What makes a story hot?

[ElectricBlue]

A story being hot or not has nothing to do with the red H. The red H only means it's well liked.

But surely readers vote high if they find it hot? It's the same indicator, in my mind, given that this is a smut site, and one assumes readers are here to get off. I think they reward stories that do that.

 

[MillieDynamite]

The vote is not about the sex in the story but how they liked the whole story. The story and the sex (outside jerk stories) have more than sex. This is a literature site with an emphasis on erotica. Not a pron site. To be sure, some of the literature is porn, but not all or even most of it. The best stories on the site have developed plots and 3-dimensional characters. The top Loving Wives story for the past 30 days is THE ANGELS OF BATAAN, almost 30,000 words, and not all of it, or even most of it, is about sex. It's a tale of redemption and heroism. It has 21,000 + reads and 89 votes, and a 4.9 rating.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

The vote is not about the sex in the story but how they liked the whole story. The story and the sex (outside jerk stories) have more than sex. This is a literature site with an emphasis on erotica. Not a pron site. To be sure, some of the literature is porn, but not all or even most of it. The best stories on the site have developed plots and 3-dimensional characters. The top Loving Wives story for the past 30 days is THE ANGELS OF BATAAN, almost 30,000 words, and not all of it, or even most of it, is about sex. It's a tale of redemption and heroism. It has 21,000 + reads and 89 votes, and a 4.9 rating.

My favourite stories on this site are very much "come for the porn, stay for the plot" type of stories.

 

[MillieDynamite]

My favourite stories on this site are very much "come for the porn, stay for the plot" type of stories.

You mean, cum with porn and stay for the plot once you have, LOL

 

[Bubo_bubo]

You mean, cum with porn and stay for the plot once you have, LOL

https://media4.giphy.com/media/1yiecrBJI2ULOdIoDb/giphy.gif

 

[Djmac1031]

Everyone's already answered the technical way you get a red H.

As for how to actually create a story good enough to earn one?

Just write. There are so many different audiences here looking for different types of stories. Write what you want and that audience will find you.

I have a very small readership than others who've been at this far longer and write far better.

But the audience I've attracted is pretty loyal, loyal enough to give my stories good ratings.

The only thing I take away from my red H ratings is e ough people liked my story to get the numbers there.

But I don't consider it bragging rights or anything.

Just a compliment from my readers I appreciate.

 

[oggbashan]

When I post a story I have no idea whether it will get a red H or not.

Some that I was very pleased about when writing never make 4.00.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

What I learn from all this is that readers are fickle bitches and can't be trusted to give a story the points it deserves. And that they're also the be-all and end-all to decide whether a story is hot or not.
Yay... I guess?

 

[PennameWombat]

What I learn from all this is that readers are fickle bitches and can't be trusted to give a story the points it deserves.

That's too harsh by a bit. By and large, many well-written stories here do often get good scores and find audiences. Not all, but there is so much material it doesn't all get found. As to something like contests, those are harder to say where craft + eroticism + popularity overlap. But there are some contributors here (not me) who've placed in a contest to a bit of their own self-professed surprise.

And that they're also the be-all and end-all to decide whether a story is hot or not.
Yay... I guess?

"50 Shades of Grey" has been discussed on this Forum more than once, roundly dismissed for, among various reasons, the abysmal writing as well as its, uh, let's just say ridiculous portrayal of BDSM.

But, uh, E. L. James has, uh, well, unless she's blown it all on NFTs or something, a rather fat bank balance. Because the readers, not any critics, are the ones who decided it was "hot."

So... uh... yeah... yay.

 

[EarlyMorningLight]

That's too harsh by a bit. By and large, many well-written stories here do often get good scores and find audiences. Not all, but there is so much material it doesn't all get found. As to something like contests, those are harder to say where craft + eroticism + popularity overlap. But there are some contributors here (not me) who've placed in a contest to a bit of their own self-professed surprise.

"50 Shades of Grey" has been discussed on this Forum more than once, roundly dismissed for, among various reasons, the abysmal writing as well as its, uh, let's just say ridiculous portrayal of BDSM.

But, uh, E. L. James has, uh, well, unless she's blown it all on NFTs or something, a rather fat bank balance. Because the readers, not any critics, are the ones who decided it was "hot."

So... uh... yeah... yay.

I've had some really lovely and thoughtful feedback from commenters who are solely readers on Lit, but I generally value comments or feedback from other writers much more highly. That might not be a recipe for popularity, but it brings me a great deal of satisfaction.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

That's too harsh by a bit. By and large, many well-written stories here do often get good scores and find audiences. Not all, but there is so much material it doesn't all get found. As to something like contests, those are harder to say where craft + eroticism + popularity overlap. But there are some contributors here (not me) who've placed in a contest to a bit of their own self-professed surprise.

