Writer's Frustration with Morality Police

[Erotican]

Am I wrong to be a little peeved after spending quite a bit of time crafting a story about a sexy married woman and a one-time extramarital rendezvous, just to be trashed by readers offended by what the character does? My story seems to have received a wildly polarized response - some loved it, and others loathed it because of the adultery undertones. This website is a playground for sexual fantasy. In some circles it would be considered adultery just for a married person to read any of these stories. I really didn't expect to find such backlash in this (presumably) accepting community.

STORY: Jennifer's Secret

http://www.literotica.com/s/jennifers-secret

 

[sethp]

I've had a few stories like that and some trashed it and others didn't. I just ignore those negative comments unless it pertains to my actual writing. was it too unrealistic in some way, bad grammar etc.

Keep on writing and ignore the haters. Hater's gonna hate anyways.

 

[sr71plt]

You can be peeved, yes. But that's what the morality police want you to be. And they're delighted if you are peeved enough to complain openly about it.

 

[Guest]

some people are just ignorant

 

[CheekyCherry]

You can be peeved, yes. But that's what the morality police want you to be.

Exactly. Take it with a grain of salt (I know, I hate hearing that too) because those people who loved it appreciate what you shared, and there may be those, too, who don't agree with the idea of anyone (even a character) making the decisions in the story, yet stayed silent because they acknowledge that this is an open website. Personally, I LOVE the freedom and lack of judgement I feel when I'm here.

Honestly, those harsh critics about the character's actions are getting way too carried away with the story. (Good job?) Some may be offended because they've imagined themselves doing it or have done it and they're ashamed. They subconsciously respond with anger and defensiveness.

When it comes down to it, it's a story. If someone makes the same choices in real life, well, the morality police still don't have any place to make it their business (unless it affects them personally, the person is a public figure/role model, etc.).

On another note, have you ever seen the movie "Misery"? Heehee, some readers just really, really, REALLY want the story to go their way!

 

[SweetestThing]

It's also happened to me and it got me a little annoyed at the time(to the point where I responded to a few comments). I can't pretend to understand someone disliking a story because you don't approve of a character's actions but it's probably best just to accept that some people are like that and ignore them. These days if I have characters engaging in extra-marital affairs I tend to mention it at the beginning and I get far less in the ways of complaints.

 

[BigTXTeddyBear]

I noticed the same thing happen to a girl that had just started and had only posted about 2 or 3 stories and this is what I said:

"Last time I checked, this site is about sharing our stories and fantasies. I have read all of her stories and have enjoyed every one of them. If you are paying that much attention to the writing and grammar then I think you are on the wrong site. With the exception of the first commenter, it is easy to say what you want and do it anonymously."

I think you did a great job and gave the story a 4 out 5. For me it was enjoyable well developed. When I read a story I looking for the entertaining value and nothing else. And if I remember right, most of the post where anonymous any way. Which tells me that if they didn't care to sign up or use their name than their option is worth nothing. Don't let them get to you.

 

[roomfor1more]

In my opinion there is very little difference, besides a piece of paper and the accumulation of several thousand dollars of debt from having a wedding, between someone who is married and someone in a committed relationship. What I find interesting if you write a story about a couple in a committed relationship that has a threesome or cuckold relationship then the morality police leaves you alone. However, if you slightly change the story from a couple in a committed relationship to a couple that is married then suddenly you have the morality police trashing your story. From my experience, I have learned to ignore the morality police and write for those enjoy that type of story.

 

[bronzeage]

Am I wrong to be a little peeved after spending quite a bit of time crafting a story about a sexy married woman and a one-time extramarital rendezvous, just to be trashed by readers offended by what the character does? My story seems to have received a wildly polarized response - some loved it, and others loathed it because of the adultery undertones. This website is a playground for sexual fantasy. In some circles it would be considered adultery just for a married person to read any of these stories. I really didn't expect to find such backlash in this (presumably) accepting community.

STORY: Jennifer's Secret

Just remember, it all pays the same. No one can explain the crowd that trolls the loving wives category. If comments and scores are important, post it in another category.

 

[Noira]

"Last time I checked, this site is about sharing our stories and fantasies. I have read all of her stories and have enjoyed every one of them. If you are paying that much attention to the writing and grammar then I think you are on the wrong site. With the exception of the first commenter, it is easy to say what you want and do it anonymously."

No.

There is no excuse. Everyone here is an adult who's probably gone through school; most web browsers have a free spell checker. At the very least, you have no excuse for bad spelling, whether or not you're on a fucking wank site. Bad WRITING, yes. The internet removes the editorial filter and does allow for the worst of the worst to be posted freely, whether you're on Literotica, or Fictionpress, or Writing.com or pick-your-writing-site.

