Reader behavior I don't understand

[Zenith77]

They want this type of material off the site altogether.

Well, quite. And so they should. Did you know there's actually quite a lot of sex on this site? It's disgraceful.

 

[onehitwanda]

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 have to get used to it.

Someone left an insightful comment on one of my works, once, to the tune of "You can't save all the puppies."

I keep that in mind whenever I get a particularly bizarre response.

 

[PastMaster]

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

He has commented on a number of my stories - and from feedback i have seen elsewhere he as commented on many others too.
His comments are always completely bizarre - usually vitriolic and nonsensical. its as if he reads every 10th word of the submission and makes the rest up in his head.

 

[lc69hunter]

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.

As you know, I love your work. I am in the top 20 posters on Lit, and there are stories exactly like this, where I do not like the outcome, but love the writing. I might say something about the ending, but will generally give it a 4 or 5, just based upon the quality of the work.

 

[KeithD]

Well, quite. And so they should. Did you know there's actually quite a lot of sex on this site? It's disgraceful.

And it certainly isn't why any readers or writers would come here.

 

[jehoram]

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

That's like that Casey Stengel (or was it Yogi Berra) quote: "Nobody goes to Coney Island anymore. It's too crowded."

 

[NoTalentHack]

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

Yes. He’s… quite something, He started following me this morning; I feel both like I’ve arrived and slightly terrified.

 

[PastMaster]

Yes. He’s… quite something, He started following me this morning; I feel both like I’ve arrived and slightly terrified.

These days I dont even read his feedback - i simply delete it as soon as I see it.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I think some people are so riddled by hatred, shame, jealously or are so very unhappy with themselves and their life that the only way they can feel good is by putting others down.

 

[KeithD]

I think some people are so riddled by hatred, shame, jealously or are so very unhappy with themselves and their life that the only way they can feel good is by putting others down.

Oh, my goodness. That doesn't happen here, does it?

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yes. He’s… quite something, He started following me this morning; I feel both like I’ve arrived and slightly terrified.

I just saw that in his profile - he has indeed started following you. I noticed that you have a lot in LW, but that's not the only category you're in. Do you have a clue or theory about what he sees in you?

 

[alohadave]

I just saw that in his profile - he has indeed started following you. I noticed that you have a lot in LW, but that's not the only category you're in. Do you have a clue or theory about what he sees in you?

He doesn't just comment on LW. He frequents MC and NC/R as well.

 

[NoTalentHack]

I just saw that in his profile - he has indeed started following you. I noticed that you have a lot in LW, but that's not the only category you're in. Do you have a clue or theory about what he sees in you?

Actually, he left one of the nicest comments for me on the story that got posted today, “You Could Have Stayed”:

How do you do evoke such pathos in a story? You’re stories ring true, they are about love, loss and sometimes making it right, sometimes making it through.
You are literally my favorite author. Thank you for contributing.

So I guess he just genuinely likes my stuff?

 

[Escierto]

Personally I don’t give a fuck whether anyone reads the crap I write or likes it at all. I write for myself. They can write comments, downvote it - I don’t care.

 

[KeithD]

Actually, he left one of the nicest comments for me on the story that got posted today, “You Could Have Stayed”:

His glaring use of "you're" for "your" sort of takes the edge off his value as a critiquer.

 

[RetroFan]

The Loving Wives readers who leave angry and at times abusive comments on stories from what I can ascertain differ from the readers of other categories in two ways. 1 - They want to see and read stories with themes they profess to hate so they can leave negative feedback and score them badly; and 2 - Sex isn't their main focus of the story.

Some readers in other categories can be negative too. As I've noted in the past, many Incest/Taboo readers have absolutely no sense of humour and don't seem to appreciate stories written to make them laugh, and also don't seem to appreciate non-erotic scenes in these stories. I was once told to go and kill myself by shooting myself in the head with a gun in a comment later removed by site administrators against one of my funny IT stories. I get humour is subjective and maybe I'm a bad comedian, but this does seem a little bit extreme. They also complain about story themes that are obvious from titles, descriptions or introductions, or IT combinations that don't come up very often, like foster siblings.

Fetish readers tend to pick out stories with themes that interest them and leave the others, but even there you get some negative comments on stories where the story theme is obvious from the title, description, introduction and tags. For example readers complaining about period content in fetish stories where the title, description, introduction and tags indicate that menstruation is a central theme. One reader once said I needed to have my head smashed in with a hammer (again later deleted by site administrators) when I wrote a fetish story in which a stuck-up and spoiled girl accidentally soils her panties.