"50 Shades of Grey" has been discussed on this Forum more than once, roundly dismissed for, among various reasons, the abysmal writing as well as its, uh, let's just say ridiculous portrayal of BDSM.

But, uh, E. L. James has, uh, well, unless she's blown it all on NFTs or something, a rather fat bank balance. Because the readers, not any critics, are the ones who decided it was "hot."

So... uh... yeah... yay.

All you say is very valid. Like my need for sarcasm tags.

 

[SimonDoom]

All you say is very valid. Like my need for sarcasm tags.

Sarcasm/mood/tone tags are a great idea. Think of how much confusion over tone could be avoided. I guess emojis can serve that purpose, although even emojis can be misinterpreted. The "rolling eyes" emoji can be interpreted as "don't take what I'm saying too seriously" or "I think you are an idiot." In chats, you never know for sure.

 

[txblush]

A not so ridiculous portray of the BDSM genre and I've been told it's hot. https://literotica.com/s/vicinity-2

Enjoy and Happy Tuesday everyone!

 

[mirafrida]

There is only one moderator, Laurel gives out the Green E which simply means she liked the story and has the same issues with it an H does, was it a quality story, a hot story, or just to her it was.

The Green E is a tough thing because it makes the story a bullseye for one bombers.

But back to how meaningless it is, Keith D has several from years ago, but after he ran afoul of Laurel who branded him a troll because he and I called out how the site was cheating monthly contest winners out of money, he has never seen another one. Has his writing changed? No, just another example of the childish manner things are often run here.

As far as I've ever been able to tell, the "E" thing has been tailing off into oblivion for years. Since I've been dropping by, sighting one is like spotting a passenger-pigeon. Maybe there's just nothing left that Laurel finds interesting

 

[SimonDoom]

The vote is not about the sex in the story but how they liked the whole story.

I'm going to disagree with you somewhat, Millie. I agree that too many people disparage the connection between scores and quality, because I think it's clear that there is SOME correlation, and I agree there's a big audience here for stories that are long and feature plots and character development and don't necessarily put sex front and center.

However, there's also a big audience that wants sex front and center in stories, and those stories can do well too, even if the prose and character development aren't great. This is an erotic story site. Many come here to find a story to wank to. That's the reality. For those readers--and there are many of them--the wankier the better.

Bottom line is, all generalizations are hazardous. I think if you read enough stories here and follow the data you can draw some very loose generalizations about average behavior here, but we're just talking about statistical averages, and at best all we do is estimate where they fall with rather low degrees of confidence.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I'm going to disagree with you somewhat, Millie. I agree that too many people disparage the connection between scores and quality, because I think it's clear that there is SOME correlation, and I agree there's a big audience here for stories that are long and feature plots and character development and don't necessarily put sex front and center.

However, there's also a big audience that wants sex front and center in stories, and those stories can do well too, even if the prose and character development aren't great. This is an erotic story site. Many come here to find a story to wank to. That's the reality. For those readers--and there are many of them--the wankier the better.

Bottom line is, all generalizations are hazardous. I think if you read enough stories here and follow the data you can draw some very loose generalizations about average behavior here, but we're just talking about statistical averages, and at best all we do is estimate where they fall with rather low degrees of confidence.

I agree with you, actually.

 

[Duleigh]

Some stories have a red H behind the title, marking them hot.
I wonder what makes a story hot. Is it the rating, number of views, number of views favourites or sth. else?

A score of 4.5 or higher gives you the Red H and I believe there's a minimum number of votes required but it's not a lot

As for what makes a story HOT - that's an entirely different bucket of worms. If you had a story that received 100 5 votes and you were able to ask every reader that gave your story a 5 why they gave that story a 5, you would get 100 different reasons.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Length matters a lot.

You could be Cormac Mcarthy, but if your story is 2,000 words, it's almost impossible that you'd get a score of above 4.5 (red h)

However, if your writing is basic quality, plays it safe, hits all the right notes, and is 6,000+ words, then the chances of getting a red H are much higher.

Longer means higher chances, if you play it safe. There are some landminds, like cheating or any crazy plot points or fetishes.

If it's long enough, only people who love it will be there at the end, voting on it.

I question the validity of the length being that much of a factor in itself. Longer stories give the author the time (and words) to develop characters and plot, but there are several under 2K stories where the same is accomplished. I have only one story under 2K and it has a H.

I was fortunate to have my first story submitted on LIT be a monthly contest winner and draw a loyal following of readers - and I mean LOYAL. They have rated most of my subsequent stories higher than I think some of them deserve. 62 out of 66 submitted stories remain with the H, and while the majority are longer, I still attribute their success more to those readers who have jumped on my bandwagon and refused to get off. I give all the credit to them.

 

[SimonDoom]

I question the validity of the length being that much of a factor in itself. Longer stories give the author the time (and words) to develop characters and plot, but there are several under 2K stories where the same is accomplished. I have only one story under 2K and it has a H.

