Read 14k and tell me what I did wrong?

[joy_of_cooking]

Hi everyone, I have a favor to ask: could you read my latest story and tell me what went wrong?

https://literotica.com/s/snowed-in-with-a-predator

It was 3.3 this morning. I've been since then.

At first I thought, this is because I posted it in the wrong category. I was torn between N/C and Fetish, then expanded the fetish stuff and...posted it in N/C by accident.

But since then, I've been thinking...is that really enough to explain 3.3? Or am I just looking for excuses?

So, have a read and let me know?

 

[Thavipah]

Yeah, you've answered your own question. It's just a matter of posting that particular fetish in the wrong category.

You're a really good writer, easily amongst the best of the regulars here. Nothing you write is ever going to be worthy of such a low score. Clearly, you've attracted some immediate one-star ratings as soon as the typical NC/R reader saw where you were heading, which is fair enough.

If your ratings are incredibly important to you, for either prestige or marketing reasons, just delete the story and resubmit it from scratch in Fetish. This will easily score 4.8+ there.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Non-con is not normally a category I'd ever read, so I have no idea of the expectations from regular category readers.

I skimmed the story, it's very competently written, so it's nothing technical.

Maybe the real men of Lit can't handle the idea of an intelligent woman turning the tables - but then the guy got exactly the fetish he wanted, so maybe the schizophrenia of the character's motivations cuts against you.

Your View count is still low, so I'm guessing your Vote count is still low, too? It's probably far too soon to worry about the score - the story data shows less than 500 Views, so I'm guessing you've only got a handful of Votes.

I'd say you don't yet have enough votes, it's that simple.

One thing I will say is: putting in a disclaimer into a non-con story just seems stupid to me. A: It was irrelevant; and B: you're targeting an audience who don't want consent in their stories, yet you're treating them as if they're delicate children. That makes zero sense to me.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Hi everyone, I have a favor to ask: could you read my latest story and tell me what went wrong?

https://literotica.com/s/snowed-in-with-a-predator

It was 3.3 this morning. I've been since then.

At first I thought, this is because I posted it in the wrong category. I was torn between N/C and Fetish, then expanded the fetish stuff and...posted it in N/C by accident.

But since then, I've been thinking...is that really enough to explain 3.3? Or am I just looking for excuses?

So, have a read and let me know?

I read it and thought it was a great story, very much worth a 5!

I don't know how it plays in the minds of the usual NC/R readers. And I wonder how the Pink Orchid crowd feels about her, almost grudgingly but knowingly going into what she assumed was going to be her rape. So, it might be you're getting 1-bombed by a male-domineering crowd in the NC/R category, and possibly getting 4s from some other readers.

But, hey, it could be worse. I posted my Pink Orchid story (deliberately) in Loving Wives! (It's currently at 2.44 with 59 votes.) Those readers HATE swingers, sharing, and sex-positive women.

 

[SimonDoom]

I didn't read the story, but I scanned the beginning and looked at its stats and details. You only have 500 views so far, which means you likely have fewer than 10 votes, which means . . . the score doesn't mean anything. You may have received three random 1 votes from readers who reflexively vote down subject matter they don't like. It's likely some found the subject matter of your story was not their cup of tea. That's not a reflection on the execution and writing of the story.

The one comment you received was positive.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

So yeah. Most people who read NC/R, I assume, want the author and the reader to both pretend that rape really isn't all that bad, and then they generally want to see the rapist get away with it.

This story is basically the opposite of that. It looks at an uncomfortably realistic rape scenario... one in which a potential victim turns the tables and wins. I can't imagine that being popular with the normal NC/R crowd.

I loved this story, not as much for its eroticism, but rather for its brilliant writing, the realism, and the uplifting way in which a potential victim takes control.

That said, I have come to realize that I am something of an outlier in the NC/R author/readership groups. I love maledom and femdom, while it seems to me that most readers tend to pick a side and hate the alternative. In addition to that, maledom seems to be far more popular than femdom.

Your story starts off as maledom and ends with triumphant femdom. I was uncomfortable reading about his abuses towards her, but I was elated when she took control. I assume most NC/R fans would feel differently.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

If your ratings are incredibly important to you, for either prestige or marketing reasons, just delete the story and resubmit it from scratch in Fetish.

Wait I can do that?

I thought once a story was submitted then making changes would require submitting an edit and waiting weeks for Laurel to do it. And after all that I'd still have the existing votes attached, and no second chance at the new list.

Are you saying I can just delete it and send the same text in again as a fetish story? (And this wouldn't be considered gaming the system? Because I'm vain but not that vain.)

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Wait I can do that?

I thought once a story was submitted then making changes would require submitting an edit and waiting weeks for Laurel to do it. And after all that I'd still have the existing votes attached, and no second chance at the new list.

Are you saying I can just delete it and send the same text in again as a fetish story? (And this wouldn't be considered gaming the system? Because I'm vain but not that vain.)

You do have to wait for Laurel to delete the story, but you can delete it and reupload as far as I know. But it will cause all views/votes/etc to be reset

Or you can ask Laurel to change categories, although it may not go into the NEW page, and all of the views/votes/etc will remain

 

[AG31]

I didn't read the story, but I trust the several people who said it was well done.

