As a reader how do you use the rating system?

[SeraphNocturne]

This is true for 95% of the content or so. But there are stories that are trying, and I would say succeeding at being something more than simple smut. One should not have spectacular expectations from writing on Lit, but things COULD be better than what they are at the moment. There is a way for us to get more feedback. There is a way for readers to have a better and faster way of communicating with authors. It is a win-win really.

I agree. I'm not even sure how to begin to approach addressing this... because as I have said, it's been this way for decades--since I was eighteen years old. I'm thirty two now. The only major changes I've seen regarding this system have been monopolizing the usage of advertisements for camera modeling. So I have long come to the assumption that Laurel does not wish this website to be utilized for anything but sex-positive community and leisurely writing as a hobby, and nothing more.

It's sad, because it does have massive potential, and there are very few other Erotica communities that can boast over two million registered members the way Literotica does. Alas... the only thing I believe anyone can do about it, after seeing this site exist in the same way for years, is break off and begin their own platform.

 

[Northstar4695]

I either give a 5 or I don’t rate.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I either give a 5 or I don’t rate.

I love your approach.

Not too fond of the elitist opinions of 'fives are reserved for only the best piece of literature I have read on here'. The voting doesn't ask you anything about that... the options of star ratings are 'Hate it' 'Dislike' 'Average' 'Like it' and 'Love it'. It could and should be that simple. We're really not 'grading' someone else's work, we're supposed to be grading whether we enjoyed the story.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Shattering the system would attract better writers, consequently cultivating a better readership.

I'm of the view that you get the readers you write for - they come for the content you give them.

Folk who moan about the reader responses they get need only look in the mirror. It's a fairly straightforward relationship, I think: content brings the readers to you.

Blaming all one's misfortune on a scoring system is absurd.

 

[ElectricBlue]

We're really not 'grading' someone else's work, we're supposed to be grading whether we enjoyed the story.

But that's a holistic process, surely? It would be a strange person who would ignore atrocious spelling, inarticulate punctuation, incoherent grammar, absurd storylines and still say, "That was better than sliced bread."

Surely a writer who has a solid command of those things has a better chance of communicating their vision, than does the person who writes in crayon with only a one-hundred word vocabulary?

Isn't part of the enjoyment, the satisfaction, one gets from reading a "good" story is not only the story, but how its told? I can't see how you can separate the telling from the told.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

But that's a holistic process, surely? It would be a strange person who would ignore atrocious spelling, inarticulate punctuation, incoherent grammar, absurd storylines and still say, "That was better than sliced bread."

Surely a writer who has a solid command of those things has a better chance of communicating their vision, than does the person who writes in crayon with only a one-hundred word vocabulary?

Isn't part of the enjoyment, the satisfaction, one gets from reading a "good" story is not only the story, but how its told? I can't see how you can separate the telling from the told.

Oh, I'm not saying by any means ignore the proper avenues required for writing at all... in all honesty, that contributes to reading a "good" story just as much as the content, you're right. On the other hand, I've read a few of these flaming literary atrocities with bizarrely high ratings, because their audience decided the entertaining parts warranted praise.

I am saying that being overly critical of works that you can clearly see are sound isn't much necessary, especially if the story entertained you. I really wonder with how some people have described their voting process, if they're enjoying reading at all, or if all they're focusing on is the technical execution... if that's the case, why bother voting ever? It's like being an unpaid teacher, with absolutely zero reward. -laughs!-

 

[ElectricBlue]

On the other hand, I've read a few of these flaming literary atrocities with bizarrely high ratings, because their audience decided the entertaining parts warranted praise.

Yes, those stories are living proof that some folk will read anything, and "merit" granted by the lowest common denominator doesn't always set a high bar. But one can always aim higher, by having one's own standards.

And you're absolutely right - if you have a superb sound system, you've still got to tap your feet, regardless of the fidelity. A crap K-Tel record is forever crap, no matter how good the system. I thus age myself (vinyl and tube amps) - but the principle is much the same .

 

[ElectricBlue]

I couldn't care less about the silly system.

Oh, I thought you'd banged on about it so much that you did care. My mistake.

