Question on choosing where to list your story

[K9Diablo]

Ok as a reader and now trying to be an author here I know it’s important to get your story in the right category. I don’t remember what story it was now but it was the most amazing one I had read in a while but I literally tripped over it clicking the wrong category from what I wanted.

The story did fit where it was but it also should have listed under the category I actually was looking for.

I’m writing because the story is stuck in my head not because I want to be an author and make money but I would like my work to be liked (widely liked to much to hope for lol)

So long winded to say I have an outline for a bookish length story and am ready for editor for first submission. I know they will hopefully give advice but my story has aspects of gay, cross dress/trans, forced/reluctant. Hot wife, bdsm, cockhold, and probably a few other categories.

What would you do if your story hit 3 or more categories solid

 

[ElectricBlue]

So long winded to say I have an outline for a bookish length story and am ready for editor for first submission. I know they will hopefully give advice but my story has aspects of gay, cross dress/trans, forced/reluctant. Hot wife, bdsm, cockhold, and probably a few other categories.

What would you do if your story hit 3 or more categories solid

I'm going to answer your question indirectly, but I see you plan a "bookish" length piece as your first outing. How much have you actually written before now?

If the answer is, "not much", then my suggestion would be to park The Next Great American Erotic Novel for a while and start small. Cut your teeth on ten or a dozen shorter pieces, say 2 - 3 Lit pages (7k - 10k words).

Learn your technical chops, grammar, punctuation, dialogue, how to edit, that sort of thing; but more importantly, discover your own natural style. If you've not written much, you don't know that yet. Find it, refine it, become a decent writer. Get those short, simple stories out there, get a following. Then, when you're ready, that's when you start on the big one, and that's when you can do it justice.

Walk before you run. There's nothing worse than reading some long newbie piece, getting a fair way in, and finding the guy doesn't know how to write yet, because no-one's told them, or they've not learned it for themselves. Actually, you don't get a fair way in, you're gone within five hundred words.

It's best to get all that sorted first, not worrying about which category it goes in. Once you've done your writer's apprenticeship, you'll know that anyway. Category advice comes from writing, not the other way around.

Aside from that, your thing sounds like a smorgasbord, because you've got so many ideas. Too many for one story, probably. I'd say divide your meal up a bit.

 

[THBGato]

I agree.

I haven't yet written my first story idea, the one that made me want to write here. It's too big and ambitious a story, so I knew I needed to work up to it and "learn the ropes" as it were (though I'm not a bondage writer).

Maybe next year I'll be ready to write it.

Additionally, writing and publishing shorter pieces first gives you the chance to build up a following, which means that when you do publish your magnum opus it will reach a wider readership.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Additionally, writing and publishing shorter pieces first gives you the chance to build up a following, which means that when you do publish your magnum opus it will reach a wider readership.

I took a year off to write my novel length tell of the Arthurian myth. It's one of my least read stories (as of today, 3600 Views on the last chapter after six years). The chapter scores range between 4.59 and 4.88, so I'm happy with that, and those readers who followed it through to the end, they're my true fans. Every word was worth it.

 

[Duleigh]

What would you do if your story hit 3 or more categories solid

You're going to have to sit down with your story and determine what the primary category is. The primary question is What category are you aiming for? Does it hit that category? Good. If not - edit, edit, edit.

 

[AllenWoody]

I'm going to answer your question indirectly, but I see you plan a "bookish" length piece as your first outing. How much have you actually written before now?

If the answer is, "not much", then my suggestion would be to park The Next Great American Erotic Novel for a while and start small. Cut your teeth on ten or a dozen shorter pieces, say 2 - 3 Lit pages (7k - 10k words).

Learn your technical chops, grammar, punctuation, dialogue, how to edit, that sort of thing; but more importantly, discover your own natural style. If you've not written much, you don't know that yet. Find it, refine it, become a decent writer. Get those short, simple stories out there, get a following. Then, when you're ready, that's when you start on the big one, and that's when you can do it justice.

