The magic four point five

[CharleneBarr]

You reach the magic 4.50 on your latest effort and it is HOT, and so attracts that many more readers. Like most of us, I'm drawn first to those efforts which wear their red badge of hotness proudly, but at times I find the honor has been bestowed largely because every second paragraph is dripping, oozing, squirting, pulsating and throbbing with naughty goings-on and after a while I find myself speed-reading some of these parts in order to get back to the main gist of the story.
Then ever so occasionally I come across a story that has scored perhaps much lower on the lubrication chart, but looks quirky, and I've begun reading it with some trepidation, thinking the author must be some kind of semi-illiterate to obtain such a score - I've found the story to be even better than those given higher marks and I've become engrossed in it.
So my question is, is 4.5 a good indicator of an overall good story, or just a purely sexual thing and what succeeds in dinging the dongometer quickest?

 

[sr71plt]

Apparently not too reliable, no, as you have given example to yourself.

I'm with RR on this. As starters, the ratings were added to the author's works list a year or so ago. The red H could have been dropped at that time and that might have cut down on the voting games going on here that have nothing to do with the quality of the specific story.

 

[Handley_Page]

Charlene, I fear you have answered your own question.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Other than being able to navigate to the end of a story, there are no qualifications to vote. There are no standards, other than those suggested by the website. There is no accountability for any vote given. How reliable would you consider this system?

 

[Zeb_Carter]

The scoring system is slightly flawed.

The score is 1 to 5, shouldn't anything over 2.5 be considered good? I mean that's above half of the points you could have scored.

The arbitrary 4.5 just means that stories that score between 4.4 and 4.5 in most likelihood will be overlooked by most readers.

Just imagine you are a write who gets nothing but 4.49 on every story? Would you feel demoralized by that. (Am I turning into a PC wackjob?)

But then again...it all depends on who you write for. You? Your readers? For a score? For ego boosting comments?

I write for myself. Any score over 4.4 I consider excellent. Any score 4.0 to 4.399999 is fantastic. Anything from 2.5 to 3.9999 is good.

Comments...they have always given me a good laugh most of the time. It never fails that most comments have nothing to do with what or how I write, it has more to do with the readers ego and feelings.

 

[JLCC]

its kind of like a benchmark

I was doing good for awhile with a high % of Hs, after a new submission gained me some new fans and caused a bump up on other stories.

Yesterday, I submitted a chapter of a story into a tougher category and saw a general drop on other stories. I don't think the third chapter was any worse than the previous two, but definitely, the previous chapters have suffered a loss since. One of them was an H. Contrary to the previous comment, this was the stroker chapter and it hasn't fared as well as I expected it would.

However, there seems to be a cycle where negative Nellies are the first out of the gate. Then, there's an upswing, and yes, I pay too much attention.

 

[8letters]

You reach the magic 4.50 on your latest effort and it is HOT, and so attracts that many more readers. Like most of us, I'm drawn first to those efforts which wear their red badge of hotness proudly, but at times I find the honor has been bestowed largely because every second paragraph is dripping, oozing, squirting, pulsating and throbbing with naughty goings-on and after a while I find myself speed-reading some of these parts in order to get back to the main gist of the story.
Then ever so occasionally I come across a story that has scored perhaps much lower on the lubrication chart, but looks quirky, and I've begun reading it with some trepidation, thinking the author must be some kind of semi-illiterate to obtain such a score - I've found the story to be even better than those given higher marks and I've become engrossed in it.
So my question is, is 4.5 a good indicator of an overall good story, or just a purely sexual thing and what succeeds in dinging the dongometer quickest?

First off, my experience is that a high score doesn't translate into a much higher number of views.
Sister Has a Plan (4.62 score) views on Day 40 after publication - 71,781
My Daughter Interrupts My Work (4.00 score) views on Day 40 after publication - 53,729

What a low score impacts is the votes, comments and favorites
Sister Has a Plan (4.62 score) on Day 40 - 897 / 20 / 62
My Daughter Interrupts My Work (4.00 score) on Day 40 - 239 / 5 / 23

IMHO, the score reflects how much the reader enjoyed the story, not how well it is written. Most readers are looking for a stroke story, not Shakespeare. Therefore, they'll give a high score to a stroke story they enjoy. They'll also give a high score to a deeper story if they enjoy that as well. If you have the story in the wrong category, you will get a lower score because it won't be the type of story the reader enjoys to read. If you surprise the reader with some fetish or violence, you will get a lower score because it won't be the type of story the reader enjoys to read.

 

[sr71plt]

If you surprise the reader with some fetish or violence, you will get a lower score because it won't be the type of story the reader enjoys to read.

But if the reader likes to be surprised by fetish or violence, it presumably will be scored higher.

