Where's Brenda -- Litbridge

[Litbridge]

Hi all: Just had my new piece approved. http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=492457. You're all welcome to comment, of course. Two concerns: One, it's too long. Two, as one person commented already, introducing a third party was 'over the top'. I could have edited out the part about Trevor and created a separate story, solving both issues in one stroke. But, as I thought it through, bringing Trevor into the play addresses the fantasy of many men who would like to watch their wives pleasured by another man. Also, while a bit out of the mainstream, this third-party play introduced new challenges for Bob and Brenda and, in the end, strengthened their commitment to each other. Your thoughts? Enjoy the read; I'm off to write something else!

 

[Litbridge]

Missed the mark...

I have crossed some line of acceptability and, probably, credulity with this piece of allegory. It's early yet but the trend is there... more votes than my first piece and even lower scores!

Public comments focus on the 'sex with a stranger' scenes as being both "jarring" and (my word) distasteful. Seems it's fine to read about infidelity in a short and shallow stroke (SSS) story. These appear to score better at Literotica. However, when the husband tacitly approves and is present at the event, well that's offensive and more than folks are willing to countenance.

This is, first and foremost a fantasy. Simply a story about Bob and Brenda, not a lifestyle endoresement from the author. I should perhaps stick to "serious" writing but I just don't see the challenge in writing SSS stories with no plot structure, humor, well scripted dialogue and character development. Oh well, grist for the mill. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Your story is in the "Loving Wives" category. It's readership is full of trolls and very confused readers. Don't take it personally or literarily; you're just facing the normal situation when you enter your story in Loving Wives.

 

[Litbridge]

Thanks Tio: Interesting! We learn something every day... which is a good thing

 

[Tio_Narratore]

See for yourself...here's a link to my "Loving Wives" story and a copy of my favourite comment on it. Most of the ratings it received were either 1 or 5.


http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=402722

what utter gibberish nonsense.
01/20/09 By: Anonymous
why don't you actually try writing a story with real character, as opposed to this utter nonsense? it's not the sex or the degradation. if in your mind that makes it good story telling, so be it.... but why don't you come up with believable characters? <p>

the total gibberish nonsense you churned out here, it's worse than shit... at least shit smells and we know it's shit; but this is utter bullshit of gibberish nonsense. it's a waste of the reader's time; a waste of your time, and a waste of Lit space...

 

[meathead96]

Sounds like JBJ and all the other "alts" they use. "Romance" category fares no better. "Erotic Couplings" has been the best so far as feedback goes. Seems to be more serious, and not many "trolll" at all.

See for yourself...here's a link to my "Loving Wives" story and a copy of my favourite comment on it. Most of the ratings it received were either 1 or 5.


http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=402722

what utter gibberish nonsense.
01/20/09 By: Anonymous
why don't you actually try writing a story with real character, as opposed to this utter nonsense? it's not the sex or the degradation. if in your mind that makes it good story telling, so be it.... but why don't you come up with believable characters? <p>

the total gibberish nonsense you churned out here, it's worse than shit... at least shit smells and we know it's shit; but this is utter bullshit of gibberish nonsense. it's a waste of the reader's time; a waste of your time, and a waste of Lit space...

 

[Litbridge]

Tio_N. Not sure what the writer was commenting about so negatively. I'd give your story a 4 anyway. I had one guy give me a good rating, saying he wasn't going to inject his own morals into evaluating the piece. It was what it was and he liked it. I wish more readers could value our writings that way.

 

[driphoney]

Tio_N. Not sure what the writer was commenting about so negatively. I'd give your story a 4 anyway. I had one guy give me a good rating, saying he wasn't going to inject his own morals into evaluating the piece. It was what it was and he liked it. I wish more readers could value our writings that way.

I think his point was to demonstrate the irrationality found in feedback on Loving Wives.

 

[_Lynn_]

Sounds like JBJ and all the other "alts" they use. "Romance" category fares no better. "Erotic Couplings" has been the best so far as feedback goes. Seems to be more serious, and not many "trolll" at all.

