Author's Notes, Yes or No?

[eroticstoryspinner]

I just published a new story set in my Penal Slavery universe. The opening scene was of a male penal slave being spit roasted by two guys. While it had a gay tag I did not post a warning ahead of time. While it has stated to recover from the 1 bombing I don't think it is going to be as well received as my other stories.

It was my bad that I did not warn readers ahead of time about the very slight gay content. I do that when a story is posted in IT about the noncon/slave aspects. Those stories still do well in IT

My question is do any of you think that takes away from the story. I never thought so till I got some feedback complaining that the warnings telegraphed what was coming and that anyone reading non/con should expect that anything can happen. I know that non/con and IT are considered categories where a wider range of things can take place in the story, but I kind of scratched my head at the reader's assertion.

Any thoughts?

My Stories:
https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=4605551&page=submissions
My Stories

 

[Voboy]

I almost always do an author's note. A BRIEF author's note. Usually, it's designed to help place my story into the context of my other stories.

What I don't do is a disclaimer. To me, if I properly tag and categorize the story, and write a reasonable description, it's on the reader if they read something that offends them.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Any thoughts?

Welcome to the great homophobic underbelly of Lit. My approach, whenever I drop a GM interlude "out of its 'proper' category," which I occasionally do, is to expect a draw-down on scores because, unfortunately, that's inevitable.

Or, do what I did in my long Arthurian thing, which had a predominantly gay chapter (but not flagged as such except in tags) and get your favourite gay/bi buddy to rally his followers and talk it up.

But would I put in an Author's Note up front? No. That's what tags are for. Don't babysit prejudice and nervous-nellies, I say, they just get to expect it. You're not their mother.

 

[sosense101]

The one story that I put a "male submissive" warning on got higher ratings than the previous two parts so I think it can help.

I always tag my stories appropriately and I'm thinking of suggesting that readers check the tags out before reading. Makes me wonder if the tags should be displayed at the top of every story automatically.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

Go ahead and put warning stickers all over it. They won't read them and you will still get one bombed.

Just think of the fun you caused by not warning them of turbulent words ahead.

Frankly, most of them would up vote you if it was two women that were getting it on. But two guys? Bad writer. You might as well have shit in his favorite shoe.

I don't write to not offend other people's sensibilities. I write what the story requires and if it requires two guys sucking each other off, then that's what I write. I don't do it often because that is not an experience I have had and I don't wish to offend those that do partake by my ignorance.

To quote Ron White, "You can't fix stupid."

James

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

I don't write to not offend other people's sensibilities. I write what the story requires and if it requires two guys sucking each other off, then that's what I write. I don't do it often because that is not an experience I have had and I don't wish to offend those that do partake by my ignorance.

To quote Ron White, "You can't fix stupid."

James

Exactly, the story has a big twist at the end that required the scene. Moe importantly, one of the themes in my universe is loss of control, including their sexuality. Almost all of my characters wind up dealing with that. The different ways make for some good stories. At least i think so

My stories: https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=4605551&page=submissions

 

[RejectReality]

Personally, when I believe it warrants it, I will add content notes up front. It's even become general policy for incest and non-con when presented in other categories, and Laurel notices it while approving the story. The warnings are added whether you put them there or not.

In some categories, it will reduce the number of low votes and nasty comments you get. In others, they use it as a signpost to drop one bombs and vitriol without the need to skim the story looking for their trigger.

Until everyone is using the new pages with the tags front and center at the top of page one, and they get used to it being there, the tags you add are meaningless as warnings except to a very few who actively check the tags first.

Nothing is going to stop people who are looking to be offended and complain about it. What a warning can do is prevent those who feel they've been surprised by content they weren't expecting from lashing out about it. Most sensible people will nope out when they're told they're not going to like something. Those who continue were looking to be offended.