It just all goes to the reality that it's a crap shoot on voting; that, unfortunately, the 4.50 mark is a battleground of voter gaming (precisely because a red H is at stake); and that there are entirely too many reader with individual likes and dislikes--and, as mentioned above no required standards to follow in voting--for the ratings to have much to do with the actual quality of the story.

Even if someone's collection scores overall in the 2 range, this can have more to do with Web site gaming than the stories, as some here experience and note.

 

[JLCC]

Even if someone's collection scores overall in the 2 range, this can have more to do with Web site gaming than the stories, as some here experience and note.

Almost feels like sometimes there are some petty ratings: "no story can be that good, I'm going to down vote it".

 

[DreamCloud]

The scores are also relative to the category the story is in. People go to certain categories for certain gratifications. If the story doesn't have those fetishes, it is posted in the wrong category and will have a lower score than it should.

I find that anything above a four, I most likely won't hate outright. If story is below a three, it is likely an uncomfortable read. The ones in the middle need a good teaser to get me to open them.

 

[xhellblazerx]

Almost feels like sometimes there are some petty ratings: "no story can be that good, I'm going to down vote it".

Like the teacher that gives an 89 because no one scores an A in my class.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

"So my question is, is 4.5 a good indicator of an overall good story, or just a purely sexual thing and what succeeds in dinging the dongometer quickest?"

Not in my case. I usually write heavily-plotted stories with developed characters. I can't say if they're "well written" or not but they definitely have a story.

I wanted a break so wrote a purely fun 1 1/2 page "stroker" with NO plot. I loved it. And from the feedback and comments I got I know readers really found it to hit the dongometer big time. It's my lowest rated story. It only just got "Hot" after a few months of voting.

I find the more complicated the story and more developed the characters the higher the score. At least in my case. Have no idea if its true for everyone. If its light and fun and really heavy on the sex, the score goes down. (Saw this in my chaptered series as well)

 

[xhellblazerx]

"So my question is, is 4.5 a good indicator of an overall good story, or just a purely sexual thing and what succeeds in dinging the dongometer quickest?"

Not in my case. I usually write heavily-plotted stories with developed characters. I can't say if they're "well written" or not but they definitely have a story.

I wanted a break so wrote a purely fun 1 1/2 page "stroker" with NO plot. I loved it. And from the feedback and comments I got I know readers really found it to hit the dongometer big time. It's my lowest rated story. It only just got "Hot" after a few months of voting.

I find the more complicated the story and more developed the characters the higher the score. At least in my case. Have no idea if its true for everyone. If its light and fun and really heavy on the sex, the score goes down. (Saw this in my chaptered series as well)

I recently read a how to essay and the author made a good points.

They said stroke stories don't always get high scores because people who don't care for them will give a low vote, but the people that like them read to jerk off and as soon as they get off the click off the story, many never finish is, let alone vote.

They also pointed out that longer more thought out stories get better scores because the reader gets attached to the character, in stroke the characters are two dimensional fuck machines the reader knows nothing about except they are having sex.

Literotica may cater to a lot of one handed readers, but the authors that have a lot of success here are story tellers not just porn writers.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

the people that like them read to jerk off and as soon as they get off the click off the story, many never finish is, let alone vote.

I've always suspected this. Ha ha. It's SO hot they don't vote lol

 

[Bramblethorn]

Then ever so occasionally I come across a story that has scored perhaps much lower on the lubrication chart, but looks quirky, and I've begun reading it with some trepidation, thinking the author must be some kind of semi-illiterate to obtain such a score - I've found the story to be even better than those given higher marks and I've become engrossed in it.
So my question is, is 4.5 a good indicator of an overall good story, or just a purely sexual thing and what succeeds in dinging the dongometer quickest?

Some readers are here for wall-to-wall sex scenes, some are here for plot and character, some like a mix. Any of those things can get a good rating; Lit has a wide range of readers. But other factors can affect that score:

- whether the title/blurb/categorisation sets the right expectations. If you market a story as non-stop sex and then give readers a slow-moving talky piece (or vice versa), you're going to draw the wrong readers and get voted down
- long stories and high-numbered chapters tend to rate higher because only the readers who love them keep reading and vote. Publishing many similar stories probably also helps, since it lets readers figure out whether they like your style.
- other authors (or their fans, or people from the discussion boards) rating stuff up/down for personal reasons: anything from "my wife cheated on me so if you write a 'cheating wife' story I'll downvote ALL your stories" to "your story pushed my favourite off the toplist so I'm going to downvote you without reading"

 

[shutterpsb]

All of my stories land between 4.26 and 4.48. The best written story with the best character development etc. IMHO, has the lowest score. I'm happy as long as they get 4 or better. Most of my stories don't garner many comments, although I do get a few emails shortly after posting something new.

