"An early morning milking" Question

[rainyguy]

Hello,
I should say right up front that if I am posting in the wrong area I am sorry. But I am hoping that it will be okay.

I wrote this story, "An early morning milking" along with a different story. They were accepted and posted around 4 days ago now. I am pretty much brand-new here when it comes to having my writing posted. So I don't know what is normal or what is not. I don't know what the average story gets in the way of "Times viewed and votes"

My question is this though. I have received a fair amount of feedback asking about a sequel, actually demanding one would be more accurate. Of course this is wonderful just to see that people want to read more but here's the thing. How much feedback and e-mails asking for "more" should it take before you do it? I ask because I could write a sequel pretty easily to this story but would it be worth the time? That's why I was asking about the average number of people that read and vote for stories here. I guess i just don't want to kill myself writing a sequel for only a handful of folks. I know a lot of people don't usually send feedback or vote but how do you get a good feel for the audience that is reading your work?

Now most likely I will write a sequel to this story just because I am kind of interested in it and it allows me to take a break from other writing projects.
But on literotica, how does an author truly get a genuine sense of the "reader's" opinion or pulse?

what should I do?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

The number of views and amount of feedback is always greatest when your story is in the “New” category and depends on the category it’s in as well, some categories being a lot more popular than others. I had a story posted to BDSM on January 20, and so far it’s got about 4300 views and 44 votes, 5 public comments, and I’ve received maybe 4-5 pieces of feedback in email. The votes, number of comments and amount of feedback are maybe a little higher than what I usually get. Usually, over the long run, you can expect maybe 1 vote for evey 1000 views. My feedback usually runs to about 5-10 comments during the first week or so that the story’s up. Once your story’s off the “New” list, votes, views, and comments all fall way off.

Whether you write a sequel or not is really up to you. I wouldn’t expect that the people who requested one will actually be hanging on with bated breath waiting for the next installment though. And whatever you write, it should be good enough to stand on its own and not depend too heavily on the first installment, because few readers have the patience to dredge up the prequel in order to understand what’s going on.

You might want to save the addresses and names of your fans though, and notify them when your next piece goes up, whether it’s a sequal or not. Could be the start of a fan club.

How do you get a feel for what the readers really think of your work? I think most people go by the amount and quality of the feedback rather then by the voting score. There's a lot of weird stuff that goes on in voting, and I myself just don't consider it very reliable. Feedback too is not always reliable. Women authors always get more feedback than men, especially if they have an attractive Av or photo in their profile.

In the end though, you've got to write the best stuff you can and make yourself happy. You just can't rely on others to give you the necessary strokes.

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

Sequel

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Write a sequel if you wish and if you think you can do another story with the characters. Sometimes you tell their whole story in on shot and there simply isn't aything you want to do with them afterwards. Sometimes there is plenty more to say if you feel like telling it.

Don't let your feedback goad you into a sequel if you don't have the urge. It will make writing less fun and will probably be less enjoyable, as most sequels are. If you do feel like it exult inknowing people liked the characters enough to want to know more about them

-Colly

 

[Limbhugger]

As always Dr. M gives good advice.

I have stories that have gotten 60,000 views and ones that have gotten 2,000 views. I have "H's" and I don't have "H's".

Feedback is great when it is constructive and well intentioned. And naturally it is awesome when it is positive!

But I don't write for the feedback or the "audience's" need for more. I write because it comes to me and I want to get it out. I enjoy my characters or the scenes. Granted, there's nothing like bravos to encourage you to do more and of course we all want to get that to some degree or another. But it has to about you or it won't convey the same message.

I have two chapter stories posted. Neither have yet come to completetion although one is close. One I saw as a multi-part from the beginning, the other I didn't until I started writing it.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[rainyguy]

Wow!!!
I have to be dead honest here, that was some very good advice you all gave me.
And I really do appreciate it. It is just such a joy to find nice people willing to take the time to help others.
thank you again.

