Splitting story chapters between categories

[jehoram]

I know this has come up before, but I'd still like your advice on this circumstance.

I'm writing a two chapter story. The first chapter would definitely go into BDSM. The second chapter contains not a bit of that, except for a brief mention of what what the MC saw in chapter one. This chapter would best fit in "Erotic Couplings."

I know that readers in one category don't often follow the story when it veers into another one. My solution to that would be to post both stories simultaneously, so that they would appear as "Title-Chapter 1" and "Title-Chapter 2" side by side in the "New Stories" list, and the reader would be clued in at that point to the different categories.

Would it also be worth it to attach a note at the end of Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2 to direct the reader who comes across the story afterward, probably after a search of topic or keywords? I'd have to figure out a way to italicize the notes, but I know it can be done, either using or <i> ... I can't remember which one to use in stories.

 

[Athalia]

That's the story I'm editing now, right?

I remember going through the same thing with the "Hot Tub" series. Thematically, it jumped all over the place from group sex to incest and back, and my "Jessie" series went from erotic couplings to group sex. I don't know how many readers I left confused in my wake. But for me, the stories proceeded organically, and the category designations weren't important to me. From the responses I've had, I feel that once the readers buy into the characters, they'll follow them wherever they go.

I think that posting the stories simultaneously would work best.

The other alternative would be to publish the chapters as a single, longer story, and that would ultimately turn off some readers who started with one set of expectations and ended up being disappointed that the whole story didn't meet that expectation. In your particular case, the story as a whole would have to be put in BDSM, and once that was over, a reader who expected a continuation of the same theme couldn't help but be disappointed.

And, yes, an explanation to the reader on how to find the other half of the story would not be amiss. I don't know if you can embed a link in the story itself ... That's against the rules, isn't it? But you might just say "Click on my name at the top of the story, click on the Stories tab, and you'll find where to go."

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'd post them both in the same category, to keep them together as a story sequence. Or, since it's only two parts, consolidate and publish in the most appropriate category.

But the two parts sound thematically quite different. Why don't you decouple them more completely, and make each one more of a stand-alone story? You could still keep a master title, but call them Parts, not Chapters - I do that in my Floating World stories (the first five of which are each stand-alone (well, two are connected), but with the same male protagonist).

 

[jehoram]

I'd post them both in the same category, to keep them together as a story sequence. Or, since it's only two parts, consolidate and publish in the most appropriate category.

That was my first thought. But, as Athalia said, some readers are going to be disappointed when the BDSM element peters out in the second chapter, and if I post it in Erotic Couplings, the readers would freak when it goes into BDSM right away.

But the two parts sound thematically quite different. Why don't you decouple them more completely, and make each one more of a stand-alone story? You could still keep a master title, but call them Parts, not Chapters - I do that in my Floating World stories (the first five of which are each stand-alone (well, two are connected), but with the same male protagonist).

I'll have to think about that. The stories are too inter-linked for that, I believe. But it's an option.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think this is impossible to answer in the abstract. When I read your initial post I immediately tried to imagine why you wrote the story this way. I don't understand the thinking behind the story, so I can't tell what you should do with it.


I generally concur with EB's advice that you should try to find a way either to publish all chapters in the same category, OR publish it as one consolidated story, OR separate them into two completely standalone stories.

This is my personal take, and others may have different views, but I think erotica works best when there's a consistent erotic theme. Ask yourself why you really want to publish the story in the way you've described. No one can know better than you can.

 

[Hypoxia]

I've let series chapters skitter between Group and Incest without losing *too* many readers. I've also posted single and series stories with multiple internal 'chapters' or sections, each with its own theme, maybe told from varied POVs. The category follows the main theme... or Laurel decides.

My early series Bride of Kong's 3 chapters went to Group, SciFi, and NonHuman respectively. Oops -- didn't go well. Now BoK is SciFi because that's really the theme.

I'm writing a two chapter story. The first chapter would definitely go into BDSM. The second chapter contains not a bit of that, except for a brief mention of what what the MC saw in chapter one. This chapter would best fit in "Erotic Couplings."

Bondage trumps vanilla sex, so off to BDSM with the combo! Maybe throw the pervos a bonus by adding an epilogue or short internal 3rd chapter revisiting the thrill. That last bit is what readers will leave with. Keep-em happy-horny!

 

[jehoram]

I think this is impossible to answer in the abstract. When I read your initial post I immediately tried to imagine why you wrote the story this way. I don't understand the thinking behind the story, so I can't tell what you should do with it.

Hell, even I don't understand my thinking most of the time.

The stories are related in that they're both about Lit authors. In the first story, it's Writer A's fantasies that are being indulged, and in the second story, it's Writer B's fantasies (both with the help of Character C).

I know it sounds complicated, but there it is.

 

[SimonDoom]

Hell, even I don't understand my thinking most of the time.

The stories are related in that they're both about Lit authors. In the first story, it's Writer A's fantasies that are being indulged, and in the second story, it's Writer B's fantasies (both with the help of Character C).

I know it sounds complicated, but there it is.

So, my question is, if the erotic focus of the chapters is so different, what is gained by making them part of one story rather than splitting them into two separate stories? Do you really gain something? What's the purpose?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Hell, even I don't understand my thinking most of the time.

The stories are related in that they're both about Lit authors. In the first story, it's Writer A's fantasies that are being indulged, and in the second story, it's Writer B's fantasies (both with the help of Character C).

I know it sounds complicated, but there it is.

Don't call them chapters, make them each stand-alone but self-referential, publish in the appropriate category, but keep the same title start. Link each story to the other at the beginning or end (Laurel allows such links).

The Interconnected Story - Johnny and Janet
The Interconnected Story - Janet and Jamie

Readers are clever. They'll figure it out.