Carry on .

 

[ElectricBlue]

OK, I'll carry on. Just remember: Intelligent people don't vote. So any score you receive is not a reflection of intelligence.

Lol. You're now arguing that 99% of the readers on Lit are intelligent, which is contrary to everything you've ever said.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Intelligent people don't vote; therefore, anyone who doesn't vote is intelligent...

Well as someone who does vote, I guess I know where I stand with this guy.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Standing may be a challenging task if they happen to hover thirty thousand feet above you.

Well, enjoy the air up there, Major Tom. Ground control, over and out.

 

[alohadave]

You guys are being trolled. Ignore him and he'll get bored and leave.

 

[Duleigh]

I rarely read when I'm writing because I don't want the stories I read to affect the stories that I write. I recently read Eldritch Pact by @MediocreAuthor and it was really good, well constructed with a twist at the end that I loved, solid 5 material for me. The only mistake was making it Nonconsensual, ruling out a big audience. (Making it Scifi/Fantasy would have found forgiveness from the Scifi audience who know when you make a deal with a demon things happen) that's not a mistake just his choice so it didn't knock down the rating from me. The problem is that when I was reading MediocreAuthor's excellent scifi/fantasy story I was writing a scifi/fantasy story at the time and his words started tangling with mine in my head when I went back to writing. It took me a day to undo that, which shows how much I liked his story.

When I read a story I don't start with any pre-conceived notion of a score. Even if the story disgusts me or revolts me that's still a plus because the writer evoked those feelings in me. I look for the construction in the story - exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, clearly defined characters, good protagonist, worthy antagonist. I look for language, did the author have a vocabulary that exceeded 10,000 words, were the words used correctly, punctuation, &c. All that technical stuff will get you a 4. Now, did the story take me out of myself? Did it transport me across the multiverse to the land/time/world that the story was set in? Did it make me want to be or meet or fuck one of the characters? That's where 5s come from.

As for low votes - unexplained jargon and slang outside of the quotation marks is a killer, using the word like inappropriately outside of quotation marks, grammar, lack of creativity, boring or sloppy story construction

he was like totally crunk and shit and said "Dude, I'm hangry!"

"Dude I'm hangry" was fine, it's how people talk, but everything outside of the quotation marks was how the narrator thinks and that's just begging for a 1

 

[MediocreAuthor]

I rarely read when I'm writing because I don't want the stories I read to affect the stories that I write. I recently read Eldritch Pact by @MediocreAuthor and it was really good, well constructed with a twist at the end that I loved, solid 5 material for me. The only mistake was making it Nonconsensual, ruling out a big audience. (Making it Scifi/Fantasy would have found forgiveness from the Scifi audience who know when you make a deal with a demon things happen) that's not a mistake just his choice so it didn't knock down the rating from me. The problem is that when I was reading MediocreAuthor's excellent scifi/fantasy story I was writing a scifi/fantasy story at the time and his words started tangling with mine in my head when I went back to writing. It took me a day to undo that, which shows how much I liked his story.

When I read a story I don't start with any pre-conceived notion of a score. Even if the story disgusts me or revolts me that's still a plus because the writer evoked those feelings in me. I look for the construction in the story - exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, clearly defined characters, good protagonist, worthy antagonist. I look for language, did the author have a vocabulary that exceeded 10,000 words, were the words used correctly, punctuation, &c. All that technical stuff will get you a 4. Now, did the story take me out of myself? Did it transport me across the multiverse to the land/time/world that the story was set in? Did it make me want to be or meet or fuck one of the characters? That's where 5s come from.

As for low votes - unexplained jargon and slang outside of the quotation marks is a killer, using the word like inappropriately outside of quotation marks, grammar, lack of creativity, boring or sloppy story construction

"Dude I'm hangry" was fine, it's how people talk, but everything outside of the quotation marks was how the narrator thinks and that's just begging for a 1

I was worried that not including it as Non-con would have the opposite effect. Stavos is unwilling, and some people HATE to be surprised with non-con, so I stuck it in NC/R.

It has gotten a mediocre () reception, but thank you so much for the praise! I worked so hard on it, and I feel vindicated now that you've said all this!

