Category-picking help!

[ofbuttons]

Hi all - looking for advice on where to put an upcoming story, especially as I may need to angle it in one direction or another before it's done and I'd rather do that at this stage of writing. I've read that one fabulous article about Categories which has helped immensely, but I'm still unsure of this one, as it straddles quite a few lines.

The gist is this: young bisexual woman is suffering through a lame duck relationship with her previously cheating boyfriend, and will break up with him after realising it's not working out. This break up involves participating in erotic neo/psuedo-pagan ceremonies (they all went to a retreat that turns out more raunchy and wild than expected) that she embraces, and includes kinks like: lesbian group sex, domination/submissive dynamics, voyeurism/exhibition, ritualistic sex, bondage and public sex, and heterosexual erotic coupling.

My thoughts are:

Lesbian Sex: this would obviously cover off the lesbian encounters, but in my mind, this is a minor aspect of the story, and more deeply focuses on heterosexual dynamics, so I won't want to bait-and-switch anyone.
Group Sex: similar to Lesbian Sex, this will feature once in a decently big way, but is not the erotic centre of the whole story at time of writing. That said, I am tempted to simply make it be so, with the other sex acts being threesomes/moresomes, especially if I can't find a better category.
Romance: this probably is the least likeliest one, but for all that I listed a bunch of kinks, the storyline that runs through the story is about a breakup, sexual awakening, and connecting with someone new, and there has so far been a lot of page-time spent on these dynamics. Throwing it out there, lol.
BDSM: there will be bondage and D/s dynamics, and an embracing of submissive desires, but I also don't know if this is really central to the story. Again, I could probably edit it and make it so. My instinct is that BDSM stories are more focused on kinky sex acts than a fraught relationship but I may just be being narrow minded.
Exhibitionist & Voyeur: Putting this here for fullness, but my perception of this category is that these stories focus on embarrassment and coyness and power imbalances through nudity or being watched, which is not really the focus either.

Happy to elaborate, would love the advice.

 

[Euphony]

Feels like you've got the pulse of it which is Group.

It can be a bit of a catch-all. The category mostly won't be too precious over the other stuff and if you give the group stuff that DOES appear, solid fan service, they'll likely walk along with you for most of the other.

Your process of elimination seemed spot on only furthering supporting Group.

 

[ElectricBlue]

You've answered your own question on Lesbian Sex, BDSM, and E&V; Group Sex in my experience is a tumbleweed category with very little reader engagement (low votes, no comments, it seems no-one is there).

Despite what some people say, I'd be inclined to drop this into Erotic Couplings. Yes, it's a catch-all category, but at least readers will comment and vote - it's not the complete dead water some people think.

 

[ofbuttons]

Feels like you've got the pulse of it which is Group.

It can be a bit of a catch-all. The category mostly won't be too precious over the other stuff and if you give the group stuff that DOES appear, solid fan service, they'll likely walk along with you for most of the other.

Your process of elimination seemed spot on only furthering supporting Group.

Thanks for the advice. Solid fan service would be very doable. I think my worry is that it would take a while to actually get to the Group stuff (and by a while I mean a couple of pages, I tend to write pretty short stuff usually), but that's going to be a risk ("risk") with any kink-focused category. If I commit, I can probably signal it in earlier moments.

You've answered your own question on Lesbian Sex, BDSM, and E&V; Group Sex in my experience is a tumbleweed category with very little reader engagement (low votes, no comments, it seems no-one is there).

Despite what some people say, I'd be inclined to drop this into Erotic Couplings. Yes, it's a catch-all category, but at least readers will comment and vote - it's not the complete dead water some people think.

Oh yes, I should have included Erotic Couplings in my list of possibilities because I know it's a bit of a catch-all. I've also seen it talked about as a place for vanilla-y twosomes, conversely, so I think that's why I didn't. I'll have to take a look at the category and browse around.

Low reader engagement would be a shame, for sure, though I am a little used to that in NC/R.

 

[MrPixel]

If it's any help, my Off Campus story series hits on nearly all of your points - bisexual females, lesbianism (mild), BDSM (also mild), exhibition, orgies, romance, spiritual connection, public sex, and hetero sex. It is published in Group Sex.

