuals, and an aggregate of their opinions may have a very different shape than the individual author envisioned.

Not all 5-star votes are necessarily deserved. Not all 1-bombs are undeserved. The votes are from individuals who may have very different opinions from the author. Aggregates rarely measure what you think they measure.

I've never read any of your stories. Be happy that someone did. That's not a trivial thing.

rj
 
Try loving wives where they all tank because of the faction wars.

The ones I have left voting on are hovering around 3.xx somewhere.
 
Check your scores very early on the first of each month. Monthly sweeps are ran and the scores are probably the most accurate at that time.

Something else I've noticed over the years is that views, votes, comments, and favorites all slow down from November through January. The holiday season I guess.
 
kurrginatorX said:
Consider yourself invited: https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=3938682&page=submissions
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Thanks. The main category you write for answers why I haven't read them in the past. I also tend to skip the GM and BDSM aisles. I'll try the two Humor stories, though.

Having not read any of your stories, I won't suggest why you post so many stories in Incest/Taboo. It's well-known for being a favorite of authors who write primarily to collect red H's. The readers suck up anything that panders to their fetish.

I'd like to invite you to post something interesting and innovative in Loving Wives. Forget what most of the naysayers on AH say about it. They don't post there and are mainly just talking out their ass. It's a tough audience, but there are a number of Lit authors who consistently write good stories there. Good stories are rewarded. Poor stories are savaged. Why not try your luck?

rj
 
rjordan said:
Thanks. The main category you write for answers why I haven't read them in the past. I also tend to skip the GM and BDSM aisles. I'll try the two Humor stories, though.

Having not read any of your stories, I won't suggest why you post so many stories in Incest/Taboo. It's well-known for being a favorite of authors who write primarily to collect red H's. The readers suck up anything that panders to their fetish.

I'd like to invite you to post something interesting and innovative in Loving Wives. Forget what most of the naysayers on AH say about it. They don't post there and are mainly just talking out their ass. It's a tough audience, but there are a number of Lit authors who consistently write good stories there. Good stories are rewarded. Poor stories are savaged. Why not try your luck?

rj
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I have several stories in LW. Mind telling me why they have all been savaged? From what i see, unless you pander to one set of trolls or both, all stories are trashed from the get go.
 
TxRad said:
I have several stories in LW. Mind telling me why they have all been savaged? From what i see, unless you pander to one set of trolls or both, all stories are trashed from the get go.
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Ditto. I found the sentences you highlighted in your quote way out of whack. I think my last LW story (in sr71plt) is a perfectly good story. But it was trashed, including by some who don't know what the hell they're talking about, and sits at a 2.73.
 
kurrginatorX said:
I know, as a rule, we are not to place too much emphasis on a story's ratings, yet there are times I will submit something thinking that it will be one of my highest rated stories ever only to see it stays at the 4.00 mark.
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I had one story that I'd convinced myself was just plain great. I remember telling Lynn that it should earn the Pulitzer Prize for Porn. Folks didn't agree with me.

It makes me fret whenever stories come in with ratings under my expectation. There's usually little to go on when you want to know why. I've studied the stories, I've asked people to read and comment, I've asked for advice, and in most cases I've eventually come up with an explanation that settles my stomach.

Without going into details, these are the explanations I've concocted:

Lowest: The story was dead from the start. I put it into the wrong category, and things didn't improve even after it was moved because I dodged the hardcore part.

Next 2: My first two stories on Lit. They were exercises for me, and too short for the readers.

Next 2: They were stand-alone stories, but part of a series of four very similar stories. The other two were successful. I know one has a milquetoast male character and that's probably the problem. The other, I'm told, fell between the cracks in it's category. The sex scenes were too short for the strokers and the story wasn't long enough or romantic enough for the rest.

Sixth and last: This was the one I thought was so great, but it just isn't very hot. It has a non-erotic diversion in the middle of the story, and the story ends a mom/son relationship. Never end a mom/son relationship.
 
KeithD said:
Ditto. I found the sentences you highlighted in your quote way out of whack. I think my last LW story (in sr71plt) is a perfectly good story. But it was trashed, including by some who don't know what the hell they're talking about, and sits at a 2.73.
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Keith/SR, for some reason this gives me hope :eek:
 
NotWise said:
I had one story that I'd convinced myself was just plain great. I remember telling Lynn that it should earn the Pulitzer Prize for Porn. Folks didn't agree with me.

It makes me fret whenever stories come in with ratings under my expectation. There's usually little to go on when you want to know why. I've studied the stories, I've asked people to read and comment, I've asked for advice, and in most cases I've eventually come up with an explanation that settles my stomach.

Without going into details, these are the explanations I've concocted:

Lowest: The story was dead from the start. I put it into the wrong category, and things didn't improve even after it was moved because I dodged the hardcore part.

Next 2: My first two stories on Lit. They were exercises for me, and too short for the readers.

Next 2: They were stand-alone stories, but part of a series of four very similar stories. The other two were successful. I know one has a milquetoast male character and that's probably the problem. The other, I'm told, fell between the cracks in it's category. The sex scenes were too short for the strokers and the story wasn't long enough or romantic enough for the rest.

Sixth and last: This was the one I thought was so great, but it just isn't very hot. It has a non-erotic diversion in the middle of the story, and the story ends a mom/son relationship. Never end a mom/son relationship.
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I fear I may be flirting around just such a thing as you're # 6. It's a western, which I think needs to be realistic and accurate in details...it's a slow build love story, so it should probably be in the Romance category...but it's a gay love story, so I'll have to either go Gay Male and watch it sink amidst yawns and boos...or beg Laurel to post another one in Romance for me.

