The H Files...

[DVS]

We all know of the rating system for our stories. And, we also know when enough positive votes, after the initial 10, start adding up to that 4.50 threshold and the coveted red H. I have been lucky enough to have some chapters of my story attain this 4.50 vote rating. And like any proud father would be, I beamed from it. Some of you might think I am going a little overboard here, but I am sure anyone reading this has felt the same way. It is just a little notice that people are reading your work and enjoying it. No money, and no fame. Just a little red H.

After these chapters beam for a while, you watch to see if the others also reach this level. If they don't, you struggle to understand why. Like I said previously, these are your kids, and you want them all to do well. But, reality sets in, and only a few have found their fame. So, you sit back and relax, watching the voting almost daily. You check it to see if it goes up or down, elated when it goes up, and disgruntled when it goes down. It holds a small part of your mind, when writing other stories. You think of what it could have been that stirred these people to vote highly for your story, and you try to repeat it. Of course, you never know until that new story is pushed out of the nest and it has to live a life of its own, for better or for worse.

After a week or so of this, I started noticing a troubling thing happening. One day I checked the voting and noticed my Hs were gone. It was strange how they could leave so quickly. One swift slash through your creative being.

Someone didn't like my story. I looked closer. This person really didn't like my story. In fact, they hated it. This person hated it so much they gave it a 1. That 1 vote was enough to take away the Hs I had been so proud of. I had 3 of them, and now they were all gone.

Looking even deeper into the situation, I noticed this person had only voted on the H rated chapters. None of the other chapters had been voted on. None.

After a little thought, I decided the H must have attracted them to read, and then they didn't agree it deserved an H. I thought this was a little snide on the voter's part, but I took it in stride. After all, there was more voting after, and these chapters again gained the coveted red H. Yes, I beamed even more than before. My kids had overcome the odds.

Again, I got into the habit of checking and watching the voting. Again I cheered when the rating went up, and struggled with the defeat of when they didn't. Sometimes, you could tell someone read the whole story, and the voting showed they liked all 8 chapters.

Sometimes not all would vote as high, but still not too bad. After all, there are many different people out there, and not all will like what you do. You have to understand that.

But then, it happened again. In one quick breath, all of my Hs were gone again. Just that quick. Because I had seen this before, I looked more closely, and found that again, only the H rated chapters had been voted a 1. None of the other chapters had changed.

OK, now this is getting a little strange. But, I'm and adult and I can take rejection. That is just two people who disagreed with me. These things will happen. You just have to chew it up, swallow it, and go on.

And, that's just what I did. And yes, again some of my chapters regained that red H, and it all started again. Yes to the beaming, yes to the watchful eye on the voting.

Again, there was some favorable and some not so favorable voting on my chapters, as I watched the daily totals. Then, it happened again. Another 1 vote on all of my H rated chapters, and poof, once again. Now this is starting to develop into a pattern.

After this last attack, as I am now calling them, I started watching everything a lot closer. I started watching the top list for BDSM stories and noticed I am not the only one affected by these attacks. In fact, it seems any BDSM story that gains an H rating is only destined to be visited by this person. Someone out there is doing this on purpose.

After watching the top list for a while, I noticed a distinct vendetta against highly rated stories by voting them low enough to remove the H rating. This is only seen when a story is rated 4.50 and above, taking it to the top and also into the voting crosshairs.

It is an easy thing to do. All you need is a disgruntled sole and a dial up connection that allows a new IP address with each connection to the Internet. From what I have seen, that is how the voting is controlled.

In this age of DSL and cable modem connections, anyone with a T1, DSL or cable connection will usually keep the IP they have for long periods of time, if not indefinitely. But, the old "dial-uppers" can still vote multiple times, when their IP changes.

It is also possible to be in the Information Systems biz where you can change your IP at your leisure. If you are in this field, you know how easy it is to do, when you have the technical position that allows this.

I have watched the BDSM top list change almost daily, as some stories are hit by this person, drastically lowering them in ratings. And other stories from lower status come up to take their place. These newly raised stories are only destined to be hit the next time around, and yet another will then take their place. And it goes on and on.

If you check the BDSM category, you will not see many stories above the 4.50 rating. I feel this is largely because of this "vendetta bandit". He/She is doing a good job of squelching it. You will also see a very close voting, so when a story is hit, it will sink far and quickly. Only a very highly rated story will be able to withstand Lit's present 1 vote. And, the lower your stories actual vote total, it could push you down the list even farther. One case in point is what I have recently seen.