I have several Romance pieces and haven't had any problem with the comments or feedback at all.

 

[Cold_Eyes]

Public comments focus on the 'sex with a stranger' scenes as being both "jarring" and (my word) distasteful. Seems it's fine to read about infidelity in a short and shallow stroke (SSS) story. These appear to score better at Literotica. However, when the husband tacitly approves and is present at the event, well that's offensive and more than folks are willing to countenance.

Sorry, I haven't read your story (sorry, will do at some point, hopefully), but don't let that discourage you. LW, as I hear, is split into two camps, both of which cannot be pleased simultaneously. There also seems to be a double-standard amongst the trolls here. Most of what I do is in a niche far away from the trolls, but the one story I attempted about female infidelity did receive some trollish feedback from people who obviously hadn't read the entire story (and it wasn't even in LW). No one seemed to have a problem with all of the unfaithful men in my previous stories, but once an unfaithful woman was involved, whoa mama. So don't be deterred by this -- I think you're just going to get trollish feedback where cheating women are involved.

 

[Litbridge]

All good thoughts everyone. I keep probing the issue in my mind.

I understand most Lit readers are male. So does this response to Where's Brenda suggest anything about the male psyche? To put it crudely, what's mine is mine, what's yours can be mine -- speaking about spouses. Infidelity is very common in marriages (at least in the Western World). For every male who has sex outside of marriage, there must be an appreciable number of women too.

As I wrote in an earlier post, it seems male readers place themselves in the position of male characters in the story and can accept reading about extra-marital affairs but when the story is about the male character's wife enjoying another man, well that just doesn't wash. As one reader commented, the story took him to where he didn't want to go.

Also, on the limited data the comments provide, there is nevertheless a strong suggestion that Bob and Brenda's story is very illustrative of problems in many marriages today and while we are comfortable thinking about a dirty weekend with the wife to re-establish relations, as it were, it is totally unacceptable to even suggest this new found allegiance between spouses could, at least in part, be facilitated by one or both spouses experiencing the sexual interest of someone outside the marriage. Hmmm. I'll need to do some research and determine what (if any) studies have been done on the subject.

 

[driphoney]

It's completely anecdotal and based on my own feelings towards that genre and the comments so many have posted here over the last year--oh, and once I did go to the Top List and read some of the comments on top stories to see for myself--I think, for some reason, this is a genre that attracts mostly men.

Given the apparent popularity of that category, what it says to me about many men isn't something I should voice on a "co-ed" forum.

I wonder if the cat was truly loving wives who the majority of readers would be . . . .

But that's not to invalidate your comment about an equal number of cheating women. Since there are more un-married women than men ... but, it's true, lots of unfaithful women. Just most who've admitted it to me are ashamed of their past behavior (and that is totally 100% anecdotal.) Are men?

 

[Litbridge]

You always make so much sense Driphoney. I would love to have a "co-ed" discussion with you on these points because my sense is we are quite a bit in accord. My own theories of the dichotomy of perspectives between the sexes is too long winded to bring up here. Suffice to say I believe it is rooted in the concept of collectivism and sense of ownership, the two driving forces that define our existence and by which we continue to struggle in forming viable societies in an ever more rapidly changing and complicated world that promises we can have whatever we desire. Whew, glad to be done with that piece of philosophy.

More pragmatically, and to answer your question, my sense is "no", men generally hold themselves less hostage to guilt after an extra-marital affair. They can always rationalize the cause to justify their actions. Further, for many, the act of betrayal is more about sex than it is about relating to another human being. In other words, married men are more capable of cheating without any intended long-term emotional commitment to a third party. They may indeed feel true regret for the hurt caused to their spouse, if the infidelity is discovered, but they are likely to feel less guilty for their actions than a wife who has an affair. Further, as someone here once pointed out, women cheat for "softer" reasons -- emotional neglect, for example -- which means this is what they are seeking when taking another mate, while men will continue to think mostly with their little heads. It's a very primeval motivation for the male species and will likely always be with us.