I don't consider it babysitting. To me, it's common courtesy. That's especially true in the broader genre categories such as Sci-Fi & Fantasy, where the stories are grouped by those elements rather than the sexual ones. If somebody reads a story in the Anal category and hates butt stuff... Well, they're kind of stupid. Someone looking for a swords and sorcery story who discovers the one they've started is based upon an incest relationship is a different story. It still fits the category, but it's certainly not the norm.

 

[YDB95]

The only time I ever add an author's note is to confirm that all sexual activity is among people at least 18 years old, and then only if there's any ambiguity about that in the story (i.e. if it's set at a high school). Beyond that, I figure haters gonna hate, and warning people in advance about something they might not like isn't going to make any difference.

 

[yukonnights]

I usually include a short Author's Intro, but it's more of a 'fireside chat' intended to help the reader decide if this story is for them. Here's an example from my Valentine entry — Our Femdom Valentine;

Author's Introduction: The title pretty much sums it up. But since there are different flavors of Femdom, I will tell you up front so no one is disappointed, this one is based on "gentle femdom" style. I will also tell you it's a slow build structure, and longer than I intended. If you're more into quick descriptive stories, I understand. But if you enjoy the 'why' as well as the 'what' in erotica, and if you enjoy the human emotions as much as the human bodies in your stories, then this one might be to your liking.

However, in regard to the main question; I don't think warnings about gay, incest, or other common targets of trolls are going to stop them. As has been said, more likely just made their mission easier.

If it makes you feel better to have some company 'eroticstoryspinner'; I had no idea femdom was one of those hot button triggers. No gay, no non-con, no incest - just two bi women wanting a fun guy friend. This story has been plagued from day one — so add 'femdom' to the banned list (or maybe it's just a bad story )

 

[ElectricBlue]

If it makes you feel better to have some company 'eroticstoryspinner'; I had no idea femdom was one of those hot button triggers. No gay, no non-con, no incest - just two bi women wanting a fun guy friend. This story has been plagued from day one — so add 'femdom' to the banned list (or maybe it's just a bad story )

Those Fetish folk are fairly hard markers, I think. You look at the stories on the Category front page, and the bulk of scores range between 3s and 4s, not many Red Hs.

I've dropped two stories into Fetish recently, and they're both towards the bottom of my story file, score-wise. Other stories submitted in the same time-frame are running OK in other categories. I don't think I'm that erratic a writer, so my take is Fetish is a hard to please category. That makes sense, because what are the chances my fetish is the same as the next person's? Pretty low, I'd have thought.

 

[yukonnights]

Those Fetish folk are fairly hard markers, I think. You look at the stories on the Category front page, and the bulk of scores range between 3s and 4s, not many Red Hs.

I've dropped two stories into Fetish recently, and they're both towards the bottom of my story file, score-wise. Other stories submitted in the same time-frame are running OK in other categories. I don't think I'm that erratic a writer, so my take is Fetish is a hard to please category. That makes sense, because what are the chances my fetish is the same as the next person's? Pretty low, I'd have thought.

You may very well be correct. I submitted it for Group, but Laurel changed it to Fetish. I wouldn't have thought a female dominant relationship would be a fetish in and of itself. (It did have some pegging though) Oddly enough, I chose Group after reviewing which category came up the most often in a tag search for 'femdom'. Oh well, it was my biggest fan's favorite after she proofread it a couple of times — that's worth more than a red H (although, I am still holding out hope for the sweeps to help out a bit.)

Thanks for the good info on the Fetish category

 

[ElectricBlue]

(although, I am still holding out hope for the sweeps to help out a bit.)

Me too. I suspect my little Valentine's tribute to Suzie will get a bounce once the sweeps go through. As I say, I'm not that erratic a writer, and I reckon that little piece is seeing standard "contest attention syndrome."

 

[RetroFan]

I tend to put a note at the start of my stories.

Last year I wrote an Incest/Taboo story series that included menstruation - although no sexual activity involving periods - figuring that people who wanted to read about people who share DNA having sex together wouldn't be offended by women having their menses, so did not warn about period themes in my introduction/disclaimer.