But you know what? Some of us are bloody turned off by a sea of badly used commas. I never comment anonymously and I generally leave my grammar comments to people who've requested beta reading, and usually just click off and move on if a story is demonstrating itself to fall into the aforementioned category of "a sea of badly used commas", but, if I want some erotic reading material this does happen to be the most organized option on the internet. I am not on the wrong website: Literotica exists to serve my desire to read some good ol' fashioned naughty fiction at the time of my chosing. While I cannot dictate the whims and fancies of the writer, as a reader I'm hardly out of place to want something that will turn me on (which happens to include decent grammar and spelling as well as a myriad of other things). As a writer I must be aware that the only way I can improve is through the suggestions and critique of other people, and to use those critiques wisely. Yes, that includes grammar and spelling, which amazingly, are applicable even if you're writing wank-fics.

Am I asking too much for people to remember what they were taught in grade 10? Yes? Apparently? My little writing friends, there are those of us who offer beta reading services for free! Abuse us and people won't comment on your fics to tell you that you missed a comma. Mkay?

However, interestingly, the concept of improving-via-critique does not include changing what turns you on because some of your readers are morons.

To the original poster, yes, be peeved. However, Literotica is notorious for the contrary crowd that haunts 'Loving Wives', as well as 'Incest', so post your stories otherwise in any other category and you'll likely avoid this backlash. Also, am I wrong to assume that a loving wife isn't going to cheat on her husband or cuckold him? Apparently I am, based on the content of the category, and so if I weren't aware of the paradox of the posters who place their stories there, I'd likely get a kneejerk morality police feeling in the back of my mind. A lot of other people probably hit the category feeling the same way, thinking "oh, I'm going to get stories about happily wedded couples"... NOT. However, I don't vote stories up or down based on whether or not I happened to like the story's particular kink. I vote them up and down based on how well they were written, and whether I'd read them again. Fives are reserved for 'was well-written and I'd read it again'.

I understand that as a writer it's a psychological thing to want good scores. Write your stories, get them edited to avoid the down votes from people like me who will consider bad writing a grounds to knock off a star, and don't post in Loving Wives or any other troll-happy categories. While you'll see more comments, you'll see more negative comments as well, and even more negative comments with little ground to stand on.

All that said, I didn't even read your story because you didn't link to it, I'm just making some wild guesses as to the category, and, frankly, owing to the quality of your original post it probably is the fault of the category because you clearly know how to write a sentence. As the first reply said... if it doesn't pertain to your actual writing, your character building, your grammar, unrealistic happenings, etc... ignore it. Negativity just for the sake of negativity is not constructive criticism and don't let it sink your ship. Writers need to have their lead underpants to post because there will inevitably be critiques.

 

[Spacefender]

No.

There is no excuse. Everyone here is an adult...

Don't want to quote the whole thing because that would be one long-ass quote but I couldn't agree more. Just because we're writing wank fiction doesn't mean that basic things like spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar doesn't matter. I certainly don't expect perfection, since I am far from perfect, but I do expect a certain level of readability. Wank fic or not. If I have to try to decipher what's going on in the story because the writer has no clue how to write prose in English then it's not good wank material.

As far as the morality police, why would the morality police be reading porn? Anyone browsing porn who then gets all upset at someone else's fetish of choice is nothing more than a hypocrite. Douchecanoes shouldn't be seen, and they especially shouldn't be heard.

 

[Erotican]

Not sure where grammar and punctuation came into this discussion... but here is the link to my story for anyone interested. CAUTION: Story contains extra-marital sexual subject matter

http://www.literotica.com/s/jennifers-secret

 

[Ellafun]

Not sure where grammar and punctuation came into this discussion... but here is the link to my story for anyone interested. CAUTION: Story contains extra-marital sexual subject matter

http://www.literotica.com/s/jennifers-secret

E: I see you only have 3 posts...Welcome to Literotica. The Loving Wives category is infamous for "morality police." Sort of like a preacher who has to watch pornography in order to warn against the enemy, the MPs have a tendency to read the LW category just to trash the author's own perceived sins. (If they actually "read" it at all) *sigh*

As one who has also received that kind of feedback, I can only tell you that around here, it's baptism by fire. Seriously. Ignore the douchebags ~ and welcome to the club!

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Almost all of my stories contain extra-marital sex. I was only arrested, tried and convicted by the morality police one time, and that was with my latest story (Desperate Measures). The stories that evaded the watchful eyes of those without sin were published in Erotic Couplings and Group Sex. The offending story was posted -- where else? -- in Loving Wives. I wasn't surprised by the vitriol; in fact, I rather expected it. Nonetheless, I plan to create a new ID solely for posting future stories in the Loving Wives category. That way, at least, I can keep the trollic activity segregated from the rest of my stories.

