Where to get category advice?

[Cee2ShiningCee]

I have two stories that will be ready to publish soon, my first submissions here. Both stories are introductions to characters that will be the protagonists in future stories.

I need some advice about selecting categories for these stories. I've read a few of the How-To articles here about categories, but I am still unsure.

Is it OK to ask for category assignment advice in the Author's Hangout, or is there a better place?

My plan is to describe the characters and the main points of the initial stories, include what category I was planning to assign, and then learn why those aren't right!

 

[NotWise]

I have two stories that will be ready to publish soon, my first submissions here. Both stories are introductions to characters that will be the protagonists in future stories.

I need some advice about selecting categories for these stories. I've read a few of the How-To articles here about categories, but I am still unsure.

Is it OK to ask for category assignment advice in the Author's Hangout, or is there a better place?

My plan is to describe the characters and the main points of the initial stories, include what category I was planning to assign, and then learn why those aren't right!

This is a good place to ask, but you might want to make your descriptions brief.

 

[ElectricBlue]

What's the primary kink? Start with that, it's the fundamental thing.

Question: why two stories to establish two characters? Wouldn't you establish both in the one story? What's your planned chapter length, story length? These can all factor in to the best category strategy.

We need more information to give you sensible advice.

 

[SimonDoom]

First of all, make sure you have read Tx Tall Tales's article "Love Your Readers:Categories." It is the bible on this subject.

Does your story involve a "Trump" category, meaning a category that it must go in even if it involves other elements? Incest is a Trump category. Non-con is a Trump category.

What is the primary focus?

What's the most popular category that it touches on? Incest is by far the most popular category, followed by Loving Wives. If it has Illustrations, always put it in Illustrated. After that, it's less clear, but Non-Con, Anal, and Mature are all popular categories.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Does your story involve a "Trump" category, meaning a category that it must go in even if it involves other elements? Incest is a Trump category. Non-con is a Trump category.

EB looked closely at Simon's post. Wait, wasn't there a discussion in another thread about this very topic? He shrugged, pouring milk on his cornflakes.

 

[Cee2ShiningCee]

OK, I'll post here.

The two stories I mentioned are unrelated. Each establishes a protagonist for which I have some further story ideas. I'll focus on only one for now.

The character begins as an everyday guy who after a couple unexpected events becomes a bull for married women. The focus is on the bull rather than the wives or their husbands, though they certainly feature prominently.

My first inclination is to assign the Loving Wives" category, but evidently, readers of that category have strong opinions of what does and does not belong in it. In particular, many readers expect that a "loving wife" must pay a heavy price for her extra marital activity and while that might occur when my protagonist is involved, it's not a rule nor the focus.

This character has two main motivations: (A) he needs sexual variety and (B) he likes to perform in front of the woman's husband or boyfriend.

Thanks for your input/feedback!

 

[NotWise]

I think that if you even use the term "bull" that it should probably go to LW. Erotic Coupling is an alternative. Depending on how you write the relationships and how the story plays out, then Group Sex might also be an option.

 

[jaF0]

Thanks for your input/feedback!

I wouldn't use that term unless you're talking about a barnyard.

To me, LW focuses more on the couple than any third.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I think that if you even use the term "bull" that it should probably go to LW. Erotic Coupling is an alternative. Depending on how you write the relationships and how the story plays out, then Group Sex might also be an option.

What about Ex/Voy? Sounds like there's an exhibitionist aspect but I'm not familiar enough with the category to know whether it'd go down well.

 

[Cee2ShiningCee]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I used the word "bull" to keep the story description short. That term explains a trait of the character aptly enough for the description needed here.

The leading candidate is Loving Wives, but I wish TxTallTales or someone else had written the How-To he alluded to, "[LW] is worth a How-To of its own."

I was planning to write more in this message, but I'm a little discouraged right now and I doubt writing more would be productive. I'll summarize.

