How do you really feel about feedback and votes???

[pop_54]

Evening all and each, the old voting/feedback thing yet again:

I haven’t been here long enough to fully appreciate all of the implications, or for that matter what’s considered bad and good scores generally.

To be honest it doesn’t worry me over much, but I wouldn’t be fool enough to try to con you into believing I don’t care at all, of course it’s nice to see a big ‘H’ by your submission or find a mailbox full of nice comments.

I do realise some of you take votes and feedback seriously and often feel it personally if a story takes a dive, or never makes the climb in the first place.
I sympathise as an outsider, fair play to anyone who is committed enough to take writing on as a serious pastime, and or, a living.

My questions on voting figures:

At what point, or should I say score, do you panic or begin to wish you’d not bothered?

What do you consider an OK voting result you are happy to accept and live with?

Other than top marks of course, what do you consider a good score that gives you a warm glow and feeling of satisfaction?

My questions on feedback received, or not as the case may be:

When Mr/Mrs/Ms perfect sends you the one liner, “Go back to school idiot”, or “You are a moron who should try basket weaving instead of writing”.

Does it offend or annoy you?

Do you laugh and save it to disc with the others, or delete it with the others?

If you receive no feedback do you think your story isn’t worthy, or just watch the voting and take it from there?

Finally, being honest with yourself and the rest of us, do you really take all of the above seriously, or just write to please yourself as a pastime while hoping to entertain others in the process?

pops.............

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

At what point, or should I say score, do you panic or begin to wish you’d not bothered? BELOW 4.00

What do you consider an OK voting result you are happy to accept and live with? 4.00-4.50

Other than top marks of course, what do you consider a good score that gives you a warm glow and feeling of satisfaction? 4.50

My questions on feedback received, or not as the case may be:

When Mr/Mrs/Ms perfect sends you the one liner, “Go back to school idiot”, or “You are a moron who should try basket weaving instead of writing”.

Does it offend or annoy you? NO

Do you laugh and save it to disc with the others, or delete it with the others? LAUGH AND DELETE IT WITH ALL THE OTHERS

If you receive no feedback do you think your story isn’t worthy, or just watch the voting and take it from there? MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT DIRECT FEEDBACK, AS OPPOSED TO THE TYPE YOU GET ON THE "SDC" AND "STORY FEEDBACK" FORUMS, IS NICE BUT SELDOM HELPFUL.

Finally, being honest with yourself and the rest of us, do you really take all of the above seriously, or just write to please yourself as a pastime while hoping to entertain others in the process? I DON'T TAKE RATINGS SERIOUSLY, BUT I DO PAY ATTENTION TO THE VOTES AND VIEWS NUMBERS. MY GOAL IS TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER. SO WHAT'S VALUABLE FOR ME ISN'T A CERTAIN SCORE, BUT THE FEEDBACK I GET FROM OTHER WRITERS.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[KillerMuffin]

Votes are nice. Mine tend to hover in a range that I find comfortable enough. I'm not great shakes as a porn writer. I get a lot of "Great story! I didn't cum so I gave you a 4" type of feedback. I've gotten so much of that in two in a half years that I've formed the opinion that the strong majority comes here to orgasm and that's what gets a 5.

I get a lot of feedback as well. I've never complained about the lack. Unfortunately, I've turned into this huge feedback void. Feedback stresses me out and since I can't hire a secretary, I'm probably going to turn it off for a while.

I used to go into screaming fits when I got negative feedback. Doesn't bother me anymore. http://www.literotica.com:81/stories/showstory.php?id=25276

The only kind of feedback that I absolutely hate is anything argumentative in conjunction with my how to write stuff. I don't have much of it, just something on elementary sentence structure and a thing on punctuation (one wannabe prof told me that it wasn't worth anything because I made grammatical errors in the first paragraph though he couldn't find a thing wrong with the guide itself). I hate to be argued with on advice. Take it or leave it, just don't argue with me. If my punctuation advice had been wrong, that would be different, that's an error that must be corrected. Writing in my own vernacular (which I do when tell people how to write) is something I'm going to continue doing despite the grammar that comes with it.