This is just all new for me.
out of the two stories i have posted currently as of today. One has almost 40,000 views and the other i think is around 13-14,000 views. I just didn't know how to take that as a measuring tool since i had nothing to compare it with.

I think there is a few installments with this one story and I'm pretty confident that i can throw it out and have it stand on its own but as always, there are a few doubts lingering around the corners.

I wasn't sure exactly how to begin a sequel. should a person just start writing where the first one left off? or should you treat it more like a chapter in a novel and go from there?
I understand about novel writing, but short stories are a little different and i'm not so sure the best way to present them. I guess i'll figure it out but of course i would like to do what is best for the story and characters.

I think i have responded to each e-mail feedback i have received. but i did have one question. Is it considered bad for an author to reply in the "comment" section of a story?
just didn't know.

 

[Guest]

 

[rainyguy]

Thanks Lime:

oh I have the plot worked out. I already know what the characters are going to do, and who they are. there will be a few things revealed but i don't think i'll bring the sister in on this one.

i think the best way for me to handle this is just treat it like a shortened down novel. and if i do that, i'll be okay and somewhat comfortable although writing is in itself always an adventure to see what actually turns out to be the finished draft.
hmmm, okay then, i guess it wouldn't be considered "wrong" or in bad taste then for me to post a public comment on the story.
i think i'll do that.

thanks again.

 

[Guest]

 

[Limbhugger]

rainyguy,

It's your story to do with as you see fit. But I'll echo what Dr. M said earlier, installments of the same character should have some reflection but not too much. I believe they should include enough of the previous installment that people new to the plot can pick up on the basics and understand what is going on. Yet not so much that it becomes a distraction or so that the installment cannot stand on it's own.

One of my favorite novelists, the late Terry C. Johnston wrote a ton of books. Most of them fell into one of two flowing story lines that followed two different characters. He was excellent at weaving past occurances into his stories. A person could pick up say book 9 of 13 and become totally engrossed in the book and still pick up enough nuances to get a feel for past events.

Make sense? You might try reading a few chapter stories and get a feel for the different ways folks do things.

LH

 

[rainyguy]

Here's a question:

When you authors write and submit a story here.
Do you break it up into sections or chapters with in the story itself?
or is it just more of a question of personal preference when it comes to story presentation?
I have looked around a bit and there are many authors who write stories but they submit them as individual chapters of a whole.
but is there a lot of you writers that will say submit a story that contains perhaps two or three chapters inside of the one submission?

just was curious.

 

[Limbhugger]

You can do whatever you want to. Keep in mind though that a 20 page story on Word will be around 3 pages on Lit. So, putting a whole lot of stuff together into one submission could make for a long read. And I'm not sure that many readers want to stick with a single read that long.

As Dr. M said, likely those folks who've encouraged more will mostly not hang around waiting for more. A select few will follow a story but most won't regardless of their feedback.

So you I think you have to seperate feedback and views from your style. If you want a lot of views crank out one page stories full of "awwss" and "throbbing rod" crap and post them. If you're hoping to connect to that discerning reader than write and submit it as you see fit. Just don't be bummed by a lack of feedback.

I break my chaptered-stories down mainly because I think it is easier for the reader and because I like to roll the next one around in my mind before typing it.

 

[rhody]

sequels

i just found this thread and i must say it is most interesting to me. i am currently submitting a story line under a different name. the feedback has been rather awesome and there have been many requests for it to continue. i wasn't planning to do so, but have since changed my mind much to the delight of the readers and the person that set on this path.

i just recently made a list of story ideas for more chapters and found out that it helps to have such list as a refrence. i too, use a part of the previous story to lead into the next one. but i think saying at the beginning of the chapters [2 and onward] that they should start from the beginning is helpful.

i also keep the addies of any feedback that leaves them. that way, when a new chapter is posted, you can email them. i think that is good public relations. and a thank you for those that do leave an addy in a feedback.