Has Anyone Noticed This Trend?

[davion2308]

I submitted several stories, namely the Allison's Day mini-series, in Exhibitionism/Voyeurism and I got good scores, a few H's, and positive comments.

Now that I'm experimenting and going outside my favorite genre, my scores from my original stories decreased dramatically. The best I can figure it is people checked out my stories after reading works from other sections, didn't care as much for Ex/Voy, and voted me low.

Has this happened to anyone else? Did you ever start in one section, do well, then see it drop off after you broke into other sections?

Or am I just paranoid?

 

[gauchecritic]

In a word: Trolls.

There are many and varied reasons why a troll will deliberately low vote. One of the more insidious reasons is that a story may be approaching the top of the top lists and threatening their or their favourite author's story.

The other reasons are equally tiresome. No pregnancy in an incest story, or maybe a whimp portrayed in a loving wives story.

The one shining feature of the troll vote is that it will bear little relation to how the story is written in itself.

It's a thing that happens.

On the brighter side, the powers that be (Laurel and Manu) often do 'sweeps' that pick up anomolous votes and discard them.

 

[jomar]

What Gauche said.

I've experimented in several categories with several different styles. In my case, my first stories out had enough votes to offset a couple of trolls. I have had later stories, with fewer votes, lose an H because someone didn't like it (or get it, in one or two cases).

 

[Darkniciad]

I use two different pen names for exactly this reason. I write mostly in my preferred genre of magical fantasy as Dark, and then put most everything else up as Les Lumens.

Some of the readers end up crossing, but it creates a little border to keep them from mixing overmuch. I've actually had a little commentary pointing toward what you're talking about, where the Les fans find Dark and aren't all that turned on by fantasy, and vice-versa, so it's out there.

Had more than a few tickled to discover that there's a whole body of my work that they've never seen, though.

The previous responses to the thread are hardly anything to ignore, though. Lit is certainly packed with trolls who have nothing better to do. The dropping scores could be a combination of a dozen different things.

If the drop in score evaporates with the next drop in votes, then it's probably the trolls. If not, then it may be exactly what you're considering. You built a reader base with E/V, and they may be trying to bring you back "home" with a few ticks lower than the votes on those stories, while others who prefer the new work are trying to keep you where you are in the same way.

 

[Carnevil9]

If your writing is good and you feel good about it, don't worry about what others think. That way lies madness.