Loving Wives? Not worth it in my opinion.

[Tempted_Weak]

My first ever loving wives story had 30,000 views on its first day. That was an eye-opening experience (as was being called a deviant trying to seduce God-fearing men with my ‘polluting’ lesbian evil - yes really).

Based on your experience, it seems like the loving wives views have declined. Unless you love hot wife stories, or adultery revenge stories, then I’d say a third more views is really not worth the considerable baggage that comes with it.

I'm sure they didn't mean it to be complimentary, but damn if you ever poublish a book then 'seduce God-fearing men with my ‘polluting’ lesbian evil' absolutely has to go on the front of it.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Hey Awk, my throat's a bit dry.

 

[FrancesScott]

In general, if you aren't writing for your own gratification, then why bother?

I’m unsure what you mean. I wrote the story I wanted to write, with the themes I wanted to include. I then deliberated which category to put it in. It wasn’t written for LW. I don’t write for categories. I write and decide category when I’m finished.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

No, actually it was the format as much as what was said that made the ending ambiguous or confusing. It's not a matter of comprehension. If anything, it was a matter of presentation. I find LW readers to be every bit as discerning as those in other categories if not more so. A simple jerk off story does not do well. The OP's story was well written. I personally enjoyed it, but did not care for the ending. He got a 4 from me.

What do you mean by "format"?

 

[lovecraft68]

I surmised that readers in this category don't want to their comprehension skills challenged.

 

[Gamblnluck]

What do you mean by "format"?

The paragraph structure, the way the dialog was written. It contributed to a difficult ending.

 

[Gamblnluck]

I’m unsure what you mean. I wrote the story I wanted to write, with the themes I wanted to include. I then deliberated which category to put it in. It wasn’t written for LW. I don’t write for categories. I write and decide category when I’m finished.

Yeah, most of us do the same. And you picked the right one. But some categories need a little finessing to get approval. Taboo has things they like and things that don't.They seem to want 'happy, happy family fucking" but might forgive a few things..
Same with other categories. LW is not just BTB, but your story needs to have a reasonable ending. There are many things that categories like or don't.

 

[Actingup]

My Summer Lovin' story was published a day after yours, in Erotic Couplings which, as I understand it, is supposed to be less popular than Lesbian. But it has 15,907 views and 12 very positive comments (not including my replies). The score might not be what I hoped, but it's still a respectable 4.61 from 126 votes.

With those numbers and that kind of engagement - and I don't have the following that other authors do - who would even consider Loving Wives?

We go round and round in circles about this. For me personally, these are the stats for my first three stories here (in reverse order), written with no following.


I've written stories that I like more than 'A Game of Snooker' since then, but I haven't been able to match its engagement stats (of course, some other authors here have stats that blow these out of the water). That's one reason to write for a category, but I think the challenge of writing for the category (not just writing a story and then deciding where it goes, but writing to entertain a particular expected audience while keeping some sort of integrity) is also its own reward. Why wouldn't I consider writing for that category again? I haven't published a LW story in about six months, but I've got an idea for another one and I might write it soon. It might bomb, or might not, but it will be fun.

There is no right or wrong here. Do whatever you desire! But there are always good reasons to consider any category.

 

[Lifestyle66]

There are authors here in the AH who opine and naysay the LW category based on their ONE experience having written an LW story, which obviously makes them the expert on the category!

And yet they'll admit in other threads that they never READ any of those LW stories written by those misogynistic, incel, women-haters.

That would be like me saying I can write a lesbian story because I once kissed a pussy, and I liked it!

I think I need another drink and get back to writing my 55th LW story.

 

[EmilyMiller]

the challenge of writing for the category (not just writing a story and then deciding where it goes, but writing to entertain a particular expected audience while keeping some sort of integrity) is also its own reward.

Yeah. Proved to myself I could write a 4.6+ LW story.

Why wouldn't I consider writing for that category again?