 

[BigTXTeddyBear]

No.

There is no excuse. Everyone here is an adult who's probably gone through school; most web browsers have a free spell checker...........

Like Spacefender, I didn't want to fill this with the whole quote.

I do agree with you that there are no excuses for bad grammar and obvious grammar errors. I only made that comment because i had not seen as as much as the commentators where making it out to be.

For some one that was just starting out and trying to share something with us, I didn't believe the comments where justified especially when they are being anonymous. Plus I cant stand to see a women being attacked (just the gentlemen in me i guess).

 

[sr71plt]

But you know what? Some of us are bloody turned off by a sea of badly used commas. I never comment anonymously [there should be a comma here; two independent clauses] and I generally leave my grammar comments to people who've requested beta reading, [there should not be a comma here; the next clause is dependent] and usually just click off and move on if a story is demonstrating itself to fall into the aforementioned category of "a sea of badly used commas", but, if I want some erotic reading material [there should be a comma here. Closes a phrase that was opened with a comma] this does happen to be the most organized option on the internet.

Oh, and "Internet" is capitalized. (And that was one humongous sentence there. Would have been better split.)



It's a free-read site, with most readers/writers coming here for arousal, not a 10th-grade English class. Don't be so anal retentive. If you encounter a story that's below your self-perceived standards, why can't you just move on and not spoil the atmosphere for those who enjoy writing and reading on this level?

The amateur grammar police can be just as annoying here as the morality police, methinks--especially when they are basing their "corrections" on what they learned in 10th-grade English rather than on publishing industry standards.

 

[autoplot]

Look on the bright side. Some of the best stories out there are deeply polarizing. You have people who feel strongly about your story, either positively or negatively. I think that's better than having everyone agree that it's not worth getting excited about.

I'll take a strong negative reaction over indifference any day. Although I'd prefer people enjoy my stories, I'd rather someone hate it forever than forget it the moment they stop reading.

 

[CandiCame]

Don't want to quote the whole thing because that would be one long-ass quote but I couldn't agree more. Just because we're writing wank fiction doesn't mean that basic things like spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar doesn't matter. I certainly don't expect perfection, since I am far from perfect, but I do expect a certain level of readability. Wank fic or not. If I have to try to decipher what's going on in the story because the writer has no clue how to write prose in English then it's not good wank material.

As far as the morality police, why would the morality police be reading porn? Anyone browsing porn who then gets all upset at someone else's fetish of choice is nothing more than a hypocrite. Douchecanoes shouldn't be seen, and they especially shouldn't be heard.

I wonder that to- WTF are the moral motherfuckers doing on this site in the first place?

Having said that; I think that there are some folk who get off and then post about how bad a story is to try and transfer some of their guilt.

 

[endybear]

It's called FANTASTY! Hello... I've gotten crap like this writing non-sexual fics before. It's fiction for a reason.

 

[nerdystud]

mmmmmm ... yummy fans

to the OP, use the it's-my-damn-story-meter when recieving feedback. You knew the story you wanted to tell when you posted. Anyone who's telling you not to tell that story can be ignored immediately. Anyone who's telling you to write a different story can be considered when you get around to writing a different story. If someone is offering you feedback intended to improve the story that you wanted to tell is worth listening to and considering, though they may be wrong.

 

[PolyLvr]

Fucking loved it. I left a comment. The build up examing her motivations, her feelings, was very well executed.

 

[KarlMartinK]

I wonder how it is that people feel their moral compasses are what should be guiding everyone else, especially on an erotic literature site.

As for bad spelling, bad grammar, and whatever, well, it's a free site. No one is being paid to write the stories and most of the stories I've read here appear to have been written by people with little or no writing experience, so it shouldn't be surprising when a writer says a woman "undone her blouse" or calls his crotch a "crouch."

At the same time, I understand that when I put a story out there and allow people to make comments on it, I shouldn't be surprised if someone reads it and has an opinion on it, even if it's an opinion that doesn't make any sense.

 

[Lynn_MXX]

Let me tell you a secret Erotican, if your stories and their characters are getting flamed by angry commenters, you have got it RIGHT. Stories that provoke the most angry comments tend to be the best!

 

[SaraSidner811AM]

A Cuckold category would fix the Loving Wives category. It's awkward to have a category that has monogamous married relations while also including stories that are the exact opposite of monogamous married relations. If cuckold was its own category, I think the offended could more easily avoid getting angry about being sucked into another cheating story.

 

[autoplot]

I wonder how it is that people feel their moral compasses are what should be guiding everyone else, especially on an erotic literature site.

That always gives me a laugh too.