At any rate. I have a test in an hour and then spring break. I would be happy, but now I'm hacking my lungs out like a pack-a-day smoker in thirty years. I hate bronchitis.

 

[English Lady]

At what point, or should I say score, do you panic or begin to wish you’d not bothered?

-Below 3.50 I'd probably panicand possibly cry!



What do you consider an OK voting result you are happy to accept and live with?


- 4 to 5

Other than top marks of course, what do you consider a good score that gives you a warm glow and feeling of satisfaction?

-Anything over 4.50



When Mr/Mrs/Ms perfect sends you the one liner, “Go back to school idiot”, or “You are a moron who should try basket weaving instead of writing”.

Does it offend or annoy you?

- I've never had any negative feedback like that

Do you laugh and save it to disc with the others, or delete it with the others?

-I save all my feedbacks*S* I'm a hoarder!

If you receive no feedback do you think your story isn’t worthy, or just watch the voting and take it from there?

- It doesn't bother me really, feedaback is nice but i don't expect it


Finally, being honest with yourself and the rest of us, do you really take all of the above seriously, or just write to please yourself as a pastime while hoping to entertain others in the process?

- Not too seriously no. I do like that people read my work and like it even more when the vote highly and send me nice feedback but its not the only reason i post my stories here.

 

[Sabledrake]

I check on the voting status of my stories every so often, more in the first couple of weeks after posting a new one. It's nice to see good scores, heck yeah, and I've gotten a pleasant glee from the times I've ended up, however briefly, leading the Top List for the category. But I don't lose sleep over the votes.

Feedback is much more meaningful. It tells me that a reader was affected by the story enough (one way or t'other) to take the time to tell me so. It's even more of a commitment than clicking the vote button. I appreciate that.

Sabledrake
going on vacation, see you in a week and a half!

 

[pointless]

i'm not that experiened at writing, but i have a deal with my ego:
as long as a story doesn't go below a 3.5 i will keep writing. so far, my only two stories have a 4.46(fairly steady) and a 4.26(which has gone up and done a couple of times, and on only 14 votes, which says to me mixed reviews).

i've only had three peices of feedback. all of them were essentially positive, and the only one that wasn't completely positive criticsized my spelling and missing word typos.

it's all important to me, but that's mainly because i'm new at this and i need to know what will work and what won't. i'm just happy to get feedback at all.

now my poems, that's another story...dirty bastards won't give me a good vote for nothin'...

 

[jfinn]

At what point, or should I say score, do you panic or begin to wish you’d not bothered?

No score would make me feel that way, but a lot of negative feedback would.

What do you consider an OK voting result you are happy to accept and live with?

That would depend on the story. I expect my light romantic stories to do better than I do something that tackles a serious issure. I judge this mainly by feedback, but if I had to pick a score I guess I'd say anytime I get that big fat H, I'm a happy camper.

Other than top marks of course, what do you consider a good score that gives you a warm glow and feeling of satisfaction?

The categories I write in traditionally score lower than some of the others so I guess it would be when I see something of mine in the top ten for the category regardless of the votes. However if I have to pick a number I'd say anything over a 4.8 impresses the hell out of me.

My questions on feedback received, or not as the case may be:

When Mr/Mrs/Ms perfect sends you the one liner, “Go back to school idiot”, or “You are a moron who should try basket weaving instead of writing.”

Never gotten one of those, knock on wood.

Does it offend or annoy you?

I doubt that kind of letter would bother me too much at this point.

Do you laugh and save it to disc with the others, or delete it with the others?[/I}

I save everything.

If you receive no feedback do you think your story isn’t worthy, or just watch the voting and take it from there?

Again I've been lucky and never had this happen. Like KM I get a lot of feedback and like her I sometimes find it a little overwhelming. Of course I'd probably have a nervous breakdown if it stopped.

Finally, being honest with yourself and the rest of us, do you really take all of the above seriously, or just write to please yourself as a pastime while hoping to entertain others in the process?

I do write to please something inside of myself, but I also take the feedback seriously. Anyone who's willing to let me know they appreciate my efforts is giving me a great gift as far as I'm concerned. The votes don't really hold the same cachet and except for the first couple days when a new story is posted, I'll go for months without checking them.