Because I proved the above to myself and have no real other interest. I tried a few other stories that are adjacent to the stated purpose of the category. But none really fit. I don’t naturally gravitate to writing LW. I prefer to write what I want to write. If that means low views, I’m cool with that .

Having said that, the tsunami of new stories means there aren’t enough views or go around. Even in LW.

 

[Actingup]

Yeah. Proved to myself I could write a 4.6+ LW story.

Because I proved the above to myself and have no real other interest. I tried a few other stories that are adjacent to the stated purpose of the category. But none really fit. I don’t naturally gravitate to writing LW. I prefer to write what I want to write. If that means low views, I’m cool with that .

Having said that, the tsunami of new stories means there aren’t enough views or go around. Even in LW.

I think we could (with apologies to Emily) hold up 'Jacob's Progress' as an example of another kind of engagement you get from Loving Wives. It's a quality read from a popular writer and it's been voted appropriately highly, but in Loving Wives the readership is never overawed, and they offer a wide range of comments that in some cases push the author to be even better (and I don't mean the one that says 'way better than the tentacle stuff, so there's that.' ) It seems to me that LW is a category where the risk of spoiling the author with uniformly kind but unhelpful comments is very low! So it's a great place to go for a sanity check.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I think we could (with apologies to Emily) hold up 'Jacob's Progress' as an example of another kind of engagement you get from Loving Wives. It's a quality read from a popular writer and it's been voted appropriately highly, but in Loving Wives the readership is never overawed, and they offer a wide range of comments that in some cases push the author to be even better (and I don't mean the one that says 'way better than the tentacle stuff, so there's that.' ) It seems to me that LW is a category where the risk of spoiling the author with uniformly kind but unhelpful comments is very low! So it's a great place to go for a sanity check.

I like tentacle stuff a lot better

 

[EmilyMiller]

I think we could (with apologies to Emily) hold up 'Jacob's Progress' as an example of another kind of engagement you get from Loving Wives. It's a quality read from a popular writer and it's been voted appropriately highly, but in Loving Wives the readership is never overawed, and they offer a wide range of comments that in some cases push the author to be even better (and I don't mean the one that says 'way better than the tentacle stuff, so there's that.' ) It seems to me that LW is a category where the risk of spoiling the author with uniformly kind but unhelpful comments is very low! So it's a great place to go for a sanity check.

To expand. I like Jacob’s Progress. I’m proud of it. It makes me cry (in two places) if I read it. But infidelity isn’t my thing, IRL or writing.

I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff, but I have no desire to be a hot wife. As I’ve drunk posted here, I don’t understand cuck at all.

My regular writing mostly involves people enjoying consensual sex where nobody is humiliated and no party is hurt* (apart from impact welts sometimes). The drama is normally to do with something other than sex. Or at least only tangential to it.

* Ocasionaly Nephilim are dispatched by having their cocks bitten off by an angel and and demon, but

 

[Actingup]

To expand. I like Jacob’s Progress. I’m proud of it. It makes me cry (in two places) if I read it. But infidelity isn’t my thing, IRL or writing.

I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff, but I have no desire to be a hot wife. As I’ve drunk posted here, I don’t understand cuck at all.

My regular writing mostly involves people enjoying consensual sex where nobody is humiliated and no party is hurt* (apart from impact welts sometimes). The drama is normally to do with something other than sex. Or at least only tangential to it.

* Ocasionaly Nephilim are dispatched by having their cocks bitten off by an angel and and demon, but

That's perfectly reasonable, and I think it probably also applies to most of the categories here - it would be hard to write consistently about something that doesn't interest us personally.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That's perfectly reasonable, and I think it probably also applies to most of the categories here - it would be hard to write consistently about something that doesn't interest us personally.

I try stuff. I put a lot of effort into JP, but it’s not the type of story I want to tell regularly. I’ve written in many categories, but LW doesn’t really speak to me. And regardless of what its fans claim, the audience there is different IMO. And it’s not one attuned with what I think is important in writing or life.