My story is broken up into 8 chapters. Recently, the 5th, 6th and 7th chapters had rated 5th, 7th and 8th on the BDSM top list. Just last night (6-5-2002), they were hit and all three dropped significantly.
Before the hit, the below chapters were high on the BDSM top list.
Chapter 5 was 5th on the list with a rating of 4.52 and 39 votes.
Chapter 6 was 7th on the list with a rating of 4.50 and 42 votes.
Chapter 7 was 8th on the list with a rating of 4.50 and 42 votes.
After the hit by a single 1 vote on each, these chapters ended up...
Chapter 5 was 189th on the list with a rating of 4.40 and 40 votes.
Chapter 6 was 114th on the list with a rating of 4.42 and 43 votes.
Chapter 7 was 115th on the list with a rating of 4.42 and 43 votes.

Personally, I can live with the voting, when it is fair and honest. That is all I want out of this. I would like to know how my story is affecting readers, so I can use this information to write better in the future. Because I don't get any story feedback, I can only use the voting system as my story thermometer. If they like it, and it rates an H (HOT), I must be doing something right. If they don't like it, and the ratings show this, I must regroup.

How does this affect you? I think it affects everyone on Lit. And, I think it is only going to get worse. It will fester and soon the H will mean nothing at all, if that hasn't already begun to happen. Because of this vendetta bandit and the present rating calibrations, voting will end up meaning nothing. And, that is sad. It is sad that there are people out there like this person who cause trouble. It is sad because they are hiding behind the voting system Lit has setup to benefit writers and allow voters to express their honest feelings about our stories. It is sad because without Literotica, a lot of us probably wouldn't be known writers, and I for one might not even be writing.

There are threads that talk a little about this situation, but some have actually been hit because of what they say in some posts. So, the vendetta bandit is lurking among us and reading what we say. There is one thread where an unregistered poster talked about the voting and that could have been this person. Some think it is very likely it was. But I, for one am willing to sacrifice a little for the better of the whole.

What is the whole? The voting system of Lit. This is undermining the whole system. I am sure this is probably happening in other categories, besides BDSM. I have talked to a few who have mentioned it. If this is allowed to continue, the coveted H rating will quickly change from a status rating to a target for what is soon to come.

What can we do? We can do more than you would think. First, we should not worry that this will do much damage to Lit. I am sure there have been worse things happen, and this will be just a small bump in the road. But, there are people with ideas on changes to the voting system that have offered to help. So far, this help has not been accepted, and the people who are offering this free help are wondering if they have even been heard. Even if these offers of help are not accepted, they may give an insight to how the voting system could be altered to make it less likely this vendetta bandit makes such an impact in the future.

So, if you feel you are brave enough to stand up for your stories and for Lit, let the powers that be know how you feel. Watch your vote ratings to see if you are being hit like some of us are. If you have ideas as to how to make things better, speak up. If you know of someone who could be holding this vendetta, let Laurel know. But please do not mention their name on any forum. If you happen to be incorrect, that person's reputation could be damaged severely. Let Laurel decide how to proceed in every case, because this is her site.

And lastly, post your feelings in this thread, so all can see how you feel.

 

[its Leslie]

That person's actions are of course the reason english uses the words jerk, asshole, loser, moron and many other fine examples of the same feeling in the way they are often used.

Me I have voting on. Not sure why. But obviously you can not get votes if it is off clearly.

If these votes are in some way connected with a financial livlihood, then of course they have some importance.

But personally, when I posted my very first story, I was unsure if there was a point to even writing the story in the first place.

When my first story was done, I posted it, not knowing what the process was and how long it would take to gain accptance. I had no idea if people would call it worthless garbage. I clicked voting on because I assumed the votes might tell me something (just was not sure what).

My votes have been fairly satisfying. I have not recieved any "H"s as yet. But I can see in hindsight many months later, that the vote process is not only of little worth from an accuracy standpoint, but feedback is equally unscientific.

I have learned, that the only response of merit, is the direct commentary offered by my Lit friends (we all surely know other writers here). Anything else, is, well, entirely subjective.

Following writing an erotic fiction, two things happen. The first more likely predictable for me personally, is I get undressed and masturbate. I am not sure about others, but after that much concentrated erotic thinking, I sure need to get off. Second thing that happens, is I post it and assume my friends might take a peek and possibly say something about it.

