Submitted Story Got Sorted into Loving Wives and I'm Terrified

[writer4hire69]

I recently submitted a story for publishing and it's set to go up tomorrow and I just noticed that it's been sorted into the Loving Wives category. I had submitted it under Erotic Couplings (because I NEVER want to submit to LW) but I understand why the editor probably changed it.

That said, I am terrified of it getting published now. I frequent LW as a person that loves those types of stories so I am well aware of the hate, vitriol, and review bombing that occurs. This really worries me, especially about my other stories cause I'm concerned certain readers will go on to bomb my other works as well.

Honestly, I don't think there's anything I can do about this but just wanted to voice my fears to see if maybe I can appeal to get it back to Erotic Couplings?

 

[AlinaX]

Just treat it as an adventure. The attention is fun if you don't take it too much to heart.

It is depressing when you pick up an angry stalker determined to one-bomb your stories, but that's just the way of things. Sooner or later they'll forget about you and find some new target to harass instead.

 

[susurrus]

While LW is notorious for trolls who seem to read stories they don't like just so they can piss themselves off and blame it on someone else (content warnings don't help), you can't let it get to you. There's no way to please everybody, and actually trolls are everywhere, in every category, and think that theirs is the only narrow-minded opinion that matters.

You have to write because you enjoy the creative process and not to please anyone else. If, miraculously, your work yields positive feedback, great.

It is possible to turn off anonymous feedback and take away trolls' options of bombing you without identifying themselves. It'll cut down on the negative feedback. Granted, positive anonymous feedback is affected, too, but the anonymous negatives are by far most affected by turning it off.

You can't do anything about voting aside from deactivating it. There are people who bomb high rated stories just to make themselves feel big.

Don't let it bother you.

 

[writer4hire69]

Ugh. As expected, lowest rated story so far.

I know I should ignore it and not concern myself with ratings, but I write with the hope people like what I wrote. Seeing a story with a 2.3 rating is gutting and demoralizing. This sucks.

 

[susurrus]

Sorry.

Like I said, write for yourself first.

I believe there's a spot on the forum here where you can encourage people to read your work. You may want to throw a link there and explain what's happening to it. You might get some criticism, but it would tend more toward the constructive kind. It sometimes takes a few days for the real audience to find your work. It's happened to me that way before.

If I can find some time, maybe I'll check out your story and let you know what I think. That's always the wrinkle... time.

Good luck. Don't get too down. Like I said, you can't please everybody, and unfortunately, you've currently found the "can't please anybody" crowd.

 

[CurvySassyAJ]

Yes, write for you first. If you are pleased, then that is what really matters. Ratings are nice but not my goal. Personally, I write for me first, my friends second and then for here.

Your ratings can still climb and the LW is notorious for trolls. So, are you happy with your story? If so, then that is the only rating that matters. If you are not happy with it, write another story and make it one you do like.


Good luck, and happy writing.

 

[yowser]

There are worse things. You will survive. You will be astonished. And there may even be an upside.

One of my early (not even very well done) tales got stuck in LW same as you (I had put it in a different category.) It garnered a lot of attention, got a boost of followers.

Of course the commentary was amusing, amongst others one that said 'wrong category you dolt' (I paraphrase.)

 

[susurrus]

Oh yes, trolls are really good at telling you which category you story should have gone in... typically the suggestion is a category that particular person won't touch with a nine-and-a-half-foot-pole, to quote Thurl Ravenscroft. Basically what they're telling you is: this is the part I didn't like, and I'm too thin-skinned to buck up and either gloss over it or back the hell out. Pretty much, they're the kind of people who seem to enjoy being upset, because then they can vent their righteous indignation at the real enemy: us folks who have the audacity not to cater to their fragile egos.

 

[writer4hire69]

Thank you for the supportive words everyone. I'm still getting review bombed (which is to be expected) but the comments are now also coming in. 18 in the last 2 hours.

I think what's frustrating is that I didn't want to submit the story into this category but it got sent there anyway. It's one thing if I submitted knowing it was going to LW and was fine with it but I didn't want to submit there because I knew what would happen.

I don't know. This site is great. Laurel and the others are doing a wonderful thing dedicating their personal time to keeping this website running. So it's hard to really complain but it still kind of sucks.

 

[susurrus]

You should have posted a link here as soon as you could have. Those of us here could give you a more even-headed opinion than the trolls.

 

[TheRedChamber]

For what it's worth, I read, enjoyed and five-starred your story - although it'll take a lot more of those to undo the damage.

While I understand your trepidation about LW, I have to say your story seems almost scientifically engineered to troll the LW trolls, so, as much possible, try to savour the wailing and gnashing of teeth that is already resulting.

 

[Cassy0110]

more self-confidence!

 

[mordbrand]

You should be able to edit it and force the category back to erotic couplings, if not, request it to go to fetish. I had a similar issue on my romance story when it was shunted into the wrong category.

Worst case scenario, just delete it and submit it again with the note to not put it in LW.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Thank you for the supportive words everyone. I'm still getting review bombed (which is to be expected) but the comments are now also coming in. 18 in the last 2 hours.

I think what's frustrating is that I didn't want to submit the story into this category but it got sent there anyway. It's one thing if I submitted knowing it was going to LW and was fine with it but I didn't want to submit there because I knew what would happen.

I don't know. This site is great. Laurel and the others are doing a wonderful thing dedicating their personal time to keeping this website running. So it's hard to really complain but it still kind of sucks.

I just read your story, and I can't see why you would think it belongs anywhere else. I mean, that story SCREAMS extra-marital affair, wimp cuckhold, cheating wife! And you end it with her telling her husband she's going to become pregnant with an inter-racial baby!

