The Silent Comments

[AG31]

I hope people are favoriting my stories to read again later. Of course, given that some people have thousands of favorites, I really can’t say.

That's what I do. I have a grand total five stories favorited. And I have re-read at least a couple of them some time later.

That's why I favorite stories. To go back and enjoy them again.

 

[AchtungNight]

You can change your vote.

Did not know this.

 

[AG31]

I have a basic question. When somebody 'favorites' a story or 'follows' you, does that mean it alerts them when you post a new story? I have never followed anybody, nor do I have any favorites.

I do use this feature when I get a comment or a favorite or a follow or some such thing to see what or who else are on the list. That gives me ideas of a reading list. Better than tags.

If they favorite you, they see your new stories in there Home/All Activity tab in the avatar dropdown on the Stories side.

 

[lc69hunter]

My assumption is that bookmarking automatically adds a story to favorites, or vice versa, but that some users manually toggle both.

I will bookmark a story to read later, but that does not automatically make it a favorite. I will sometimes bookmark a story, not necessarily to read later, but to remind myself to peruse some of the author's other stories

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Honestly, if my stories were helping alien spacecraft pilots get off? I'd be pretty proud of myself.

You are probably responsible for all those crashes in New Mexico. Poor guys like flew across the cosmos trouble free then got distracted by your smut...

 

[Voboy]

You are probably responsible for all those crashes in New Mexico. Poor guys like flew across the cosmos trouble free then got distracted by your smut...

That's too bad. My stories aim for a more sophisticated, "Chesapeake Bay"-style vibe. But hell, if our extraterrestrial future overlords friends get more of a New Mexico feel from them, why, who am I to argue?

 

[Gamblnluck]

But then you start wondering: WHY?

They didn't Favorite a single story, let alone comment on one. Obviously they must have read SOMETHING they liked... but WHAT? Which story drew them in? Have the read more than one story? WILL they read more? Will they read your new ones when you publish?

I am guessing they read a few or even several of your stories and decided to 'follow' you. I personally do not follow anybody. I wish I knew what they liked about my stories..

 

[KitOwsley]

I'm new, still getting the lay of Literotica land. As much as I'd like to think people have favorited my stories because they like my writing and share my preferences, I always feel bad when I check their profiles and view their other favorites. All the other stories they like focus on kinks I've incorporated for storytelling convenience but don't really turn me on. My series includes a stepmother/milf character that I sexualized occasionally and off-handedly during non-sex scenes, but she never has sex with anyone. When I see all the stepmother / mother / milf stories in the favorites sections of readers who favorited me, I imagine them hating me when they finish my last chapter.

On the other hand, I'm now having a lot of fun with a sequel where we discover that the stepmother / milf isn't the frigid church-lady that the protagonist thought she was, and they fuck like crazy. So I guess I'm glad I imagined all that disappointment and hatred.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Thanks - I'll have to think about it for a while. I don't get many negative comments, and the one's I've gotten have had some value as a writer. Same with low ratings - I look back at my lower rated stories and I can see why they got low ratings.

I get a lot of negative comments. That is euphemism for 'asshole' comments. Big deal. I let readers see them all. (I have to admit I recently did delete a few comments just after posting my opinions here on the forum.) I like my readers to see what others thought of my story. I am not so sensitive to keep that to myself. I take the good with the bad.

 

[Gamblnluck]

You can change your vote.

Now you can. I think a while back once you rated a story it was locked.

I'm gonna piss some people off here. :::: Authors who don't allow comments nor scoring OR delete negative comments that offend them are little childish pantywaists who are so insensitive they cannot stand to be told 'NO'. They are part of the culture where everyone who plays deserves a trophy. There is no downside for failure.

If an author writes a crap story and I decide to comment, I will tell him why and where he screwed up. Sometimes, I do it by PM. I do that when I think the author has some real talent but needs some honest feedback when his story is failing. I do this most often with new authors. I often praise them for having the balls to post a story in the first place.

The 'we all need to sit back, praise each other and sing kumbaya' is crap. Write a decent story. If you fail and somebody tells you why, take it and move on. Incorporate that.

 

[Gamblnluck]

All the other stories they like focus on kinks I've incorporated for storytelling convenience but don't really turn me on.

I'm not sure why some of the readers who favorited me did so. i will say I look at their list for stories to read. Many times, I leave wondering....

