Question about categories

[CandiCame]

If I have a story about a satyr, and it's his first time, do I put that under "fantasy" or "first time"? Because the point of the story is that it's his first time, but also really heavy on the fantasy elements.

 

[sr71plt]

I think the bigger point is that it's a satyr, so I'd put it in Fantasy.

 

[JagFarlane]

Agreed with pilot, you're better off putting it in fantasy.

 

[LWulf]

I agree about it going in "Fantasy" but to discuss "why," try to look at it this way:

It's his first time at some point in the story, but what is he throughout the entire story? Place the story in the category that sums up what it is the MOST of.
For some people, it comes easily (saying what category it is), but for me when I'm at "ground zero," it gets harder to see that. Definitely a case where I can't see the forest for the trees.

 

[3113]

Fantasy. The fantasy category has all sorts of other categories within it (BDSM, First Time, Anal, Incest...). What matters is that it's filled with fantasy beings or is in a fantasy place, which is what readers are after. The fantasy beings/land. They'll read almost any type of sex so long as it has the fantasy elements.

 

[Hypoxia]

Fantasy. The fantasy category has all sorts of other categories within it (BDSM, First Time, Anal, Incest...). What matters is that it's filled with fantasy beings or is in a fantasy place, which is what readers are after. The fantasy beings/land. They'll read almost any type of sex so long as it has the fantasy elements.

One brief says: Sci-Fi & Fantasy - Erotic tales set in futuristic or fantastic worlds.
Another brief says: NonHuman - Aliens, ghosts, androids, and more.
Another: Erotic Horror - Bizarre, shocking, scary, and sometimes sexy.

Is a satyr more fantastic than nonhuman? Is Satyr sex bizarre, shocking?

These guidelines are more than a little fuzzy.
_

I'm running into category clashes of my own.

I have stories with SciFi themes (weird comet dust, time machines, genetic engineering etc) set in the present -- no futuristic / fantastic worlds. One of those stories involves humans having sex with human+ape hybrids / chimerae -- no aliens, ghosts, or androids. I'm editing a series (aimed as Erotic Horror) that features a succubus (sexual demon) and humans. And I wrote one story of human siblings transformed into molluscs (with human memories) who have typical gastropod sex. By then, they are no longer human.

My SciFi-ish stories (some posted as Incest or Erotic Couplings) have NOT been well received, probably because they weren't what those categories' readers expected. One SciFi-ish story should probably have gone to Loving Wives -- but would probably have been hated there, too. But, to me, none of these should have gone to SciFi-Fantasy because they happen here-and-now.
_

Yes, a satyr is a Fantasy creature, and fans of other categories probably would not like such interfering with their strokers. A first-time or BDSM satyr is still a satyr. The Fantasy world probably trumps other categorizations. If I ever write a tale about horny kobolds, I'll know where to post it.
.

 

[Bramblethorn]

If I have a story about a satyr, and it's his first time, do I put that under "fantasy" or "first time"? Because the point of the story is that it's his first time, but also really heavy on the fantasy elements.

If in doubt "principle of least surprise" is a good rule of thumb. I'd be more surprised to encounter a satyr in First Time than a first-time story in Fantasy.

Elements likely to squick readers also need to be considered, but that doesn't sound like an issue here.

 

[lovecraft68]

First time only wins out if there us nothing else to the story, but the first time fro a guy or girl.

If its a woman's first time with a woman, Lesbian would be the better choice.

if its one of those stories that make me roll my eyes where a "innocent virgin" decides to lose it in a 4 guy gang bang then group overrides it.

So if any other kink its wherever else that kink fits.

 

[CandiCame]

Thanks to everyone that replied!

How do you do subcategories that someone mentioned?

 

[sr71plt]

Thanks to everyone that replied!

How do you do subcategories that someone mentioned?

You'd have to cover them in the keywords you provide. There are no formal subcategories here. (Well, except that straight stories have multiple categories and gay/lesbian ones don't.)

 

[3113]

How do you do subcategories that someone mentioned?

What sr71 said. And also pay attention to the tagline. That's the short, one-line description of the story. Readers tend to look at that second only to category, so it's a good place to let them know a little bit more about what kind of sex they'll be getting if they read the story.

 

[CandiCame]

You'd have to cover them in the keywords you provide. There are no formal subcategories here. (Well, except that straight stories have multiple categories and gay/lesbian ones don't.)

That's... a whole lot of bullshit. Why do only strait stories get categories? I have a LOT of shit that I just pick one and hope for the best because it's hella gay, but also BDSM, group sex or somesuch.

 

[lovecraft68]

That's... a whole lot of bullshit. Why do only strait stories get categories? I have a LOT of shit that I just pick one and hope for the best because it's hella gay, but also BDSM, group sex or somesuch.

The site just seems to think "gay" and "Lesbian" are enough I guess.

