Hmmm!

[Snurge]

I'm trying to get my head around how this feedback system works. I recently posted a multi-part story - minority interest, so the viewing figures were low - but a number of the parts had a 5.0 rating while only collecting a single vote. How does that figure? Does it mean quite well written but not very sexy or is there something else involved? The whole lot only collected one public comment, which said it was excellent. But if it was excellent why were there no others?

yours sincerly, a puzzled Snurge.

 

[Guest]

I'm trying to get my head around how this feedback system works. I recently posted a multi-part story - minority interest, so the viewing figures were low - but a number of the parts had a 5.0 rating while only collecting a single vote. How does that figure? Does it mean quite well written but not very sexy or is there something else involved? The whole lot only collected one public comment, which said it was excellent. But if it was excellent why were there no others?

yours sincerly, a puzzled Snurge.

Many readers will vote but not leave a public comment.

It is difficult to say who and how many voted.

Being puzzled is quite common around here.

 

[Snurge]

And...

Thanks Sarahh. The other strange thing is the uneven viewing. I know some people will just take a peek at the first part and click out again when they find it's not the kind of thing they want, but those that stay don't appear to read from front to back like they would read a book, the viewing for this story is like a saw-back chart.

 

[sr71plt]

Thanks Sarahh. The other strange thing is the uneven viewing. I know some people will just take a peek at the first part and click out again when they find it's not the kind of thing they want, but those that stay don't appear to read from front to back like they would read a book, the viewing for this story is like a saw-back chart.

Yes, my experience with erotic serials is that a high proportion of readers will click on just whatever chapter shows up on the list and piques their interest on the day they check the new list--and never go back to earlier chapters. I reason these are ones looking for a stroke fix, so I try to put a stroke fix in every chapter. Covering as many reader bases as possible.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Yes, my experience with erotic serials is that a high proportion of readers will click on just whatever chapter shows up on the list and piques their interest on the day they check the new list--and never go back to earlier chapters. I reason these are ones looking for a stroke fix, so I try to put a stroke fix in every chapter. Covering as many reader bases as possible.

I think part of my success with my series was the use of "cliffhanger" endings at the each of each chapter.

 

[Snurge]

I think part of my success with my series was the use of "cliffhanger" endings at the each of each chapter.

Thanks for the tip DK, but you are very well established and I suspect you have a following that would read your stories be the endings round or cork tipped. Other people on these forums advocate a tidy, individual tale for each multi-part and that's the way I've tended to go myself. Maybe I have to change, but the style is instinctive and hard to put aside.

my best regards

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Thanks for the tip DK, but you are very well established and I suspect you have a following that would read your stories be the endings round or cork tipped. Other people on these forums advocate a tidy, individual tale for each multi-part and that's the way I've tended to go myself. Maybe I have to change, but the style is instinctive and hard to put aside.

my best regards

You have to remember when I started Montana Summer, I wasn't an established author. As I wrote the series over a period of two years, I began to discover what the readers liked. Each chapter accomplished something and moved the plot along, but at the end, something important was left unresolved for the next chapter.

In a multi-chapter effort you need to hook the reader and make them want to come back and continue reading.

 

[sr71plt]

Well, yes, it's optimal to do both--making the reader want to read more at the end of a chapter is basic good writing technique for the novel in general. Including heat in each chapter is basic good writing technique for erotica specifically--as many erotica publishers advise directly in their submissions guidelines. It's not an either/or issue.

 

[Snurge]

Thanks

Thank you to the seasoned veterans here for their sage advice, I'll take it seriously and try to incorporate some of their suggestions into my future work. Bear in mind that I wasn't crying about low readership though, when I post a minority interest story I expect small viewing figures. That's logical. My original puzzlement about ratings and votes as dissolved since reading a number of postings elsewhere on the forums. As Sarahh said, most people don't seem able to understand the logic of it more than she does or I do.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Plus, the category in which it's placed also has a lot to do with how many views/votes a story gets.

 

[Snurge]

Plus, the category in which it's placed also has a lot to do with how many views/votes a story gets.

Since it was multi-part I put this one in Novels and Novellas, which someone since as informed me is a pretty sluggish catergory for everything until people get to know you. Still, one can't get known without posting, so I guess I'll just have to keep on posting.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Thank you to the seasoned veterans here for their sage advice, I'll take it seriously and try to incorporate some of their suggestions into my future work. Bear in mind that I wasn't crying about low readership though, when I post a minority interest story I expect small viewing figures. That's logical. My original puzzlement about ratings and votes as dissolved since reading a number of postings elsewhere on the forums. As Sarahh said, most people don't seem able to understand the logic of it more than she does or I do.

The most important thing to remember is, to write the story you want to write. I don't really care about the feedback, votes etc. My joy comes from the creation of whatever it is I'm writing.

 

[sauhund96]

I'm trying to get my head around how this feedback system works. I recently posted a multi-part story - minority interest, so the viewing figures were low - but a number of the parts had a 5.0 rating while only collecting a single vote. How does that figure? Does it mean quite well written but not very sexy or is there something else involved? The whole lot only collected one public comment, which said it was excellent. But if it was excellent why were there no others?

yours sincerly, a puzzled Snurge.

Well, you have at least one friend here giving you 5 points.
Wait and hope

 

[Snurge]

Well, you have at least one friend here giving you 5 points.
Wait and hope

Thanks devine one