Most of my stories have pleased my friends. That counts for me.

Currently I am not engaged in any manner of gainful employ as a writer. This is due entirely to my not requiring any manner of support from my efforts (I only write to get horny and hopefully please a few Lit friends with my story in the process).

It is certain though, that if I had to write erotica (or whatever for that matter) professionally (or at least seriously for cash), the only response meaningful, would be the cheque being put in my hand for the story when sold to a person willing to pay for it.

And it doesn't matter who pays for a story eh. If you write for cash, well cash is cash. The buyer could be anyone. Of course you can always limit yourself to who you wish to market too in the end.

Those "H"s are precious I suppose. But I don't myself read stories based on the H rating myself. Every story I have read on Lit has been able to get my attention ONLY based on the actual title of the story.
So remember people, when naming a story, spend the effort to make aaaaaaaabsolutely sure, the title conveys eeeeeeexactly what you need it to.

I decide what constitutes a good read, not the rating. If your lame rated story is good to me, then the rating means nothing to me. And an H will not automatically make me assume it will please me either. I never base my opinions on "popular" opinion (I generally do NOT agree with popular opinion at any rate).

Enjoy those H's, but don't let them convince you of anything.

 

[karmadog]

If you think it's tough here, try writing poetry. There are far fewer views and votes, so the "1" troll is particularly brutal. I've not yet been popular enough to draw him/her. That in itself kind of smarts.

 

[SexyChele]

Okay, it's time for stupid question here...

How can you tell how many "1", "2".....etc votes you have received for a story? Is that possible? I know it is at other sites I post to, but I didn't think you could do it here.

If this can be done, and some one knows how, can they share the knowledge with some one a little less enlightened? (Me!) Please?

 

[P. B. Walker]

There is sort of a way to keep track of that SexyChele... if you have the time and patience. Basically, you continually check your score/votes on your author submission page. By keeping a running track of what you have (basically snap shots at certain times) you can get a feeling for the votes you are getting. The downside to this is if you get alot of votes in a short amount of time. I used to check my stories once a day and I'd usually only get 1 to 3 votes per day. But sometimes, usually right after I submitted a story, I'd get like 10 to 15 votes in one day. You can't really figure out the votes you got when that happens, just your average. So you basically get something like this:

Total Divide Average
000+05 = 005/01 = 5.00 (first vote)

You got it submitted and the first vote was a 5. You'd see this in your submission page by seeing 1 vote and a score of 5.00. Say you go back and see you now have 3 votes and your average is 4.66. Multiply 4.66 by 3, you get 14. 14 minus 5 (your old total) and you get 9. You went from 1 vote to 3, so you got 2 new votes. That means you could have ONLY gotten a 4 vote and a 5 vote.

005+09 = 014/03 = 4.66 (2nd and 3rd vote)

and so on...

This method really only works if you get a few votes at a time and not alot all at once. It also depends on how much you check your page to see what your vote total and score are. If you do it every hour you'll probably be able to know exactly what each vote is. If you do it once a day you will probably get 1 to 3 votes per day so you won't know exactly what each vote is always, but most of the time you will. Or you'll have a situation where you got 3 votes and those three votes totalled 10. So there are only so many combinations of votes you could have gotten...
i.e.,
3, 3, 4
2, 4, 4
1, 4, 5


Hope that helps... I'm sure most of us don't have the time to keep track of this... I know I didn't. I usually could only check eveyr other day or once a day at most. Just don't have that much time.

- PBW

 

[DVS]

Yes, it can be a rather involved task of finding out what the votes are, if your story is lucky enough to get a lot of votes. In fact, I would think it very difficult. But, mine was submitted in the first week of May, and the highest voting total on any of the chapters is 46. That is slightly more than one a day. It isn't difficult to figure things out, when the voting is that sparse.

 

[SexyChele]

Oh NO! Math! Eeeeck! *laughing*

Thank you both, PB and DVS! I've never been able to do this here at Lit. My stories usually get a very high number of votes the first day or so. (well, to me they are high!) It's hard to do this method when you get 20+ votes within 24 - 48 hours. And, no, I don't have the patience to check continuously. And, quite frankly, after the first 3-4 days, I lose interest in how the story is doing. Guess I'm like a lot of readers in that respect!