 

[Actingup]

I try stuff. I put a lot of effort into JP, but it’s not the type of story I want to tell regularly. I’ve written in many categories, but LW doesn’t really speak to me. And regardless of what its fans claim, the audience there is different IMO. And it’s not one attuned with what I think is important in writing or life.

I'm definitely biased because my first experience was a good one. But segments of the audience irritate me too, particularly those that insist on some interpretation of 'Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more' that doesn't involve extra-marital fun, swinging, sharing or more.

 

[Trionyx]

But segments of the audience irritate me too, particularly those that insist on some interpretation of 'Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more' that doesn't involve extra-marital fun, swinging, sharing or more.

This.

 

[ChuckWolf]

Were I to write a LW story, I think I'd look up the lower-rated stories in that genre and just do the opposite in my story, while working in elements from the higher rated stories.

The category just isn't my thing, but I'm sure someone will eventually crack the code.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm definitely biased because my first experience was a good one. But segments of the audience irritate me too, particularly those that insist on some interpretation of 'Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more' that doesn't involve extra-marital fun, swinging, sharing or more.

It’s chock-full of judgmental, reactionary, gatekeepers. Of course there are reasonable people too, but the ones who make the most noise are so not my audience. As I say:

Where the comments, are not gracious
And the craniums less capacious
Where the views are, quite Cretaceous
Here we are now, want to rate us

And the view premium seems to be declining, so why bother unless it’s your kink?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Were I to write a LW story, I think I'd look up the lower-rated stories in that genre and just do the opposite in my story, while working in elements from the higher rated stories.

The category just isn't my thing, but I'm sure someone will eventually crack the code.

I could save you the trouble and recommend that you simply focus on the LW stories from @blackrandl1958

 

[Actingup]

It’s chock-full of judgmental, reactionary, gatekeepers. Of course there are reasonable people too, but the ones who make the most noise are so not my audience. As I say:

Where the comments, are not gracious
And the craniums less capacious
Where the views are, quite Cretaceous
Here we are now, want to rate us

And the view premium seems to be declining, so why bother unless it’s your kink?

I’m not sure that we can reach that conclusion on the views. From what I’ve seen in my limited (only one year) of experience, it’s possible to have stories sink without trace (I’ve got some of those) or garner huge amounts of attention.

Cretaceous is quite generous a description for some, but for me some of the best interactions have also come from LW.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Cretaceous is quite generous a description for some, but for me some of the best interactions have also come from LW.

YMMV - and ‘hi’ @NoTalentHack

 

[bumpercars]

I do wonder if the extreme voting patterns haven't gotten worse. I checked the 100 most recent LW stories, and only 12 of them were rated above 4.0.

This is not reassuring me about my in-progress story that involves infidelity. I know that votes are not a great measure of artistic achievement, but I still like when number go up.

 

[Gamblnluck]

In general, if you aren't writing for your own gratification, then why bother?

Tempted, everybody here writes for their own gratification to some degree. You ought to try it. At the same time. most of us want to produce something we are proud of. That means we want an audience for our endeavors. We are not just masturbating and by that I mean working to get ourselves off without regard for others. To some degree you have to fit a story to the audience.
In another thread somebody asked about bisexual activity in the Lesbian category. To me I thought that would be a non-issue but others there said, the readers wanted mostly lesbian sex. I'm guessing by that if you want to add in some penile activity, you better work your story so it fits. categories matter.

 

[Actingup]

I do wonder if the extreme voting patterns haven't gotten worse. I checked the 100 most recent LW stories, and only 12 of them were rated above 4.0.

This is not reassuring me about my in-progress story that involves infidelity. I know that votes are not a great measure of artistic achievement, but I still like when number go up.

If I get the energy, I might at some stage update the stats in this thread, but what I concluded then was that the voting seems much harsher recently than the long term average. Of course the most recent stories are also all 'unswept' in terms of removing bombing votes, and this certainly influences the statistics for Loving Wives, although there's no evidence of that in the broader 'all stories' statistics. I presume that if we only looked at the last 30 days, the effect of the bombs would be even more obvious.