If you truly believe that story belongs in any other category, then take the troll comments for what they are in this case: constructive criticism.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Loving Wives writers vs. Loving Wives readers:

But seriously, the site shouldn't change an author's preferred category unless it's really egregiously wrong. Like this one doesn't belong in Lesbian or Transgender, but if you wanted it in Erotic Couplings, they should have respected your wishes.

Secondly, it's all just words. Sticks and stones, etc. Those, ah, people over there in LW don't know you, nor do you know them. Some writers deliberately post something there for the shits and giggles. I've done it twice, not as a joke, and the scores were better than the comments would suggest. There are some regulars over there that have never submitted anything. It's truly a strange phenomenon.

 

[lovecraft68]

Ugh. As expected, lowest rated story so far.

I know I should ignore it and not concern myself with ratings, but I write with the hope people like what I wrote. Seeing a story with a 2.3 rating is gutting and demoralizing. This sucks.

At some point there will be a sweep and the score will boost. That and once it falls off the new list the trolls don't see it, and as time goes on you start to get more readers who read a story with a more open mind and not just hellbent on trolling.

I had one that years ago was in the 3.'s and eventually rose to over 4.5 and a red H.

Then again, I have one that's about 8 years old that is still at a 2.8 or so. But that was also written as an over the top parody, but as they have no sense of humor, well....

 

[LdyHoneybee]

Okay, so I’ll ask: why is it called “Loving Wives?” It sounds terrible! Is it sarcasm? Do those people congregate there because somebody told them they belong there, because they heard it is okay to be terrible there, because of the content of the stories, or what?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Okay, so I’ll ask: why is it called “Loving Wives?” It sounds terrible! Is it sarcasm? Do those people congregate there because somebody told them they belong there, because they heard it is okay to be terrible there, because of the content of the stories, or what?

I haven't been here long enought to be considered a historian of this site, but I suspect that it intended to be a clever and fun twist on the catagory name. Lauren, or whoever, probably didn't realize the way in which the category would be twisted. The topic description is 'Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more', so it probably didn't have the same 'cheating, cuckolding and burning down the relationship' vibes it currently has. It seems like all the guilt-free happy swinging goes in group-sex and the LW is divided (like the Maginot line) between those who enjoy 'become a willing cuckold' and 'destroy the bitch for infidelity' crowds. Since these are diametrically opposed and since it's not always clear from the start of the story which way it's going to go, the whole place has become a battleground.

Strangely, the concept of male infidelity isn't nearly as prevelant on this site - possible because of the use of 'Wives' in the title, or maybe something deeper in human nature.

Possibly it would have been better if LW had divided up into two catagories - maybe something like Revenge and Cuckoldry, the war could have been averted. Still, many on this site have the theory that LW readers deliberately seek out stories they know they hate in order to troll them, so perhaps it wouldn't have made any difference.

 

[Lady2020]

I recently submitted a story for publishing and it's set to go up tomorrow and I just noticed that it's been sorted into the Loving Wives category. I had submitted it under Erotic Couplings (because I NEVER want to submit to LW) but I understand why the editor probably changed it.

That said, I am terrified of it getting published now. I frequent LW as a person that loves those types of stories so I am well aware of the hate, vitriol, and review bombing that occurs. This really worries me, especially about my other stories cause I'm concerned certain readers will go on to bomb my other works as well.

Honestly, I don't think there's anything I can do about this but just wanted to voice my fears to see if maybe I can appeal to get it back to Erotic Couplings?

There's a huge difference between LW and EC. What's the premise of your story and can you provide a link? As long as it's not too long, I can read it and pm you my thoughts.

 

[LdyHoneybee]

I haven't been here long enought to be considered a historian of this site, but I suspect that it intended to be a clever and fun twist on the catagory name. Lauren, or whoever, probably didn't realize the way in which the category would be twisted. The topic description is 'Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more', so it probably didn't have the same 'cheating, cuckolding and burning down the relationship' vibes it currently has. It seems like all the guilt-free happy swinging goes in group-sex and the LW is divided (like the Maginot line) between those who enjoy 'become a willing cuckold' and 'destroy the bitch for infidelity' crowds. Since these are diametrically opposed and since it's not always clear from the start of the story which way it's going to go, the whole place has become a battleground.

Strangely, the concept of male infidelity isn't nearly as prevelant on this site - possible because of the use of 'Wives' in the title, or maybe something deeper in human nature.

Possibly it would have been better if LW had divided up into two catagories - maybe something like Revenge and Cuckoldry, the war could have been averted. Still, many on this site have the theory that LW readers deliberately seek out stories they know they hate in order to troll them, so perhaps it wouldn't have made any difference.

So people must rate stories according to how well they fufill their expectations?

 

[LdyHoneybee]

Loving Wives writers vs. Loving Wives readers:

But seriously, the site shouldn't change an author's preferred category unless it's really egregiously wrong. Like this one doesn't belong in Lesbian or Transgender, but if you wanted it in Erotic Couplings, they should have respected your wishes.

Secondly, it's all just words. Sticks and stones, etc. Those, ah, people over there in LW don't know you, nor do you know them. Some writers deliberately post something there for the shits and giggles. I've done it twice, not as a joke, and the scores were better than the comments would suggest. There are some regulars over there that have never submitted anything. It's truly a strange phenomenon.

Giggling at the movie allusion.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Giggling at the movie allusion.

Thanks! Although some people here do respond to negative comments, especially on Loving Wives, as if it was the Battle of Antietam.

 

[LdyHoneybee]

Love this forum. writers are so fun! and sometimes I even learn stuff.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Love this forum. writers are so fun! and sometimes I even learn stuff.

Yes, you can even learn about the Civil War. Who would have guessed that?

 

[LdyHoneybee]

I SAW that movie!