There are a couple of sites that fully outline the voting for stories, that would be interesting to incorporate here. However, the number of views on the other site I have in mind doesn't get the readership that Lit does - guess it would take up too much memory and stuff for those who get votes in excess of 1,000!

Oh well...


DVS - sorry to hear about the purposeful low voter. That sucks! I've had only one story that received the coveted "red H" - and I was SO thrilled! It only lasted one day, though, before it dropped and held at 4.49. Yeah, that was a TOTAL bummer! Anyway, hopefully this person(s) will tire of the game and go play in some one else's sandbox!

 

[DVS]

Oh NO! Math! Eeeeck! *laughing*

Oh well...

DVS - sorry to hear about the purposeful low voter. That sucks! I've had only one story that received the coveted "red H" - and I was SO thrilled! It only lasted one day, though, before it dropped and held at 4.49. Yeah, that was a TOTAL bummer! Anyway, hopefully this person(s) will tire of the game and go play in some one else's sandbox!

Thank you, SexyChele. I appreciate it. I am sorry you lost your H. I have lost mine over and over again, so I feel a bit like a yoyo. Wow, a kinky yoyo? Is there a story in there?

But, I thought I should tell this story, because there could be others experiencing the same thing and not understanding what is going on. You know first hand that first H makes you feel so good, and also kind of sad when it goes.

And, I don't really watch the voting that much, now. I only watch to keep track of the vendetta person.

And, you can think of this in another way, too. If he is messing with me, he may not be messing with someone else. And the fact he is getting satisfaction with this sort of thing is maybe keeping him from going out and physically hurting someone. You just never know.

And on the math? I'm not that up on it, either. I found out from another how to tally the votes. LOL, and thankfully (that's kind of double sided), mine are slow enough to figure out.

 

[TheEarl]

That's happened to my stories too. I've got two in the Celebrities section which leads to a very select audience and not many votes, so the 1s have led to a fall from 4.62 to 4.48 and 4.52 to 4.40. Someone suggested a system where the top 5% of votes are discounted from a score. This means that the average score is more representative of what the readers think about the story and any anomalous votes are discarded. He did admit afterwards that he was a statistician, but the general idea is still good.

The Earl

 

[80niner]

Hey There. . .

About this “H” business. I understood a story had to get ten votes on the first day. I know when ten votes showed up the first moring I had an “H”. When I had nine votes I did not. The only times I have seen “H”s is in the new stories.

I have had three stories that have been cosistantly above 4.50.

At the moment. . .

Aunt Polly Chap 1 has a 4.55 rating with 228 votes and 54,000 hits.

Aunt Polly chapt 2 has 4.60 with 159 v0tes and 28,000 hits.

Aiding Mrs Bronson has a 4.54 rating with 114 votes and 25,936 hits.

Aunt Fran has a 4.41 rating with 198votes and an unbelievable 79,655 hits since posting 5/11/02

The ration od votes to hits is appalling. But if they would have been negative votes perhaps we are better off.

80niner

 

[DVS]

Hey There. . .

About this “H” business. I understood a story had to get ten votes on the first day. I know when ten votes showed up the first moring I had an “H”. When I had nine votes I did not. The only times I have seen “H”s is in the new stories.

I have had three stories that have been cosistantly above 4.50.

At the moment. . .

Aunt Polly Chap 1 has a 4.55 rating with 228 votes and 54,000 hits.

Aunt Polly chapt 2 has 4.60 with 159 v0tes and 28,000 hits.

Aiding Mrs Bronson has a 4.54 rating with 114 votes and 25,936 hits.

Aunt Fran has a 4.41 rating with 198votes and an unbelievable 79,655 hits since posting 5/11/02

The ration od votes to hits is appalling. But if they would have been negative votes perhaps we are better off.

80niner

Hey there, 80niner.
If a story has at least 10 votes, and these 10 votes total up to a rating of 4.50 or higher, this story will get an H. It doesn't matter when this happens. That is in the FAQ section, if you want to read it. But, to keep that H, as voting continues, the rating must stay at or above this 4.50 rating. Obviously, your stories have done this.

I hope you don't mind that I did some checking. Your Aunt Polly ch 1 is an incest story. If you look at the top lists, you will notice there are 500 stories in the incest top list. Every one of them has a rating high enough to get an H. That doesn't deminish the quality of your story, it just means incest must be a very popular fetish for Lit readers.

Your Aunt Polly ch 2 is in the mature category. That top list has about 180 stories high enough to keep an H rating.

