Ratings

[live4thebj]

Even though I write stories I also read Literotica stories on here almost daily. I have a long list of stories I bookmark and if good I keep reading. If bad or so many mistakes it takes away from the story I bail. Last night I was reading this story and the mistakes were not only so obvious but had me think multiple times what they meant to say that by page two I bailed. The story was three pages. This story is now at 4.7. How is that even possible?

I am not sore about my ratings just curious how it gets a 4.7 and the quality isn’t there.

 

[old_prof]

I largely agree with you. I assume it got a strong rating because they really liked something else about the story, most likely it tickled their kink.

People who cared about the writing bailed without voting.

 

[onehitwanda]

Ratings are by their very nature subjective.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I am not sore about my ratings just curious how it gets a 4.7 and the quality isn’t there.

The sooner you internalize that ratings are - at best - only very loosely correlated to an abstract concept like quality of writing (and who defines that?) the happier you will be.

People upvote for all sorts of reasons. People downvote for all sorts of reasons. The measured result of an in-depth literary assessment of the merits of your work is seldom one of them (I said seldom, some readers do precisely that).

As @onehitwanda says, ratings are not objective. I really don’t know what an objective measure of a story might be.

 

[TheLobster]

Yeah, I’d like to think that any story above like 4.0 (or 3.0 in LW) has at least the very basics right, i.e., you can read without feeling you’re trudging through mud of typos and horrendous grammar with arbitrary punctuation.

Turns out that it’s not always the case.

 

[live4thebj]

Yeah, I’d like to think that any story above like 4.0 (or 3.0 in LW) has at least the very basics right, i.e., you can read without feeling you’re trudging through mud of typos and horrendous grammar with arbitrary punctuation.

Turns out that it’s not always the case.

After reading so many bad stories I don’t bother reading anything lower than a 4.3. I find the ones below a 4.0 are usually one page and only a few paragraphs long.

 

[Bazzle]

My stories are littered with mistakes, but sometimes you hit the kink right and the readers dont care.

Other times you miss the kink and the awful writing is reflected in the scores.

 

[onehitwanda]

Yeah, I’d like to think that any story above like 4.0 (or 3.0 in LW) has at least the very basics right, i.e., you can read without feeling you’re trudging through mud of typos and horrendous grammar with arbitrary punctuation.

Turns out that it’s not always the case.

I don't know what the mean and median ratings are, but I reckon in LS they're over 4.

 

[NotWise]

Ratings are for popularity, not writing quality. Readers respond to stories that appeal to them and overlook technical mistakes. They are generally supportive and non-critical.

In LW, YMMV.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Even though I write stories I also read Literotica stories on here almost daily. I have a long list of stories I bookmark and if good I keep reading. If bad or so many mistakes it takes away from the story I bail. Last night I was reading this story and the mistakes were not only so obvious but had me think multiple times what they meant to say that by page two I bailed. The story was three pages. This story is now at 4.7. How is that even possible?

I am not sore about my ratings just curious how it gets a 4.7 and the quality isn’t there.

I've said this for years and have been flamed, cussed out, villified, lambasted, burned at the stake, crucified and score-bombed over it many times. In view of the general population of the AH I am the biggest cunt here, largely over stating this fact:

Quality of writing is the smallest factor in determining scores in the vast majority of categories on lit (and in the few other categories where it factors a bit more it still factors quite small), so small of a factor that it cannot be quantified with any stat crunching.

There are tons of terribly crafted tales here with 4.75 score and higher, and a few well-crafted ones as well.
There are tons of terribly crafted tales here with 3.99 score and lower, and a few well-crafted ones as well.

The quality of your writing really does not matter.

The number 1 factor (hardly the only factor but easily number 1) for a high score is to hit the reader over the head with his expected kink/outcome and/or for certain categories that have more rigid expectations, tick all the boxes on the template for that category.

Writers' egos don't want to hear the idea that their high score does not necessarily mean that they're the second coming of Ernest Fucking Hemingway. "Submitting my first story. Maybe it will be popular. I'm excited! WOO 4.82!! I must be really fucking good after all! I can go rub shoulders with Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Terry Pratchett now!"

