Selecting Story Categories: Which one and why?

[Sextified]

Just wanting to know how other authors here pick the category to post their stories under.

I know its a no brainer if you are writing a specific short story intentionally for that category.

But what do you do if the story has several chapters and covers a wide range of actions? Do you post an odd chapter in it's most appropriate category or keep it in the same one as the rest of the group? Perhaps even if there is not a SINGLE instance of that category in that chapter?

I know that my next few chapters are going to wander EVERYWHERE . . . and I would like some advice on the "proper" thing to do for this site.

Reading some of the feedback from other stories it seems a lot of responders just say "I hated it. It had ______ in it. Why didn't you post it there!"

Actually some of the best bondage, interracial or non-consent stories I have ever read . . . and I found them with theold search feature . . . were in the loving wives category?

How do you "guys" handle this issue?

 

[S-Des]

Everyone handles it differently. If you've read LW, you know the readers can be very harsh. Not all authors want to deal with that, so they'll use another category instead. Some people want as many views as possible, so they avoid the categories that don't get as much traffic. Some places have readers who don't like stories that contain certain material (I got a lot of complaints on an LW story that had a couple of NC scenes). In the end, you have to weigh everything and decide what's most important to you. Don't forget that the category can be changed by the hosts during submission for any reason deemed appropriate.

Good luck.

 

[tickledkitty]

I've only written short stories with no chapters, but my Nude Day story kind of crossed over categories.

It was a toss up between E/V and Lesbian. As I originally wrote it, there was not as much E/V, so the obvious choice would be Lesbian. However, posting there would have given away the little surprise of the girl-on-girl action in the story, so I didn't want to post it there. My editor suggested adding a little more E/V and posting there, which is what I did.

It worked out fine, although I was a little concerned that not being forthcoming about the girl/girl stuff in the story might cause it to be trolled. I didn't receive any comments to that effect though.

I guess I just write the story and then decide which category it fits the most. I will continue to avoid LW like the plague though.

 

[gauchecritic]

If your intent is to write a series rather than un-planned sequels, then there is always the novel/novella category.

If you think the story needs to be in the same category all the way through then I would suggest either a) a brief note at the beginning of each subsequent story linking it to the original or b) including at least reference to the 'fetish' in the story.

Having said that I've written a few stories with very little sex (at least one with none at all) and posted them to where they were supposed to go in the first place.

'Hunting Dawn' was placed in incest/taboo and if I remember correctly the 'cousins' involved weren't actually related to the protag except that he called their parents Aunty and Uncle.

 

[cantdog]

The weird thing is, once in a blue moon the site itself will change your story to a different category. Often, their choice makes no sense to the author, too.

Most stories cross over category lines anyway. It's the readers who stick to one category who are the biggest factor in determining how well a story is received in the cat. Readers of incest stories, generally, have objection to an incest story involving force or coercion, for instance, and will protest it. Not all, obviously, but enough so that a very good story like that will fare poorly in the votes. Each cat has its traps of that kind. You can canvass stories in the categories and discover them, or ask here, for example. There are ways to find out how those things go.

A story will always get many many more reads if the title is a very good one. Then, if it's well written, that is, if it drags them in and keeps them hooked and delivers, not too much else will matter. Once a hundred good votes are on a piece, any one-bombs will have little effect. A title is important, or a provocative subtitle, and so is good writing.

 

[gauchecritic]

and so is good writing.

Good writing makes everyone richer.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I have two chapters of a series that just might stay a WIP forever they are both in Lesbian" cat, and the first chapter was pretty well recieved-- the second, not so well, probably because the S&M flirtation that takes place all through the first chapter turns hard and heavy, and it's probable that some people were offended by this.... I ought to move that chapter into BDSM. The third chapter seems to be fairly vanilla, if I ever get it finished.

 

[jomar]

I posted a story in separate chapters, mostly EC, but one was Lesbian. I stay away from LW. Haven't done a romance, yet - it has it's own set of rules. For me it's basically this: MF vanillaish = EC, MF kinky = fetish, three or more = group. Sometimes I'll warn readers what to expect.

 

[3113]

I know that my next few chapters are going to wander EVERYWHERE . . . and I would like some advice on the "proper" thing to do for this site.

As said, if you have many chapters, then you might as well put it in the novel/novella cat as that not only allows you to write all over the place, but also warns readers that they're in for a longish read--not just a one or two chapter story.

HOWEVER, if you have mostly Lesbian or mostly gay, it's best to put them in the Lesbian/Gay category EVEN if there's some heterosexuality as well. The reason is that heterosexual readers get annoyed when their hot, hetero read is interrupted with some same-sex, but gay readers aren't as likely to get annoyed. I've seen plenty of bondage and interracial there as well, but the important thing is that the reader of those stories wants same sex, so that tops the list and gets that category. A story in the interracial cat is expected to be hetero interracial, ditto with BDSM, readers expect hetero BDSM.

As for some of the cat's you've named:

*Interracial--a weird category to me, but what it focuses on is a feeling of crossing a line. A lot of stories rely on old stereotypes (the Geisha-type Asian woman, for example), there is a feeling of tasting the exotic. If you just have characters who are different races and the sex they're having is no big deal, then it doesn't belong in interracial.

*BDSM--most of the readers of BDSM are into that lifestyle. That's the important thing. The story isn't about some guy who decides to tie his wife to the bed one night and give her a spanking while she says, "Oh, honey, that's SO hot!" The readers of the BDSM cat want submissives kneeling and calling the other person mistress/master, they want whips, leather and spanking benches, etc. What I'm saying is, in general, if you just have a couple just playing around with bondage and spanking for that one chapter, then the story shouldn't be in BDSM.

*Loving Wives--some readers there will give you a hard time no matter what you write. Generally, the readers want a story about a wife who strays, and the results of that adultery. So, if the ENTIRE STORY, from beginning to end, isn't about this straying wife and the consequences of that indiscretion, it probably doesn't belong in Loving Wives.

The question you need to ask isn't what kind of sex each chapter has, but what the WHOLE story is about. Is it about a wife who cheats and regrets it and husband/wife have to find their way back? Well, then Loving Wives. Is it about a guy who discovers that he's really bi-sexual and experiments with gay sex? Well, then, Gay Male. Is it about someone who explores sex with other races, finding each one exotic and sexy? Well, then interracial. Is it about a person who decides to enter the world of BDSM and, chapter by chapter, goes deeper and deeper into that world? BDSM. Do you see? It doesn't matter if that BDSM story *also* contains interracial, group sex, and non-con...it's still BDSM because that's what the whole story is about, becoming part of a BDSM relationship. Ditto for the interracial. It doesn't matter if some of the sex partners tie the person up or force them, the important element is that each chapter is about an encounter with "another race" and their exotic culture. What is the MOST important element of YOUR story? What is is all about in the end?

 

[Sextified]

Thanks for the excellent replies so far everyone! This is really helpful information.

I posted links for my first four chapters in the Feedback section and got my first taste of "real" constructive criticism. Ouch!

The stories themselves have been well recieved and have gotten good votes. I will take that author's advice and look for an editor before I post the next few chapters.

In my opinion, there IS a difference between writing for the web and writing for traditional sources. There's also a diference between trying to write erotica and just about any other subject matter.

I'll take my lumps as I get them . . . but I just wish there was more feedback in general from the average reader. Makes me think I need to start leaving more to the stories I read from now on!

Thanks again!

Sextified

 

[cantdog]

Good writing makes everyone richer.

I believe it trumps nearly everything else. Pay attention. Write carefully and well, consciously. Nothing beats it.