Author notes - useful or pointless?

[CeasarBoobage]

We all know that the LW and N/C categories have a huge group of people in the 'anon' family that only live to 1-bomb and leave nasty comments for stories that don't fit their narrow range of accepted fantasies.

Have any of you had much luck in avoiding the trolls by putting a disclaimer, warning, or plot spoiler at the top of your stories?

For example:

Author note:
There is no sex here, just the tease.

Author note:
This LW story has a cheating spouse, but there is no BTB, they get back together. If you don't like this sort of thing, please click your 'back' button.

<edit>
This should probably be in AH, not here.
MODS: please move as needed.
Thanks

 

[oggbashan]

I don't think it makes much difference.

Anonymous can leave rude comments even just because he/she doesn't like the category - so why read a story in that category?

Loving Wives is a minefield. Whatever you write, someone won't like it because it doesn't fit with their self-definition of what a Loving Wives story should be.

My view is that Author Notes distract from the suspension of disbelief that the story should produce. If you really want to add an Authors' Note, perhaps put it at the end.

Your title, sub-title and tags should be enough hints to attract (or deter) a reader.

I used Author Notes in http://www.literotica.com/s/the-worst-chain-story-ever-ch-01 But that was intended to be 'The Worst'.

 

[DeYaKen]

We all know that the LW and N/C categories have a huge group of people in the 'anon' family that only live to 1-bomb and leave nasty comments for stories that don't fit their narrow range of accepted fantasies.

Have any of you had much luck in avoiding the trolls by putting a disclaimer, warning, or plot spoiler at the top of your stories?

For example:


<edit>
This should probably be in AH, not here.
MODS: please move as needed.
Thanks

I don't think it makes any difference to trolling or 1 bombing I well remember one person HarryinVA, who disliked the first story of mine that he read. He disliked it so much that he went on to read everything else i had written so he could dislike them as well. Knowing what to expect doesn't stop them slagging you off for not giving them what they want.

I use author's notes to explain terms in the story that I think the readers might not know If there is no sex I would say there is no sex. Most of my readers know that my stories are rarely about the sex so I don't get complaints on that score. One reader wrote to me saying that he always skipped over sex in any story because he already knew how tab A went into Slot B (his words)

 

[sr71plt]

I don't put defensive notes on my stories--and I don't read many stories where the author has put defensive notes. But then, there isn't much in a story that would give me the vapors and make me feel someone should have protected me from something.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

I've actually done a lot of testing of this with my own stories, once I started writing for LW.

I discussed it extensively in my story Love Your Readers (How-To).

I believe it helps a lot under certain circumstances. What I said about the introduction in my previous story:

The elements of the Introduction are:

1) Any required declarations
Characters over 18 years old, copyright, celebrities, etc.

2) Heads up to the reader for surprises
Anything that crosses category lines fits well here. Gay themes in an Incest story, for example. Incest in Group Sex. Whichever category you file it under, you might want to mention the other.

Squick factor. Erotic couplings with things like fetishes, anal, etc. Mention it or hear about it.

Death, murder, torture. Physical abuse of any type can be a real turnoff for readers. Again worth bringing up, before they get too far into the story.

No Sex. Most of the readers are here for the EROTICA part of Literotica. If there's little or no sex, say so. Unless you're really a master of the LITerature part of Lit. You folks can ignore me. What are you even doing reading this treatise? Go back to writing. Pretty please. Don't make me beg, it's ugly. Alright, fine, I'm begging. Happy?

3) Story (or chapter) Description
A preference of mine. Tell 'em a little about what you're going to tell 'em. The one line in the description doesn't do much for a reader. Here's a chance to let them know what they're getting into. This is especially considerate in long, multi-chapter stories.

4) Credits
If you have an editor, give them credit here. If the story was inspired by another, mention it. Inspired by real-life? Go ahead and tell them how. This one's simple enough - give credit where credit's due.

5) Continuation
Make sure the reader knows if this is a multi-part story, or is somehow related to another story. It should be reflected in your title and description, ideally. If it's not, make sure you mention it in the Prologue. Something I don't do often enough, but should, is mention when it's the final chapter of an ongoing series. A lot of people won't read a story until all chapters are available.

