At least five one-bombs in the last ten votes

[Trionyx]

All the discussion about erotica and pornography etc reminds me of Justice Potter Stewart's famous quote: "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it,..."

It can be hard to define something that is different with each individual. One might get off to one activity and the next merely yawns. What is erotica for one person is unabashed pornography for another.

I personally prefer stories that actually 'tell a story' and don't just give a running commentary on what went into which orifice. I follow this concept when I write but I'm sure my mother would have run screaming from the room had she read any. Or maybe not. Who knows?

 

[Candy_Kane54]

<snip>I follow this concept when I write but I'm sure my mother would have run screaming from the room had she read any. Or maybe not. Who knows?

... and that is what makes life interesting ...

 

[KeithD]

All the discussion about erotica and pornography etc reminds me of Justice Potter Stewart's famous quote: "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it,..."

It can be hard to define something that is different with each individual. One might get off to one activity and the next merely yawns. What is erotica for one person is unabashed pornography for another.

Which means that Justice Potter Stewart couldn't really say what it was for the world or anyone else just on what he alone saw in it.

 

[oggbashan]

Which means that Justice Potter Stewart couldn't really say what it was for the world or anyone else just on what he alone saw in it.

It is a qualitative decision, not capable of being a defined one. In the UK the question asked in courts was "How would it appear to the man on the Clapham Omnibus?" i.e. to the public at large.

One person's hard-core could be another person's soft-core. But graphic abuse of children would almost always be defined as hard-core and going too far, as would be snuff movies.

 

[jsmiam]

…That might be a more satisfying explanation, but it isn't the only explanation.

I didn’t say it in the earlier thread as completely as I could have, but that period of time was while I was online and checking often. I watched the votes appear one at a time, and go down by 0.03 (sometimes by 0.02 per rounding and decimal place variations not visible) each time after single votes. I’m not a mathematician-statistician-actuary by trade, but I’m capable enough at math to understand the numbers. At approximately 4.83 from 4.9 after three votes, other less dramatic votes came into play, but there was later also a single vote to take from 4.83 to 4.8. I’m at peace with my analysis.

Am I obsessed with the final overall score? Not exactly. My post was relaying as accurately as I could the events beginning at the exact moment the vote tally hit 100 and (temporarily, and three times/two sweeps in total), where the score hit the top of the top list.

I know the score will settle lower than it’s temporary post-sweep score, likely close to approximately where it had settled before the sweep. I still like my love/hate ratio as the ultimate long term score. It’s most definitely not the peak score I hit a few times. I’ll just loop back to “interesting” for the top list scoring dynamics.

 

[windar]

All the discussion about erotica and pornography etc reminds me of Justice Potter Stewart's famous quote: "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it,..."

It can be hard to define something that is different with each individual. One might get off to one activity and the next merely yawns. What is erotica for one person is unabashed pornography for another.

I personally prefer stories that actually 'tell a story' and don't just give a running commentary on what went into which orifice. I follow this concept when I write but I'm sure my mother would have run screaming from the room had she read any. Or maybe not. Who knows?

I wasn't really looking at the difference between porn and erotica. Rather, I was looking at the difference betwen erotica and a story that has some scenes that many readers would find erotic but isn't classed as erotica.

A 1k word story that describes a sexual encounter is pretty clearly erotica, but a 70k novella involving spies or cops or historical figures in which some sexual encounters that are described in some detail occur is less clear.

So, is it erotica if the author calls it such and places it here or on a similar site and not erotica if the author chooses to call it general fiction and places it elsewhere or in the Non-Erotic section here?

 

[SimonDoom]

I wasn't really looking at the difference between porn and erotica. Rather, I was looking at the difference betwen erotica and a story that has some scenes that many readers would find erotic but isn't classed as erotica.

A 1k word story that describes a sexual encounter is pretty clearly erotica, but a 70k novella involving spies or cops or historical figures in which some sexual encounters that are described in some detail occur is less clear.