But the truth is that maybe 10% of the readers here care AT ALL about the quality of our prose or our storytelling, or our plot, heaven forbid some immersive imagery (stop wasting words just get the ho to grease his pole already, I'm losing my boner!), 60% don't even know what any of that stuff is, and the other 30% know what it is but they get that from non-erotica and they're just here for a wank. This is NOT an indictment of the readership. It's just the reality. Why would we expect the readership here to grade us on literary quality? Why would you put that burden of validating us on them. We should just want them to read, hopefully enjoy and if they feel so moved maybe a little feedback (good or bad). This is not the platform to celebrate high level prose or storytelling. The readers want Tab A into Slot B (or the LGBTQ equivalent). THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS! Just be real about who is grading your papers.

 

[Imstillfun]

Yeah, I’d like to think that any story above like 4.0 (or 3.0 in LW) has at least the very basics right, i.e., you can read without feeling you’re trudging through mud of typos and horrendous grammar with arbitrary punctuation.

Turns out that it’s not always the case.

In theory I agree. I tell people. The same thing when they ask. 3.0 over 1/2 people like your story. On the other hand I have my other stories to compete against so if it’s not a 4.0 I wonder.

 

[IWroteThis]

Well-written crap is still crap.
Good storylines are worth a bit of pain to read.

As @old_prof said, most of the people who would have downvoted the story for writing quality never got to the end. The people who did read the whole thing liked it enough to overlook the rough writing, so naturally they're going to rate it fairly high. The folks who didn't finish it, but jumped to the end to give it a low rating, most likely had their vote swept…

I've said this for years and have been flamed, cussed out, villified, lambasted, burned at the stake, crucified and score-bombed over it many times.

Yeah, I get that same grief every time I point out that this is an adult entertainment site, not an online English Lit class. I swear, some people here must think the rating stars have F, D, C, B, and A under them!

Sorry, but this ain't the Olympics…

 

[onehitwanda]

Sorry, but this ain't the Olympics…

But bits of the site are definitely geared towards the Holympics...

oh my goodness is that the time?

 

[Comshaw]

Even though I write stories I also read Literotica stories on here almost daily. I have a long list of stories I bookmark and if good I keep reading. If bad or so many mistakes it takes away from the story I bail. Last night I was reading this story and the mistakes were not only so obvious but had me think multiple times what they meant to say that by page two I bailed. The story was three pages. This story is now at 4.7. How is that even possible?

I am not sore about my ratings just curious how it gets a 4.7 and the quality isn’t there.

Some people are more tolerant of mistakes then others. And some are not at all tolerant of any mistakes. Those who voted high on the story may have been very tolerant of such things and, as stated by old__prof, it may have tickled a particular kink they have. As an author as well as a reader you have a set of criteria you judge stories by. I assume at least some of that list has to do with the skills we as writers acquire and the rules of good writing.

Other readers have there own criteria and it may (actually, probably doesn't) not match yours or mine. Does that make them troglodytes? Low brows because they don't demand every "i" is dotted and every punctuation mark is in place? Or did they see something you and I didn't because we refused to look past the obvious flaws?

As Wanda said, it's subjective. The interesting thing about a written story is we each can read it and come away with an entirely different picture firmly ensconced in or brain. Those who voted high on the story you dislike saw a picture you did not.

Comshaw

 

[live4thebj]

Some people are more tolerant of mistakes then others. And some are not at all tolerant of any mistakes. Those who voted high on the story may have been very tolerant of such things and, as stated by old__prof, it may have tickled a particular kink they have. As an author as well as a reader you have a set of criteria you judge stories by. I assume at least some of that list has to do with the skills we as writers acquire and the rules of good writing.

Other readers have there own criteria and it may (actually, probably doesn't) not match yours or mine. Does that make them troglodytes? Low brows because they don't demand every "i" is dotted and every punctuation mark is in place? Or did they see something you and I didn't because we refused to look past the obvious flaws?

As Wanda said, it's subjective. The interesting thing about a written story is we each can read it and come away with an entirely different picture firmly ensconced in or brain. Those who voted high on the story you dislike saw a picture you did not.