 

[lovecraft68]

Anonymous will attack no matter what you do or do not say.

The only disclaimer I put in an author's note is that I take my time building the story and if you're a fan of quick stroke stories, I may not be the writer for you.

 

[RejectReality]

Doesn't do you much good in LW, although you will still get a comment or two thanking you for telling them to stay away from your "stupid wimp cuck" story. ( or whatever )

You'll probably get just as many comments from people who used it as a signpost to know exactly what to attack in their nasty comment, saving the time of even skimming it.

In other categories, the readers aren't nearly so bad about the latter. Sci-Fi&Fantasy and NonHuman readers are especially good about heeding warnings. I would imagine that catch-all categories such as Erotic Couplings and Novels&Novellas will likewise generate positive effects by warning readers up front if there's content that might give them the creeps.

Things can be deal-breakers. If someone dislike anal and you toss it into a story they've otherwise loved up to that point, it can turn your five vote into a one of disgust. If they knew about it up front, they could back away, or continue on with the knowledge that it's coming so they can be prepared to skim.

It's especially effective with your regular readership when you throw a curve ball at them they may not be expecting.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Sober Readers figger it out without a trip tick from AAA. The rest are over at NON EROTIC one-bombing me with complaints that the story has no sex in it. HEY ASSHOLE THE ONLY ONE GOT FUCKED WAS ME.

 

[LadyCypris]

It hurts to get a "1-bomb" as a writer, but as a reader I don't really like authors' notes that spell out what is and isn't in the story, either. A lot of the time, especially in the NC category, a lot of the suspense comes from the tension of not quite knowing what is happening next ("is he really going to fuck her ass?").

I read the NC category a lot, and though there are scenarios that don't do anything for me, part of the fun is the surprise of seeing a story swerve unexpectedly into another subcategory.

 

[WifeWatchman]

There is nothing short of moderator crackdown that is going to stop the Haters from 1-bombing stories. They travel in packs and attack because they truly are Trolls with nothing but hatred in their hearts. I would not be surprised if they don't even read the stories they 1-bomb, but even if they did it would not matter to them; they LIVE to click the "1" star.

A description WILL help genuine readers. I often put at the top a note about where the sex in the story is, especially if there is a lot of non-sex, non-erotic stuff in the story. I write with the intent to introduce surprises, so I don't put things that might give away the surprises. And of course I put in the disclaimer so that people don't go beserk over a literary use of the n-word, etc.

But do understand that the 1-bombers are doing what they do with purpose and intent, and they do it solely to cause pain and discouragement to the author. They are Haters in every sense of the word.

 

[davidmuleguy]

I think what WifeWatchman says is correct.

A week ago, Ch. 4 of my latest story (a foot fetish/female domination story) was posted, and the first three votes were three 1's.

And there was one, anonymous commentator who said: "You're an idiot. And you lower the IQ of this site just by posting your stories."

Well, he/she might unwittingly have a point.

But there was nothing in the comment that proved they had read as much as a single sentence of the story.

 

[sweet_lusciousdesire]

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[sweet_lusciousdesire]

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[MayorReynolds]

So far I haven't had to mess much with author notes, aside from putting "this story is a followup to... on sequel works that are currently in progress.

If I ever had to go beyond that, I'd keep it short as a rule. For instance, I'd give readers a heads up if something like incest popped up in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy category story. If the story has incest and is placed in the Incest/Taboo category then the reader should already know what they're in for based on the title, category and description blurb. I probably wouldn't write "all participants in this story are 18 or older" at any point because this is Literotica, so that should be a given.

I understand the need for warnings though. My experience has taught me that readers, especially the anon crowd, don't like surprises. My policy would be to note ass play, incest, nc/reluctance and other such bugaboos with a quick, fair disclaimer.

Speaking of the anons, they also don't like endings that aren't what they want, story elements that don't play out how they want, or small quirks (one of my stories had a lot of stammering in the nervous main character's dialogue). They like to point out that stories are "rubbish" or "the worst thing I've ever read" without explaining why or otherwise inform me that "u dun no how 2 right!"