So, is it erotica if the author calls it such and places it here or on a similar site and not erotica if the author chooses to call it general fiction and places it elsewhere or in the Non-Erotic section here?

My opinion is that labels don't matter. What you call something doesn't change its nature.

Whether something is porn or erotica depends a lot on the attitude of the person watching or reading. Somebody with a foot/sock fetish might see a video of a woman removing a sock from her foot as porn. Someone who doesn't have that fetish might think, "Meh." Both are right; neither is wrong.

 

[rescatooor]

My opinion is that labels don't matter. What you call something doesn't change its nature.

Whether something is porn or erotica depends a lot on the attitude of the person watching or reading. Somebody with a foot/sock fetish might see a video of a woman removing a sock from her foot as porn. Someone who doesn't have that fetish might think, "Meh." Both are right; neither is wrong.

But you could also look at it this way: whether something is porn or erotica depends on how it's marketed to the consuming audience.

I'd argue that if sex is somehow important to the plot, it is quite often an erotica. This might be because sex is the climax or because the majority of the plot describes a person's sexual journey. With the latter, you might get the follow up question on how much time the narrative spends on sex scenes relative to the plot.

EDIT: oh, and in my case, this answer is more to describe the difference between erotica and other literature, as was previously asked.

 

[SimonDoom]

But you could also look at it this way: whether something is porn or erotica depends on how it's marketed to the consuming audience.

I'd argue that if sex is somehow important to the plot, it is quite often an erotica. This might be because sex is the climax or because the majority of the plot describes a person's sexual journey. With the latter, you might get the follow up question on how much time the narrative spends on sex scenes relative to the plot.

EDIT: oh, and in my case, this answer is more to describe the difference between erotica and other literature, as was previously asked.

I agree. It depends on the forum in which it is presented, and the way it is marketed, as well as the audience that sees it.

My point is that nothing is essentially anything. Things are what they are, and we put labels on them after the fact for the sake of convenience, but the labels never change the nature of the thing being labeled. I've never found debates like "Is it art or is it porn?" or "Is it porn or is it erotica?" in any way enlightening.

 

[rescatooor]

I agree. It depends on the forum in which it is presented, and the way it is marketed, as well as the audience that sees it.

My point is that nothing is essentially anything. Things are what they are, and we put labels on them after the fact for the sake of convenience, but the labels never change the nature of the thing being labeled. I've never found debates like "Is it art or is it porn?" or "Is it porn or is it erotica?" in any way enlightening.

Fair. How would you market yourself then?

 

[oggbashan]

I claim that some of my stories are Art. Some are porn. Many are fetish.

But some are just crap!

 

[Lifestyle66]

Since 1* is a perfectly valid vote, why is anyone questioning the motives of those awarding it? Has anyone posting to complain about 1* votes "actually seen posters posting" about their motivation? They're called 1-bombs--obviously they aren't accepted as valid votes.

I have yet to see anyone questioning the motivation for 5*. By implication, they are accepted as earned without ulterior motive.

Just an observation. I guess something that is accepted to 2 decimal places must be accurate and true.

rj

The term "1-bomb" is about reader motivations.

People who take the time to write a story and post it here for your entertainment do so with no monetary reward. They do it because they believe they have a story to share. You are free to read and ignore it, or rate it, or leave a comment.

Some people like a story enough to give it a 4 or 5. Maybe some give it a 5 merely because they like the author or want to encourage more writing.

But you should read many of the comments from those who give the 1 ratings. For a story which begins by OBVIOUSLY having a title of "wife sharing" "hotwife" "swinger", etc, there are dozens of comments left saying things like "I didn't even have to read this shit to give it a 1!" And story titled "Threesomes" gets a comment "What sort of self-hating asshole wants this sort of disrespect and a whore for a wife?"

So, "yes", those are "1-bombs" for no reason other than to attack the author for daring to have a thought put to text and post the story.