Comshaw

I am not that anal. I don't care about the fine details of grammar. What gets me is not the right use of the word like there their they're. Or the lack of use of paragraphs making the story one entire long paragraph. And saying him when he is actually talking about her and vice versa. It's things like that makes me go...HUH? And then I have to spend time working it out to figure out what they meant and when it keeps happening I just lose interest and move on. And I hate this the most: the use of LOL. I find that stupid in all uses of it.

 

[TwistedManc]

Honestly my spelling and grammar can be dreadful. It's only thanks to someone offering to be my editor that my stories are even readable! And I have noticed higher ratings since my stories have gotten edited. But as others say, it does also depend if it matches a wider people who have similar kinks.

I find my gay male stories get my highest ratings, I'm assuming because they generally have similar kinks to me.

 

[Comshaw]

I am not that anal. I don't care about the fine details of grammar. What gets me is not the right use of the word like there their they're. Or the lack of use of paragraphs making the story one entire long paragraph. And saying hm when he is actually talking about her and vice versa. It's things like that makes me go...HUH? And then I have to spend time working it out to figure out what they meant and when it keeps happening I just lose interest and move on. And I hate this the most: the use of LOL. I find that stupid in all uses of it.

And there you have your list of criteria to judge a story. What you saw was a jumble that you were unable to untangle. That isn't the same or even close to the picture those who voted highly on the story saw. Subjective.

Comshaw

 

[Comshaw]

Honestly my spelling and grammar can be dreadful. It's only thanks to someone offering to be my editor that my stories are even readable! And I have noticed higher ratings since my stories have gotten edited. But as others say, it does also depend if it matches a wider people who have similar kinks.

I find my gay male stories get my highest ratings, I'm assuming because they generally have similar kinks to me.

Here's the thing, if I read a story that was rife with mistakes, I would at least leave a comment to the author about it and how to fix it. Way back I had a lot of mistakes in my stories. The reason I've gotten a lot better is the readers telling me I should. Sometimes we need a nudge and sometimes we need a kick in the ass to make us work at being better.

Comshaw

 

[TwistedManc]

Here's the thing, if I read a story that was rife with mistakes, I would at least leave a comment to the author about it and how to fix it. Way back I had a lot of mistakes in my stories. The reason I've gotten a lot better is the readers telling me I should. Sometimes we need a nudge and sometimes we need a kick in the ass to make us work at being better.

Comshaw

Definitely, I agree. I used to spend ages trying to fix my mistakes but I make so many that it took me longer to do that than it took to write the story I also write quiet fast so that doesn't help with the mistakes! Thank god for my editor!

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I am not that anal.

Username checks out.

 

[live4thebj]

Username checks out.

Check again.Username reflects a different hole and body part.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Check again.Username reflects a different hole and body part.

Exactly...

 

[IWroteThis]

Here's the thing, if I read a story that was rife with mistakes, I would at least leave a comment to the author about it and how to fix it. Way back I had a lot of mistakes in my stories. The reason I've gotten a lot better is the readers telling me I should. Sometimes we need a nudge and sometimes we need a kick in the ass to make us work at being better.

Comshaw

Personally, I'm more likely to point out the occasional mistake in a well-written story than the multitude of mistakes in a poorly written one. Based on the level of effort applied prior to publishing, the former is more likely to care.

Also, I'm more likely to point out mistakes on platforms like Royal Road, where fixing those mistakes is much simpler for the author.

Definitely, I agree. I used to spend ages trying to fix my mistakes but I make so many that it took me longer to do that than it took to write the story I also write quiet fast so that doesn't help with the mistakes! Thank god for my editor!

Yeah, editing tends to take longer than writing for me, and it's definitely harder.

I have a 40K story that's been sitting in final edit for about a year now because it's such a daunting task. After seeing how many people post unedited first drafts (or even just synopses), it's tempting to do the same. However, that's just not me.

 

[FromManyOne]

I have a 40K story that's been sitting in final edit for about a year now because it's such a daunting task. After seeing how many people post unedited first drafts (or even just synopses), it's tempting to do the same. However, that's just not me.

I edit quite a bit faster than I write, so my 40K novella got out surprisingly fast.