 

[TamLin01]

Doesn't really matter. The numbers are going to be whatever they are. Our opinion or understanding of the system won't budge them a decimal one way or the other. Most writers think about it far too much.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Doesn't really matter. The numbers are going to be whatever they are. Our opinion or understanding of the system won't budge them a decimal one way or the other. Most writers think about it far too much.

They do. I have turned the voting and comments off on most of mine. The few that still be voted and commented on will eventually turned off also.

 

[JLCC]

They do. I have turned the voting and comments off on most of mine. The few that still be voted and commented on will eventually turned off also.

I am trying to work toward that. Naaaah, not really. I know it is to my detriment, but I do write for response. I liken in to providing a commercial product - I'm not changing the world with my writing - so if I weren't getting response or if the response was bad, I probably wouldn't post. E.G. I gave up writing for GF because she stopped responding to it. If I was writing only for myself, it would stay on my computer. And I would probably stop, because the attention feeds my motivation.

 

[CharleneBarr]

First off, my experience is that a high score doesn't translate into a much higher number of views.
Sister Has a Plan (4.62 score) views on Day 40 after publication - 71,781
My Daughter Interrupts My Work (4.00 score) views on Day 40 after publication - 53,729

well I think those numbers actually DO suggest quite a large margin in viewing figures, don't you? Which is just my point, that, if I were writing, whoever my readers are, I would like my work to be seen by the widest possible audience. So it's not so much that the HOT sign draws readers towards the story, but rather that a missing HOT sign in some way actively dissuades readers from giving it a chance....

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I am trying to work toward that. Naaaah, not really. I know it is to my detriment, but I do write for response. I liken in to providing a commercial product - I'm not changing the world with my writing - so if I weren't getting response or if the response was bad, I probably wouldn't post. E.G. I gave up writing for GF because she stopped responding to it. If I was writing only for myself, it would stay on my computer. And I would probably stop, because the attention feeds my motivation.

Yeah, I went a different way for that response thing...I published my work commercially on Smashewords and Amazon Kindle Store. The response I now get is with monthly checks deposited in my bank account.

 

[sr71plt]

Right. Getting royalty checks for a story takes the edge off of seeing an unfavorable (even flaming) comment or two from Anonymous on the story when you post it months later on a free-read site like Lit.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Right. Getting royalty checks for a story takes the edge off of seeing an unfavorable (even flaming) comment or two from Anonymous on the story when you post it months later on a free-read site like Lit.

I see you have been making new friends.

 

[sr71plt]

I think it comes with the phases of the moon. The juvenile crazies come out to play. Easily solved with the ignore button. Can still check in on them, but at my convenience rather than theirs. I'm sure it makes them feel adequate to let off steam that way.

 

[Mister_Chris]

I'm a new writer of erotic fiction; 2 stories published on Literotica, and a third one pending. So my level of experience is not great.

With that said, here are a few observations.

Literotica is an erotic literature site. Some people come here for lengthy, well written stories with lots of character development and a dash of sex; but (I suspect) most don't. Most are looking for quick whack off material that plays to their particular fantasy. Those people won't read lengthy stories, because it's not what they're looking for at the moment. Given that they're not reading lengthy stories, they're also not voting on them; they've moved on long before they've reached the bottom.

Conclusion? Lengthy pieces of well written literature may have higher scores, because only the people who read to the end, vote; and the only reason they got that far, was because they were enjoying the read. But those stories may have fewer readers that actually read to the end.

The Hot flag is something I strive for, even though I recognize that it's a very flawed rating system. The reason I strive for it is, it's pretty much the only reward for writing erotic fiction.

(And there's a helluva market for someone with experience in selling erotic fiction, to write a book entitled 'how to sell erotic fiction'. Who buys it? What do they pay? How do you attract their attention? The hard nuts and bolts, not the vacuous generalities. I want company names, addresses, pay schedules... every scrap of detail necessary to move from the 'unpaid' category, to the 'paid' category.)

Finally, when I wrote the second installment of my series, the scores on my first installment took a jump up. I suspect that what happened is that I attracted new readers with the second story, who then went back to the first story, read it, and gave it a high vote. That wouldn't have happened in reverse; if I'd written a poor second installment I would have got lower vote scores on that story, but few would have gone back, read the first one, and down voted it as well.

Conclusion? Sequential series stories on the same theme will keep an existing audience, while picking up new readers as well. Those new readers will then go back and read the earlier installments, and vote them up; and this will have the effect of raising the scores of earlier written stories in the same series.

(However, I'm not sure this works when you change genres; people looking for 'group sex' stories will not read 'incest' or bondage stories from the same author. Well written they may be, but they're not playing to the particular fantasy of the original audience, so they don't get read... at least, not by that particular fan base. They may create a new fan base, and there might be some cross pollination as well... people interested in both genres.)

And at the end of the day, we should also remember that there are virtually no authors on Literotica with less experience than me. So if someone disagrees with my conclusions, pay attention; for they're probably right.