 

[alohadave]

I'm gonna piss some people off here. :::: Authors who don't allow comments nor scoring OR delete negative comments that offend them are little childish pantywaists who are so insensitive they cannot stand to be told 'NO'. They are part of the culture where everyone who plays deserves a trophy. There is no downside for failure.

I delete negative comments. If you feel that makes me a pantywaste, that's just your opinion. You are free to feel that way.

You can say whatever you want, but I do not need to allow you to use my story comments as your free speech zone.

IMO, people complain about participation trophies miss the point of them and what their purpose is. No one at Lit gets anything just for posting stories here.

 

[Gamblnluck]

delete negative comments. If you feel that makes me a pantywaste, that's just your opinion. You are free to feel that way.

I'm not talking the ones that tell you to put a bullet in your head as you are a waste of humankind. I am talking about those who do not bend down onto their knees and bow to your greatness. honest comments either way should be seen.

 

[Voboy]

Now you can. I think a while back once you rated a story it was locked.

I'm gonna piss some people off here. :::: Authors who don't allow comments nor scoring OR delete negative comments that offend them are little childish pantywaists who are so insensitive they cannot stand to be told 'NO'. They are part of the culture where everyone who plays deserves a trophy. There is no downside for failure.

If an author writes a crap story and I decide to comment, I will tell him why and where he screwed up. Sometimes, I do it by PM. I do that when I think the author has some real talent but needs some honest feedback when his story is failing. I do this most often with new authors. I often praise them for having the balls to post a story in the first place.

The 'we all need to sit back, praise each other and sing kumbaya' is crap. Write a decent story. If you fail and somebody tells you why, take it and move on. Incorporate that.

There's a difference between "I don't want any negative comments" and "I don't see why I should pay any attention to criticisms by some fellow called GamblnLuck."

I think you might be confusing those two points of view, and I doubt you know why any given writer chooses to disallow comments. Though I'm sure you think you do.

 

[Gamblnluck]

There's a difference between "I don't want any negative comments" and "I don't see why I should pay any attention to criticisms by some fellow called GamblnLuck."

I think you might be confusing those two points of view, and I doubt you know why any given writer chooses to disallow comments. Though I'm sure you think you do.

I have a couple of my author friends who also serve as beta readers. Among us, we are honest. We tell each other where the story does not work. Is it the flow of the narrative or a plot hole? One steadfastly refuses comments. Why? He was burned to the point he hates hearing anything about his stories from readers, good or bad. He does look at scoring however. He celebrates a 'win' for himself and the rest of us.
Even when he writes a story that is an overall hit, scoring- wise he refuses to allow ANY comment. We discuss his stories and mine. We have both improved as a result. For him it is an audience of of a few. Me, I see a massive response often. I just ignore the ones that tell me to crawl into a corner and die, not delete them.

 

[Gamblnluck]

IMO, people complain about participation trophies miss the point of them and what their purpose is. No one at Lit gets anything just for posting stories here.

There have been many posts here about "If I am not happy with a story I will not comment. I will let it go." Now you tell me, just how does that help the author? Tell him what he did. If you do not want to do it publicly, at least send him a PM. Let him know why his story failed. Was it category? Or was it something else.

 

[Gamblnluck]

No one at Lit gets anything just for posting stories here.

No they don't. We do not get money or accolades. I will tell you I have read a couple of your stories and will likely read more. I like the ones i read so far. But if I see something where I think you missed the boat, I will tell you. And why.

Oh, and I came back to edit this. If you happen to read and comment on one of my stories, I hope you are honest in your assessment. I can almost guarantee you I will not delete it.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I delete negative comments. If you feel that makes me a pantywaste, that's just your opinion. You are free to feel that way.

You can say whatever you want, but I do not need to allow you to use my story comments as your free speech zone.

IMO, people complain about participation trophies miss the point of them and what their purpose is. No one at Lit gets anything just for posting stories here.

I can see your point but feel it depends on the nature of the comment.

I have deleted some that were at risk of hijacking the comment section. I have a dystopian sci-fi piece that references the Socialists as a political party in the distant future. A couple of guys started fighting about what socialist meant and I felt it had nothing to do with the story. I think that is a fair reason to delete a couple of comments.

The only other comments I delete are personal; attacks on me. You have an issue with my story, leave a comment. You have an issue with me, as Tom Holland said, "Text me. If you don't have my number, then you probably don't know me well enough to have a problem with me." Yup, major DELETE!

