How Good Are How-Tos?

[oggbashan]

I would like to see us reviewing some of the How To submissions in the How To section of stories.

A. I suggest several questions on existing submissions:

1. How useful is the advice given?

2. Is it a comprehensive cover of the subject?

3. Have you found it useful? If yes? Why? If not? Why not?

B. What How-To that doesn't currently exist would you find helpful?

1. What subject?

2. What advice do you need? Why?

 

[oggbashan]

I'll start with an example.

Whispersecret's 2001 advice on (How To)
Get people to read your story.

It is a short well-written piece about the importance of choosing titles that are interesting without being misleading.

Answers to my questions in post #01:

1. How useful? It gives you ideas to think about and examples of what not to do.

2. How comprehensive? It isn't. It aims to give advice not a complete essay on titles.

3. Have I found it useful? Yes.

But: It could do with updating. If you look at your story links in your submissions you will see the url. If that url ends without a number, your title was the first or only story on Literotica with that title. If it has a number, that is some indication that there are several stories with that title and your title is not unique. (It could still have been the first if it was one of several existing when the numbered urls were introduced.)

My story 'Hedgehog Feud' has no number. No one else had used that title. I wonder why not?

My story 'Virgin's Sister' in Incest followed whispersecret's advice. Both words feature highly in searches on Literotica. Apart from being Incest, a highly read category, it has attracted far more views than 'Hedgehog Feud'. 'Hedgehog Feud' might be unique, but it isn't a compelling title.

Another of my unique titles 'Getting Nude With Chairman Mao' worked better than 'Hedgehog Feud'.

Do you think whispersecret's How To is useful?

 

[oggbashan]

One of mine: Plotting Flash Fiction

Here is one of my three How-Tos:

How To Plot Flash Fiction

1. How useful is the advice given?

2. Is it a comprehensive cover of the subject?

3. Have you found it useful? If yes? Why? If not? Why not?

and 4. What more advice would you want that I didn't cover?

 

[_Lynn_]

I like this topic but I would have to dig into the category before I could give you an answer. Maybe this weekend, if I get caught up on NaNo.

 

[oggbashan]

It might be useful to add another question:

Would you as an editor or author recommend this How-To to someone else?

 

[sr71plt]

Here are some writing How-Tos I have posted to Literotica:


“Self-Review for Literotica”
(Honing your story for submission yourself)

http://www.literotica.com/s/self-review-for-literotica


“End Goal in Writing Erotica”
(Observations on why/how of writing erotica for the Internet)

http://www.literotica.com/s/end-goaling-in-writing-erotica


“Some Hows and Whys of E-Publishing”
(Some ideas to consider if you are eyeing e-publishing.)

http://www.literotica.com/s/some-whys-and-hows-of-e-publishing

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Here are some writing How-Tos I have posted to Literotica:


“Self-Review for Literotica”
(Honing your story for submission yourself)

http://www.literotica.com/s/self-review-for-literotica


“End Goal in Writing Erotica”
(Observations on why/how of writing erotica for the Internet)

http://www.literotica.com/s/end-goaling-in-writing-erotica


“Some Hows and Whys of E-Publishing”
(Some ideas to consider if you are eyeing e-publishing.)

http://www.literotica.com/s/some-whys-and-hows-of-e-publishing

Why, oh why, can't you just join the conversation rather than egregiously self-promote. Your ego goes before you.

 

[sr71plt]

Fuck off, Elfin. Why didn't you make this comment on Ogg's posting of his How-To's?

It's you who is souring this area of the forum, not I.

Feel free to list your How-To on bra sizes too.

(See, moderators? You have invited me to post editorial background material to this forum, and, as I said, whenever I do, Elfin craps on me.)

 

[oggbashan]

Here are some writing How-Tos I have posted to Literotica:


“Self-Review for Literotica”
(Honing your story for submission yourself)

http://www.literotica.com/s/self-review-for-literotica

I looked at this one.

I thought it contained much useful advice that could help authors avoid some of the errors that can spoil a good story.

I have been guilty of several basic errors such as changing the name of a character part way through. I tend to start a story with vanilla names such as John and Mary and change the names when the characters begin to establish themselves as individuals in my mind.

Search and Replace only goes so far. If I search and replace 'Mary' with 'Miranda' it won't find 'Mary's' so she has two names.

Self review can help, but as sr71plt points out, it isn't as good, nor should it replace an editor. Self reviewing BEFORE using an editor is good advice.

 

[oggbashan]

Fuck off, Elfin. Why didn't you make this comment on Ogg's posting of his How-To's?

...

I think sr71plt's post is appropriate. There are many How-Tos that are useless or so specific that they have limited application.

The three sr71plt posted are all relevant to the process of writing generally. Whether you think they are helpful is a matter of opinion and your particular needs.

Like my How-Tos, some authors won't need this basic level of advice, but reading the How-Tos and thinking about them can help, even if all it does is encourage you to say "I could write a better How-To than that". If it does, please do.

 

[LadyCibelle]

Stay on Topics.

Why, oh why, can't you just join the conversation rather than egregiously self-promote. Your ego goes before you.

The Editor’s Forum is for authors and editors to discuss issues related to editing stories. People are forgetting this. It's not a place for personal arguments, attacks, or discussions not related to editing stories

 

[sr71plt]

Another "How-To" on writing of mine that Lit. authors might like to check out (and there's one coming this weekend on how to "read" the dictionary to aid your decision choices in spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization [for both writers and editors]):

Elements of Literary Erotica

(a discussion of writing the best literary erotica story you can)

http://www.literotica.com/s/elements-of-literary-erotica

 

[sr71plt]

My How-To on using the dictionary for U.S. style spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization decisions (by writer and editor alike), “Dictionary Smarts Can Up Ratings,” posted today.

http://www.literotica.com/s/dictionary-smarts-can-up-ratings