I still don't understand the readers

[SamScribble]

I have now been posting stories here for ten years and I still don’t understand the readers.

Pretty much every story starts out with a ‘fail’ score. And then, as the days go by, the score slowing rises. Over time, most end up with red Hs. Some gone way beyond. What is it with those ‘first day’ readers?

Also, I tend to write ‘little’ stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And yet about half of the readers who bother to leave a comment say: ‘I can’t wait to read the next chapter’ (or words to that effect). Do I need to start putting a disclaimer at the beginning of each story? Dear reader, this is a short story, not a novel. When you get to the last word, that is the last word.

And finally, why do some readers seem to think they understand the motivations of my entirely fictional characters better that the characters themselves do? Recently, a chap (or perhaps a chapess) wrote a comment that was almost as long as the story explaining why the characters shouldn’t have behaved in the way they did behave.

My back is hurting today. In addition to being old, I’m also grumpy.

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

I have now been posting stories here for ten years and I still don’t understand the readers.

Pretty much every story starts out with a ‘fail’ score. And then, as the days go by, the score slowing rises. Over time, most end up with red Hs. Some gone way beyond. What is it with those ‘first day’ readers?

Also, I tend to write ‘little’ stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And yet about half of the readers who bother to leave a comment say: ‘I can’t wait to read the next chapter’ (or words to that effect). Do I need to start putting a disclaimer at the beginning of each story? Dear reader, this is a short story, not a novel. When you get to the last word, that is the last word.

And finally, why do some readers seem to think they understand the motivations of my entirely fictional characters better that the characters themselves do? Recently, a chap (or perhaps a chapess) wrote a comment that was almost as long as the story explaining why the characters shouldn’t have behaved in the way they did behave.

My back is hurting today. In addition to being old, I’m also grumpy.

This was a good rant and gave a good laugh (all except your back hurting; sorry to hear that).

Yes, it's always fun to get an explanation of my characters' needs and motives. And I have to talk myself into the reminder that readers are trying to take the wheel because they love the story and feel a personal connection. Smh.

 

[SimonDoom]

You are experiencing things that every experienced author has dealt with.

The first-day score thing is universal. There are trolls waiting to downvote stories on their first publication date, for reasons only they know. Everyone deals with this. I have dealt with this for almost every story I've published. It's just the way it is.

As for the next two issues, I think you should take them as a compliment. Some of your readers get deeply invested in your stories and your characters. They think they know them as real people. They want to see what their next adventure is. It's a tribute to your character development that some of your readers think this way.

I think it's fruitless to try too hard to understand readers at this site. There are a lot of them, and some of them have views you just can't explain. Better just to accept it and write and publish knowing that's what you are dealing with.

 

[Blind_Justice]

The problem of the first-day bombs has two possibly interconnected sources. Maybe there ars people out there combing the "new" stories and hitting them with bad scores just because. Maybe you have somehow attracted an anti-fan who hates your guts. Since it takes only a single 1 to put a huge dent in a new score, these bombers are felt especially harshly. I know I write some love it/hate it fiction, but seeing a score plummet from a 4.9 to 4.2 in four or five votes can be aggravating.

As for people demanding more after a definite ending... No idea, honestly. Sure, it's nice to be appreciated, but every story runs its course eventually and it doesn't make sense to add more. Many readers don't seem to get that.

.

 

[ElectricBlue]

1. That's okay. I don't understand writers .

2. Because they didn't get a Tonka truck for Christmas and because they can. It's a power play - they have none because they're fucktards, can't write, and Mommy doesn't love them; and we're not those things.

3. But Sam, you write such engaging characters, who wouldn't want to live in your house forever?

4. That's because some readers think everything is absolutely real. The give-away is when they say, "Thanks for sharing." Not, "Thanks for writing," but, "Thanks for sharing," as if they truly believe you have written the absolute truth into a story and shared an intimate part of your life. I think it's really sweet, but I should be so lucky!

5. Run a very hot bath with Epsom salts. My autocorrect tried to change that to Witherspoon. She would work, too. Probably better .

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

1. That's okay. I don't understand writers .

2. Because they didn't get a Tonka truck for Christmas and because they can. It's a power play - they have none because they're fucktards, can't write, and Mommy doesn't love them; and we're not those things.

3. But Sam, you write such engaging characters, who wouldn't want to live in your house forever?

4. That's because some readers think everything is absolutely real. The give-away is when they say, "Thanks for sharing." Not, "Thanks for writing," but, "Thanks for sharing," as if they truly believe you have written the absolute truth into a story and shared an intimate part of your life. I think it's really sweet, but I should be so lucky!