Yeah, you've answered your own question. It's just a matter of posting that particular fetish in the wrong category.

I just can't believe that putting a story in the wrong category accounts for lots of bad ratings. Who looks at only one category???? I can't imagine.

Your View count is still low, so I'm guessing your Vote count is still low, too? It's probably far too soon to worry about the score - the story data shows less than 500 Views, so I'm guessing you've only got a handful of Votes.

I'd say you don't yet have enough votes, it's that simple

Yeah, I'd wait a while before worrying too much.

 

[oneagainst]

The NC/R category is a bit of a minefield in that there is the femdom camp and the maledom camp and never the twain shall meet. I found in Alena's Game, certain parts of Oxygen Games and also in some ch of Only Consenting Adults that there is a very particular pattern to the voting: when the guy doesn't come out on top, or where such a thing as a cock cage is introduced, the score drops off a cliff... if you go to my stories page and look at the pattern of scores vs description lines, you'll see.

The quality of writing was the same, so that's not a factor. It's specifically about how the man is treated/whether he "wins". The only "cure" I found was after Alena's Game, putting out my shingle as a readable femdom author meant that crowd eventually erased the one bombs. It's playing the long game.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Wait I can do that?

I thought once a story was submitted then making changes would require submitting an edit and waiting weeks for Laurel to do it. And after all that I'd still have the existing votes attached, and no second chance at the new list.

The only way to get onto a new category list is to delete the story and resubmit it, which takes the same amount of time as an edit to change category.

Laurel might say, stuff it, here's the category change for you, but don't waste my time with a deletion and resubmission, because that's twice as much work.

There's only way to find out, put a deletion or a category change request in front of Laurel, and see if she's in a good mood.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I just can't believe that putting a story in the wrong category accounts for lots of bad ratings. Who looks at only one category???? I can't imagine.

Yeah, I'd wait a while before worrying too much.

My gut feel is the vast majority of readers only read in one category.

 

[Euphony]

My gut feel is the vast majority of readers only read in one category.

They have a focus and will even pressure favorite writers to KEEP to that focus.

So many comments are the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" damning praise vibes.

If you regularly write (and care to court) a certain readership, bounding around absolutely works against you, even the stuff that is their mainline they drag down for your "transgressions" elsewhere.

 

[Bramblethorn]

If you do delete and resubmit, mention in the readers' note that it's a repost, so you don't get anybody thinking "I've seen this before, did they plagiarise?" Seen that happen.

I just can't believe that putting a story in the wrong category accounts for lots of bad ratings. Who looks at only one category???? I can't imagine.

This is definitely a thing.

I have lesbian stories in Lesbian, and I also have a lesbian story in SF/F. When I post new stuff in Lesbian, I see a bump in views on my older stuff in that same category - presumably, people who enjoyed the new story and want to check out my older stories. But I don't get that same bump on the SF/F one, even though it's very similar content. Even having read one of my stories and being keen to read more, a lot of those readers won't cross categories unless I remind them "hey, you might want to check out this one too".

 

[MediocreAuthor]

There is the femdom camp and the maledom camp and never the twain shall meet.

Omg, ain't it the truth.

Fucky Friday starts off as 100% maledom (a man rapes his wife) and ends with a scene that is physically maledom and mentally femdom (the man switches bodies with his wife and gets lovingly ass-raped )

You wouldn't believe the number of male readers who insisted in the comments that the wife had done him so terribly by raping him... seeming to forget that the entire story started with him raping her.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

you can delete it and reupload as far as I know. But it will cause all views/votes/etc to be reset

This is a feature!

If you do delete and resubmit, mention in the readers' note that it's a repost, so you don't get anybody thinking "I've seen this before, did they plagiarise?" Seen that happen.

Will do, thank you.

 

[SimonDoom]

You're up to over 2.8K views and the score has risen to 3.67. Don't be hasty.

You have 6 comments, which is a lot for a story with that number of views, and 5 of them are positive.

My general approach is, once it's published, don't mess with it. Learn whatever you can from the experience and use that knowledge in writing your next story. Keep moving forward rather than thinking, How can I tinker with this and resubmit it to get a higher score?

 

[Thavipah]

Are you saying I can just delete it and send the same text in again as a fetish story? (And this wouldn't be considered gaming the system? Because I'm vain but not that vain.)

Your case isn't gaming the system as it's clear to see that you made a genuine error in choosing your category.

But most cases are definitely gaming the system as the author does it to enter into another cycle of being treated as a new story, with a new raft of followers and comments to boot. I don't publish here, but if I did, the rules on this are so lax that I'd pull and resubmit all my old work at least once per year.

I've got some friends who've done it here many, many times over the years with different stories, and it's amazing how close the new rating always ends up to the old one. It happens a lot with authors who publish behind paywalls, some who are always coming and going from here in some capacity.

There are loads of ways to game the system on Lit. I know someone who nominated themselves for the recent awards with an alt account, where they cast only one nomination for themselves and made it into the final shortlist. I ended up voting for him because it was hilarious. He ended up winning his category. He's delighted.

