I will love my story even if...

I reserve the right to be as angry and vain as happens to suit me on any particular day. I’m no stranger to petty emotions. It’s nice of you to worry about my public image, but also I don’t really care what you think.

I have an inkling you’re trying to initiate the same conversation you regularly have here on the forums, but I’m not interested in having it with you.

But you are having this conversation and you do care what I think. I haven't even stated an opinion in this thread, merely posed questions.

So then, if someone scores you a 5, that means that you are a good writer because obviously that person is smart, but if someone gives you a 2 or a 3, or ignores you completely (even if they don't know that you exist) then that does not mean that you a bad writer since these people are just idiots. Do I have this correct?
 
But you are having this conversation and you do care what I think. I haven't even stated an opinion in this thread, merely posed questions.

So then, if someone scores you a 5, that means that you are a good writer because obviously that person is smart, but if someone gives you a 2 or a 3, or ignores you completely (even if they don't know that you exist) then that does not mean that you a bad writer since these people are just idiots. Do I have this correct?

No, you don’t, and also I’m done having this conversation. Happy holidays to you and yours.
 
Did I say you’ve done something wrong? I’m simply making observations.

I asked if I had it correct. You said no. I asked what part that I had 'wrong'. That's all. So, which part of my understanding do I have wrong and why?
 
People, you're derailing the thread with your little back and forth. Give it up or take it to PM.
 
I submitted a new one the other day, waiting for it to go up. Like each time I've done that, I immediately think I did it prematurely, should have given it one more pass (or seven), should have set A or B up better, should have should have should have...

But we'll see. Like this thread says, I love my story, even if all the things you listed are true. And I'd already moved on to the follow-up, so premature or not, it was time.
 
The more I write, the less relationship there is to the reception my story receives and the esteem that I personally give it. Don't get me wrong, I like approval as much as anyone. I was tickled to place in the Halloween contest (even though my story's score immediately plummeted after placing!). I like knowing that others enjoy my stories. But I've written stories that I enjoyed writing and that I'm happy to have published even though the reception was nothing like some of my other stories.
 

I will love my story even if...​

I think my only regrets about stories are poor category selections back in the day, mostly down to plain ignorance (OK, being too lazy to check it out 😬). For example, I used to think that Romance meant no sex 🤦‍♀️, and so posted stories in Erotic Couplings when they were really romances.

I don’t regret publishing things that have done poorly in categories when my choice was informed. Nowadays I’m totally cool with my sensibility and preoccupations not being for everyone. If I think that a story is a LW one, I’ll publish there, and let the chips fall.

I do often struggle to pick a category and end up in the least bad fit one. This seems to be increasingly the case as I transition from sex with a bit of story to story with a bit of sex (OK, still a lot of sex, but in support of the plot rather than gratuitous).

Emily
 
I do often struggle to pick a category and end up in the least bad fit one. This seems to be increasingly the case as I transition from sex with a bit of story to story with a bit of sex (OK, still a lot of sex, but in support of the plot rather than gratuitous).
This. The category systemn too restricting, though a "Literary" category would help.
 
This. The category systemn too restricting, though a "Literary" category would help.
I’m gravitating to Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Novels & Novellas. Example one: while many of my stories feature anal sex, they are not anal sex stories. Example two: while many of my stories feature BDSM themes in places, they are seldom BDSM stories. I often end up in Fetish for these reasons, even if the sex is not particularly fetishistic.

I have several stories that feature a wide range of categories: e.g. anal, BDSM, fetish, group, and lesbian. They don’t fit anywhere, unless they happen to be in space or feature supernatural creatures.

Emily
 
I have a story that is definitely my lowest rated here and on Smashwords (no ratings, just number of downloads). I figure it must have to do mostly with the title or the blurb, since lack of downloads on Smashwords can't be chalked up to reading the story and not liking it. Although that's not so true here. I have no desire to change the title or the blurb, however, since I'm just looking for like minded people. Not looking to appeal to more people. The blurb is below. Do you think it's the title, or do you think it's the blurb?

Literotica description: To save his wife a man submits to pain & sexual humiliation.

Smashwords blurb: He had expected to endure with stoicism whatever acts would be inflicted on him over the night. But the puzzle was that first his body and then his whole self embraced the degradation and pain. Surrender was everything.

Here's the link: An Enigma
It sounds pretty enticing to me!
 
This thread is for the ugly ducklings on our story lists. The ones that don't perform as well as we expected, or that could have done with an extra round of proofreading, or that for whatever other reason we look at and feel ever so slightly disappointed. So, here goes.

I will love my story even if...

It stalls in votes, slowly sinking into oblivion after putting so much work in
 
I know what you mean. My newest story is at 387 views, a day and a half after publication. That's poor even by SF/F standards. :(

On the plus side, a large proportion of readers seem to like it.
And there it is. It's never the number of views. Good stories, the ones that initially resonate and go on to carry the reader through are gold. When the comments and emails, maybe the fav's outweigh the views you're pretty much made an impact.
 
I will love my story:

If it gets horrible ratings

If no one understands it.

If people leave negative feedback.

If people leave me abusive feedback.

If someone throws rotten tomatoes at it in the street and dumps a bucket of pig blood on it.

I will love it in the morning, and in the afternoon, I'll love it in the evening, and underneath the moon.

I might go back and edit the ever loving fuck out of it, but I will still love it.
 
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I will love my story if it's actually good, and one or two of mine kinda suck, so...
 
I will love my WIWAW even if it's stuck on fewer than 750 views after two months, with only six votes.

I will love my story even if it never actually makes it out of my head and onto the page, or ends up in my "False Starts and Dead Ends" folder after only a handful of lines.

I will love my story even if the file crashes and I lose two pages of work and have to type it out all over again.
 
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