5. Run a very hot bath with Epsom salts. My autocorrect tried to change that to Witherspoon. She would work, too. Probably better .

You're so right about that, EB. I've definitely fallen into that same colloquial trap because I've seen it so often around Lit; I thank people for "sharing" i.e., sharing their creativity/genius/time for free. But yeah, we're not "sharing"; we're writing fiction.... For free

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I have now been posting stories here for ten years and I still don’t understand the readers.

Pretty much every story starts out with a ‘fail’ score. And then, as the days go by, the score slowing rises. Over time, most end up with red Hs. Some gone way beyond. What is it with those ‘first day’ readers?

Also, I tend to write ‘little’ stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And yet about half of the readers who bother to leave a comment say: ‘I can’t wait to read the next chapter’ (or words to that effect). Do I need to start putting a disclaimer at the beginning of each story? Dear reader, this is a short story, not a novel. When you get to the last word, that is the last word.

And finally, why do some readers seem to think they understand the motivations of my entirely fictional characters better that the characters themselves do? Recently, a chap (or perhaps a chapess) wrote a comment that was almost as long as the story explaining why the characters shouldn’t have behaved in the way they did behave.

My back is hurting today. In addition to being old, I’m also grumpy.

I just had a comment on my latest chapter by anon, of course, wondering (complaining) why my MC didn't react a certain way. Why she didn't do XYZ.
I actually replied, does anon ever go back to see if the author replies? Anyway, I replied that she didn't do that because it would have been way out of character for her.

My feet hurt and I'm old too

ETA
My stuff is the opposite, I start out with great ratings, the last chapter was at a 5 for the first 9 votes, then I slowly get lower and lower...

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Also, I tend to write ‘little’ stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And yet about half of the readers who bother to leave a comment say: ‘I can’t wait to read the next chapter’ (or words to that effect). Do I need to start putting a disclaimer at the beginning of each story? Dear reader, this is a short story, not a novel. When you get to the last word, that is the last word.

I’d take that as a complement - you’re so darned good they want more.

WRT scoring, I generally get very, very nice scores right off, then see them plummet when my pet troll sobers up enough to see a new story from me. The score generally then levels off about half a point south of where it started.

 

[MichaelGH]

You just don’t understand! Is readers just want to hang out with Jessica and belittle your work anonymously on the internet! How is that so hard to understand?!? You don’t get it Mom and Dad!

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

I have now been posting stories here for ten years and I still don’t understand the readers.

Pretty much every story starts out with a ‘fail’ score. And then, as the days go by, the score slowing rises. Over time, most end up with red Hs. Some gone way beyond. What is it with those ‘first day’ readers?

Also, I tend to write ‘little’ stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And yet about half of the readers who bother to leave a comment say: ‘I can’t wait to read the next chapter’ (or words to that effect). Do I need to start putting a disclaimer at the beginning of each story? Dear reader, this is a short story, not a novel. When you get to the last word, that is the last word.

And finally, why do some readers seem to think they understand the motivations of my entirely fictional characters better that the characters themselves do? Recently, a chap (or perhaps a chapess) wrote a comment that was almost as long as the story explaining why the characters shouldn’t have behaved in the way they did behave.

My back is hurting today. In addition to being old, I’m also grumpy.

I haven't been around here long as a author, but as a reader and non LIT author, I tend to think that readers are tend to think episodically and expect stories to go on and on.

 

[Phantom300]

......

As for the next two issues, I think you should take them as a compliment. Some of your readers get deeply invested in your stories and your characters. They think they know them as real people. They want to see what their next adventure is. It's a tribute to your character development that some of your readers think this way.

I agree with 1000% of this.

 

[NotWise]

I have now been posting stories here for ten years and I still don’t understand the readers.

There's no homogeneous population to understand. Our readers are a grab-bag of people.

Pretty much every story starts out with a ‘fail’ score. And then, as the days go by, the score slowing rises. Over time, most end up with red Hs. Some gone way beyond. What is it with those ‘first day’ readers?

Stories in some categories start consistently low, but not in others. Overall, most of my stories start with low scores and work their way up.

I've tracked views, votes and scores on my stories for a while now. Things like views/time aren't constant, but you know that. Other things like votes/view or favorites/view are also not constant.

The story isn't changing. The audience changes over time. The audience you have when a story is first published has interests that are different from later audiences. It's easy to see that when you track voting over time.

I'm thinking of writing an "alpha male" story (this is a fantasy on porn sites) to see if that's what those early one-handed readers are looking for -- a male protagonist who the one-handed reader wants to be, but aren't.