I will second the observation that GS is a ghost town. So my series doesn't draw a big readership, and the comments:readers ratio is poor, with most chapters getting no comments at all. OTOH it tends to not draw the air-headed and sometimes hateful comment traffic as other categories on LitE, negative energy which does in fact affect your writing regardless of how thick you think your skin is.

 

[Euphony]

Oh yes, I should have included Erotic Couplings in my list of possibilities because I know it's a bit of a catch-all. I've also seen it talked about as a place for vanilla-y twosomes, conversely, so I think that's why I didn't. I'll have to take a look at the category and browse around.

Honestly, I think I might prefer EB66's EC suggestion. (why I liked it)

IF you want to put a little pressure on yourself to explore group themes, category commitment will do that.

IF you want more engagement (nothing wrong w/that so long as you are honest w/yourself up front and move off that need when you find your own voice) Erotic Couplings would do you well.

Go with your gut. You trusted it to write your story, it'll likely help you with the category as well.

 

[ofbuttons]

If it's any help, my Off Campus story series hits on nearly all of your points - bisexual females, lesbianism (mild), BDSM (also mild), exhibition, orgies, romance, spiritual connection, public sex, and hetero sex. It is published in Group Sex.

I will second the observation that GS is a ghost town. So my series doesn't draw a big readership, and the comments:readers ratio is poor, with most chapters getting no comments at all. OTOH it tends to not draw the air-headed and sometimes hateful comment traffic as other categories on LitE, negative energy which does in fact affect your writing regardless of how thick you think your skin is.

Oh, dope, thank you! (Also, I will definitely be giving yours a read once I finish my draft.) If I go with Group, which is increasingly likely, I'll be sure also to tag it properly so people with specific interests will find it at least. A silver lining is that this is intended for the Pink Orchid event, so I could scoop up some readers that way. No idea, we'll see!

[...]

Go with your gut. You trusted it to write your story, it'll likely help you with the category as well.

Cheers, I shall. In general I am about as thirsty for engagement as any Lit author, but in this specific case I am more interested in writing the story the way I want to tell it and finding its proper home.

 

[ElectricBlue]

IF you want more engagement (nothing wrong w/that so long as you are honest w/yourself up front and move off that need when you find your own voice) Erotic Couplings would do you well.

My second most commented on story is in Erotic Couplings, all sensible and engaged comments.

I have one Group story with comments, but it was a collaborative story and in an Anthology, so the comments came from existing followers from two authors, and the Anthology readers, more than category denizens.

If it's in the Pink Orchid Anthology, that should get it a better response, regardless where you put. If it was in Group as a stand-alone story, I'd still say, deadwater.

 

[lovecraft68]

You have so many things tossed into this you might be better off in erotic couplings which is kind of a catch all.

 

[ofbuttons]

My second most commented on story is in Erotic Couplings, all sensible and engaged comments.

I have one Group story with comments, but it was a collaborative story and in an Anthology, so the comments came from existing followers from two authors, and the Anthology readers, more than category denizens.

If it's in the Pink Orchid Anthology, that should get it a better response, regardless where you put. If it was in Group as a stand-alone story, I'd still say, deadwater.

Thanks for the insight. Mostly for me with this story, it's about finding the most accurate home and doing a little work to make sure it fits in so that people who would want to read it can find it. Engagement aside, would you say that view counts seem mostly the same? (I know that views are just clicks, but it's as close to non-rating non-commenting numbers of readers available.)

You have so many things tossed into this you might be better off in erotic couplings which is kind of a catch all.

Valid! I may do so in the end. I'll at least peruse those Categories themselves more to try and catch the vibe.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Thanks for the insight. Mostly for me with this story, it's about finding the most accurate home and doing a little work to make sure it fits in so that people who would want to read it can find it. Engagement aside, would you say that view counts seem mostly the same? (I know that views are just clicks, but it's as close to non-rating non-commenting numbers of readers available.)

The Group story took 50k Views to get 300 Votes, the Erotic Couplings story, 36k Views to get 280 Votes. End scores 4.74 versus 4.76.