Benchmarks For Success
- Thread starter Bebop3
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rescatooor
Joke Leaf
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I usually compare the stories' success to each other. The only problem is that some categories have a larger readership than others. It would also seem that sometimes the time a story is published also has an influence on the ratings and view counts. Sometimes I blame the failure attract views on the title and description.
Naturally, if you've already developed an audience these variables are less of a factor.
Naturally, if you've already developed an audience these variables are less of a factor.
NotWise
Desert Rat
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I like to get a response that, along with my own assessment, justifies my level of effort on the story. I don't think that qualifies as a metric. It's too subjective for that.
Hypoxia
doesn't watch television
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I used to go for brownie points -- views, votes, scores, comments. I setup a spreadsheet to follow the metrics. But I stopped caring after a fat one-bombing killed-off many red H's. I haven't written lately, might again sometime soon, but my back-catalog is still read and I still get faves and comments. As long as my Submissions Activity page stays full, I'm happy.
When I do write, I most value views (I grabbed eyeballs) and comments (I provoked responses). Scores mean less to me than knowing I've affected readers, pro or con. YMMV.
When I do write, I most value views (I grabbed eyeballs) and comments (I provoked responses). Scores mean less to me than knowing I've affected readers, pro or con. YMMV.
sr71plt
Literotica Guru
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I've tossed out too many stories to be babysitting for any of them. I know that some of them are more successful than others based on profit from them and reported reads and ratings, but I don't dwell on that very much for individual stories.
ChloeTzang
Literotica Guru
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Goals? For me it's a combination of views, ratings and feedback. I guess I'm new enough to writing to be read that I need that confidence booster the readers actually enjoy my stories. I'm not so hung up on checking the scores as I was a year ago but I still keep an eye on them. When I get as many stories up as Pilot I doubt I'll be worrying about it.
Areala-chan
Really Really Experienced
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Did I finish? Then I consider it a success, no matter how well it performs. 
yukonnights
Literotica Guru
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I think I have more hopes than goals. Of course we all try our best and hope to be well received. But, in the end it is what it is and usually I don't know why one worked better than another. As has been said many times, there are so many factors involved in the scoring that it becomes not as useful as we'd like.
A perfect example is one of my favorite stories; Mountain Man. I know it has touched a few people in a positive way because they wrote to tell me so...and yet it has the second lowest score of all my stories at 4.43. (warning: gay and transgender )
So, no benchmarks really, just a hope it resonates with a few readers. In the end, I write for myself as a hobby. I have lots of hobbies and I'm not really great at any of them...but I still do them
A perfect example is one of my favorite stories; Mountain Man. I know it has touched a few people in a positive way because they wrote to tell me so...and yet it has the second lowest score of all my stories at 4.43. (warning: gay and transgender
)So, no benchmarks really, just a hope it resonates with a few readers. In the end, I write for myself as a hobby. I have lots of hobbies and I'm not really great at any of them...but I still do them
I keep expectations within the catagory. A successful incest story might be 1,000 votes in 24 hours, at least. A success BDSM, lesbian, or anal story might be 200 votes in 24 hours. A successful group sex story might be 300 votes in 24 hours.
SamScribble
Yeah, still just a guru
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For me, a story is a success if one person whose opinion I respect gives it maximum stars. Pretty simple really.
Activities
Loves Spam
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So far, I've only written one goal-oriented story. It was a "troll" story for Loving Wives. I wanted to see if could get 50 comments and a score below 2.0. But I failed to achieve this. I only got 30 comments. And my score, though hovering around 1.5 for the first week or so, eventually rose to about 2.4 where it sits today. (I can't imagine who would rate that story any higher than a 2.)
In general, though, I'm still mainly writing to hone my skills and entertain myself. I have vague hopes that somebody out there will like my stories (sans the Loving Wives one), but I'm not aiming to please a particular audience or achieve a certain score. In any event, I can't resist self-sabotaging by putting various "triggers" into my stories that I know will earn one-bombs (politics, social commentary, random pee scenes, etc.).
Right now, I have a whole backlog of stories I want to write for myself. When I get through with those, maybe I'll play the high-score game. Or maybe I'll be tired of writing porn by then. I dunno.
