Comments that leave you shaking your head

[BryanRichardson]

Here's one I just got today on Evelyn Ensnared.



I guess no one reads the tags.

Yeah, that is because they show up at the end of the story and I only see them when I get to the end. That is too late to use them to warn me what is in the story.

 

[lovecraft68]

Here's one I just got today on Evelyn Ensnared.



I guess no one reads the tags.

View attachment 2580558

This proves my opinion that there is no use fretting over tags.

But that aside, its an incest story and you'll learn that for a category focused on an extreme kink, much of the readership is soft, they don't like blackmail, NC or even rough sex. They like it fun and fluffy for the most part

In my long sibcest series, the brother and sister were into BDSM and just flat-out rough demeaning sex.

I took more of a beating from readers than they did in the story.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Yeah, that is because they show up at the end of the story and I only see them when I get to the end. That is too late to use them to warn me what is in the story.

 

[Rob_Royale]

They do not. I made the same discovery.

Author's note is the way to go.

It's one of the reasons I put an Ingredients List at the top of my stories. Give readers a hint as to what kinds of "allergens," they might find in the story, so they can decide if it's going to trigger their personal allergies or not.

Story tags could serve this purpose, but lots of readers don't read them, and lots of writers don't use them in that way.

You're both right of course and on many of my stories I add a line encouraging readers to check the tags, before starting the story. But that's as far as I'm willing to go. I'm not going to spoon feed the readers.

 

[iwatchus]

View attachment 2580586

But almost no one is going to click over there when they are eager to read the story that is already open.

 

[Rob_Royale]

But that aside, its an incest story and you'll learn that for a category focused on an extreme kink, much of the readership is soft, they don't like blackmail, NC or even rough sex. They like it fun and fluffy for the most part

Yep. I know you're right.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I'd probably go for (the site) automatically repeating the tags at the top of the first story page before any of the story body.

The tags should be on the story card right under the description and right next to the word count just like we've been asking for for years. It's not like the story cards aren't large enough now. @Manu >:/

 

[designatedvictim]

But that aside, its an incest story and you'll learn that for a category focused on an extreme kink, much of the readership is soft, they don't like blackmail, NC or even rough sex. They like it fun and fluffy for the most part

I'll admit that I fall afoul of that, myself.

A while back I'd commented about a story that I'd read where the longer I thought about it, the more I loathed all of the characters.

It was in T/I but only because T/I trumps all.

A look at the author's story list showed that NC was her(?) mainstay.

I just checked and the last two tags on it were Reluctance and Peer Pressure.

I also had my own T/I story semi-reviewed recently and the reviewer didn't like that there was no real introspection on the MMC's part that the sister was doing things outside the norm.

Readers in T/I don't seem to mind some introspection, but they don't want it getting in the way of a good boning, either.

There was some, but it was merely proforma.

In her defense, she started out saying T/I wasn't in her wheelhouse, so her reaction didn't turn out to be a surprise.

 

[LauraLO]

":but you've never been with anyone like me"...

 

[AlexFourways]

View attachment 2580586

Rob, I know that now, but I was on this site for years before I learned what those were for and still have to think... Where are the tags? Also, the STORY INFO is only on page 1, so if you have read a page, or even a couple of screens, you have to go back to check on them. In my Anon pre-author days, I only used TAGS to find stories, not to avoid them.

 

[designatedvictim]

It's one of the reasons I put an Ingredients List at the top of my stories. Give readers a hint as to what kinds of "allergens," they might find in the story, so they can decide if it's going to trigger their personal allergies or not.

As an off-subject aside, I'm liking this one, so far (about half-way through). I liked the lampshading of the 'there's only one bed' trope.

I love the name Scout, though.

I can only recall one other use of it. You can probably guess where from.

I had a brief flash of changing the name of my WIP roommate to 'Scout' this afternoon, but it passed quickly - I don't want to be a thief. The rationale being that the roommate character goes by Rie (short for Marie) and even I keep reading it as 'Rey (Ray)', instead of 'Ree'.

 

[PennyThompson]

As an off-subject aside, I'm liking this one, so far (about half-way through). I liked the lampshading of the 'there's only one bed' trope.

I love the name Scout, though.

I can only recall one other use of it. You can probably guess where from.

I had a brief flash of changing the name of my WIP roommate to 'Scout' this afternoon, but it passed quickly - I don't want to be a thief. The rationale being that the roommate character goes by Rie (short for Marie) and even I keep reading it as 'Rey (Ray)', instead of 'Ree'.

Thank you! If you like it, and like Scout, several of my earlier stories also feature them. They're all fairly stand-alone, but they do have continuity between them!

 

[BryanRichardson]

View attachment 2580586

Look at that, after a year and a half on the site you were able to point out a button that will lead me to another page where tags would be listed.

