My first story…. Why do I care about the ratings so much?

[excelliorjs]

Just posted my first story. Very personal. Autobiographical. Needed to get it out of my system for me. So why do I care thst its “only a 3.67”?!?!?

 

[lovecraft68]

Because its your first story, and personal. Nothing wrong with wanting to see it do well, but....don't get too caught up. There's countless variable to take into consideration with any story on this site, but to keep it simple, a lower score doesn't mean the story or writing itself is bad, just as a high score doesn't mean its a good one.

You're also new so you may not get a lot of votes or attention on a first effort.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Just posted my first story. Very personal. Autobiographical. Needed to get it out of my system for me. So why do I care thst its “only a 3.67”?!?!?

Just my anecdotal take, and the stats guys will probably have a different opinion, but to some extent, high scores are dependent on having loyal followers. Hang in there, over time you will pick them up of you put out good work.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Because you're looking for the approval of others, judging yourself from without instead of within. As long as you do this you will not have control of how good your writing is.

Forget the scores. Read the comments. Dismiss all the hate and spite completely. Ignore that. Dismiss all the straight up love. Ignore that. Find those rare comments that actually say something about your work, about your characters, about how the reader connected with it all, good bad or in between. Look at those comments objectively and decide if from that perspective there is anything in your work that you think could be better, and move forward with the next project with that new knowledge.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I was going to say that your score will probably go up. And then I looked at your story and it's already at 4 with only 100 or so views. Many people are saying don't worry about the score and that's good advice, but if you are going to worry don't even bother until you've hit a few thousand views and 50 or so votes. I read the story and it's good - short and simple which is entirely suitable for a first go but demonstrates that you have talent in this area and should continue to write.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Why worry about the score? Well, it’s your baby. And your first. And you say it’s about you. Those are all very real reasons to care. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t (or at least honest if you claimed you didn’t).

That said, it’s take-a-deep-breath time. This ain’t a crisis, your mortgage payment won’t fail because of a low score and things will get better, both with time and with experience. In the meantime, be proud of having done what most people never dare to even try.

Good luck with the next one.

 

[jsmiam]

A case can be made (but nobody listens to me) for this approach to how much to think about about scores.

• First 10 votes, not one bit, the sample size is so small it's meaningless. Even if 9 out of 10 of all your scores ever (long term) will be 5 stars (4.6 score), that doesn’t mean the first 9 will be fives. Getting upset too early isn’t worth it.
• First 20 votes: Somewhat, a pattern might be starting to emerge, but it's still probably too soon to be sure.
• First 30 to 100 votes (this partly depends on what category the story is in, how catchy/appealing the title is, etc. (essentially, variations that predict how heavily read the story is likely to be in the end, years later.) At this point, you can start thinking that the score you see is a predictor of where the score will settle. (Unless for one reason or another, you end up with readers who think THEY have a score to settle. It's complicated.)

Then the whole other conversation, on should you care, etc. On some level, I think we all care. At the very least, even the people who most loudly profess that they don't care, at least care about whether anybody reads their story, and that's (number of reads) a form of keeping score of something. For me, I care at least a little, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Maybe even in a Sally Field voice!

.

 

[Escierto]

Just posted my first story. Very personal. Autobiographical. Needed to get it out of my system for me. So why do I care thst its “only a 3.67”?!?!?

Autobiographical? True to life? People hate reality, believe me. Bizarre nonsense scores high on Lit - I think people like to escape reality here.

My two fictional stories score high enough to be Hot. My ten autobiographical stories score way lower but for me, they are the only stories that matter.

 

[KeithD]

I'd normally respond that autobiography, especially if identified as such, is often too fraught and, frankly, mundane or clinical or irrelevantly wordy in handling the sex to reach the expectations of those reading here for fantasy arousal. I think your story is fine as erotica, though. I'm sure it will improve in readership and rating and your next one will build on that. As others note, it's too early to make anything out of the rating--and the voting at Literotica is so loose that you really can't get much meaningful out of the ratings at all.

 

[Escierto]

The next time you are writing a story, if you find yourself thinking, “God this is so fucking stupid” or “This dumb shit could never happen in real life” then you know that you are onto something.

There’s a guy here who writes wildly popular transgender stories. He freely admits that he has had zero real life experience with anyone transgender. His stories reek of bullshit and preposterous situations. That’s what you should aim for.

 

[TadOverdon]

Because you're a human person, and when you reveal a part of yourself you care what people think.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Just posted my first story. Very personal. Autobiographical. Needed to get it out of my system for me. So why do I care thst its “only a 3.67”?!?!?

If you worry about what others think who also offer no comments on the story then you’ll wind up being crushed by doubts and insecurities.

Focus on what people decide to put down as comments, especially if the comment is detailed with praise and criticism fair in equal measure.

Also, if you’re human (like all of us) then the rating will get to you. Many of us have had this experience (low at first then goes up) and the opposite (starts like a rocket, crashes a bit) but writing is like many things, we learn be doing.

Stay safe and don’t get downhearted.

 

[NewOldGuy77]

Just posted my first story. Very personal. Autobiographical. Needed to get it out of my system for me. So why do I care thst its “only a 3.67”?!?!?

Not that scores are necessarily vital, but it's like the old joke, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer: "Practice, baby, practice!" Early efforts, you're still finding your rhythm.

Plus, category is important. Like the Philadelphia sports fans who booed Santa Claus, many Loving Wives readers will 1-star you just because they can.

Speaking for myself, if RiverMaya or JuanaSalsa - two authors I highly admire - do a beta read and like it, I know it's good, no matter what the ratings say.

 

[excelliorjs]

I have nothing more to say than Thank you. To each of you. For taking the time. For your insightful comments. All spoken from your place of truth.

It means a lot to this new writer

 

[Voboy]

You "needed to get it out of your system." That's its primary value, and I hope it succeeded.

But of course you care what others think of it, otherwise you wouldn't have published it. So it's natural to identify with how it's being received, especially if it's a very personal piece to begin with. Once you become conversant with the many, many variables that go into scores, you'll gain some perspective on your numbers.

The score will probably rise on its own, but if not? I agree that you'll gain a following if you publish often and excellently, which will drag up not just your new scores but your older ones as well.

 

[EarlyMorningLight]

Autobiographical? True to life? People hate reality, believe me. Bizarre nonsense scores high on Lit - I think people like to escape reality here.

I just published a story that I knew going in was going to rub a lot of readers the wrong way. It’s very true to life, it doesn’t fit neatly into a single category, and there’s a gangbang scene that the narrator facilitates for his partner. These are all things that seem to set off different groups of readers, even if you warn them upfront and give them a chance to skip the story. It just hit 1000 views after 15 or so hours live, and has a 4.33 on 12 votes. Not the end of the world, but it’ll be a climb to get that little red H.

Write what you want. Seek out the readership you want. Interact with the writers here who you admire. Understand that the number of people looking for good writing is dwarfed by those who are looking for mindless titillation.