Walk before you run. There's nothing worse than reading some long newbie piece, getting a fair way in, and finding the guy doesn't know how to write yet, because no-one's told them, or they've not learned it for themselves. Actually, you don't get a fair way in, you're gone within five hundred words.

It's best to get all that sorted first, not worrying about which category it goes in. Once you've done your writer's apprenticeship, you'll know that anyway. Category advice comes from writing, not the other way around.

Aside from that, your thing sounds like a smorgasbord, because you've got so many ideas. Too many for one story, probably. I'd say divide your meal up a bit.

Agree with EB. Especially if you’re still finding your voice as a writer, creating and publishing shorter pieces gives you reps, provides feedback, etc. If the first chapter of your future masterpiece suffers from newbie mistakes few will continue on to read the rest. Perhaps write a short story around one of your themes?

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

You're going to have to sit down with your story and determine what the primary category is. The primary question is What category are you aiming for? Does it hit that category? Good. If not - edit, edit, edit.

This^^^

Most of my stories go into T/CD because the main theme of the story is the MCs transition. They may touch other categories and have facets of Gay Male or Lesbian or even a little BDSM. One starts with an incestuous tryst between a brother and sister, but the main theme is MCs transition, so T/CD. My next submission will follow a male cross dresser, but the theme is his relationship with another man, so it will go in Gay Male.

 

[dmallord]

I'm wondering where to post my Wild West story. It's a take-off on Zane Grey's writing style.

It is short, about 3,800 words. A wisened old-timer tells the story about an incident in the Wild West days in a fictional town called Calico Creek. Jarvus spins a tale to a group of listeners hanging onto his words about a stranger who ravishes a young woman. The sex scene is brief and hinting at actions but finds the young woman angry at herself for letting her body responses betray her.

She gets revenge in the end. Johnny Dagger, of course, gets his just desserts ending with some wordplay on his last name. Jarvus spells that out in detail, and the group of listeners gets a good yarn as the sun sets and what seems to be the woman returns to town as the group watches on.

It could fit in Reluctance or perhaps non-erotic as it's not very descriptive with regard to sexual activities. Would anyone put it in novels/novellas as it is so short?

Any thoughts?

 

[ElectricBlue]

It could fit in Reluctance or perhaps non-erotic as it's not very descriptive with regard to sexual activities. Would anyone put it in novels/novellas as it is so short?

No, it's neither a novel nor a novella.

Any thoughts?

Erotic Couplings is the catch all, unless the story has some other key kink.

 

[dmallord]

No, it's neither a novel nor a novella.

Erotic Couplings is the catch all, unless the story has some other key kink.

It's not another major or minor kinky kind of story. Probably not even an evening TV episode that would make an American Western show 'Bonanza' series watcher raise an eyebrow.

Thanks for the EC category as another one. I hadn't thought of that one since it has the violation element. Again, I'm glad to hear your sage advice. I'll go with EC as the other two I mentioned seem to be narrower in reading audiences and where the expectations focus on heightened drama, which this story about Calico Creek does not have.

 

[SimonDoom]

A few things.

First, ElectricBlue's advice is right on the mark. Start small. Your situation is very common, but the best way to break into Literotica is with shorter stories. Master the basics, figure out the site, and go from there. Start with a story that focuses on one kink and not many.

Second, it sounds like you haven't written the story yet. Write the story and THEN worry about the category. Otherwise, this is all theoretical.

Third, once you get to that point, here are some considerations when it comes to choosing a category:

1. Some categories get a lot more readers than others. Loving Wives and Incest and Illustrated get the most readers. BDSM does not get many readers. So if it's number of readers your after, that's something to think about.
2. Some categories have more open minded and generously scoring readers than others. Loving Wives readers are very picky and downvote easily, so it's much harder to have a high score in that category, especially if you write a "hot wife" story that pisses off the readers who hate sex outside marriage.
3. Some categories have been characterized as "trump" categories, meaning that if you have that element, that's where the story should go. TxTallTales wrote an article about this you should read. It's not inflexible, but it's a good guide.