IMO, if those 1-bombers could actually put some thought in gear WHILE reading, they might gain a better understanding. However, that's like walking and chewing bubblegum at the same time. They might forget to breath and pass out.

 

[KeithD]

The term "1-bomb" is about reader motivations.

People who take the time to write a story and post it here for your entertainment do so with no monetary reward. They do it because they believe they have a story to share. You are free to read and ignore it, or rate it, or leave a comment.

Some people like a story enough to give it a 4 or 5. Maybe some give it a 5 merely because they like the author or want to encourage more writing.

But you should read many of the comments from those who give the 1 ratings. For a story which begins by OBVIOUSLY having a title of "wife sharing" "hotwife" "swinger", etc, there are dozens of comments left saying things like "I didn't even have to tread this shit to give it a 1!"

So, "yes", those are "1-bombs" for no reason other than to attack the author for daring to post the story.

I agree. And because of what this site presents itself as and that someone takes the time and effort to post a story here, the only time I'd consider using the 1 rating on a posted story was if it was one written to be as obnoxious as possible and to poke the nasty-comment readers--as some authors say they do in the Loving Wives category here. I'd consider giving that a 1 because the motivation was just to poke the lion with a stick and the inevitable result is lions chewing on everyone else's story being posted in that category.

 

[jsmiam]

Porn - erect/wet penises and vaginas

Erotica - flushed and/or engorged manhoods and womanhoods

Romance novels - heaving bosoms, delicate flowers, and strong rugged arms

Mainstream - kissing. Maybe passionately. Then cutaway to the next scene.

;-)

 

[NightPorter]

There are some real miserable individuals with nothing better to do than hang out in certain categories on this site and one bomb any story that offends them. Just remember that voting score is relative to the category and topic that you are writing in. A score that I would consider to be a great success in loving wives for instance, I might consider to a complete failure in a different category. I’ve also found that the one bombs tend to come early after publication. The score will stabilize over time. While everyone can read your story, you’re not always writing for everyone. As long as the particular reading niche that I’m writing for is happy with the story, then I’m happy. I put a higher weight on favorites, comments from members or comments to my email than random anonymous comments bitching.

I have a troll on my new series who posts multiple anonymous comments pretending to be different people. It’s so painfully obvious that it’s the same person. Same sentence structure, same basic complaint about the topic. My favorite was when he posted 3 negative comments within 4 minutes. He then came back the next day and posted another anonymous comment saying that he agrees with the, “below posters.” As if I couldn’t tell it was him. I have thick skin so I just laugh and move on with my day.

 

[KeithD]

Mainstream - kissing. Maybe passionately. Then cutaway to the next scene.

;-)

The mainstream can--and does--delve into both the taboo and graphic deeper than erotica does.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I agree. And because of what this site presents itself as and that someone takes the time and effort to post a story here, the only time I'd consider using the 1 rating on a posted story was if it was one written to be as obnoxious as possible and to poke the nasty-comment readers--as some authors say they do in the Loving Wives category here. I'd consider giving that a 1 because the motivation was just to poke the lion with a stick and the inevitable result is lions chewing on everyone else's story being posted in that category.

I don't quite agree with you on this.

I would agree with rating an obvious provocation story a 1, if you are sure it was done with unprovoked malice. But the Loving Wives category is described as those involving extra-marital affairs, swinging, and sharing. Those choosing to read such LW stories and rating them 1's FOR being about those topics deserve whatever malice they solicit.

I give 4's for stories well written, which might even be about subjects I don't prefer. I give 2's to stories which might be about a subject I really enjoy, but which are extremely poorly written. i MIGHT consider giving a 1 if the story had no plot, wandered aimlessly from subject to subject, and was poorly written and incoherent. 5's are reserved for those few well written, engaging stories in my favored subject areas.

 

[jsmiam]

The mainstream can--and does--delve into both the taboo and graphic deeper than erotica does.