Boy, was I wrong.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Personally, when I believe it warrants it, I will add content notes up front. It's even become general policy for incest and non-con when presented in other categories, and Laurel notices it while approving the story. The warnings are added whether you put them there or not.

In some categories, it will reduce the number of low votes and nasty comments you get. In others, they use it as a signpost to drop one bombs and vitriol without the need to skim the story looking for their trigger.

Until everyone is using the new pages with the tags front and center at the top of page one, and they get used to it being there, the tags you add are meaningless as warnings except to a very few who actively check the tags first.

Nothing is going to stop people who are looking to be offended and complain about it. What a warning can do is prevent those who feel they've been surprised by content they weren't expecting from lashing out about it. Most sensible people will nope out when they're told they're not going to like something. Those who continue were looking to be offended.

I don't consider it babysitting. To me, it's common courtesy. That's especially true in the broader genre categories such as Sci-Fi & Fantasy, where the stories are grouped by those elements rather than the sexual ones. If somebody reads a story in the Anal category and hates butt stuff... Well, they're kind of stupid. Someone looking for a swords and sorcery story who discovers the one they've started is based upon an incest relationship is a different story. It still fits the category, but it's certainly not the norm.

Well said. 100% agreed.

 

[SimonDoom]

I've evolved on this point. Originally, my view on Author's Notes and Disclaimers was an old-school "hell no, let them be surprised and be adults about it." I take a more nuanced view now. Like so much else about writing, it depends on the circumstances, and it depends on what the author wants to accomplish.

There's no perfect way to do this, and no ideal way to avoid making an unreasonable reader mad.

You might want to preface a disclaimer with the note that readers should avoid reading the disclaimer if they prefer to be surprised.

Perhaps you should preface the preface with a note warning readers against reading the preface if they don't want to know WHETHER there are any surprises or not.

 

[Rustyoznail]

In my current story I mention Vegemite. Based on a comment on another story I’m putting a note that the main character likes toast and the evil black spread.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

Guilty as charged...

Not only do I have standard disclaimers at the beginning of every story/chapter that I publish, I am infamous for having Author's Notes at the end of virtually every chapter. They're often just for some added context for interested readers, and sometimes a soapbox moment for some issue I'm passionate about. To my surprise, the vast majority of reviews and PMs I get about them are positive, so I intend to keep doing them.

I try not to labour obvious points, and I often discuss my mindset when I write certain scenes. They're also meant to deter the endless zoilists that my stories seem to attract with their 'Well, actually...' nonsense. They patently don't deter these damned fools, but I can at least say I've done due diligence.

Case in point- in a scene that took place in 1986, I had a character reference the music that accompanies the 'March of the Urûk-hai' from The Lord Of The Rings movie. In my Author's Notes at the end, I expressly stated that it was a reference to the 1978 animated LOTR movie by Ralph Bakshi. Some idiot STILL PM'd me to 'Well, actually.. ' me, explaining that the scene in question didn't come out in theaters until the Two Towers movie in the early 2000's. If I expected to keep his valued readership, I'd best be more careful and get my facts straight from now on.

With any luck, I've lost him, and it just goes to show exactly how impervious to facts and information the brayherd can be.

I like my Author's Notes. I'm'a keep doing them.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

You might want to preface a disclaimer with the note that readers should avoid reading the disclaimer if they prefer to be surprised.

Perhaps you should preface the preface with a note warning readers against reading the preface if they don't want to know WHETHER there are any surprises or not.

Prefacing prefaces. I like it. It's like announcing that trigger warnings are triggering. The literary version of some fucked up M.C. Escher painting with levels of meaning we can't even begin to describe.

There's a rabbit hole from Hell for ya...

 

[BiscuitHammer]

In my current story I mention Vegemite. Based on a comment on another story I’m putting a note that the main character likes toast and the evil black spread.

Not that it justifies 1-bombing a story, but Vegemite DOES taste like dragon barf...

 

[SimonDoom]

Not that it justifies 1-bombing a story, but Vegemite DOES taste like dragon barf...

I've got a great idea.