 

[Duleigh]

I was worried that not including it as Non-con would have the opposite effect. Stavos is unwilling, and some people HATE to be surprised with non-con, so I stuck it in NC/R.

It has gotten a mediocre () reception, but thank you so much for the praise! I worked so hard on it, and I feel vindicated now that you've said all this!

We worked hard on our stories, and when you pay off our wager I want to include it in Enchantress 2

 

[MediocreAuthor]

We worked hard on our stories, and when you pay off our wager I want to include it in Enchantress 2

I will do my best, Sir!

 

[lustychimera]

I rate 4-5 or I don't rate at all--with the exception that if a story is just god-awful no grammar trash---to the point that it feels insulting that they'd even expect someone to read it---then it's a 1.

I think of it like a critique, and those I break down into two categories: The people who legitimately want feedback to improve with, and the people just starting out who need some motivation and positive reinforcement. Most of the stories that I've read on here seem to be in the latter category. People are just having fun and wanting to share their writing hobby with others.

And if they want a real constructive critique where I can start to get nitpicky, I figure they'll ask specifically for that in the forums.

Also, I see a ton of non-author and anon commenters leaving harsh criticisms, not because the story was poorly written, but because it didn't hit on the tropes that they expect to see. Like, if a story doesn't satisfy their kinks or goes in a different direction than they expect, it's bad. So, going easy on the author is kind of my way to help balance that out.

There's a lot of entitled readers on here, more so than other web novel/story type sites that I've been on. I guess that just comes with the erotica territory?

Also, I should add, I try not to judge a work based on my personal feelings about it, but rather, whether or not the author fulfilled what seems to be their goal with the piece.

A good critique should never include the reviewer's personal biases. Critiques and reviews not as subjective as people make them out to be.

 

[OverconfidentSarcasm]

Also, I should add, I try not to judge a work based on my personal feelings about it, but rather, whether or not the author fulfilled what seems to be their goal with the piece.

A good critique should never include the reviewer's personal biases. Critiques and reviews not as subjective as people make them out to be.

Yeah, "Mein Kampf" is an awesome book!!1!!11!one! I personally don't agree with the theme and the conveyed ideas, but it's SO well written. Barely any typos. 4/5 because the language is a little outdated.

Or that "Cuties" Series Movie on Netflix. I'm not a fan of sexualizing nine-year-old girls by filming them twerking and poledancing while barely dressed, but the cinematography was spot on! Let's rate it 5/5 so more people feel encouraged to produce something similar after seeing how highly we rated that.

...are you serious?

Critiques and Reviews ARE subjective in every aspect. Especially on Lit, where you don't even have to have an account to rate or comment on something. There's a reason sites like IMDB require you to register for that.

In case that isn't clear. Ratings are NOT a valuation of your writing prowess. It's an indicator for how well your work was received. That includes more than just whether your punctuation was correct. Like, whether people enjoyed it, or want more of that.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There's a lot of entitled readers on here, more so than other web novel/story type sites that I've been on. I guess that just comes with the erotica territory?

Also, I should add, I try not to judge a work based on my personal feelings about it, but rather, whether or not the author fulfilled what seems to be their goal with the piece.

A good critique should never include the reviewer's personal biases. Critiques and reviews not as subjective as people make them out to be.

We keep seeing said this a lot, but it might be category specific to some extent.

I don't get the type of comments that are often reported (the marshmallow squickery, the heavily opinionated, or those readers who think we authors should be better mind readers); but then I write across a range of categories and I assume my readers see that, and take it on board.

I don't know if it's something unique to erotica (since I don't write in other places, I wouldn't have a clue), but you're right, some readers (on an adult erotica site!!) seem to be very narrow-minded, or every story must cater for them. It's an interesting puzzle.

 

[lustychimera]

Yeah, "Mein Kampf" is an awesome book!!1!!11!one! I personally don't agree with the theme and the conveyed ideas, but it's SO well written. Barely any typos. 4/5 because the language is a little outdated.

