Are writers boring subjects?

[sun_sea_sky]

I'm interested now. In the last few weeks I've submitted a numbers of stories. Take two in particular, both submitted to "Erotic Couplings" that have had widely different numbers of views. Like, one has something like 10 times as many views.

You can't really dislike a story without even reading it, and in any case the one with a lot less views has a higher reader score, so it can't be that it's that bad. So let's look at the descriptions:

• Ryan watches his daughter and friends swim topless.
• Two writers explore writing, and each others' bodies.

As you may possibly guess, the story about "his daughter and friends swim topless" gets many, many more views. Writers "exploring each others' bodies" is, apparently, quite boring.

It appears that the advice in the FAQ to make your descriptions enticing is very accurate. So something like "swim topless" is going to do better than "discuss philosophy".

It would be interesting to try "Two writers swim topless" to see if it is the "swim topless" that gets readers in, or "two writers" that pushes them away.

 

[Dual_Triode]

Perhaps "Two Writers Dangle Their Participles" might gather some attention.

 

[TE999]

'Two writers explore writing then fuck until their ears bleed' would have probably enticed more readers.

 

[emap]

Perhaps "Two Writers Dangle Their Participles" might gather some attention.

Nah, most of the readers have no idea what a participle even is so wouldn't read the story because it's too wordy or something.

 

[gentledemands]

I'm interested now. In the last few weeks I've submitted a numbers of stories. Take two in particular, both submitted to "Erotic Couplings" that have had widely different numbers of views. Like, one has something like 10 times as many views.

You can't really dislike a story without even reading it, and in any case the one with a lot less views has a higher reader score, so it can't be that it's that bad. So let's look at the descriptions:

• Ryan watches his daughter and friends swim topless.
• Two writers explore writing, and each others' bodies.

As you may possibly guess, the story about "his daughter and friends swim topless" gets many, many more views. Writers "exploring each others' bodies" is, apparently, quite boring.

It appears that the advice in the FAQ to make your descriptions enticing is very accurate. So something like "swim topless" is going to do better than "discuss philosophy".

It would be interesting to try "Two writers swim topless" to see if it is the "swim topless" that gets readers in, or "two writers" that pushes them away.

Put it this ways. Which would you read:
Two writers swim topless.
Two librarians swim topless.
Two nurses swim topless.
Two Victoria Secrets models swim topless.
Two old dudes swim topless.

My work here is done!

 

[damppanties]

• Ryan watches his daughter and friends swim topless.

The real question is: why didn't this go into Incest / Taboo?

 

[sun_sea_sky]

As I recall, he didn't have sex with his daughter.

Seeing your daughter topless is hardly taboo.

If the plot progresses it may well be in a different category.

 

[damppanties]

That was pretty much a throwaway comment up there, but more seriously, I would say his sexual interest (I'm assuming he is sexually interested in the daughter. Also there must be some coupling if it's in erotic coupling, and possibly father's voyeurism in relation to the coupling?) in the daughter would constitute taboo-ness even if there was no actual sex between the two.

 

[sun_sea_sky]

I'm grateful for your comments because, as you realize, I am fairly new here. Choosing categories for stories, and tags, is a bit of a challenge.

My response basically is that if I had put the story into "Incest / Taboo" I would probably get a lot of complaints that there was not, in fact, incest in it. I can just imagine the complaints:

"You call that incest? Putting suntan lotion on his daughter? Give us a break."

The story, as written, had the girls stripping off in front of the father of one of them. He ogled them, sure, but principally because most of them were not his daughter. And the father in the story resisted his daughter's request to put suntan lotion on her breasts.

I think the story, if continued, could easily head down the incest path, but I don't think it is really there yet.

 

[oggbashan]

Whispersecret's old but good How-To about choosing a Title (actually called How To Get People To Read Your Story) is still great, readable short advice.

I get more hits than it deserves on my story 'Hedgehog Feud' - because of its title.

But my 'Virgin's Sister' and Virgin's Sister Again' really ring readers' bells for the titles.

From my own experience I would avoid using any title that starts with 'The' or 'A' such as 'The Casbah'. 'The' gets lost in any search.

 

[lovecraft68]

Seeing your daughter topless is hardly taboo.

My daughters are 22/19 I would think swimming topless with them would be pretty taboo.

Pardon me for not being "liberated" if that's a word you would use, but I have no desire to see my daughters "assets"

And if I did want to, then it would go in incest taboo.

As for views whether the daughter messes around or not that wording is going to draw more views and attention. Incest is by far the biggest draw here.

Erotic couplings as a category is not one of the biggest because it's kind of a "catch-all" and doesn't cater to anyone particular kink.

 

[damppanties]

I'm grateful for your comments because, as you realize, I am fairly new here. Choosing categories for stories, and tags, is a bit of a challenge.

My response basically is that if I had put the story into "Incest / Taboo" I would probably get a lot of complaints that there was not, in fact, incest in it. I can just imagine the complaints:

"You call that incest? Putting suntan lotion on his daughter? Give us a break."

The story, as written, had the girls stripping off in front of the father of one of them. He ogled them, sure, but principally because most of them were not his daughter. And the father in the story resisted his daughter's request to put suntan lotion on her breasts.

I think the story, if continued, could easily head down the incest path, but I don't think it is really there yet.

Fair enough.

From my own experience I would avoid using any title that starts with 'The' or 'A' such as 'The Casbah'. 'The' gets lost in any search.

Interesting bit of info. Didn't know that.

 

[glynndah]

Perhaps "Two Writers Dangle Their Participles" might gather some attention.

I think most readers don't want anything to dangle.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Librarians are pretty boring.

 

[topace]

Useful bit of advice this thread is!