Thanks for the info.

 

[dirk2024]

You're both right of course and on many of my stories I add a line encouraging readers to check the tags, before starting the story. But that's as far as I'm willing to go. I'm not going to spoon feed the readers.

View attachment 2580587

I agree with @Rob_Royale here.

I don't get it. When I'm in reader mode I look at the category and at the tags before deciding on whether to read a story or not. It's not a difficult thing to do. For me, Author's notes are often like taking a cold shower before reading an erotic story.

I follow the philosophy of caveat emptor - (borrowed from Google with a little creativity on my part) the principle that the reader alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of information provided before reading a story. The only problem here is when an author chooses not to use tags, or uses tags that are so fucking obscure that no one can tell what they are supposed to mean. I've seen some doozies.

As writer's, we create the title, tagline and tags to encourage or discourage readers. We are adults on an erotica website. We should not have to spoon feed our stories to potential readers.

 

[PennyThompson]

like taking a cold shower before reading an erotic story

spoon feed our stories to potential readers

you're into some weirdly specific kinks, but i'll try almost anything once!

 

[ColtonWrites]

For me, Author's notes are often like taking a cold shower before reading an erotic story.

Even when theyre short? Mine are usually a sentence or two, when I remember to include them.
Like -
"This is a BDSM story featuring a trans male sub. The sub is a masochist - pain play gets intense."
Thats really a turn off? I just want people to know what theyre getting into.
Honestly being able to cross-categorize would help a lot.

 

[dirk2024]

you're into some weirdly specific kinks, but i'll try almost anything once!

You are my muse!

Even when theyre short? Mine are usually a sentence or two, when I remember to include them.
Like -
"This is a BDSM story featuring a trans male sub. The sub is a masochist - pain play gets intense."
Thats really a turn off? I just want people to know what theyre getting into.
Honestly being able to cross-categorize would help a lot.

Mmmm..."turn off" might have been too strong on my part. And I have to admit, Penny's ingredient list is kinda cute. But I have already made my decision by that point, the author's note isn't going to change my mind. I just want to read the story.

 

[YmaOHyd]

See, I want to treat my readers like adults and let them know what they're getting so they can decide whether or not to waste their time. No one's getting sex in my stories without sitting through four or five thousand words of setup and dialogue and story. So I'll tell you what kind of sex you're getting so you can decide whether that's how you want to invest your time.

 

[iwatchus]

When I'm in reader mode I look at the category and at the tags before deciding on whether to read a story or not.

When I was purely a reader for decades, I never once looked at the tags on a story. Is there currently a way to look at the tags before you open the story?

As a reader, I appreciate the author's note at the beginning.

 

[YmaOHyd]

When I was purely a reader for decades, I never once looked at the tags on a story. Is there currently a way to look at the tags before you open the story?

As a reader, I appreciate the author's note at the beginning.

There isn't. Tags are only useful for discovery and meta jokes.

 

[dirk2024]

When I was purely a reader for decades, I never once looked at the tags on a story. Is there currently a way to look at the tags before you open the story?

As a reader, I appreciate the author's note at the beginning.

Yes, from his post above: https://forum.literotica.com/thread...-you-shaking-your-head.1618202/post-101946332

You click on the icon that looks like tags and they'll open up, if the author used them. As an author, you get up to ten of them to use and can choose whatever kinks/details you want from your story. MILF, Incest, Stepmother, BDSM, foot fetish...whatever stands out in your story that would attract, or discourage, a potential reader.

 

[dirk2024]

When I was purely a reader for decades, I never once looked at the tags on a story. Is there currently a way to look at the tags before you open the story?

As a reader, I appreciate the author's note at the beginning.

This is what it looks like when its opened.

 

[iwatchus]

Yes, from his post above: https://forum.literotica.com/thread...-you-shaking-your-head.1618202/post-101946332

You click on the icon that looks like tags and they'll open up, if the author used them. As an author, you get up to ten of them to use and can choose whatever kinks/details you want from your story. MILF, Incest, Stepmother, BDSM, foot fetish...whatever stands out in your story that would attract, or discourage, a potential reader.

I asked if there was a way BEFORE you opened the story. That is once you are on the story page already.

As I said on the previous post, almost no reader is going to click on something else when they can just start reading.

If the new story cards ever become generally available where you see tags BEFORE opening the story, tags become much more interesting.

 

[iwatchus]

This is what it looks like when its opened.

I know what this looks like (I actually describe this in detail in my How To). The point is this is only available AFTER opening the story. When it has nearly zero value to readers, Providing information too late is barely distinguishable from not providing it at all.

 

[dirk2024]

As I said on the previous post, almost no reader is going to click on something else when they can just start reading.

I guess I'm a lonely person in that regard.