For Better or For Worse?

[Anton25]

Opinions? What is better a higher score or higher number of readers?

Also how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

 

[Altissimus]

Opinions? What is better a higher score or higher number of readers?

Comments.

Also how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

Comments.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Comments and number of Favourites/bookmarks - because comments mean someone read the story, markers generally mean they read at least part and thought it mark-worthy.

Some of my lower-scoring stories have higher numbers of marks and comments, because certain people liked them while others didn't. If there's people who aren't going to like a story, may as well try to put them off before they start.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Opinions? What is better a higher score or higher number of readers?

Also how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

In my opinion, if you really want THE PERFECT score, write the story the way you want it, ... then keep it all to yourself.

You're probably the only person who would see it as absolutely perfect. Everyone else will see at least something in it that they find distracting, irritating, or just subtly disagree with. So, the score would go downward as those other opinions rate it with just a "Like" or "Dislike".


But I prefer other people to read my stories, whether they like them or not. At least I've reach out to someone. So, I appreciate the higher number of views as the reason to post stories. The comments and favorites just add some validity that at least some read the whole story.

 

[Anton25]

Comments and number of Favourites/bookmarks - because comments mean someone read the story, markers generally mean they read at least part and thought it mark-worthy.

Some of my lower-scoring stories have higher numbers of marks and comments, because certain people liked them while others didn't. If there's people who aren't going to like a story, may as well try to put them off before they start.

Ok..another q for you : what is the most read category here? Then logic goes to write in that category .. if going for number of reads..

 

[Anton25]

Good answer. I think I just want to tell the story . Get it out!! But pride plays a part too

 

[ElectricBlue]

Opinions? What is better a higher score or higher number of readers?

Also how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

If all you want is a high reader count, write incest stories and be done with it.

If you want a more balanced reader assessment, write in other categories, which on the whole are more comparable to each other, and learn each category's dynamics, which are all different. Then compare scores, but only within your own body of work, not against some other writer.

To answer your question though - Comments coming in at a better rate than one in a thousand Views.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Good answer. I think I just want to tell the story . Get it out!! But pride plays a part too

That's why I've focused on posting my stories to Loving Wives.

That category seems to have a more diverse audience, with some "Loving" the stories and others "Hating" them. So, my personal view of success it to go for the highest number of views and favorites, with the rating trending over 3.

My latest "A Dare at the Nude Resort" has over 17K views and 22 favorited, with a rating of 3.62 and 174 votes!

 

[holliday1960]

Also how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

Until you've been down that road where you're trying to figure out what it is the readers want, it's a bit of an obsession, but eventually, you'll get over it. Incest is high traffic category. So is LW, but the readers aren't as generous with high marks there.

 

[alohadave]

In my opinion, if you really want THE PERFECT score, write the story the way you want it, ... then keep it all to yourself.

In fact, don't even write it. It'll always be perfect in your mind.

 

[ronde]

View counts tend to be time sensitive. Most readers will read a story in the first week or two of publication. As has been pointed out before, a "view" only means a reader clicked on a story, not that they actually read it.

I personally believe that most of our votes and comments come from a small percentage of Lit readers, readers who like how a particular author writes and the subject matter of his or her stories. I do look at the rating, but I also look at the number of readers who have marked me as a favorite. Comments tell me if a story pleased that small group of readers or not.

In the end, I rate the story myself before I submit it, compare my own rating with the number of votes and comments, and then adjust what I write and the genre I chose to hopefully improve.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I value high scores primarily as a mark I set for myself, not in relation to others. My highest view totals is 41.6k, a drop in the bucket compared to stories in I/T or Loving Wives. But I have no interest in writing in those categories.I'd love to have many more readers, but in the long run, I'd rather be John Cassavetes than George Lucas.

And sometimes I look at my views and I reflect on the fact that I grew up in a town with a population of 800. There were 100 kids in my high school class...

...and I've written stories that have been read by TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Holy crap. Who'd have believed it?

 

[MelissaBaby]

In fact, don't even write it. It'll always be perfect in your mind.

Well you might struggle with a few continuity errors.

 

[Rob_Royale]

...and I've written stories that have been read by TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
Holy crap. Who'd have believed it?

I know. I added up my total views last night and have been enjoying the mental high ever since.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

Can't believe nobody has said this yet, but: bold of you to assume I have.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I know. I added up my total views last night and have been enjoying the mental high ever since.

Psst...you know you don't have to do that yourself, right? You can get that info from the downloadable story stats on your authors page.

 

[Anton25]

I value high scores primarily as a mark I set for myself, not in relation to others. My highest view totals is 41.6k, a drop in the bucket compared to stories in I/T or Loving Wives. But I have no interest in writing in those categories.I'd love to have many more readers, but in the long run, I'd rather be John Cassavetes than George Lucas.

And sometimes I look at my views and I reflect on the fact that I grew up in a town with a population of 800. There were 100 kids in my high school class...

...and I've written stories that have been read by TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Holy crap. Who'd have believed it

Should have had this as school assignment for English/ Biology/ Drama!
But out of those tens of 1000s … more comments or votes..?!

 

[gunhilltrain]

Opinions? What is better a higher score or higher number of readers?

Also how do u overcome the addiction of looking at your stats throughout the day.??

There are worse things to be addicted to, like Fentanyl or meth. It only takes a few moments each day to look at your stories, even more than once, so that's not a big deal

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

I value high scores primarily as a mark I set for myself, not in relation to others. My highest view totals is 41.6k, a drop in the bucket compared to stories in I/T or Loving Wives. But I have no interest in writing in those categories. <snip>

Well said, Melissa. With stories primarily in Romance and Mature, my view totals are somewhat similar, are as my thoughts on some of the other categories that I rarely read. I keep debating trying something in LW to try to build my follower base, but if I'm not going to enjoy writing it, why put myself through the stress?

And sometimes I look at my views and I reflect on the fact that I grew up in a town with a population of 800. There were 100 kids in my high school class...

...and I've written stories that have been read by TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Holy crap. Who'd have believed it?

Again, I have a similar background and thoughts on viewers and, hopefully, readership; every story is a success in some way, even if it doesn't turn out exactly how I'd like. However, I am in awe of your huge high school class (). Seriously, we had just over 40 people in my (public) high school class and we were the largest class ever at the time.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Psst...you know you don't have to do that yourself, right? You can get that info from the downloadable story stats on your authors page.

I did not. Thanks, I'll look for it.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I did not. Thanks, I'll look for it.

 

[Rob_Royale]

View attachment 2271447

Melissa you are an ace. Thank you.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

View attachment 2271447

I did not know this! Thanks, Mel, thanks a million.

 

[MillieDynamite]

So, you have these chart headings on the download, Name, Category, Date Published, Rate, View count, Votes count, Comments, In reading lists, and Reading lists. My question is what is In reading lists and what is Reading List?

 

[djrip]

I think the smaller number is favorites, and the larger number is all reading lists the story is saved in, which includes favorites plus others.