When your story transcends category

[TalyisBagley]

My series "The Talons of a Dark Heart" seems to be in the wrong category. It's a medieval story so I placed the entire series under Sci-Fi/Fantasy but it also could have been placed under Non Consent for the first half of the story. I kept my story as a Sci-Fi/Fantasy but lost a ton of readers the chapter after the Non Consent chapter.

I thought about changing the categories throughout the series for the chapters that had stronger elements of Non Consent but it just didnt seem like the right choice to me. Or putting it under Novella as a whole but what is Novella? It is not quite exact for what someone might be looking for in terms of story preferences.

ANYWAYS

Some stories probably fair better under different categories. I've heard that some categories have more for lack of a better word "nit-picky" readers than others i.e romance category is a tough to please. Which is no problem, constructive feedback is constructive feedback.

It also seems that if you place your story under Non consent or BDSM you get anonymous hate comments that really don't offer constructive criticism and will vote your story into oblivion. Incest stories are the highest read and rated stories on the site.

SO

What's you take on writing stories that transcend category especially if its a series.

AND

What categories do stories fair better.


I'm not whining or complaining, I love the feedback I have gotten and the readers a TON.
I just want to find out what other writers have to say.

 

[jomar]

It can be a dilemma. Some break it into chapters and post the chapters in various appropriate categories. Others put an editors note before the story with a brief explanation of category antics. I've done both and still get one bombed because people don't get what they think should happen. Makes me laugh when I tell them exactly what to expect on the story and they get pissed and PC about it happening. What are ya gonna do...

 

[TalyisBagley]

It can be a dilemma. Some break it into chapters and post the chapters in various appropriate categories. Others put an editors note before the story with a brief explanation of category antics. I've done both and still get one bombed because people don't get what they think should happen. Makes me laugh when I tell them exactly what to expect on the story and they get pissed and PC about it happening. What are ya gonna do...

well, i revised my chapters because there were some mistakes from when I origially posted. I am leaning now to starting it as a non-consent story but i havent changed it yet.

there is a great non consent story by Eirin from years ago that might have faired better in another category but its a toplist for the category because there is more to the story than non-consent.

To me a good non consent series is about human mistakes and admends to those mistakes. Its fantasy- right? But is not fantasty for everyone.

I thought of putting something at the top of the story too, but then the element of surprise is gone so I use the tags instead.

some of the readers even mentioned it on my story to others who didnt like the twist- that it was in the story tags.