I am not saying it is any easier to write an incest or mature story, but that it is more difficult for someone to damage that category, because of the shear numbers of Hs.
If you look at the BDSM category, you would see out of the 500 top rated stories in that category, there are only 4 H rated stories. This is today. I don't feel that is a true example of the BDSM fetish, but a result of malicious voting.

I think this vendetta bandit has either chosen the BDSM category for one of his targets or he just wanted to make an impact. The incest and mature categories would take much longer to make an impact. Not that he isn't doing the same thing there, but because of the number of Hs, it isn't noticed by anyone except the author, if this author is looking for it.

I also agree with you on the ratio of voting/views. I think we all have this problem. But, I don't see these as negative votes as much as people just don't seem to want to vote as much as they just want to read. But I do understand what you mean. Some people will just not vote, if they don't like your story.

I don't know how a view is actually registered, but it could be just by 'landing' on a story. It this is true, it doesn't mean they have to actually read it to register a view. They could just be 'passing through'.
My chapters at present all have 46 or less votes, and all have around 4,000 views.

It has been suggested authors put a small statement at the bottom of their stories asking readers to vote. This sometimes helps a little, but, not that much, in my case.

 

[Mule]

SexyChele said:

How can you tell how many "1", "2".....etc votes you have received for a story? Is that possible?

Another poster suggested throwing out the exrtreme votes.

Too bad you can't see the distribution. Having a bunch of 4's and 5's and a stack of 1's but NO 2's and 3's is suspicious.

However, to do this analysis depends on keeping historical data. At best, the counter is keeping the current total and the current number of votes. It adds the current score to the total, and increments the counter for the votes, does the math and saves the results.

 

[the_bragis]

Yes, I find the voting odd and frustrating too. I posted a story recently, and it was rating really well (that 'H' was a buzz) ...then it dropped dramatically because of one lousy vote. I was thinking: some fruity nut obviously didn't like it because they gave it a measly 'one'! I know it is a different kind of bdsm story and not to everyone's taste, but did it really deserve a roasting like that? Now I'm thinking I'm not the only one who's story has taken some heat.

Well anyway I used to look for the stories with the highest ratings to read. Now I just look for the ones that look interesting, or pieces written by authors who's work I have enjoyed before.

I have a couple of red hot favourites at the moment, and neither of them have little 'H's dotted on their stories.

Alex (f)

 

[Ray Dario]

I have a few stories that have managed to get and keep their "H", but I have others that I consider superior stories that are rated lower.

Like Bragis I USED to look for the top rated stories to read then I noticed that the stories that were rated the highest were often crap.

Now, I rarely read stories here, except when someone asks for feedback. I am completely disillusioned about the voting and even cynical about the feedback.

Maybe I'm getting old or tired.

Ray

 

[ronde]

Thanks to DVS for leading me to this thread. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone, and I'll add my tale of woes.

My last story started life with a 5.0 for 8 votes. I lost track of voting until it had 12 and a 4.87. It now has 19 votes and a 4.53. This happens to be a romance, but the same thing has happened to me with an erotic couplings and a non-human story. It seems as if the minute I make the Top Lists, my stories drop like a rock. It wouldn't be so bad if the low voters would at least have the courtesy to tell me what they didn't like. I suppose that's too much to ask.

 

[Ray Dario]

Ronde,

Would an email reading "This story wasn't written by me so I fucked you over" really be that much help?

Sorry, my dark mood has consumed my restraint.

Ray

 

[ronde]

Well, it probably would help my local computer guy after I beat my keboard to smithereens and had to buy another one.

No apology needed. Dark moods'l do that.

 

[lilrosie lips]

I expect this to happen for I am the eternal glass half empty personality

My first story was posted Sunday and at the present moment I have a H next to the story and it is at the top of the BDSM list. While its a great ego boost, I really do not think it rates either of these designations. I like the fact that some readers do seem to like the story. It's gratifying. But I wouldn't classify it as more than mediocre erotica. The best I can personally say is that it might be considered a good/fair first effort. I am not even sure if it's even truly BDSM, except for the tied up female, the nipple clamps and the spanking. There is no true character development and the speech sounds stilted and forced to me. I think my descriptions are fairly good. But I have no idea what the readers really think. The most feedback I have gotten was a couple of "It's so hot. Looking forward to more." That and a strange message from someone who said they were from India, unhapply married and wanted a friend, but did not mention of the story itself. Go figure

I was thinking though as soon as I got the H, that it will disapper just as fast. I really didn't think anyone would maliciously try to lower my score. I just figured that the H would attract more views and that there would be a certain amount of readers who would hate it. Which is fair, as long if it is honest. I won't torture myself worrying if someone is out to get me, either because they don't like me personally or that they hate the subject matter. But I promise to post again as soon as the H disappers. I figure that should be sometime tommorrow.