 

[FiveInch033]

Have low expectation, don't take anything personal, and be wise on what you listen too.

People are who they are. If you've ever worked retail or in a restaurant you'll understand why I say to have low expectations. lol. But seriously, don't expect great responses.

If I took everything personal I wouldn't even try. The fact you are creating and writing is more than most. As an example. I get many comments about my spelling and use of grammar. The reason this can be off, no matter how careful I might be, is because I have a slight touch of dyslexia. I could let this stop me from writing but I refuse to do so.

Learn the difference between a constructive critique and everything else. My grandmother used to say, "Let it in one ear and out the other." The older I get the more I see the wisdom in this saying. On the flip side sometimes the most hurtful critique can be the best critique. Use wisdom and take emotion out of it.

 

[lc69hunter]

These days I dont even read his feedback - i simply delete it as soon as I see it.

I notice that one of your gay male stories features someone with his name. Wonder if he has read it?

 

[PastMaster]

I notice that one of your gay male stories features someone with his name. Wonder if he has read it?

I have no idea what you mean - his name is Whackdoodle - my story is called WhackAdoodle the wanker - totally diffrerent.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Actually, he left one of the nicest comments for me on the story that got posted today, “You Could Have Stayed”:



So I guess he just genuinely likes my stuff?

I'm sure he does like it.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Personally I don’t give a fuck whether anyone reads the crap I write or likes it at all. I write for myself. They can write comments, downvote it - I don’t care.

I believe you, but many of us say that and yet deep in our hearts (or heads) we like attention. That's why we publish at all, I suspect. If we were truly writing just for ourselves, we might just keep it all (on a hard drive, I guess) and take it out to admire once in a while. But human nature doesn't work like that.

 

[lovecraft68]

I believe you, but many of us say that and yet deep in our hearts (or heads) we like attention. That's why we publish at all, I suspect. If we were truly writing just for ourselves, we might just keep it all (on a hard drive, I guess) and take it out to admire once in a while. But human nature doesn't work like that.

I feel I write for myself, but I publish it figuring other people might like it as well, and if they do, that's great, its nice to know someone thinks highly of your efforts. But if they don't like it, okay. If they mindlessly spew over it, I smirk about it in the sense of if yelling at someone you don't know about a make believe story gets you excited, well guess I'm better off than you are.

What I mean is when I say I write for myself I won't write in the sense of chasing what's popular, avoiding what isn't, or pandering to people asking for things I don't want to write. I write what I want and let it fall where it falls.

 

[Athalia]

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

And what's the point, really? Is he telling us that he doesn't think "anal" is an appropriate subject for any story on this site? In which case, he's gone over the line of what bugs him, into the land of trying to re-mold the entire site to his liking.

Or is he trying to modify the author's list of acceptable subjects? In which case, he really likes your writing and wants to read it unpolluted with his particular turnoff. But I don't write to please any particular reader, but cast my net wider.

But that's what tags are for. All readers don't like every subject. I personally don't have any taste for some subjects, but I'd never go out of my way to inform Random Writer about my tastes. I just thank them silently for putting in the tags that might inform me of the story's content, and move on.

BTW, I'm spared the usual conundrum of trying to make the comment gender-neutral, since the reader was specifically referenced as a male. But I'm sure that there are female readers who are equally to blame for some of these snipes.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I feel I write for myself, but I publish it figuring other people might like it as well, and if they do, that's great, its nice to know someone thinks highly of your efforts. But if they don't like it, okay. If they mindlessly spew over it, I smirk about it in the sense of if yelling at someone you don't know about a make believe story gets you excited, well guess I'm better off than you are.

What I mean is when I say I write for myself I won't write in the sense of chasing what's popular, avoiding what isn't, or pandering to people asking for things I don't want to write. I write what I want and let it fall where it falls.

I get it, I was overstating it a bit for a rhetorical flourish. I think this very topic (reader behavior and how to react to it) has been discussed here several times in recent years. I mentioned once that all of this will be going on 25 years from now if Lit survives that long. (I probably won't.)

 

[lovecraft68]

I get it, I was overstating it a bit for a rhetorical flourish. I think this very topic has been discussed here several times in recent years. I mentioned once that all of this will be going on 25 years from now if Lit survives that long. (I probably won't.)

A look at the AH forum 25 years from now

"Can I have under aged characters in my story?"
"What's the ideal story length?"
"So sick of the one bombs!"
"Do you respond to comments?"
"The 150th author sponsored challenge thread"
"Story rejected for no reason."
"Why are the people in LW crazy?"

Why don't Manu Jr or Laurel's daughter Lauren respond to my e-mails