Wish there was a way!!

[ladyshy]

I wish there was away for authors to post their stories as multiple categories, instead of putting it in as a note at the beginning of a story(if they do that). Sometimes I run up on a great story by accident that i really like but it's in a category that i didn't expect it to be in. Right now I'm looking for lesbian stories in the sci-fi or non human and interracial categories or mature stories in the non-consent and interracial categories. it's hard to find if you don't have specifics to search for.
Just as an example i read Creatures of Habit in the Non-consent but i would like to go to the mature category and find similar stories. It can get a little frustrating at times when you're looking for something specific and you're set on it.

Ahhh anyway if anyone has read any good lesbian stories that are in scifi and non-human categories could you drop me a few titles

 

[Serafina1210]

If you go to "search for stories" on the main page and click "advanced search," you'll find you can search by tag. You can restrict the search to recent stories and search in specific categories (though that last doesn't seem to work on my phone). You should be able to quickly find any story whose author has included "lesbian" in the tag.

 

[ladyshy]

yeah you're right

Your right but some of those stories doesn't have lesbian included in the tags even though their lesbian stories posted in other categories

 

[sr71plt]

Your right but some of those stories doesn't have lesbian included in the tags even though their lesbian stories posted in other categories

Unfortunately, if an author didn't mark lesbian content in the tags they wouldn't be likely to make it one of multiple categories either it they had that option.

 

[LWulf]

I've seen some writers who use tags that are completely wrong. They use obscure meaningless tags that ARE part of the story but they are meaningless to someone who is looking for a particular subject matter. It's totally dis-associative.

I've seen things like "red ball" which was just someone came in and was looking for their ball. "Airplane flight" was used and there was no sex on the flight, they just used a airplane to get to an island vacation. Other examples like that make the tags useless in that regard.

I likewise have thought I could use more than one category for my stories, but I guess the consensus is to use tags instead.

 

[ladyshy]

I've seen that. I was wondering who posted the tags for the stories because some are only related to that story and that story only. Some make very little sense. i think someone should let the authors know how tags should be posted for their story if any readers have a chance of finding it out of the thousands of stories posted on the site. the tags are just so random and not something a readers can just make up off the top of their head.

past gail
jeep cherokee
neck alex
he'd left

Are just a few of the one's i've seen that make no sense. It's like their just choosing random parts from sentences in their stories for their tags. the only way anyone could find it is if someone's has already read the story and remembered the tag. I wish there was a tag list the authors had to choose from for there stories because some of them obviously don't understand how tags are suppose to work.

 

[sr71plt]

The category hub pages do provide lists of the most-used tags for that category. The list indicates how relatively popular they are in use. The authors could choose to select from that list.

 

[Howbizarre]

I have my first story (still pending after a paragraph length rejection) waiting for approval.

I have found when searching stories for myself, usually after the first tag or two it narrows so that every story with those tags fits in the visible selection.

What I did was be sure to pick a few tags that were general and popular, but enough related to my story to apply. Then I filled the rest in with more specific character attributes and sex acts.

Being a noob and having a limited understanding of how things work around here, it was the best strategy I could think of for a combination of exposure and accuracy.

Does that sound like a good approach or is it best to just be as specific as possible with all tags?

 

[RejectReality]

past gail
jeep cherokee
neck alex
he'd left

Are just a few of the one's i've seen that make no sense. It's like their just choosing random parts from sentences in their stories for their tags. the only way anyone could find it is if someone's has already read the story and remembered the tag. I wish there was a tag list the authors had to choose from for there stories because some of them obviously don't understand how tags are suppose to work.

Most of those are probably artifacts from when tags were introduced. Existing stories had the tags filled with bits of text from early in the story. If the author wasn't around any longer or didn't bother, those default tags remained.

 

[lovecraft68]

Most of those are probably artifacts from when tags were introduced. Existing stories had the tags filled with bits of text from early in the story. If the author wasn't around any longer or didn't bother, those default tags remained.

My question would be-for the members that went back that far and still write here-were they told they could go in and change those tags? Or do they even know they are there and how bad they are?

 

[Bramblethorn]

What I did was be sure to pick a few tags that were general and popular, but enough related to my story to apply. Then I filled the rest in with more specific character attributes and sex acts.

Being a noob and having a limited understanding of how things work around here, it was the best strategy I could think of for a combination of exposure and accuracy.

Does that sound like a good approach or is it best to just be as specific as possible with all tags?

Seems like a reasonable approach to me.

Mostly I tag stories by category/category intersection (e.g. "lesbian romance", "lesbian bdsm") and by stuff that describes the main themes ("hairbrushing", "fingernails").

But I occasionally amuse myself by looking for unlikely tags, so once in a while I pay it forward by tagging for obscure stuff like "cricket" or "king in yellow".

 

[DeYaKen]

Many authors would agree.

I wish there was away for authors to post their stories as multiple categories, instead of putting it in as a note at the beginning of a story(if they do that). Sometimes I run up on a great story by accident that i really like but it's in a category that i didn't expect it to be in. Right now I'm looking for lesbian stories in the sci-fi or non human and interracial categories or mature stories in the non-consent and interracial categories. it's hard to find if you don't have specifics to search for.
Just as an example i read Creatures of Habit in the Non-consent but i would like to go to the mature category and find similar stories. It can get a little frustrating at times when you're looking for something specific and you're set on it.

