Feedback Needed by New Author --> How to Get to "H(ot)"?

[NikkiSwank]

Thanks, Carnal_Flower. You also make a good point about the ratings. Many (maybe even most) of my favorite stories here have ratings closer to 4 than 4.5.

For the record: I'm writing erotica because I love it. Not because I'm slumming.

 

[RoyceConnors]

generally speaking, I find that if you thrill your readers with what you write, they'll thrill you with great votes. If you amuse them, they'll amuse you with their cores and so on down. It's not always what we think is great, so much as those who read it will tell you it is.

 

[ScouriesWorld]

May I suggest that you study the masters?

Start with these MANU AWARD Winners:

]

and of course listen to the wise words of her highness...

​

 

[RoyceConnors]

Now Jim, that's just fucking hilarious!!! Sam X has the most stories written and I believe none have an H beside them.
If you're going to entertain us with A.I.R. try to make it more convincing it shouldn't be A.S.S instead. Good try though. LMAO

 

[tanyachrs]

A couple of thoughts. I'm not a big fan of second person references (although I do have a story that uses that device out there). The numbers breaking up some of the stories are a choppy distraction, especially that one that starts with a phone call where they seem almost randomly placed. Penis is not a sexy word.

Mostly it's just that they aren't hot. You tell us the characters are turned on but it feels clinical. Even though you're writing in first person, the narrator seems a long ways away from the action, like she's recounting the event years later. More specific, more intense, more immediate detail is needed to tip them from technically competent to actually hot.

There are things you're doing well so if you just started writing, keep at it.

 

[NikkiSwank]

Thanks for that specific feedback and encouragement, tanyachrs.

 

[HeyAll]

I voted that it's complicated; yes and no.

It's already been mentioned, but many stories get voted harshly because its content. Some of my favorite stories on this site have low scores. Heck, even the favorite stories that I've written don't have red H's.

But on a side note; I'm very surprised that Illustrated Stories and Audio have very low scores. Even in the hall of fame for Illustrated Stories, most of the stories don't have red H's. I would have thought that those 2 categories would be a hit with readers.

 

[patientlee]

I wouldn't worry about fixing what you have already posted. I'd work on applying what you've learned to a new story.

 

[TxRad]

I voted that it's complicated; yes and no.

It's already been mentioned, but many stories get voted harshly because its content. Some of my favorite stories on this site have low scores. Heck, even the favorite stories that I've written don't have red H's.

But on a side note; I'm very surprised that Illustrated Stories and Audio have very low scores. Even in the hall of fame for Illustrated Stories, most of the stories don't have red H's. I would have thought that those 2 categories would be a hit with readers.

There is someone trolling the audio stories on a regular basis. I've noticed it and several other authors there have noted it also.

 

[CollarAndFeather]

I tend to view the rating system as a useful, but extrememy crude tool. The categories are also not the greatest system either (though they're better than nothing, qnd most of the stuctural issues are all over the web reguardless of site content, the problems are just a bit more pronounced with readers of this genre)

Take even just the simple fact that the rating system cannot differentiate between a story that gets a lot of "average" reviews and one that gets strong reactions in both dirrections. Those are widly different things, but can have exactly the same average vote.

Also, even ignoring deep rifts between readers of a particular category, each catagory has it's own audience which may be inclined towards gentler or harsher rating patterns. What it takes to cross from a 4 to a 5 can varry a lot between people, for example. That's not to mention how much, when rating, they take into account things like personal enjoyment, story, characters, grammar/spelling, believability, and whether they'd recomend it.

 

[JackLuis]

In my experience the 'H'ist stories are filled with sex, not a lot of it gratuitous. While there are long slow build stories that score well, a bunch are multi partner fuck fests.

Lit readers respond to smut like Republicans to Derp!

If you really want a red 'H' I suggest you write a story were the protag gets laid, fondled and fucked a lot! It might not be the recipe for "Great Literature" but it seems to be great for 'Literotica' scores. Fantasy and good internals score well.

TxRad does all right this way. I just put down 4-5 "fives" for him today.

 

[TxRad]

In my experience the 'H'ist stories are filled with sex, not a lot of it gratuitous. While there are long slow build stories that score well, a bunch are multi partner fuck fests.

Lit readers respond to smut like Republicans to Derp!

If you really want a red 'H' I suggest you write a story were the protag gets laid, fondled and fucked a lot! It might not be the recipe for "Great Literature" but it seems to be great for 'Literotica' scores. Fantasy and good internals score well.

TxRad does all right this way. I just put down 4-5 "fives" for him today.

Uh... Thanks. I wasn't expecting that.