Very true, Mainstream is more complex to summarize. But I was in one-liner mode. Sacrifices had to be made.

 

[KeithD]

I don't quite agree with you on this.

I would agree with rating an obvious provocation story a 1, if you are sure it was done with unprovoked malice. But the Loving Wives category is described as those involving extra-marital affairs, swinging, and sharing. Those choosing to read such LW stories and rating them 1's FOR being about those topics deserve whatever malice they solicit.

Well, if you accept that a reader can give a legitimate 1 vote for other categories, I don't see where you can legitimately deny that someone could give a 1 vote in the Loving Wives category for the very same reason regardless of why any other groups of people are voting in the category.

I just don't think anyone posting a story here to an accepting story site such as this one deserves a 1 rating from the get go, regardless of category. My caveat was that I don't think someone posting a story expressly to poke the lions with a stick is doing so in good faith or with any sort of sensitivity on how this will reflect on the response to stories being posted to the category in good faith.

That said, I'm not denying anyone the right to vote whatever rating they want. I just accept that here it may not have anything at all to do about the relative quality of the story itself.

 

[windar]

Fair. How would you market yourself then?

I think if you're on a site called Literotica then you are marketing it as erotica, whatever someone else might call it.

For example, there is a fairly extensive compendium of incest in literature, from Oedipus Rex on including some with fairly graphic sex scenes. None are considered erotica, but put them here in the O/T section and they are...

 

[Lifestyle66]

...My caveat was that I don't think someone posting a story expressly to poke the lions with a stick is doing so in good faith or with any sort of sensitivity on how this will reflect on the response to stories being posted to the category in good faith.

That said, I'm not denying anyone the right to vote whatever rating they want. I just accept that here it may not have anything at all to do about the relative quality of the story itself.

Those are good points. Poking the lions would only encourage them to growl at others more.

 

[Trionyx]

Quite frankly it is sad that a provocative story about an alternative lifestyle (throuples, polyamory, etc) can be thoroughly trashed by down votes, thus lowering the likelihood of it being read by very many. I am committed to my SO in a monogamous relationship and could never myself consider nonmonogamy but I find alternative lifestyles fascinating and wonder how such lifestyles play out for the individual. How does one overcome jealousy? How does one keep from making favorites? In a FFM or MMF throuple do the same sex partners relate to each other if they aren’t bisexual? How are the ‘rules’ of the relationship negotiated? A few of my stories have featured such relationships and I’ve had fun teasing out how such relationships could unfold. Then come the automatic down votes from those who refuse to consider that alternative relationships do exist and survive, and even thrive. Oh well, as they say: it is what it is.

https://www.literotica.com/s/laurens-valentines-gift
https://www.literotica.com/s/throuples-counseling
https://www.literotica.com/s/our-fantasy-fucks
https://www.literotica.com/s/until-death-does-us-part

 

[Lifestyle66]

Porn - erect/wet penises and vaginas

Erotica - flushed and/or engorged manhoods and womanhoods

Romance novels - heaving bosoms, delicate flowers, and strong rugged arms

Mainstream - kissing. Maybe passionately. Then cutaway to the next scene.

;-)

In some cases, it's a matter of the emotions the writer is attempting to invoke.

"I watched as my wife took his engorged manhood in her mouth," does not seem to convey the same emotional impact to the narrator as "I watched as my wife took his cock in her mouth."

Do you call it porn, when the writer is trying to get you to feel the emotion with the best choice of words?

 

[TadOverdon]

One person's hard-core could be another person's soft-core. But graphic abuse of children would almost always be defined as hard-core and going too far, as would be snuff movies.

If we're talking about movies, both of those would be criminal activity rather than pornography.

 

[SimonDoom]

Fair. How would you market yourself then?

I write erotica. I write stories about sex. The purpose of my stories is to be sexually interesting and titillating. If some readers don't find them sexually appealing, I can't argue with them. They have their own tastes, which are as legitimate as my own.