I just wish it was so easy on other platforms.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

You're up to over 2.8K views and the score has risen to 3.67. Don't be hasty.

Too late, I resubmitted.

It will be a fitting lesson if this story climbs to a score that makes me happy just in time for Laurel to delete it. And then for all my followers to skip re-rating the replacement.

 

[ElectricBlue]

They have a focus and will even pressure favorite writers to KEEP to that focus.

So many comments are the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" damning praise vibes.

If you regularly write (and care to court) a certain readership, bounding around absolutely works against you, even the stuff that is their mainline they drag down for your "transgressions" elsewhere.

Which is why some categories end up with repetitive boiler-plate stories with little imagination, but God help you if you suggest there's a formula.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Read 14k and tell me what I did wrong?​

I’ve written two stories in NC/R.

The first is about a male author of rape porn getting femdommed. It’s a satire.

The second is about a woman with low self-esteem sublimating herself to her cheating boyfriend. This was suggested to me by the lyrics of a Wolf Alice song.

Ratings: 4.38 and 4.14 respectively. And I think the first was elevated by people with a real femdom rape fetish who didn’t get the satire.

If you ignore similar adventures in Loving Wives, my average rating is about 4.6.

Some audiences want the same story told to them over and over again. Not literature. Not inventiveness. Just endless variations on a theme.

Em

 

[Euphony]

Which is why some categories end up with repetitive boiler-plate stories with little imagination, but God help you if you suggest there's a formula.

I had a real journey with the formula chaser folk.

Early on I was like "finger on the pulse" impressed.

Then I derided a bit b/c the wasn't much ingenuity or stretching.

Now I'm almost more impressed by them grinding their face to dust with such persistence for such minimal reward. (and burdened with diminishing returns no less)

Litsters be wild.

 

[CalebZhass]

Interesting story, I kinda liked it, but it also bummed me out a bit.

First, to your question: while I am not an expert how much impact category has on scoring, this story is definitely not NC/RELUC material. I was looking and looking hard, but I could not find any reluctant action on anyone's side. When they did not want to do something, they managed to avoid it. The main "adult" theme of the story appears to be "antagonist"'s foot fetish, so that might be a better fit for the story category wise.

Then again, as far as the adult content in this story goes, I would rate it as extremely light. Both in terms of action, intensity of action, nor was it too explicit.

Why the story bummed me out? Because the ending sucks (for me, but it is also kinda interesting - see below). I felt bummed as I did not get any resolution to the main conflict in the story. It ended with a cliffhanger basically, with the stakes even higher than they were at the start. You started off with an abusive in-work relationship between manager and subordinate and ended with an outright blackmail scenario between the two. It can be a great stepping off point into a followup, but as is, this story does not give me the fulfillment of having read something that's complete.

The writing in my opinion was spot on. The scenes were not cluttered and added to the overall story, the character building was great, I really felt the tension between the two and I believe you did good in showing the internal struggles of the female character. The only part I did not like were the Chinese inserts. Having to fire up google translate in the middle of a story is just not normal. I would have suggested describing her swearing in a foreign language, instead of typing out the actual words in said language AND not providing their exact meaning. That will just prompt the reader to try and figure them out, which will immediately disconnect them from the story.

Also, I am uncertain if you did this on purpose or if it is just my interpretation, but I feel the real predator in this story is the female character. She is the one who uses the desires of her male colleague to set him up to be blackmailed later on.
It was actually one of the twists I enjoyed in the story, how the roles of protagonist and antagonist were almost reversed by the end and the initial hero turned into the villain.

Anyway, I enjoyed the read despite not being 'satisfied' with the ending. Thanks for sharing.

ps. also I believe I caught a minor typo on the second page, where you wrote lech instead of leech.
"Well, he'd been a bit of a pompous ass and a bit of a lech." figure I might as well let you know, in case you make edits to it.
edit: strike that, as it is a real word after all. I guess that'll be my word of the day

 

[CalebZhass]

So yeah. Most people who read NC/R, I assume, want the author and the reader to both pretend that rape really isn't all that bad, and then they generally want to see the rapist get away with it.

I think non-consensual is quite clear cut. If one party forces him or herself on the other without consent. The story in question has none of that. Reluctance might apply, but reluctance in an explicit context implies, that you DO something reluctantly. When you are feeling reluctant about doing something and then just decide not to do it, that's not reluctance, thats just being sensible and following your better judgement This story is just that, the protagonist is feeling reluctant about giving in to his sexual advances and then she decides to turn the tables on him instead, so no.. there is no reluctance in the story either, hence my opinion, that the categorization is a "swing and a miss".

 

[Djmac1031]

I will have to read your story asap.

If it helps any, I recently submitted my own "tables get turned on a rapist" story, but since my protagonist is a She-Demon, it went in Erotic Horror.

Where all good stories go to die lol.

It started out bombed much as yours BUT it's...VERY SLOWLY... crept up to a respectable 4.29.

I know some have suggested a category change. Your call there of course.