 

[DVS]

That was an interesting post, if not just a little bit defeatist. We all have our doubts on our first story. Sometimes we have our doubts on our second and third, too.

If you H does go away, just watch the voting to see if it comes back. I have lost Hs several times and each time they have come back.
Well, this last time it has been a very slow come back, but they are coming back. I hope yours sticks around for a while, if only to boost your ego a little, LOL.

If your voting still stays realitively high, and you continue to get those "your story is hot" feedbacks, that should say something, shouldn't it?

Oh, if you don't have very many votes and your H does go away, that doesn't mean anything. The BDSM category is so close, a 1 vote would take a highly rated story (which has only a few votes) quite a way down the list. I had a story that was #1. Then it was #5. Then, it got hit by a 1 and ended up 189th. That doesn't mean my story isn't liked. It just means there is one sick ass hole out there who doesn't seem to like BDSM stories.

Like someone else said, if it is a BDSM story, the H just doesn't mean much unless you keep it for a long time. If your voting is strong enough to keep your H for more than a week, I would say it is a damn good story. If you lose it? Oh well, join the club. You were just hit by the venetta bandit!

 

[DVS]

Well, somebody skewered my story, again. Nothing bad, though. This was more of the normal kind of "I didn't care for your story" voting. I can handle that kind.

But it seems now my problem is not the kind of votes I am getting, but the number of votes. My ratings are down mainly because I am not getting enough votes.

I can have a nice rating, but if the story above mine has the same rating with more votes, mine comes in second.

I don't know what it takes to get people to vote.
I guess I could offer sexual favors to the people who would vote. No, I am not trying to buy votes. If I was offering sexual favors to the people who voted a 5, that is trying to purchase votes. I am just trying to get readers to vote!

If I read any stories, I will always vote. I might not read it in one sitting, but when I finish it, I will vote. I also won't vote anything below a 3, unless there is a good reason for it. I consider 3 to be an average vote. If nothing is technically wrong with the story, but it just didn't thrill me, it will probably get a 3. Obviously, the more it thrills me, the higher the vote. Or, the more technical problems there are the worse the vote. It is a give and take.

I consider poor punctuation to be something that is fixable. I don't like to see lots of commas that continue a sentence on and on. It should have been broken up into individual sentences. I will vote a 3 for this. I vote a 3 because it is still readable, although I have to get past those commas. If the punctuation is bad enough to the point I can't make sense of the story flow at all, that is worth a 2. This is an editing flaw, but it is still the responsibility of the author. Editing is part of the writing process.

Misspelled words or typos are also fixable. I will vote a 3 for a story I find has enough typos to interfere with my understanding of the story. But, if I can still get past these typos, and the story is still otherwise readable, it gets a 3. If there are enough typos that I can't figure the story out, again and again? That story gets a 2. Again, this is fixable. The author didn't edit it himself or herself, or take the time to get it edited. Again, this is part of the writing process.

For the content of the story, which means plot, erotic tension, story flow, character definition, etc., I will vote 3,4, or 5.
My erotic likes are very broad. I guess you can call me kinky. But, if the story doesn't excite me, it may get a 3 for that. If it gets me horny, it will probably get a 4. If it really gets my interest, it may get a 5. But, because I give the story a 5, it doesn't mean someone else will. It just means I liked it, plain and simple.
Period stories don't thrill me. I have a problem getting past some of the dialogue between characters and even descriptive words, in these stories. Sometimes the words can drip with period, but come off very dry in the erotic category. This makes me feel the author took more time making sure it was perfect for the period, than to make it erotic. This story would get a 3 for lack of erotic tension. And, if there were other problems, it could also change to a 2.

But, I don't like to read incest stories. So, I will not vote for a story that isn't in my sexual interest, because it isn't the writer's fault that I don't like it. I consider that a political statement and this is not a political arena. I don't like incest stories, but I don't think I should take this out on the writer. It may be considered a legit vote by some, but not me.

