2 versions of a story to please everyone?

[TheOtherTeacher]

Hi Everyone,
I usually avoid homosexual acts in my stories, as I tried introducing them in the past and had negative feedback if I didn't put a prior warning at the beginning. (Aparently reading about incest is OK, but homosexuality isn't for some people)
But if I add a warning, I get a lot less responses, and I believe many people are reading that warning and clicking out of the story before reading it, even if the homosexual acts are less than 10% of the total sexual situations.
So instead I've alluded to acts done, but not actively written them.

However, more and more I've had comments asking for the homosexual acts to be included.

So, I had the idea of writing 2 versions of the same story - one with homosexual acts, and another without.

What do you think? Would this work?
Could I hyperlink one story to another within the page (for people who want to go to the other version), or is there a block on links?

Thanks!

(The story I'm working on btw is an incest story, if that matters)

 

[SimonDoom]

We all write for our own purposes, and your purposes are as legitimate as anyone else's, so it's hard to advise you. If it were me, I wouldn't do this, because I don't understand the idea of trying "to please everyone." That does not strike me as a worthy thing to attempt.

In terms of trying to reach the audience, my guideline is this: how can I maximize the number of readers that like my story? I ignore the ones who won't like it. I don't care that they won't like it. I don't care if my story bothers them. They can stop reading and read another story.

If you want to write a story that combines incest and homosexuality, you're going to have readers that don't like it. That's just the way it is. So what?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Readers in the Gay Male can cope with some hetero activity, as long as there's still a decent amount of cock (or at least thinking about it).

Readers in other categories often can't cope with Teh Gay, though some are more broad-minded than others. I hear Incest is quite narrow-minded that way, Group Sex or Anal seem ok with a warning.

I did produce a series which went in GM, but much of the plot is about a guy finally getting to shag a woman he's lusted after for 20 years. So I thought I'd try putting together the bits with him and her, cobbling a bit of linking text together as needed, and rewriting the first page which I wasn't happy with. The result was about 32k words rather than 110k and went in Erotic Couplings - which is always a bit random whether a story will get attention there, but there wasn't really an alternative - Group readers would have been disappointed, it wasn't Romance...

It was quite well received but not many people read it, as in it doesn't have red Hs for chapters 2 and 3 because of not enough votes. (The Bet is the het version, Smoking Hot the GM one) Though much of the series didn't have enough votes for Hs either until I did some standalone sequels.

Take from all that what you will.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Aversion to gay stories is no worse than other categories like Loving Wives, where the readers HATE those stories of extra-marital fun and sharing (even though that's the category definition!) So, posting your stories in Gay Male or Incest has half of those readers not liking the other category content in their favored category.

 

[SyleusSnow]

I've had a few calls from readers change stories and once posted two versions of the exact same story but with one minor difference (No Talking - she's not a virgin. Speechless - she is). One of my stories (If You Want It) ends the the characters never seeing each other again, which seem to piss off some readers. Yesterday I got a loooong comment begging me to change the ending or post a second version where the characters stay together, then write subsequent chapters based on that. Really great to see a reader so invested in a story, but the story ends that way for a reason.

I value all reader feedback, and I do insert reader-pleasing scenes like blowjobs into stories to cater to readers who expect that, but we can't satisfy all readers particular preferences, nor should we. What SimonDoom said.

But sometimes you do get valid criticism. On one story (For all of us), readers complained that I'd skipped over a big time period crucial to the story and that one character was a doormat. In that case, I posted a revision ... because the readers were right. The revised version is much better, and I'm grateful readers pointed out the flaws in the original.

 

[TheOtherTeacher]

I've had a few calls from readers change stories and once posted two versions of the exact same story but with one minor difference (No Talking - she's not a virgin. Speechless - she is). One of my stories (If You Want It) ends the the characters never seeing each other again, which seem to piss off some readers. Yesterday I got a loooong comment begging me to change the ending or post a second version where the characters stay together, then write subsequent chapters based on that. Really great to see a reader so invested in a story, but the story ends that way for a reason.

I value all reader feedback, and I do insert reader-pleasing scenes like blowjobs into stories to cater to readers who expect that, but we can't satisfy all readers particular preferences, nor should we. What SimonDoom said.

But sometimes you do get valid criticism. On one story (For all of us), readers complained that I'd skipped over a big time period crucial to the story and that one character was a doormat. In that case, I posted a revision ... because the readers were right. The revised version is much better, and I'm grateful readers pointed out the flaws in the original.

Interesting!
Did you see a lot of difference in terms of readership between the two versions (No Talking and Speechless)? Was one better rated than the other?

 

[TheOtherTeacher]

We all write for our own purposes, and your purposes are as legitimate as anyone else's, so it's hard to advise you. If it were me, I wouldn't do this, because I don't understand the idea of trying "to please everyone." That does not strike me as a worthy thing to attempt.

In terms of trying to reach the audience, my guideline is this: how can I maximize the number of readers that like my story? I ignore the ones who won't like it. I don't care that they won't like it. I don't care if my story bothers them. They can stop reading and read another story.

If you want to write a story that combines incest and homosexuality, you're going to have readers that don't like it. That's just the way it is. So what?

I write my stories to improve my own writing skills (as well as my own personal mental stimulation).

I started writing erotic stories to improve my normal writing. I was doing NANOWRIMO and a writing friend suggested I write an erotic story to help improve my writing. Because I was writing all about what my character was seeing, and sometimes doing, but not experiencing. I was missing the senses of touch, taste and smell too. So I took on erotic writing to try and remember to involve every sense, not just sight.