I was fortunate to have my first story submitted on LIT be a monthly contest winner and draw a loyal following of readers - and I mean LOYAL. They have rated most of my subsequent stories higher than I think some of them deserve. 62 out of 66 submitted stories remain with the H, and while the majority are longer, I still attribute their success more to those readers who have jumped on my bandwagon and refused to get off. I give all the credit to them.

The data very clearly suggest that length matters. There is an enormous average difference between stories under 2000 words and stories of 6000 words or more.

It may be, as you say, because it's easier to develop characters and backstory in 6,000 words--in fact, I agree completely--but that's exactly why, for most authors, writing a longer story is more likely to get you a higher score.

I also disagree for this additional reason. Readers seek arousal. Some use stories for stroke purposes. It may be that a certain minimum length is needed for many readers to achieve the "satisfaction" they are seeking when they choose a Literotica story. To be blunt about it, if a story is too short, they'll reach the end before they're done. That's no fun.

I remember one of my appreciative readers telling me he came when my male character's fingers touched the female character's panties, long before they got to the hottest and heaviest part of their encounter. From the reader's point of view, that's the ideal--getting so aroused by the story that they cannot wait until the end.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

The data very clearly suggest that length matters. There is an enormous average difference between stories under 2000 words and stories of 6000 words or more.

It may be, as you say, because it's easier to develop characters and backstory in 6,000 words--in fact, I agree completely--but that's exactly why, for most authors, writing a longer story is more likely to get you a higher score.

I also disagree for this additional reason. Readers seek arousal. Some use stories for stroke purposes. It may be that a certain minimum length is needed for many readers to achieve the "satisfaction" they are seeking when they choose a Literotica story. To be blunt about it, if a story is too short, they'll reach the end before they're done. That's no fun.

I remember one of my appreciative readers telling me he came when my male character's fingers touched the female character's panties, long before they got to the hottest and heaviest part of their encounter. From the reader's point of view, that's the ideal--getting so aroused by the story that they cannot wait until the end.

I won't dispute your view or the opinion shared by many here that a number of readers on this site are here strictly for the titillation factor. I don't cater to that crowd with my stories, with most of them including little sex or only implied sexual activities.

Arousal is not what my typical reader covets, yet my stories seem to be well received based on the ratings and the comments. I understand generalizations are easy, but are they always right?

 

[MelissaBaby]

I won't dispute your view or the opinion shared by many here that a number of readers on this site are here strictly for the titillation factor. I don't cater to that crowd with my stories, with most of them including little sex or only implied sexual activities.

Arousal is not what my typical reader covets, yet my stories seem to be well received based on the ratings and the comments. I understand generalizations are easy, but are they always right?

I've been making that point here for years, and it always falls on deaf ears. It's pretty much a daily thing for someone to post a comment that "we are here to give people orgasms" or "the point of erotica is arousal."

Yeah, that's almost certainly true for the majority of readers, but those of us who don't write to that standard and the readers who enjoy our work are generally erased from the conversation.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I've been making that point here for years, and it always falls on deaf ears. It's pretty much a daily thing for someone to post a comment that "we are here to give people orgasms" or "the point of erotica is arousal."

Yeah, that's almost certainly true for the majority of readers, but those of us who don't write to that standard and the readers who enjoy our work are generally erased from the conversation.

Funny you should say that, Melissa. I've just made a similar observation over in the thread where people think you need "problems" and high drama for erotica to work, whereas I think you need contemplation (and sometimes, the quieter the better).

Other post, in Simon's taboo thread

 

[MillieDynamite]

Funny you should say that, Melissa. I've just made a similar observation over in the thread where people think you need "problems" and high drama for erotica to work, whereas I think you need contemplation (and sometimes, the quieter the better).

Other post, in Simon's taboo thread

As I said on the other thread, Foreplay, fucking, and afterglow are dramatic. Of course, men don't always understand this.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

The formula on how to get that magic number is a mystery. I've got a few hot stories but they're all very different, so buggered if I know.

Maybe being buggered is what makes it hot?

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Length matters a lot.

You could be Cormac Mcarthy, but if your story is 2,000 words, it's almost impossible that you'd get a score of above 4.5 (red h)

However, if your writing is basic quality, plays it safe, hits all the right notes, and is 6,000+ words, then the chances of getting a red H are much higher.

Longer means higher chances, if you play it safe. There are some landminds, like cheating or any crazy plot points or fetishes.

If it's long enough, only people who love it will be there at the end, voting on it.

So, here’s the thing about that.

When I wrote my story my plan was to do it just like you suggest, play it safe with no crazy plot points or fetishes.

But fast forward to writing and it included pegging, gay/bisexual sex, BDSM and revenge.

The chapter that features all these was voted my hottest one so…