In general, though, I'm still mainly writing to hone my skills and entertain myself. I have vague hopes that somebody out there will like my stories (sans the Loving Wives one), but I'm not aiming to please a particular audience or achieve a certain score. In any event, I can't resist self-sabotaging by putting various "triggers" into my stories that I know will earn one-bombs (politics, social commentary, random pee scenes, etc.).
Right now, I have a whole backlog of stories I want to write for myself. When I get through with those, maybe I'll play the high-score game. Or maybe I'll be tired of writing porn by then. I dunno.
SimonDoom
Kink Lord
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In general, my number one benchmark for the success of my story is my own satisfaction with it. If a month or two after I've published it, I can look back over my story and enjoy it and feel that I accomplished what I wanted to in terms of storytelling and prose style, then it's a success for me. That's as true for a story that didn't get a red H as for one that did.
But it's good to get praise, too, in the form of comments and scores. I really appreciate when somebody says something nice about the story. All other things being equal, I'd prefer to get a high score, but I care more about whether a lot of people are reading the story than about what its score is.
In the case of my incest stories, because I think the category is, from an artistic point of view, generally somewhat silly, I measure the success of the stories to a greater degree by how many people have read them. With those stories my story-writing, prose style, and title, tag, and description choices are made more consciously with the aim of maximizing views.
But it's good to get praise, too, in the form of comments and scores. I really appreciate when somebody says something nice about the story. All other things being equal, I'd prefer to get a high score, but I care more about whether a lot of people are reading the story than about what its score is.
In the case of my incest stories, because I think the category is, from an artistic point of view, generally somewhat silly, I measure the success of the stories to a greater degree by how many people have read them. With those stories my story-writing, prose style, and title, tag, and description choices are made more consciously with the aim of maximizing views.
HisArpy
Loose canon extraordinair
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This is pretty much how I feel about it too. Of course, the first benchmark is getting Laurel to publish it. Once I achieved that goal, then seeing if I would remain satisfied with the story's performance is the next. So far I have no complaints from my greatest critic on that aspect - me.
Bramblethorn
Sleep-deprived
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For me, a story is a success if one person whose opinion I respect gives it maximum stars. Pretty simple really.
I always respect the opinion of anybody who gives me maximum stars ;-)
weftandwarp
Really Experienced
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For me it was simple. As my wife lay in the hospital bed in our sun room, I'd read her the latest. She'd laugh. That was a success. When visitors came she'd insist I read it for them. They'd laugh and in that instant the woe is me was gone and everyone laughed. People would visit again, to see her, to hear the latest. The most popular were requested. I learned which were best through the requests, through the laughter and tears. I was urged to put them in a book for others to use in their times of need. I felt there weren't enough of them for a book. The project has languished. I've read them to others who are dying and it has changed many. They learned they too can laugh. Some how it is delicious giving laughs to people who have so little to laugh about. I treasure the moments, the stories, the memories ...
Not really. Of course, getting the little red 'H' and seeing the views climb feels good and motivates to write more stories but as long as I get the impression that at least most of the readers enjoyed the story, I'm fine.
But both 'most of the readers' and 'enjoyed the story' can't be measured. It's more subjective.
oggbashan
Dying Truth seeker
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Did I finish? Then I consider it a success, no matter how well it performs.
I feel the same. Once I have posted a story I can move on to writing the next, and the next...
It can vary from story to story.
One of my stories, a lesbian story I published last year called 'The PTA Queen Bee & The Teen Rebel' has an average score of 3.86 which on face value isn't great, but it attracted lots of views, favorites and plenty of positive comments so I consider it a success. The lower score I think comes from the fact that it is such an unusual story, and I take pride in the fact that I've written something so different and am currently writing a sequel.
Contrast this with my erotic couplings story 'Sexy Savannah from Number 9'. This has a better score of 4.10, but few views, only two favorites and one polite but negative comment. Basically it was a flop when I thought it would be a success.
One of my stories, a lesbian story I published last year called 'The PTA Queen Bee & The Teen Rebel' has an average score of 3.86 which on face value isn't great, but it attracted lots of views, favorites and plenty of positive comments so I consider it a success. The lower score I think comes from the fact that it is such an unusual story, and I take pride in the fact that I've written something so different and am currently writing a sequel.
Contrast this with my erotic couplings story 'Sexy Savannah from Number 9'. This has a better score of 4.10, but few views, only two favorites and one polite but negative comment. Basically it was a flop when I thought it would be a success.
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