Ahhh anyway if anyone has read any good lesbian stories that are in scifi and non-human categories could you drop me a few titles

I often find I have written a story which crosses borders into two or even three categories. I try to choose the one that fits with the main thrust of the story.

The trouble with tags at the moment is that the author makes up their own. It would lead to more consistent search results if we had a menu to pick them from. Indeed if that were the case we could do away with categories altogether and print the tags alongside the title. This would save people reading stories they know they won't like and help you find ones that you might have missed.

I apologise in advance if this wakes up my stalker.

 

[sr71plt]

(Here I go again, one of Laurel's trolls, defending what the Web site does provide). Go to any category hub and you'll find a "Popular Tags" list, which even gives the frequency that the tags were used. That's about as much of a category tag choice menu you really need.

I think the biggest problem is that the tags come at the end of a story and most readers won't think about considering them at all. They've already read or not read the story by then. Some suggestions have been made for authors to move the tags up front in a note on top of the story text. That seems like a good idea.

I use both "other category" tags, general ones to the category (for GM and lesbian categories, for instance, you have to use a lot of general categories like first time or anal for tags that the straight stories here get as separate categories) and also specific ones to that story.

 

[PervOtaku]

I often wonder why story sites bother with "categories" that are essentially redundant to tags anyway. If a story matches multiple tags, you just list all the ones that apply. If a story matches multiple categories, you have to pick one at the exclusion of the others, usually listing the other categories as tags anyway.

Obviously there's a fine art to setting up stories so that they can be labeled properly and readers can find what they are looking for, and it's not something that's really been mastered anywhere.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I often wonder why story sites bother with "categories" that are essentially redundant to tags anyway. If a story matches multiple tags, you just list all the ones that apply. If a story matches multiple categories, you have to pick one at the exclusion of the others, usually listing the other categories as tags anyway.

Obviously there's a fine art to setting up stories so that they can be labeled properly and readers can find what they are looking for, and it's not something that's really been mastered anywhere.

My understanding is that categories predate tags on Lit (hence the weird auto-generated tags for older stories) so the current structure is a "legacy code" issue.

 

[DeYaKen]

My understanding is that categories predate tags on Lit (hence the weird auto-generated tags for older stories) so the current structure is a "legacy code" issue.

And I thought that they were there to give the category police something to whine about.

 

[robertreams]

I have been plagued by this because a story between two men cannot be classified as a romance or anything else but "Gay male" only because of the poor homophobes who would be turned on by a story about two men making love that might appear "normal"

 

[frontlinecaster]

I have been plagued by this because a story between two men cannot be classified as a romance or anything else but "Gay male" only because of the poor homophobes who would be turned on by a story about two men making love that might appear "normal"

Yep. Rape stories can go into any category, lesbian sex can go into any category, violent and non-erotic stories can be put anywhere, but if a man touches or even looks at another man than the audience on this site goes nuts if it's in a category other than Gay Male. It's one of the many signs of just how immature and backwards the average reader here is.

 

[Hypoxia]

... but if a man touches or even looks at another man than the audience on this site goes nuts if it's in a category other than Gay Male.

I must disagree. With MM and FMMF/FFMM combinations, I have red-H stories in Group Sex, and a 4.2+ Incest story (and more on the way). I have plans for more such stories in Incest and Mature, and I may try it in SciFi. I have not received any bi-hate comments. Yet. Your reception may vary.

 

[i_would]

Most of those are probably artifacts from when tags were introduced. Existing stories had the tags filled with bits of text from early in the story. If the author wasn't around any longer or didn't bother, those default tags remained.

I for one wouldn't know how to change the tags to my already published stories, or whether that's even possible to begin with.

 

[LOAnnie2]

I for one wouldn't know how to change the tags to my already published stories, or whether that's even possible to begin with.

I was going to say you could resubmit the story with new tags, however my most recent edit didn't change the tags apparently. I wonder if you have to put something specific in the notes about it perhaps?

 

[lovecraft68]

Most likely have to put something in the note box....but it doesn't seem like you should.

I know I did an edit last year and the tags did change so maybe there is a glitch these days.

 

[robertreams]

I did not say anything about "group sex" I was talking about LOVE, ROMANCE between TWO men. how cum it can't be "Romance" or even "Loving Wives" if that is what the author intends? It should be the author who determines the classification, not the site. e.g. Why can't it be "first time" or "interracial' and still be gay? Doesn't it depend on what the writer intends?

 

[sr71plt]

I did not say anything about "group sex" I was talking about LOVE, ROMANCE between TWO men. how cum it can't be "Romance" or even "Loving Wives" if that is what the author intends? It should be the author who determines the classification, not the site. e.g. Why can't it be "first time" or "interracial' and still be gay? Doesn't it depend on what the writer intends?

Go ahead and submit it there, if you like. There are posters who have said they did and got them posted there. And then let us know what the rating and comment experience was. Maybe it's not really a problem.

 

[lovecraft68]

I would think GM in LW would be a troll fest.

The real men there are as much homophobes as they are woman haters.

Misogynists are not known for being supporters of a gay lifestyle.