Reader behavior I don't understand

[autoplot]

One thing that always baffles me -- and I've seen this happen to other writers a lot, and to me a couple of times in the past:

An author will clearly post a foreword saying "this story contains X and Y, if you do not like those elements then please don't read on"

And then you'll get to the comments and there's one or two anons complaining about the things that were clearly listed at the beginning.

Like, do these people just not read the first sentence or two of the story? Do they somehow forget? Are they just masochists who like reading things they hate? Or is it just an opportunity to scold someone for not catering to their personal preference?

It's just weird to me.

 

[KeithD]

These people often really don't want to see what you've written posted at all and want to tell you so. Your disclaimer has only helped them find what they want to directly tell you they don't want to see.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I had one story with the theme clearly stated. It was about six or eight Lit pages long. I got a comment telling me that my writing was really good, my characters were excellent, that the plot was wonderful but ‘I don’t like [theme], so I gave it a 3’. Seriously.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

We are not alone on this planet, I tell you.

I put in warnings at the beginning if required and hopefully they keep some people from being upset, but there are times I do wish that aggressive stupidity was at least a misdemeanour.

 

[autoplot]

These people often really don't want to see what you've written posted at all and want to tell you so. Your disclaimer has only helped them find what they want to directly tell you they don't want to see.

It's just SO WEIRD to me!

 

[alohadave]

It's attention seeking behavior. They love the attention that their comments bring. It validates them and encourages them to do it more.

 

[autoplot]

It's attention seeking behavior. They love the attention that their comments bring. It validates them and encourages them to do it more.

I may have made a grave error in posting this thread lol

 

[PastMaster]

I once had a guy leave feedback on a story with an ANAL tag - he said and I quote - "If I ever see an ANAL tag - i dont read it."

I wonder how many authors he sent that feedback to

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I may have made a grave error in posting this thread lol

Not in general terms, I think, but anybody announcing one morning how devastated they are about their (named and linked) latest story getting one-bombed is making a mistake. Like toddlers shouting potty words - AD has it right - trolls are looking for attention. Let them know they’ve succeeded and it feeds their wizened little souls.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I once had a guy leave feedback on a story with an ANAL tag - he said and I quote - "If I ever see an ANAL tag - i dont read it."

I wonder how many authors he sent that feedback to

Sounds like a win-win to me.

 

[autoplot]

Not in general terms, I think, but anybody announcing one morning how devastated they are about their (named and linked) latest story getting one-bombed is making a mistake. Like toddlers shouting potty words - AD has it right - trolls are looking for attention. Let them know they’ve succeeded and it feeds their wizened little souls.

Oh for sure. I can't even get mad at those kinds of comments, they're just so goofy. Like, when I don't enjoy something I usually stop doing it?!

The ones that go out of their way to be hurtful I either ignore or delete.

 

[PastMaster]

You've not arrived until you have been trolled by Whackdoodle. His feedback is legendary.(I'm presuming its a he - no woman would be that fecking stupid)

 

[SabrinaGLangton]

One thing that always baffles me -- and I've seen this happen to other writers a lot, and to me a couple of times in the past:

An author will clearly post a foreword saying "this story contains X and Y, if you do not like those elements then please don't read on"

And then you'll get to the comments and there's one or two anons complaining about the things that were clearly listed at the beginning.

Like, do these people just not read the first sentence or two of the story? Do they somehow forget? Are they just masochists who like reading things they hate? Or is it just an opportunity to scold someone for not catering to their personal preference?

It's just weird to me.

I never put anything technically relevant in my intros to my stories. I like to keep them light, and entertaining and to give thanks, ha. I have also gotten a lot of evil comments from the themes that pop up, especially in my earlier stories. Now I make sure my tags are referencing the stories. If someone complains about a theme that is obviously in the tag, then they have come to complain and I accept it.

 

[autoplot]

I never put anything technically relevant in my intros to my stories. I like to keep them light, and entertaining and to give thanks, ha. I have also gotten a lot of evil comments from the themes that pop up, especially in my earlier stories. Now I make sure my tags are referencing the stories. If someone complains about a theme that is obviously in the tag, then they have come to complain and I accept it.

Yeah, when I was just starting out and didn't know all the rules / etiquette yet, I got a couple really mean emails about my first couple stories. Not sure why they had to get so bent out of shape about it, but not my problem really

 

[KeithD]

It's just SO WEIRD to me!

I don't think it's weird at all. They want this type of material off the site altogether. They can't establish that without slamming it whenever it appears no matter how much warning you give that it's there.

And it's not really reader behavior. It's poster behavior. They aren't reading the story.

 

[autoplot]

I don't think it's weird at all. They want this type of material off the site altogether. They can't establish that without slamming it whenever it appears no matter how much warning you give that it's there.

And it's not really reader behavior. It's poster behavior. They aren't reading the story.

Both good points, I hadn't really considered it from that angle.