 

[Hypoxia]

Don't call them chapters, make them each stand-alone but self-referential, publish in the appropriate category, but keep the same title start. Link each story to the other at the beginning or end (Laurel allows such links).

The Interconnected Story - Johnny and Janet
The Interconnected Story - Janet and Jamie

I've done that with some story cycles. They share a universe but are not sequentially connected, like weekly TV episodes.

I'm slowly cooking ideas for multi-category offerings in a shared setting. WHAT THE MOTEL MIRROR SAW could support tales of many pervos and kinks. Managers at the Hour Lodge keep special cleaning gear on hand for room 69, a favorite destination in local sex ads.

ROOM 69 - Oh, Oh, Oh, Daddy! (Incest)
ROOM 69 - Big, Black, and Beautiful (Interracial)
ROOM 69 - Hypnotize Me Again (MindControl)
ROOM 69 - Careful With That Whip! (BDSM)
ROOM 69 - Mom and the Boys (Incest)
ROOM 69 - Invaders from Mars (SciFi)
ROOM 69 - Ass-Invaders from Tulsa (Anal)

Readers are clever. They'll figure it out.

Some, maybe. But it's hard to read between the lines one-handed.

 

[jehoram]

Don't call them chapters, make them each stand-alone but self-referential, publish in the appropriate category, but keep the same title start. Link each story to the other at the beginning or end (Laurel allows such links).

The Interconnected Story - Johnny and Janet
The Interconnected Story - Janet and Jamie

Readers are clever. They'll figure it out.

That's a thought. Question, though: How do you format the links if you don't know what the URL of the other story is going to be? And can you give me an example of another story that's done that, so I can copy the format? I don't think I've ever encountered a story with a link in it.

I've looked through the writers FAQs and such, but haven't found a reference to putting a link into a story.

 

[ElectricBlue]

That's a thought. Question, though: How do you format the links if you don't know what the URL of the other story is going to be? And can you give me an example of another story that's done that, so I can copy the format? I don't think I've ever encountered a story with a link in it.

I've looked through the writers FAQs and such, but haven't found a reference to putting a link into a story.

You have to put one up first, to get the link. Or, submit one after immediately after the other, and ask Laurel to join together the links - I've done that twice now with collaborative stories.

For an example - go to the last page of this one of mine:

https://www.literotica.com/s/the-hyacinth-house-pt-01

It's a meta story, where the inspiration for a story "recognises" herself in that story, and gets in contact with the author, who turns out to be a character in the same story. It gets very meta very fast, and very self-referential, so I provided links to half a dozen stories at the end (I cocked one up) Send me a PM if you like, and I can show you the html which puts the story name over the link.

 

[DryLips]

I know this has come up before, but I'd still like your advice on this circumstance.

I'm writing a two chapter story. The first chapter would definitely go into BDSM. The second chapter contains not a bit of that, except for a brief mention of what what the MC saw in chapter one. This chapter would best fit in "Erotic Couplings."

I know that readers in one category don't often follow the story when it veers into another one. My solution to that would be to post both stories simultaneously, so that they would appear as "Title-Chapter 1" and "Title-Chapter 2" side by side in the "New Stories" list, and the reader would be clued in at that point to the different categories.

Would it also be worth it to attach a note at the end of Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2 to direct the reader who comes across the story afterward, probably after a search of topic or keywords? I'd have to figure out a way to italicize the notes, but I know it can be done, either using or <i> ... I can't remember which one to use in stories.

I’m in the process of putting up a story that goes from Incest/Taboo to Romantic because the main character moves and becomes involved with a girl. I split the categories, hoping the readers will enjoy the story and the character development rather than just what category the sex falls into.

I think if your story and your characters evolve, the readers will either become involved and keep reading, or they’ll drop out because they aren’t interested in them anymore. But even if you lose a few readers, maybe you’ll pick up a few new ones with the category shift.

JMO

 

[jehoram]

Send me a PM if you like, and I can show you the html which puts the story name over the link.

Thanks, I'll do that, My story is a sort of meta-story, too, in that two Lit writers meet and participate in acting out their separate fantasies. I'm still playing with the format, to the consternation of my editor, so I don't know if it'll be posted very soon.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Thanks, I'll do that, My story is a sort of meta-story, too, in that two Lit writers meet and participate in acting out their separate fantasies. I'm still playing with the format, to the consternation of my editor, so I don't know if it'll be posted very soon.

Jehoram, I just tried to reply to your PM with the link code. Turn your PMs on .

 

[Hypoxia]

I’m in the process of putting up a story that goes from Incest/Taboo to Romantic because the main character moves and becomes involved with a girl. I split the categories, hoping the readers will enjoy the story and the character development rather than just what category the sex falls into.

I think if your story and your characters evolve, the readers will either become involved and keep reading, or they’ll drop out because they aren’t interested in them anymore. But even if you lose a few readers, maybe you’ll pick up a few new ones with the category shift.

You will lose readers. That is a given. I know, I know, it seems like new ones should arrive from other categories. No, they won't. Trust me. Or don't trust me -- try it and see what happens.

 

[jehoram]

Jehoram, I just tried to reply to your PM with the link code. Turn your PMs on .

My bad. I thought I had them turned on ... maybe they got switched off when Lit went to a different Control Panel. But searching the site, I couldn't find out how to turn the PMs on again. I'd be very grateful if somebody could steer me through this.

UPDATE: I think I finally figured out how to do this. (It was under the Edit Options menu, not the PM menu.) So do try again.

 

[jehoram]

UPDATE: I think I finally figured out how to do this. (It was under the Edit Options menu, not the PM menu.) So do try again.

But, as you pointed out in another thread, it didn't work. I think that I've fixed it now. I have the link text you sent, but just for grins, try sending me another PM just to see if it worked.