I have had scathing comments about the way I handled things that I have considered deleting, but I figure if they are that vested in my characters that, for example, an implied affair pisses them off, by all means, vent to your hearts content. I'll soak in your passion and feed off it.
In that particular instance, I kind of agree with them, anyway. It was sloppy writing that let them think that, so I earned it.

 

[Voboy]

I have a couple of my author friends who also serve as beta readers.

Ah.

So, you're generalizing from a massive sample. Carry on, then.

 

[Bamagan]

Now you can. I think a while back once you rated a story it was locked.

I'm gonna piss some people off here. :::: Authors who don't allow comments nor scoring OR delete negative comments that offend them are little childish pantywaists who are so insensitive they cannot stand to be told 'NO'. They are part of the culture where everyone who plays deserves a trophy. There is no downside for failure.

Knowing now that you feel this way, as a person who does not feel the need for the validation of voting, I will chuckle to myself as I delete, unread, any comments you leave on my stories, in the unlikely event that you ever choose to do so.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

An intriguing question.

But the one that puplexes me more is the Random Follower.

Its been weeks, maybe months since your last story published. And then, out of nowhere you get the notification: "SoNSo has started following you."

Excellent! LOVE new followers! Who wouldn't, right?

But then you start wondering: WHY?

They didn't Favorite a single story, let alone comment on one. Obviously they must have read SOMETHING they liked... but WHAT? Which story drew them in? Have the read more than one story? WILL they read more? Will they read your new ones when you publish?

THERE ARE SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

I had a follower do this recently and they only followed myself and the prolific author Estcher.

When I saw that I was really puzzled.

It was like someone’s two favourite authors being Ernest Hemingway and Roger Hargreaves.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Ah.

So, you're generalizing from a massive sample. Carry on, then.

NO. I simply accept the validity of comments based on who wrote them. That is only for my own purposes. If I know the person is an author, I give his comments far more credence than 'Anonom" I figure a fellow author is looking at my story in a different light. They know what it takes to write a decent story. (hopefully). Was my plot gaping with dumbass holes? Why did he/she not like it? etc. But even the anonymous guy telling me to crawl into a hole and kill myself, I do not delete it.

 

[Gamblnluck]

who does not feel the need for the validation of voting,

and how do you not think I NOT validate voting? I never said that. Actually I condemned the practice of thin skinned authors who refuse to accept negative comments. My position is read them, accept them, let your other readers read them. Let them make the decision on how to vote.

I never liked 'cherry picking". At one time I was in the heart surgery business. I had a patient tell me he wanted a certain surgeon because he had a 95% success rate. What the patient did not understand was that particular surgeon was NOT that good. He simply only accepted patients he figured would have a good outcome. Those who had a simple two bypass, easy access surgery.

That surgeon never accepted patients that really needed surgery and would likely die soon without it. He wanted great stats and worked hard to get them. People in the know understood that, but patients did not. Nor could you tell them. It is simple cherry picking.

An author that deletes every negative comment is doing the same thing. They are stacking the deck to make themselves look better. Scoring is out of their control. When you see and author with a 3.5 score but only comments that praise the story, you have to wonder.

 

[Voboy]

NO. I simply accept the validity of comments based on who wrote them. That is only for my own purposes. If I know the person is an author, I give his comments far more credence than 'Anonom" I figure a fellow author is looking at my story in a different light. They know what it takes to write a decent story. (hopefully). Was my plot gaping with dumbass holes? Why did he/she not like it? etc. But even the anonymous guy telling me to crawl into a hole and kill myself, I do not delete it.

That's not what I'm talking about at all.

I'm talking about you, generalizing that "Authors who don't allow comments nor scoring OR delete negative comments that offend them are little childish pantywaists who are so insensitive they cannot stand to be told 'NO'. They are part of the culture where everyone who plays deserves a trophy."

I'm staggered that you think you know anything at all about why a writer here would make that choice. Go ahead and speak for yourself, but don't presume to speak for anyone else. You have no idea why anyone else does anything... other than your two beta-reading buddies, I suppose.

And I'm speaking as someone who's never disallowed comments nor votes, and who's fine with people leaving negative comments on my stories. But I also don't judge people who do make that choice. The site allows it; more power to them.

 

[Gamblnluck]

I'm talking about you, generalizing that "Authors who don't allow comments nor scoring OR delete negative comments that offend them are little childish pantywaists who are so insensitive they cannot stand to be told 'NO'. They are part of the culture where everyone who plays deserves a trophy."

Yep. Part of that liberal, 'if it offends, it is wrong so ignore it' mentality.