So when I write, I want feedback! I want to know what was good or bad, and pay close attention to written feedback and ratings, so I can try and improve, story after story. And since my last story is on 4.83, I'm pretty happy!

As I said, I had feedback saying they wanted more written male-on-male, so I want to explore this topic mainly for them.

 

[SyleusSnow]

Interesting!
Did you see a lot of difference in terms of readership between the two versions (No Talking and Speechless)? Was one better rated than the other?

Speechless (the virgin version) has a slightly higher score (4.6 vs 4.56) and gets more views, I think mainly because it's in First Time instead of Non-consent and the tag line is more salacious ("Losing her voice leads to losing her virginity.") So yeah, it's more popular.

I only posted the second version because I wrote it privately for a specific reader and they suggested I make it public. Wouldn't do it again.

But I learned from the experience... in the original I was reluctant to make her a virgin, fearing it would make the stakes too high for a "non-consent" story. Naw... should have made her a virgin in the original and added even more stakes. Higher stakes make better stories. Boost the drama, the emotions, the longing, the inner tumoil, the chances for gain and loss. As long as you don't descend into melodrama.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'd write two different stories, rather than two different versions of the same story, and put each one in the most appropriate category.

You'll always get folk not liking GM "out of category" - it's one of the strange puritanical quirks of Lit.

But you can also take the attitude, "Who cares if someone gets squicked?" I've done it deliberately, to see what happens - my entry in last year's Mickey Spillane had a central GM scene which could just as easily been hetero, and I got one polite comment saying it "wasn't his cup of tea," but he gave the story a five, regardless. The other commenters weren't fussed, and It's currently 4.65/151 on 6500 Views, which is a very high vote rate, so it did okay overall.

 

[SimonDoom]

I want to second what EB said, which is to write different stories rather than different versions of the same story. You'll get more readers, and you'll get more appreciative readers. Writing two versions of one story seems like an academic exercise, and you'll turn off a lot of potential readers that way. Whereas, if you simply write two different stories based on a similar plot concept, with different characters and different story titles -- no one will know but you. You'll have the opportunity to reach out to two different readerships, get their input, and do with that input whatever you want.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I don't think this has been answered yet: sure, you can link stories within the site (just not to anything outside the site). We can tell you the HTML to use.

Somebody wrote a guide here, I think it's called "Be Kind to Your Readers," about what to do with mixed categories. Basically, it said that some categories "trump" (no pun intended!) other categories if both elements are present. It should be easy to find the essay.

Gay incest? I'm sure it's been done here - go in through the "tag finder" and see what comes up. As we've mentioned, almost everything on here will piss off somebody, despite whatever disclaimers you might include. I think it happened unexpectedly to me on the very first story I had here, over something I wouldn't have guessed would be a problem.

 

[lc69hunter]

I am an avid reader, and commenter (top thirty all time) on stories. Now that I have started writing, I have PM'd authors in various categories asking if I could take their story in a different direction, and the results have been fairly positive.

However, I am NOT a fan of BTB stories, feeling that 70% didn't need to be and 50% shouldn't be BTB, primarily based upon how they portray the husband (not realistic at all, as it is not how a real man acts). When I respectfully PM the author as to whether I can write an alternate ending, or take a new chapter in a different direction, I not only get a 100% no, but a 100% hell no, and proceed to question my manhood among other things. That is an area I feel that authors really can not write alternative endings, as it will just piss off both sides.

 

[lovecraft68]

Never done it and no one ever should.
Reason one is simple, you can never please everyone.
Reason two is you're supposed to be writing your story, not everyone's story, and it would never be worth doing because of reason #1

 

[AsianFusion]

"I don't know the secret of success, but the secret of failure is trying to please everyone"
Ed Sheeran

 

[KeithD]

Gay incest? I'm sure it's been done here - go in through the "tag finder" and see what comes up. As we've mentioned, almost everything on here will piss off somebody, despite whatever disclaimers you might include. I think it happened unexpectedly to me on the very first story I had here, over something I wouldn't have guessed would be a problem.

I've done it. They have been posted to the GM category.

 

[Handley_Page]

 

[ElectricBlue]

When I respectfully PM the author as to whether I can write an alternate ending, or take a new chapter in a different direction, I not only get a 100% no, but a 100% hell no, and proceed to question my manhood among other things. That is an area I feel that authors really can not write alternative endings, as it will just piss off both sides.

You've hit on two things here. There seems to be an assumption that you think your proposed alternate endings will somehow be "better"; but more to the point, this notion that some people have that other writers' content, characters and story lines are fair game for alteration or extension, I find problematic.

At least you asked permission, but seriously, write your own stories, not someone else's. I'm not at all surprised that you got, "Hell, no!"

 

[alohadave]

You've hit on two things here. There seems to be an assumption that you think your proposed alternate endings will somehow be "better"; but more to the point, this notion that some people have that other writers' content, characters and story lines are fair game for alteration or extension, I find problematic.

At least you asked permission, but seriouslyly, write your own stories, not someone else's. I'm not at all surprised that you got, "Hell, no!"

There's no harm in asking. It doesn't necessarily imply anything other than the person wants to build off someone else's story.

 

[Euphony]

I'm possibly confused by this.

Splitting a narrative so cleanly feels at the expense of characterization, which is almost always best spread throughout. (save some climatic event turning a person's personality on a dime.)

So, I'd have a "sudden homosexual" or a "dabbling with the idea" character which would run afoul of the prude bunch (admittedly to varying degrees.)

There's certainly scenarios that support it and authors with the chops to pull it off but, in general, I wouldn't recommend it over two stand alone stories with characters getting their full shine.