Or that "Cuties" Series Movie on Netflix. I'm not a fan of sexualizing nine-year-old girls by filming them twerking and poledancing while barely dressed, but the cinematography was spot on! Let's rate it 5/5 so more people feel encouraged to produce something similar after seeing how highly we rated that.

...are you serious?

Critiques and Reviews ARE subjective in every aspect. Especially on Lit, where you don't even have to have an account to rate or comment on something. There's a reason sites like IMDB require you to register for that.

In case that isn't clear. Ratings are NOT a valuation of your writing prowess. It's an indicator for how well your work was received. That includes more than just whether your punctuation was correct. Like, whether people enjoyed it, or want more of that.

Straight to Hitler, huh?

I'll give you the fact that a review is more subjective, but as I said, I'm treating the ratings as a critique. And critiques are meant to judge the author's intent and how well they conveyed it, not your personal reading preferences.

 

[KeithD]

I try not to judge a work based on my personal feelings about it, but rather, whether or not the author fulfilled what seems to be their goal with the piece.

Yes, this is the base of a good critique.

 

[OverconfidentSarcasm]

Straight to Hitler, huh?

Yes. And pedophilia, which I kinda expected to garner more attention, but... oh well.

I'll give you the fact that a review is more subjective, but as I said, I'm treating the ratings as a critique. And critiques are meant to judge the author's intent and how well they conveyed it, not your personal reading preferences.

Look, I understand you. And, to a point, I agree. But at the end of the day, going by that standard you laid out, you're expecting readers to behave like High School teachers grading assignments they handed out in a creative writing class. Now, Lit might be the equivalent to that (seeing it being a place for people to share their creative writing), but that's not how people work. People are greedy. And that's perfectly fine. Because, at the end of the day, the vast majority of people leaving said comments and ratings are not trolls.

Try to look at it this way:
If your ratings are down, that just means that people would like to read more of your work... if it contains something they can enjoy. It's your choice on how you view your customer base, and what/who you decide to write for. And if you're unable to adept to this perspective... you kinda just have to learn to turn ratings off (or switch platforms to somewhere with a subscription model). Because the site itself doesn't ask people to be teachers, but customers, and to rate your story based on how much they enjoyed it, so the site can market the especially "Hot" ones to gather a bigger userbase.

 

[Yellowbirdy]

I only rate stories I like, so only 4s and 5s and usually only comment on 5s.The 1s, 2s, and 3s I seldom finish.

 

[KeithD]

But at the end of the day, going by that standard you laid out, you're expecting readers to behave like High School teachers grading assignments they handed out in a creative writing class.

Not quite. At this level of writing, it's more like college professors running creative writing classes. Responding to a story on how you felt about it/whether you liked it is different from responding in telling author how he/she should have written it. The former is reader reaction and the latter is critique. Sure, responding on how you liked/didn't like it is fine, but responding on how it should have been written should be based on what the author was trying to do not your own ideas of how it should be redecorated to be like what you have written.

 

[lustychimera]

Yes. And pedophilia, which I kinda expected to garner more attention, but... oh well.



Look, I understand you. And, to a point, I agree. But at the end of the day, going by that standard you laid out, you're expecting readers to behave like High School teachers grading assignments they handed out in a creative writing class. Now, Lit might be the equivalent to that (seeing it being a place for people to share their creative writing), but that's not how people work. People are greedy. And that's perfectly fine. Because, at the end of the day, the vast majority of people leaving said comments and ratings are not trolls.

Try to look at it this way:
If your ratings are down, that just means that people would like to read more of your work... if it contains something they can enjoy. It's your choice on how you view your customer base, and what/who you decide to write for. And if you're unable to adept to this perspective... you kinda just have to learn to turn ratings off (or switch platforms to somewhere with a subscription model). Because the site itself doesn't ask people to be teachers, but customers, and to rate your story based on how much they enjoyed it, so the site can market the especially "Hot" ones to gather a bigger userbase.

The question was how do you use the rating system. And personally, when I post my work to these kinds of sites---whether it's erotica or fantasy or flash fiction---, I think of it mostly as a collaboration between people with similar passions. I don't expect an average reader to adhere to the standards of a critique, but for an author not to, that's a bit disappointing.