Jayne

 

[TheEarl]

If my stories went down into the 3.somethings I'd start to panic. Thankfully only one has done that so far and I do recognise that that one's crap.

An OK voting result is a 4.5. I don't like anything less. My view is that I am (as are most of the people here) in the top 10% of writers on the site. There is a lot of dross and I'd be offended if people couldn't separate my work from that.

I save all my feedback good or bad. I just need to know that someone somewhere is reading my work. If no-one writes to me, then I start to worry. One of my favourite pieces of work has received no feedback from the general population (and by that I mean non-Author's Hangout people who know me) and that really hurt.

I wrote to please myself, with no thought of other people at first, but now I have to have other people's approval. I got loads of feedback for my first piece and now I'm addicted.

The Earl

 

[oggbashan]

I like having scores above 4.00 but the scores I have below 3.00 are deserved because my titles and description promised more than the story delivered.

So I find a low score useful. It tells me I have done something wrong and not met the readers' expectation.

I also post on Yahoo groups. From them, with a few shining exceptions, I rarely get any feedback. The score system and feedback from Literotica members even if anonymous has helped me to write what I think (and the scores seem to agree) better stories.

One personal moan is the way some authors divide their stories into chapters with votes on each chapter. The way I write, if I split some of my stories into such small chunks, some chapters would get a resounding "1" because there is little of sexual interest even if the chapter develops the plotline.

Sometimes I get the usual anonymous flames but I don't object. Why should I? I must have generated some interest even to get the sender to write a flame.

What I find difficult as a reader is accurately assessing a story that has activities that I don't find attractive. If the story covers sexual activities that don't interest me then I so far I've just left it without voting even if it is well written and a good story. For example, since I am straight, I find it very difficult to be objective about a story with a gay theme.

I think I ought to vote more often and write feedback to more authors. If I like feedback, then I should try to give more to others.

Oggbashan
who doesn't have a quote or signature file because I write too much anyway.

 

[MathGirl]

Pernts

I've become very jaded on reader voting.

All my stuff ends up in a very narrow range. The lowest is 4.3 and there are a couple over 4.7 (not by much). That at least means that I've got a couple items stuck firmly in the top 500.

Getting a story firmly entrenched in the top 500 was my goal. Now that I've managed that, I don't really pay much attention to the votes.

Reader comments is another story. I love that. Everyone likes to be complimented, and I especially enjoy the crude, almost illiterate sexual invitations. I don't know why, but I've never gotten a nasty comment.

MG

 

[Guest]

.
.
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My questions on voting figures:

At what point, or should I say score, do you panic or begin to wish you’d not bothered?
Panic? The word would never cross my mind, here. I'm putting naughty words on paper, free of charge, and posting them on this wonderful website for horny people to read. If I was a professional at this and had obligations to a publisher, that would be different. Writing is not a bother for me; it's been a treat.

What do you consider an OK voting result you are happy to accept and live with?
Within the subjective limits of the voting schemes used on Lit: 1 is horrible, 2 is bad, 3 is average, 4 is good, and 5 is the best, and as an amateur writer submitting within those contraints, to receive anything above a 4 is, well, good!

Other than top marks of course, what do you consider a good score that gives you a warm glow and feeling of satisfaction?
Scores above 4.5 and above can cause pleasurable swelling in my nether regions, which causes further writing, and further swelling ... (damn, this can be addictive!).

My questions on feedback received, or not as the case may be:

When Mr/Mrs/Ms perfect sends you the one liner, “Go back to school idiot”, or “You are a moron who should try basket weaving instead of writing”.

Does it offend or annoy you?
Those "one liners" are not constructive feedback; they're emotional comments meant to incite. (Spending a little time on the GB helps one to develop a thick skin to such rabble.)

Do you laugh and save it to disc with the others, or delete it with the others?
I do actually laugh at the few odd comments. And why not? This site is all about freedom of expression, and if someone gets torqued over something I've written, I'm glad to have caused some kind of reaction; "payment" in kind, I suppose, for them having to endure reading my drivel.