The same thing goes for gay male stories. They are not for me, but who am I to say someone else does not like them? Who am I to vote against them, just because I can? I think that is part of this world's problem. We just don't accept people who are different than ourselves.

Anyway, that's how I vote. The lowest vote I usually give is a 2. I think I have given one 1, because I just didn't understand the story, and the punctuation was very bad. One sentence went on for a whole paragraph. Looking back at it, I should have also sent feedback, but I didn't. I think if the story was properly edited, it may have faired better.

I have voted 3s, and I have voted 5s. But, I think the most I have voted are 4s. To me, it takes a lot to give a story a 5. A 5 doesn't mean the story is perfect, but if I like the erotic aspects of it, I can be swayed to look past a few typos, if you know what I mean. Or, if there is a plot twist I like, or the story was different and interesting, or if it was very kinky. Oh, I guess I already said that.

But, it is easy to take away from a 5, too. Typos and punctuation, or for various other reasons, as I have explained above.

Maybe I am too diplomatic, I don't know. I just feel this way. If I were to write a story, and submit it to be read by strangers, I would just hope these strangers appreciate this. And if they like the story, they vote accordingly. And, if they don't like it, they should vote for that reason, too. But don't vote for any political reasons. Not because you got pissed at the writer in a forum, or because you don't get off on that particular kink. Life is too short for this crap.

These people have taken a lot of time to create and fine-tune their story for the reader. Please vote accordingly.

Live, write, read and vote as you feel you should. And so will I.

 

[lilrosie lips]

That was an interesting post, if not just a little bit defeatist. We all have our doubts on our first story. Sometimes we have our doubts on our second and third, too.

If you H does go away, just watch the voting to see if it comes back. I have lost Hs several times and each time they have come back.
Well, this last time it has been a very slow come back, but they are coming back. I hope yours sticks around for a while, if only to boost your ego a little, LOL.

If your voting still stays realitively high, and you continue to get those "your story is hot" feedbacks, that should say something, shouldn't it?

Oh, if you don't have very many votes and your H does go away, that doesn't mean anything. The BDSM category is so close, a 1 vote would take a highly rated story (which has only a few votes) quite a way down the list. I had a story that was #1. Then it was #5. Then, it got hit by a 1 and ended up 189th. That doesn't mean my story isn't liked. It just means there is one sick ass hole out there who doesn't seem to like BDSM stories.

Like someone else said, if it is a BDSM story, the H just doesn't mean much unless you keep it for a long time. If your voting is strong enough to keep your H for more than a week, I would say it is a damn good story. If you lose it? Oh well, join the club. You were just hit by the venetta bandit!

Well I did keep the H for a few days longer than I thought I would... for about 5 total...that was a rush, kinda sad when it went away, but now I notice my total vote counts has remained stuck at 28 votes total... while it continues to be read... such is life in the big city I guess....

 

[James MacGregor]

Being a recent addition to the site and have posted a tale, I got caught up in the whole voting and "H" thing. But, at the end of the day it was the feedbacks that seemed to make it worthwhile. If somebody enjoys the story, which is my personal goal in the first place, ok, maybe deriving a squirm or two, I'm happy. If the feedback is negative in nature, it just means that I need to pay more attention to what I'm doing on the next one. Not being a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination, I'm just happy if I don't suck. Of course with the voting thing it is very tempting to use that line from Almost Famous, "Just make us look cool." But, that's just my opinion.

 

[DVS]

I dare say some Hs are sticking around. Has anyone else noticed this?

Maybe our vendetta bandit is on vacation? Or, better yet, he moved on!

 

[mlyn]

I don't think I've ever had a Red H

I used to get really hung up over the voting, watching it really close, and bemoaning that one story got a bunch of views, but hardly any votes, or another only X amount of views, but a close equal amount of votes.

I don't think people should be allowed to vote anonymously, and not say why. Same with the five. that is the only way to improve and refine.

But as far the red H- I have written and almost completed 125 erotic stories, with about 20 of them here, and 40 at my website. Success to me that two story/books are being electronically published, one story is being published in an anthology, and nice people write to me. That is what matters. I love writing, and the bottom line is that I would do it even if I got NO feedback. I do it because the story is inside of me, and the characters are asking me to write their words. (And no, I don't really hear voices, but some stories literally seem to write themselves.)

Good luck to everyone who wants and H!

mlyn