 

[12oclocktales]

People are self-centered. I get a lot of what you're talking about, too, no matter how much warning you give. I've thought about replying to such dumb comments by saying that I hate cauliflower, I mean really hate it, and have written to all the cookbook publishers to stop including cauliflower recipes because I find that particular food just horrible. Pretty dumb, right? But I'd be wasting my breath.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I got a comment complaining that I'd written about an old house haunted by a ghost - for a Halloween story. He remarked about the ghost in the house: "I know an author can write any kind of drivel to his/hers heart's content, but I have the right to rate it 2 if I like. And I did."

Despite what he thought, the story, 'The Old House on Drury Lane' did quite well. Though I still had to wonder exactly what he was expecting to read about in a Halloween story -- maybe the Grinch Who Stole Christmas?

 

[SimonDoom]

This is the way I think about it. When you publish a story, whether it's here at Literotica or anywhere else, you give up control over it. It's like dropping a message in a bottle in the ocean. You have no idea and no control over what it will do and where it will go. And you have to accept that. People will react to your story the way they want to, and that's perfectly understandable. You have no control over them. You must give up all desire for control. I've published multiple 750-word stories with disclaimers that point out that they're submitted for the 750-word event so they can't be longer, and I still get comments like, "It should have been longer." That's the way it is. And I think that's the way it is for all authors in every venue and forum. You have to get used to it.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yeah, when I was just starting out and didn't know all the rules / etiquette yet, I got a couple really mean emails about my first couple stories. Not sure why they had to get so bent out of shape about it, but not my problem really

The first story I ever published here, I got negative comments, and one of the few times the same person responded to my rebuttals. Too much to go into here, I'd say. But it seems that it's those specific readers you mentioned who lack etiquette, not you.

 

[gunhilltrain]

You've not arrived until you have been trolled by Whackdoodle. His feedback is legendary.(I'm presuming its a he - no woman would be that fecking stupid)

Is he one of the LW regulars? The name sounds familiar.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I got a comment complaining that I'd written about an old house haunted by a ghost - for a Halloween story. He remarked about the ghost in the house: "I know an author can write any kind of drivel to his/hers heart's content, but I have the right to rate it 2 if I like. And I did."

Despite what he thought, the story, 'The Old House on Drury Lane' did quite well. Though I still had to wonder exactly what he was expecting to read about in a Halloween story -- maybe the Grinch Who Stole Christmas?

He was, I think, just babbling. I mean, he didn't even say anything specific about the ghost, did he? I was lucky perhaps that my one story with a ghost didn't get any comments. It wasn't about a haunted house, but rather a haunted college; that didn't seem to bother anybody. The place certainly looks haunted, I'd say.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9e/81/37/9e813719646a1758f9c9a34f9dc4b7d0.jpg

Not like Shirley Jackson's Hill House: "The nearest house is six miles away; no one will come any closer. At night, no one could here you scream."* This building, now gone, was in the middle of Upper Manhattan.

* The charming Mrs. Dudley.

 

[PennameWombat]

This is the way I think about it. When you publish a story, whether it's here at Literotica or anywhere else, you give up control over it. It's like dropping a message in a bottle in the ocean. You have no idea and no control over what it will do and where it will go. And you have to accept that. People will react to your story the way they want to, and that's perfectly understandable. You have no control over them. You must give up all desire for control. I've published multiple 750-word stories with disclaimers that point out that they're submitted for the 750-word event so they can't be longer, and I still get comments like, "It should have been longer." That's the way it is. And I think that's the way it is for all authors in every venue and forum. You have to get used to it.

I haven't submitted to this year's 750 Word Project (and don't plan to), but couple of days ago I received a comment on one such story I submitted in 2020. It's to the effect of "where's the story?" It's an anonymous comment, so <shrug>.

Considering the intro clearly says "this is a 750 word story", and it's tagged for that, guess they missed that part. In a way, sure, there is a broader context that exists that isn't covered. But the comment makes clear the reader wasn't expecting a minimal story, despite the warnings.

 

[ronde]

This is the way I think about it. When you publish a story, whether it's here at Literotica or anywhere else, you give up control over it. It's like dropping a message in a bottle in the ocean. You have no idea and no control over what it will do and where it will go. And you have to accept that. People will react to your story the way they want to, and that's perfectly understandable. You have no control over them. You must give up all desire for control. I've published multiple 750-word stories with disclaimers that point out that they're submitted for the 750-word event so they can't be longer, and I still get comments like, "It should have been longer." That's the way it is. And I think that's the way it is for all authors in every venue and forum. You have to get used to it.

You're exactly right and you also have to understand that there are some readers who delight in voting down stories to please their ego.

The way I figure it is if your score is over 4.5, you're probably doing a great job of pleasing readers. A story rating of 4.5 means most votes were 5 and some were 4 with maybe a 3 once in a while. If your story rating is over 4, you're still getting pretty good ratings. In either case, a 2 now and then won't change much unless your story doesn't have many votes.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I don't think it's weird at all. They want this type of material off the site altogether. They can't establish that without slamming it whenever it appears no matter how much warning you give that it's there.

And it's not really reader behavior. It's poster behavior. They aren't reading the story.

No, I think perhaps they like it on the site; it gives them a sense of purpose. "Excited disgust," as Nathanael West called it.