At the moment, I'm still in that; 'I'm writing for me' mindset...but I know I'll want it to do well :confused: Yes, I admit it! I'm weak and need the validation :eek:
 
yukonnights said:
I fear I may be flirting around just such a thing as you're # 6. It's a western, which I think needs to be realistic and accurate in details...it's a slow build love story, so it should probably be in the Romance category...but it's a gay love story, so I'll have to either go Gay Male and watch it sink amidst yawns and boos...or beg Laurel to post another one in Romance for me.
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Do GM romances do well in Romance? I know that a couple years ago one was posted in Romance for the Valentine's Day story and was bombed until Laurel moved it to GM. After the sweeps, that story beat me out of 2nd place.
 
NotWise said:
Do GM romances do well in Romance? I know that a couple years ago one was posted in Romance for the Valentine's Day story and was bombed until Laurel moved it to GM. After the sweeps, that story beat me out of 2nd place.
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I don't know about Gay Male specifically (but may find out soon). The one I asked to be placed there was a Transgender themed piece for an April Fools Day contest. I think the main issue is the "hot parts". It seems that if they are written with sensitivity and w/o too much hyperbolic phasing and in a more loving way, that would be the key. In the case of the transgender story, I think it's my highest rated effort...I haven't checked in awhile.

ETA: I also think a big key point is; they need to be more of a complete short story that could stand on it's own w/o any erotic parts.
 
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NotWise said:
Do GM romances do well in Romance? I know that a couple years ago one was posted in Romance for the Valentine's Day story and was bombed until Laurel moved it to GM. After the sweeps, that story beat me out of 2nd place.
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I think GM romances do just fine in GM. (My coauthored one won the Valentine's Day contest this year.) I don't write many GM romances, but when I do, they are probably better received than other genres are here, in GM. A large percentage of GM authors are women and a large percentage of women who read GM appear, in my experience, to prefer romances and happy endings. I was scratching my head over the supposition that romance wouldn't do well in GM.
 
KeithD said:
I think GM romances do just fine in GM. (My coauthored one won the Valentine's Day contest this year.) I don't write many GM romances, but when I do, they are probably better received than other genres are here, in GM. A large percentage of GM authors are women and a large percentage of women who read GM appear, in my experience, to prefer romances and happy endings. I was scratching my head over the supposition that romance wouldn't do well in GM.
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Thanks for the info, that will help a lot when it comes time to decide on this next one I'm into. Question; Did you need to include a note on submission to get it placed there...or just select it on the submission page? I was thinking it might be moved to GM w/o the request.
 
yukonnights said:
Thanks for the info, that will help a lot when it comes time to decide on this next one I'm into. Question; Did you need to include a note on submission to get it placed there...or just select it on the submission page? I was thinking it might be moved to GM w/o the request.
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I just select the category I want when I submit it--and then leave the final decision to Laurel.
 
I long ago gave up trying to guess which of my stories would get great scores and which wouldn't. My guesses were very rarely correct, either way.
 
FEELINGLUCKYPUNK said:
I contend most of us know when our wares suck. Fuck the reader.
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I know for some of them, but mostly in retrospect. I can write absolute crap too easily.

Some that I think are no more than passable seem to be liked; some that I like can be very unpopular; but there are a very few that I think were my best and the readers agree.
 
My first post (placed in LW) was also ravaged from the get-go. A suggestion offered on another thread was that I made a mistake placing it in Tribal Wars arena of LW and that it might have done better to appear in Erotic Couplings.

I have another chapter almost ready, but I'm not going to willingly throw my second child to the trolls.

Is it considered OK to either (1) have the initial installment moved from LW to Erotic Couplings and then place the others there, OR (2) ask it to be removed from LW, wait a few days, re-title it and submit to Erotic Couplings?
 
luvtolickclit said:
Is it considered OK to either (1) have the initial installment moved from LW to Erotic Couplings and then place the others there, OR (2) ask it to be removed from LW, wait a few days, re-title it and submit to Erotic Couplings?
Click to expand...
Reubmit your first story with exactly the same title and the word EDIT added, put a note in the Notes to Editor box, asking for a category change. That way, your existing story history is kept, which would give you a handy baseline for seeing any change in reception - except that the story won't be flagged as a new one. In the note, advise Laurel that you have a Part 2 following on.

Once it's been re-categorised, submit your Part 2, and Laurel will join them together - just make sure it's the same primary title with Ch.02 added. Use the 02 numbering format just in case you get to chapter 10, so everything stays in the right order.

Remember also that you can house-keep the comments - you could delete the inane commentary if you wanted to.
 
When I post a story, I keep in mind who my target audience is. Most categories have some type of picky reader.

I post stories in Sci-F, Non Human, & Transgender. All of my stories have Transgender characters because, well, that’s a huge part of who I am. That said, I don’t write over-the-top fantasy stories, magical transformation stories, forced femininization stories, or bring in elements of incest. My stories are rooted in reality, based on personal experience and relatable. If anyone is looking for elements/themes I listed above come across my stories, no matter how well written it is, chances are their comments/votes are going to reflect that. That’s just the way it is on Lit.

Honestly, I can’t stand reading Stephen King, but I respect the fact he didn’t give up or give in. I write what I love to read.

So, bottom line, if I want different ratings, I’d first have to change my target audience, considering I’m somewhat of a decent writer/story teller.

🌹Kant👠👠👠
 
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