It's great that Literotica exists. It has the most content, and the most high quality content, of any similar site I've found. The site itself (menus, etc.) has a lot of issues. I haven't read a lot of comments by readers about that, so perhaps those issues trouble me more than others. The category system, though, seems like a fundamental flaw. I understand that providing readers with the tools they need to find the content they seek is vitally important, and there's no way to do that perfectly. Unfortunately, the current category system is an impediment.

 

[Bramblethorn]

It's great that Literotica exists. It has the most content, and the most high quality content, of any similar site I've found. The site itself (menus, etc.) has a lot of issues. I haven't read a lot of comments by readers about that, so perhaps those issues trouble me more than others. The category system, though, seems like a fundamental flaw. I understand that providing readers with the tools they need to find the content they seek is vitally important, and there's no way to do that perfectly. Unfortunately, the current category system is an impediment.

You're not the only one to take issue with the category system, and Laurel and/or Manu have mentioned that improving it is on the to-do list, but it's a long list.

 

[Abbafan]

First of all, make sure you have read Tx Tall Tales's article "Love Your Readers:Categories." It is the bible on this subject.

Does your story involve a "Trump" category, meaning a category that it must go in even if it involves other elements? Incest is a Trump category. Non-con is a Trump category.

What is the primary focus?

What's the most popular category that it touches on? Incest is by far the most popular category, followed by Loving Wives. If it has Illustrations, always put it in Illustrated. After that, it's less clear, but Non-Con, Anal, and Mature are all popular categories.

Incest seems to trump everything, since I see BDSM, cheating wives, non-con, pretty much all the other controversial topics end up there if its a multi category story and there's incest.

There seems to be a hierarchy, like there is with playing cards.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Incest seems to trump everything, since I see BDSM, cheating wives, non-con, pretty much all the other controversial topics end up there if its a multi category story and there's incest.

There seems to be a hierarchy, like there is with playing cards.

At one time we were speculating if Laurel was coralling Incest stories all in the one place, in case she had to cut it loose. Now that the moral climate has calmed down somewhat, that's probably no longer the case.

It's an obvious category cluster, but she will allow a secondary incest theme to go into another category - she'll add an Editor's Note saying "Incest Themes".

 

[Abbafan]

At one time we were speculating if Laurel was coralling Incest stories all in the one place, in case she had to cut it loose. Now that the moral climate has calmed down somewhat, that's probably no longer the case.

It's an obvious category cluster, but she will allow a secondary incest theme to go into another category - she'll add an Editor's Note saying "Incest Themes".

Ah, OK. I haven't read other categories quit as much. Guess I shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that it didn't sometimes go the other way.

 

[NotWise]

Ah, OK. I haven't read other categories quit as much. Guess I shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that it didn't sometimes go the other way.

I think it's part of Lit Lore that anything having to do with incest is forced into the I/T category. I was surprised when I started looking at the tag clouds to find "incest" as a tag on stories in several categories.

From what I've seen written here, the projected trend is to put more emphasis on tags and less on category. That means that you need to be careful with your tags.

 

[KeithD]

I think it's part of Lit Lore that anything having to do with incest is forced into the I/T category. I was surprised when I started looking at the tag clouds to find "incest" as a tag on stories in several categories.

From what I've seen written here, the projected trend is to put more emphasis on tags and less on category. That means that you need to be careful with your tags.

I have a few incest stories in GM. I wouldn't mark a GM story to the Incest category, and Laurel hasn't redirected any of my GM incest stories to Incest.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I think it's part of Lit Lore that anything having to do with incest is forced into the I/T category. I was surprised when I started looking at the tag clouds to find "incest" as a tag on stories in several categories.

It's not an absolute. I have a transgender story with a sibling incest sub-theme. I felt the I&T crowd might not like the primary trans theme so much, so I asked Laurel to put into the Transgender category, which she did - with an Editor's Note added at the top.