If you receive no feedback do you think your story isn’t worthy, or just watch the voting and take it from there?
I've always received feedback. So, if on a future story I didn't, I would have to wonder and try to reach out to learn why not. I actually value the commentary readers, fellow authors, and friends send me more than the vote counts and scores. There's no secret here, because without written feedback, it would nearly impossible to hone your formula for story improvement.

Finally, being honest with yourself and the rest of us, do you really take all of the above seriously, or just write to please yourself as a pastime while hoping to entertain others in the process?
Erotic writing is a second hobby for me, because of Lit. I not only write as an outlet for me but for the "fans" I've garnered along the way. When they get a charge out of my writing, at let me know that, I get a charge out of them and experience of writing.

 

[christo]

I pretty much gun for a score of 4.5, getting that little "H" helps your story stand out against all the others out there. Plus a 4.5 is 90%, which is an "A" if this were high school, which it isn't. But anyway, 4.5 means I did my job. Unless the story is one I know people aren't going to like for some reason, and then all bets are off.

I love getting feedback. Got my first note from someone in CHINA today. I mean, reading online porn might get you a prison sentence, and he's reading my stuff. That's a guy I'll definitely write back right away.

The only feedback that irritates me sometimes are people who say, "Hey, when are you posting Chapter X of your series?" I'm lousy at consistently posting stuff, I crank it out and then months go by with nothing. That's my fault, and I feel crummy about it, but I get busy sometimes and I don't have enough time to do the work. So the occasional tweak is a good thing, but I get lots of 'em and I just want to shout, "Hey, I gotta work this weekend, and that lawn doesn't just mow itself! Cut me some slack!"

 

[Dirt Man]

At what point, or should I say score, do you panic or begin to wish you’d not bothered?

I believe everyone here knows my feelings on the voting process here at literotica. It's pretty much useless as far as trying to figure out how a story is really being accepted as it is easily corrupted by a mere 3 vote let alone the silly 1, and 2 voting morons that Laurel most likely deletes. So panic isn't really an option for anyone here really.

What do you consider an OK voting result you are happy to accept and live with?

Since none of my stories is under 4.25 or over 4.48 you figure it out. LOL Of course that will probably change once the small minded demons read this reply.

Other than top marks of course, what do you consider a good score that gives you a warm glow and feeling of satisfaction?

Often in the first day or so if the demons haven't hit, and a story reaches 4.5 or better, but that quickly dies out once they arrive.

As for Feedback: Any time an authors voice makes someone out there respond by sending "Good," or "Bad," feedback of any kind they have done their job. Now a days after posting a story I know it's up because I have feedback on it. Otherwise I'd never know as I hardly ever check anymore. I've only been posting here for a little over two months now, and with 19 stories, and poems on the board now I've learned one important thing. Nobody really gives a rats ass what I think here. LOL

As Always
I Am the
Dirt Man

 

[MathGirl]

Voters

I have two readers who always send feedback after each story of mine is posted. Depending on what's in the story:

One says, "I gave it a 2, because I don't like anal sex."

One says, "I gave it a 3, because there was no anal sex."

I can't seem to please ANYONE.

MG

 

[oggbashan]

The people who can't see that any story could have merit unless it presses the button to make them feel hot are as much of a nuisance as those who always vote a 5 because my fetish is the same as theirs.

The fans can be more demanding "Write some more about X". I don't want to if I've exhausted everything I want to say.

Sometimes I sympathise with Conan Doyle who killed off Sherlock Holmes because Holmes was running Doyle's life. Then Doyle had to resurrect Holmes because the fans (and Doyle's publisher) wouldn't let Holmes stay dead. Not that my stories will ever be as good as Doyle at his worst.

Oggbashan

Quote for MathGirl from my favourite mathematician:

"What is the use of a book", thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"

 

[pop_54]

Ta gang

Well thanks for the helpful replies all and each who decided to share.

Me?

Well I’d seriously consider not trying a particular subject again if it failed to make half way in the voting scale; I mean I’d never hope that everything I produced made the top scales but below 2.5 I panic.

A score above 4.5 is a winner in my books, I had one at 4.62 until about a week or so ago then it dropped to 4.43 overnight along with every other of my writings dropping about the same decimal percentage the same night.