I remember reading one Celebrities category story that ended with Michelle Trachtenberg giving a dude a hot blowjob & swallow. Its sole comment was from some anon who obviously wandered here from a Google search (or was Michelle Trachtenberg's publicist.) This person demanded to know how the writer could possibly dare to assume MT liked hummers and swallowing cum, not understanding or acknowledging that this is Lit, the story was in the Celebrities category, and artistic license is a thing that exists.

I won't argue whether or not policies should be changed around here, like forcing people to register before they're allowed to comment. Maybe it's a good way for aspiring authors to toughen themselves up and separate legitimate criticism from nitpicking and meanness.

 

[ChastitySmith]

Thank you, all.

Author notes are something I am interested in, getting my first story ready for submission. No, wait. Getting it ready for a dozen proof readings, some help from an experienced editor, the opinion of a very few, very close friends and then submission. And I have printed out Tx Tall Tales story, Love your Reader, to refer to along the way.

Also this thread is useful as my story will be placed in the LW category. I'm tough, I can take the abuse. I think.

 

[Tsotha]

I try to vote according to the quality of the story and the writing. That is to say, even if I come across a kink that I do not enjoy, I will still try to judge it for what it is, and not in a knee-jerk reaction. In my opinion, votes and comments should be useful to the author. People supposedly post their stories to get constructive feedback, after all.

Having said that, many readers rage quit and leave a 1-star votes as a punishment. It's not very fair, I think, and I can see how some more sensible people might even be discouraged from ever writing again.

So I think I understand the urge to add a small note informing that the story is short / long / takes a while to reach sex / has some of the more frequently frowned upon things (bi-male, snuff, vore, etc.). Honestly, I think I'd add a note if I published something here if I thought it would stop even one troll. On the other hand, it does spoil the story a bit, which is unfortunate.

I think stories divided into chapters get a little relief because the first few chapters serve as a gate. Most trolls will read a couple chapters, 1-star bomb them and leave...Unless it is a particularly mean troll, going into each chapter just to punish the author. Which is a bit disturbing.

There should really be no reason to 1-star bomb several stories from the same author. If you've read five different stories and they all portray something that you violently disapprove of, why are you even reading them?

 

[sweet_lusciousdesire]

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[sr71plt]

If trolls took that much time to read and spew their comments in an authors direction, why don't they just put a positive spin on it so it becomes a win win situation. Help for the author and power for the troll.

Then you wouldn't be calling them trolls, would you? You'd be calling them discerning readers. (Was this a trick question? )

 

[heartofdixie1992]

Thank Goodness!!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has received hurtful and disrespectful messages on my LW story. I was about to question my writing skills lol. Anywhoooo, this particular board/post has really boosted my confidence in writing in the LW category again. I almost decided not to touch it again, even with a ten foot pole!

 

[MayorReynolds]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has received hurtful and disrespectful messages on my LW story. I was about to question my writing skills lol. Anywhoooo, this particular board/post has really boosted my confidence in writing in the LW category again. I almost decided not to touch it again, even with a ten foot pole!

Great! Everyone should learn from your example.

Here's a tip for others who struggle with Anon Hate: one way to alleviate any worried feelings on your part is to analyze the comment in question. If the anon is hounding you about punctuation or grammar while having no grasp of either themselves, that's a clear sign that you aren't dealing with the Head Grammarian of 2400s and 36s Only Institute.

Or sometimes the anon might have something constructive to say, but it's buried under rage and meanness. Take one of mine, for instance:

What's with all the garbage of "word--word" and "word...word" use so often? Eithe just end the sentence or use a coma or semi-colon which is the proper way to do things.

This anon was actually pointing out a real problem: I used too many ellipses and hyphens in the story. The hyphens were there because the character had a nervous stammer. As for the ellipses, I have a tendency to abuse those when I want to create pauses in dialogue.

At first I didn't understand what the anon was saying; I was too focused on being schooled about "garbage" and "the proper way to do things." It wasn't enough to simply say "I found your ellipses and dashes distracting." There had to be a layer of snark in there.