They probably see it as too much work or getting to "fine" to do Lesbian group sex, or Gay Male first time or Bears with twinks cougars with kittens.... Interracial lesbian/gay...

So its up to a good title a good tag line and use of tags to spot your exact kink.

The GM and Lesbian stories are along the lines of Erotic Couples, a big mixed bag category

Maybe the site thinks if they broke them down further it would then get "well how come incest is just incest and we can't have mom/son and bro/sis.....

Answer is it does not need to if the title and tag line reflect it. You are not going to find dad/daughter in my story "Mom is bound to please"

Non human is not broken down by Weres and vamps and zombies and whatever and SCi fi is a huge could be anything category....

So even all these "straight" categories could be further broken don because there are always factions and kinks within kinks.

Big double standard I have see though i you can put to women together in any damn category at anytime and no one is every really going to complain.

 

[sr71plt]

Considering the Web site refuses to institute a bisexual category at all--even after a year of letting a thread run where it let it be understood it was entertaining the idea of opening up such a category (but stating on an entirely different thread on a different forum that it wasn't entertaining that idea)--it seems the Web site just isn't interested in gay/lesbian/bisexual stories all that much. It doesn't separate the lesbian and gay male categories in the forum, either, which makes that category a bit bizarre to follow. That's it's right to do. The editor doesn't seem to be personally hostile to gay/lesbian stories, though--she doesn't relegate them to the bottom of the New list and occasionally gives them a Green E.

 

[CandiCame]

Considering the Web site refuses to institute a bisexual category at all--even after a year of letting a thread run where it let it be understood it was entertaining the idea of opening up such a category (but stating on an entirely different thread on a different forum that it wasn't entertaining that idea)--it seems the Web site just isn't interested in gay/lesbian/bisexual stories all that much. It doesn't separate the lesbian and gay male categories in the forum, either, which makes that category a bit bizarre to follow. That's it's right to do. The editor doesn't seem to be personally hostile to gay/lesbian stories, though--she doesn't relegate them to the bottom of the New list and occasionally gives them a Green E.

I could be considered bi and I'm not sure how to write a bisexual story?

 

[sr71plt]

I could be considered bi and I'm not sure how to write a bisexual story?

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. Not being able to write a particular category would be a personal issue. There's nothing inherently more difficult in writing bisexual than writing any other category.

 

[NaokoSmith]

I could be considered bi and I'm not sure how to write a bisexual story?

LOL, this is my (male) bi story. It's in Sci Fi & Fantasy, of course

It's just that my main male character has sex (separately) with a man and a woman in it. I don't think much about that, but someone did recently say he enjoyed the story but had a bit of trouble with the bisexuality.

(No, Pilot, before you ask, he made no complaint about the condoms! )

 

[Bramblethorn]

Considering the Web site refuses to institute a bisexual category at all--even after a year of letting a thread run where it let it be understood it was entertaining the idea of opening up such a category (but stating on an entirely different thread on a different forum that it wasn't entertaining that idea)--it seems the Web site just isn't interested in gay/lesbian/bisexual stories all that much. It doesn't separate the lesbian and gay male categories in the forum, either, which makes that category a bit bizarre to follow. That's it's right to do. The editor doesn't seem to be personally hostile to gay/lesbian stories, though--she doesn't relegate them to the bottom of the New list and occasionally gives them a Green E.

If I recall, last time Laurel chimed in on this issue the gist of it was "yeah, the category system is not ideal, but rather than try to fine-tune the choice of categories we'd prefer to improve the usefulness of content tags and move away from mutually exclusive categories altogether".

So rather than try to figure out whether lesbian romance is under Lesbian or Romance, I guess people would be looking for stories with a combination of those two tags. But I don't know how far away those changes are; I imagine they'd require a major redesign.

 

[CandiCame]

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. Not being able to write a particular category would be a personal issue. There's nothing inherently more difficult in writing bisexual than writing any other category.

No, I mean, 99% of my characters are bi, but I list chapters with 3ways under group, chapters with gay sex under gay, and chapters with strait sex under idk some strait category. If there was a bisexual character it would be literally every story I ever wrote ever. Because I honestly have no experience with how monosexual people deal with attraction. It's weird to me, it's like a fetish that needs to be stated, bisexual isn't.

 

[sr71plt]

If I recall, last time Laurel chimed in on this issue the gist of it was "yeah, the category system is not ideal, but rather than try to fine-tune the choice of categories we'd prefer to improve the usefulness of content tags and move away from mutually exclusive categories altogether".

So rather than try to figure out whether lesbian romance is under Lesbian or Romance, I guess people would be looking for stories with a combination of those two tags. But I don't know how far away those changes are; I imagine they'd require a major redesign.

Laurel gives a lot of excuses based on things that never happen.

Like now, rather than zeroing in on someone massively stealing Lit. stories and dumping them in the market, she's posting the monthly contest wins for November 2011.