4 – 4.3 gives me a warm satisfied glow, it also surprises me considering I aint no author and all of my stories have so far managed to survive above 4.

Feedback I love it, all of the submissions have attracted some, mostly complimentary, three negative so far.

One told me to go back to school, I laughed and filed it in the del department.

One told me my story was too British, I replied with a polite answer thanking them for the feedback but pointing out that as the characters lived in England there was little I could do about that.

One with a useful comment about one particular paragraph where I’d failed to spot an error in the sentence construction, useful feedback there, unfortunately the constructive element then vanished when it did go on to say that due to this crime the story was only worth a 2 vote, OK Mr/Mrs/Ms perfect if your listening. *Fuck You too*

I’ve had the usual run of excitable folks feedback suggestions for a chapter two, like:

‘Make the bitch pregnant’

‘Kill the bitch, split her open and kill her’

‘Make her have 20 guys one after the other next time and finish up with her in hospital’

All that kind of useful suggestion, nice people about aren’t there.

As I’ve said before this is a hobby to me, I’m never going to take it too seriously, I started because a friend suggested some of my ramblings in e-mails and porn site boards could be turned into stories, encouraged by my better half, (the editor in chief Lorraine) I started posting them here and elsewhere.
The really bad stuff goes elsewhere, bad in style and bad in content, some of it would make Laurel shit herself if it appeared in the subs here, hehe.

Pops…………

 

[MathGirl]

Why don't I ever learn?

Getting a story firmly entrenched in the top 500 was my goal. Now that I've managed that, I don't really pay much attention to the votes.
I don't know why, but I've never gotten a nasty comment.

MG

What a difference a couple of days make!

1. Guess whose stories are no longer in the top 500. *

2. Guess how many nasty comments on my stories I've received.**

3. Why don't I keep thoughts like that to myself?***


* mine
**three
*** just dumb, I guess.

MG

 

[pop_54]

Re: Why don't I ever learn?

What a difference a couple of days make!

1. Guess whose stories are no longer in the top 500. *

2. Guess how many nasty comments on my stories I've received.**

3. Why don't I keep thoughts like that to myself?***


* mine
**three
*** just dumb, I guess.

MG

Oh sweetheart, that's a mean and shit thing to happen, if you ever find out who did you down let me know, I'll send the boys round to visit them with a present, a gift wrapped baseball bat, well you have to be careful about fingerprints don't you.

Chin up love.

 

[Dirt Man]

I know the feeling MG...

And you have my sympathy.

As Always
I Am the
Dirt Man

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Re: Why don't I ever learn?

What a difference a couple of days make!

1. Guess whose stories are no longer in the top 500. *

2. Guess how many nasty comments on my stories I've received.**

3. Why don't I keep thoughts like that to myself?***


* mine
**three
*** just dumb, I guess.

MG

DIane, can you spell "jealousy"?

 

[MathGirl]

Gracias

Thank you for the kind thoughts.

I thought that since two of my stories had been up there for several weeks and had lots of votes, I could be smug. I hadn't looked in a couple of weeks.

It's no big deal, and they probably didn't belong there anyway, but it's deflating. Gives me thoughts of:
a. Going in there and trash voting someone else's story, or
b. Not submit anything anymore.
I won't do either one. The first would be petty and the second allowing someone else to control me.

%$^^%&&^(*
MG

 

[Svenskaflicka]

How about picking yourself up with a nice, Swedish Exercise?

 

[pop_54]

Hmm

How about picking yourself up with a nice stiff one, DRINK, darling drink.

Glad to hear you're not going to do anything silly MG, attacking another would be pointless, and calling it a day on writing here would as you say give the idiots their twisted satisfaction.
Just write another nice piece and post it, sod them all.


pops.................

 

[MathGirl]

Instant lawn

sod them all.
pops.................

How do you go about that, Pop? Doesn't that have something to do with lawn or grass or something?
MG

 

[pop_54]

Nope

Don't know anything about gardening darling, it's a British style biblical abbreviation from soddom having sexual/physical abuse connotations regarding shoving crap up hill if you get my meaning.

pops....