Give readers an option, in addition to giving an overall score, of scoring some particular thing they like or don't like about a story. That way, they can bomb the vegemite (or cuckold husbands, or unsafe sex, or whatever) and get it out of their system without bombing the story as a whole.

 

[RejectReality]

That's been tried to some extent on another site where I post. There were individual votes for technical, plot, and enjoyment. ( If I'm remembering right ) It ended up being a lot of coding work and data storage for more or less zero return. The biggest part of the votes on the split scoring were all identical, so the few who did provide nuanced scores were little more than statistical noise. After a few years, the votes were rolled into the standard 1 vote system and it was removed.

Most people who will bother to vote at all are on the extreme ends of the spectrum. They don't do nuance.

I've got a great idea.

Give readers an option, in addition to giving an overall score, of scoring some particular thing they like or don't like about a story. That way, they can bomb the vegemite (or cuckold husbands, or unsafe sex, or whatever) and get it out of their system without bombing the story as a whole.

 

[Nezhul]

I think it adds.
I always enjoyed reading Author's notes pre and post chapters. And so I use them too.

I think it adds a bit more connection with the author whose work you enjoy. At least it does for me - so I don't care what anyone else thinks.
I use them for trigger warnings and some small news/announcements about my work.

 

[gordo12]

Not only do I have standard disclaimers at the beginning of every story/chapter that I publish, I am infamous for having Author's Notes at the end of virtually every chapter. They're often just for some added context for interested readers, and sometimes a soapbox moment for some issue I'm passionate about. To my surprise, the vast majority of reviews and PMs I get about them are positive, so I intend to keep doing them.

I try not to labour obvious points, and I often discuss my mindset when I write certain scenes. They're also meant to deter the endless zoilists that my stories seem to attract with their 'Well, actually...' nonsense. They patently don't deter these damned fools, but I can at least say I've done due diligence.

Case in point- in a scene that took place in 1986, I had a character reference the music that accompanies the 'March of the Urûk-hai' from The Lord Of The Rings movie. In my Author's Notes at the end, I expressly stated that it was a reference to the 1978 animated LOTR movie by Ralph Bakshi. Some idiot STILL PM'd me to 'Well, actually.. ' me, explaining that the scene in question didn't come out in theaters until the Two Towers movie in the early 2000's. If I expected to keep his valued readership, I'd best be more careful and get my facts straight from now on.

With any luck, I've lost him, and it just goes to show exactly how impervious to facts and information the brayherd can be.

I like my Author's Notes. I'm'a keep doing them.

I do like my author notes too and like you they are up front and also a small blurb at the end. I haven't used them for soapbox moments except once when I ragged on another author that left a stupid comment on another story.

So for instance this time around I warned them that my Valentine entry was dark.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I like authors that do that. You have this faceless person posting a story without knowing anything about them, where it came from etc. It's easy to insult them.

Then you have the author that explains their thinking, characters, facts etc. Somehow it makes them a little more human. I note that I don't seem to get as many nasty comments in LW as others claim. I put it down to that human feeling.

Sample from a Western I posted: "Foreword: The first profitable mass literature in America arrived in 1860 when the dime novel (AKA Penny Dreadfuls in England) appeared.. With America's and indeed much of the world's attention focused on the Wild, Wild West, and the Civil War, these cheap books became a sensation very quickly. Popular authors were Buntline, Ellis, Ingraham and Wheeler. With authors trying to sell more books the stories were often wildly exaggerated. One has to wonder how many men or families decided to migrate westward based on what they'd read in one of these books. (Src Wikipedia)

 

[Haulover]

Not that it justifies 1-bombing a story, but Vegemite DOES taste like dragon barf...

Yah - I'm a Marmite fan. Vegemite is a clear no. 2, in my book.

But "Dragon barf"? That actually did make me "LOL"

 

[pollyannaowt]

Not that it justifies 1-bombing a story, but Vegemite DOES taste like dragon barf...

One must be quite the GoT enthusiast to order a tin of Dragon Barf from Amazon...