Also, I tend to write ‘little’ stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And yet about half of the readers who bother to leave a comment say: ‘I can’t wait to read the next chapter’ (or words to that effect). Do I need to start putting a disclaimer at the beginning of each story? Dear reader, this is a short story, not a novel. When you get to the last word, that is the last word.

It's a compliment, and I think they mean it that way. I'm not sure if they really want more of "that" story, or if they just want more stories from you.

And finally, why do some readers seem to think they understand the motivations of my entirely fictional characters better that the characters themselves do? Recently, a chap (or perhaps a chapess) wrote a comment that was almost as long as the story explaining why the characters shouldn’t have behaved in the way they did behave.

You got them involved in your story and character. Just let them vent. Maybe someday they'll write it their way, but probably not.

My back is hurting today. In addition to being old, I’m also grumpy.

Modern over-the-counter analgesics are pretty effective, and some work really well in combination. Try combining naproxin sodium (Aleve) and ibuprofin.

 

[SamScribble]

Modern over-the-counter analgesics are pretty effective, and some work really well in combination. Try combining naproxin sodium (Aleve) and ibuprofin.

Thank you, doctor. My own GP frets that I will bleed to death if I take ibuprofon.

 

[SamScribble]

Thank you all. If I made some of you smile ... hooray! And your comments are sound. We'll hope for a better day tomorrow.

 

[Hypoxia]

I've mostly tapered-off most prescribed analgesics -- hydrocodone, naproxin, acetaminophen, but the gabapentin stays -- since total knee replacement surgery a few weeks ago. My partner no longer hears me groan with every step -- but alas, fell and wrecked their wrist a few days ago. Good thing our orthopods (orthopedic surgeons) are superlative and I'm cleared to drive now. Even with hinky vision.

Oh blinding light
Oh light that blinds
I cannot see
Look out for me!
--Firesign Theatre, hymn tune​

What was the topic? Oh yeah, vermin er I mean readers. A scrofulous lot but they're wot we got. I think my faithful following numbers in the hundreds. No, not .alts -- too many for that, unless my inner demons keyboard stealthily.

 

[joeyjax]

I've tracked views, votes and scores on my stories for a while now. Things like views/time aren't constant, but you know that. Other things like votes/view or favorites/view are also not constant.

I'm wondering if you have any tips/tricks for the tracking that you do? I've tried to keep some level of tracking as well, but it's crude (occasional manual entry into a spreadsheet).

What still absolutely kills me is when I see a story of mine getting consistently 4s or 5s then blammo a 2. Most recently, I've seen this in PART 6 of my first series. I have a hard time thinking someone read through all five previous chapters (each ~6 LIT pages long), then suddenly finished Part 6 and thought "Hmm. This is crap! 2 stars." I've pretty much felt since Day 1 that I have a troll that's latched onto me and just randomly 2 bombs anything I write, but maybe that's paranoia(?)

Other than that, most of my feedback has been positive, or at least honest. One of my recent comments said "Ronnie's a bitch!" I laughed out loud and took it as a compliment that the reader was really into the story (though possibly transferring something onto my character that I didn't put there). Maybe they know someone IRL that reminds them of my character, and IRL that person is a bitch.

 

[NotWise]

I'm wondering if you have any tips/tricks for the tracking that you do? I've tried to keep some level of tracking as well, but it's crude (occasional manual entry into a spreadsheet).

Go to the "Works" page in the User Control Panel on the story site. On the far right side of the "sort by" bar there is a download icon. If you click on that it will give you a comma-separated values file with the statistics on all your stories in tabular form. The is the quickest and easiest way to get your data.

I also monitor the "Works" page at least once a day to pick up on changes in votes, and much more frequently than that when I've recently published a story.

I keep two spreadsheets. One records the views on all my stories, and one records the date/time, score, views, and votes whenever the votes changes. I use that to back-calculated the vote, look at ratios and trends.

What still absolutely kills me is when I see a story of mine getting consistently 4s or 5s then blammo a 2. Most recently, I've seen this in PART 6 of my first series. I have a hard time thinking someone read through all five previous chapters (each ~6 LIT pages long), then suddenly finished Part 6 and thought "Hmm. This is crap! 2 stars." I've pretty much felt since Day 1 that I have a troll that's latched onto me and just randomly 2 bombs anything I write, but maybe that's paranoia(?)

They probably didn't read the whole thing. They probably just opened up the chapter -- possibly from the "New" list without even know what category it was in -- and didn't like it. Everyone sees that kind of behavior, so it probably isn't a personal troll. Such creatures seem fairly rare.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

WRT scoring, I generally get very, very nice scores right off, then see them plummet when my pet troll sobers up enough to see a new story from me. The score generally then levels off about half a point south of where it started.

I have noticed that trend as well. I actually was shocked to see a recent story with 7 votes all 5 stars shortly after posting. It is at 4.8ish now with more votes. This is why I keep asking for the raw scores. A story with a distribution of:

7 x 5 stars
0 x 4 stars
0 x 3 stars
0 x 2 stars
3 x 1 stars

gives an average of 3.8 stars. Given the distribution, I would think it would be a much different story from one with a distribution of:

2 x 5 stars
5 x 4 stars
2 x 3 stars
1 x 2 stars
0 x 1 stars

which would also be an average of 3.8 stars.

Or maybe I am just overthinking this stuff.

James

 

[SynSlave]

Well my first score was a 5 (observed), next day was a 4 (observed) and it's been going down since. Ironically I've seen an additional favorite or two each time it's gone down. So... I know nothing?

Seriously.
More puzzled each day.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Well my first score was a 5 (observed), next day was a 4 (observed) and it's been going down since. Ironically I've seen an additional favorite or two each time it's gone down. So... I know nothing?

Seriously.
More puzzled each day.

Once you've got between 20 -30 votes, that's when the score becomes meaningful. Before then, it's all too subject to minimalist maths, as James points out.

BTW, the only way to track raw scores is to keep a close eye on movements yourself, and you can figure it out as you go along. After a while, you develop a gut feel for what's going on, but unless you get anal retentive about your tracking, you won't always know for sure.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Today I posted a one page stroker in the group sex category. It's been up less than 24 hours, and now is my third most viewed story. It's hovering just below Red H territory. It's been added to the favorites list of at least a dozen people and has my second highest number of hearts (behind my second oldest story). And the second highest number of votes (behind my Nude Day entry). I've gotten no comments on the story, and one piece of email feedback about it.

It's kind of mind blowing, actually.

I'm second guessing the decision to submit so many stories at once. I'm clearly getting some traffic, but now my Halloween story's score has suffered. I can't tell if that related though.

It's a good thing I'm not trying to figure out how to make money off the readership...



Update: as of noon on Monday (eastern US time) this story is now my MOST viewed, MOST voted on, and closing quickly in on being MOST favorited. Still just below Red H.

It's just FASCINATING to me, because of the sharp contrast with this story and the responses to all of my others. ALL of them, written in four other categories. If I got 1k views in the first day, that was fine. This little thing now has 16k views. In just over a day. {{where's the 'mind blown' emoji when I need it?}}

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm second guessing the decision to submit so many stories at once. I'm clearly getting some traffic, but now my Halloween story's score has suffered. I can't tell if that related though.

Out of curiosity, what's the Vote/View ratio in Group? I found them to be a most unresponsive lot. No comments - I'm not surprised by that, either.

The Halloween contest hasn't had its first sweep yet (from what I can see) - that will change scores across the board.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Today I posted a one page stroker in the group sex category. It's been up less than 24 hours, and now is my third most viewed story. It's hovering just below Red H territory. It's been added to the favorites list of at least a dozen people and has my second highest number of hearts (behind my second oldest story). And the second highest number of votes (behind my Nude Day entry). I've gotten no comments on the story, and one piece of email feedback about it.

It's kind of mind blowing, actually.

I'm second guessing the decision to submit so many stories at once. I'm clearly getting some traffic, but now my Halloween story's score has suffered. I can't tell if that related though.

Sounds like you may have acquired your own personal troll, lady. Every good writer seems to get at least one, like a sufficiently large fish acquiring a lamprey.

 

[LesDesirable]

Those who rant, should look at the reader community.

This is an online erotic literature site. Your readers are from a group of men and women who are here to read something sexual in order to get a little tingle. The ratings depend entirely on the individual kinks of each reader. Lesbian and Gay stories get downvotes from those who do not like gays. Fetish stories get downvotes from those whose fetish is different. Loving Wives (laugh out loud) still is unfathomable, nobody knows whether they should be faithful or unfaithful. Incest is always a happy place, until the sister, daughter, cousin, or mother does not get pregnant.

Early votes tend to be 5, because you, your editor, your friends, and your board friends vote 5. Secondary votes tend to be 1s because your lit enemies, and the category trolls have arrived. Votes after the story leaves the "new" page tend to be the middle/high end, because now your readers are the enthusiasts in your category.

Getting a long comment that tells you how your characters "should" have done something is one of the highest compliments an author can receive, your critic was engaged enough with your story to want it to become their own, thus the suggestion.

 

[oggbashan]

My latest, like most of my recent submissions, started off with a 2 vote. It is usually a 2 or 1 as soon as the story appears on the New list.

Why? I don't know. I just accept it.