Frustrated with my story ratings

[lovecraft68]

Fuck em, if you're okay with your story, and some other people have liked it as well, then don't worry about it.

Takes time to build a base and over that time its a learning curve with a lot of hits and misses, but you stick with it, you'll gain that group of people who enjoy you and the stats will go up.

If you let the shmucks here get to you, then you're finished before you ever really got started.

Keep writing, everything else is noise.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

My advice: don’t pay attention to the negative because you are out there creating! Not them.

I don't agree with that. Your advice is from the perspective of the writing experience. The writing experience is only a means to an end, that being creating the reading experience. Once you hit publish, the writing experience is over. Your story will stand the test of time (or not) based on the reading experience. The reader is not interesting (and shouldn't be) in your writing experience and they will give feedback on the reading experience. Your advice is a rather arrogant way of looking at things. "I worked really hard on this, I'm a creator, you're just a reader. You better acknowledge my efforts or I'll delete you." The reader should not be burdened with that. Just let them read. The reader doesn't and shouldn't care how much sweat and time that you put into this. Once you hit publish, the reading experience is all that matters.

When you buy a soup and sandwich from my deli and the soup is cold and has hairs in it and the sandwich has stale soggy bread, do you say "Oh well, she's the exalted cook and I'm just a lowly eater, I'll eat it up and tip her anyway" ? No, you either ask for your money back, or you walk out and never come back, or both.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

A lot of people with 0 stories to their name also like to be critics of the story structure, grammar, or other aspects of the story. Either that or they stay anonymous.

That means about as much as a join date in the forums. It was already discussed recently that some people have alts for commenting and reading, and a main account for publishing. That screen name with zero stories could actually be a prolifix publisher, just like I've probably been a member way longer than you have, this account is just new.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

My novel isn't worth reading, to be honest. It was just practice really. But I have seen the Non-erotic category, thanks for pointing it out. Yeah, I don't think I'd have the discipline either for having everything finished and neatly squared away before posting it all in segments.

I don't always have something finished before I publish it, I at least try to have it close to done before I do.

 

[Priscilla_June]

I don't agree with that. Your advice is from the perspective of the writing experience. The writing experience is only a means to an end, that being creating the reading experience. Once you hit publish, the writing experience is over. Your story will stand the test of time (or not) based on the reading experience. The reader is not interesting (and shouldn't be) in your writing experience and they will give feedback on the reading experience. Your advice is a rather arrogant way of looking at things. "I worked really hard on this, I'm a creator, you're just a reader. You better acknowledge my efforts or I'll delete you." The reader should not be burdened with that. Just let them read. The reader doesn't and shouldn't care how much sweat and time that you put into this. Once you hit publish, the reading experience is all that matters.

When you buy a soup and sandwich from my deli and the soup is cold and has hairs in it and the sandwich has stale soggy bread, do you say "Oh well, she's the exalted cook and I'm just a lowly eater, I'll eat it up and tip her anyway" ? No, you either ask for your money back, or you walk out and never come back, or both.

Your putting a lot of words in my mouth to continue pontificating on a point that wasn’t made. If that's not arrogance…then

Point to the OP still stands, just write for your, don’t worry about ratings, enjoy the art of it. The thread has apparently devolved from the ops initial entry into those who want to grandstand in typical AH fashion.

So with that, I bid you all goodnight

Anything beyond that is just others adding their own self-importance to my point

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Your putting a lot of words in my mouth to continue pontificating on a point that wasn’t made. If that's not arrogance…then

Point to the OP still stands, just write for your, don’t worry about ratings, enjoy the art of it.

Anything beyond that is just others adding their own self-importance to my point

I'm not adding anything. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean that it's not there. I'm just pointing that out.

 

[AndNowWeRun]

All the above about it being too soon to care about negative feedback, about not expecting people to fall in love with stories that aren't long enough to suck them in, etc, is all true.

Some additional practical advice if you really are sensitive to this is to top and tail the work quite precisely with author's notes. Not everyone agrees with this practice, but if you start the story with a note saying, "This is a short vignette to capture a mood. Its about X. If you don't like short vignettes and don't like X then I suggest you skip it," and end with a note saying, "All feedback appreciated. If you leave a negative score please comment to say what you would have liked to see improved," then that might improve matters.

Also: An average of 3* means that most people liked your story, so chin up.

Oh, I have seen that done before. Thanks for reminding me about it, I had actually forgotten. lol. I'll consider doing that in the future, though I may try my luck without it again first before I commit to the idea.

I'm going to respond here without reading the other comments first. I tend to be very forgiving to a new author scoring wise. The person has put themselves out there. Sometimes I offer public comment and sometimes privately. I tell them honestly how they can improve. Often my advice is to get a beta reader or two. Authors tend to think their story is a masterpiece yet their characters are inconsistent or their responses irrational compared to the situation. The story might just not 'flow'. Sometimes the author simply picks the wrong category. (Which is as stupid as going to court and your lawyer not participating in jury selection.)
Now to address why the story starts out well and then drops. There is a difference between drop and plummet. Often early morning or initial readers start with reading titles or description lines for something that may interest them. They do not just run down the list and read every story. They are more likely to approve the story by a small margin. Later reader are coming back to stories they skipped over.
While they are not actively looking to downgrade a story (don't believe the assholes here that call them trolls) just because, you are in in the second read category. And by SHEER MATH, the scoring tends to slide a bit.
Case in point. Today I posted the 28th chapter of long saga that I left idle for a year and a half. I only got 500 reads so far. My score was 4.8 the last I looked. Why? The readers were those who knew my story line. The initial comments reflected that. As times goes, that score will drop as others read. (And some new readers may start the whole series over.)
I will now have to go back and read the stories you posted.

I just read your submission about a soldier. I will be honest. It was not a story, but a scene. There was no background for what I thought was relatively disturbing. The soldier paid a whore to have a man punch him out and he was aroused sexually. No reason for the sexual response.
If the man was guilt-ridden and just wanted to have the shit knocked out of him, that would be a different manner. Basically, this might be the introductory scene for a longer story where you explore that.
Also one of your descriptions was off. 6'1" and only 158 pounds is not "musclebound". That could perhaps be lean fighting shape. (and many of the better soldiers in elite units are not big bruisers anyway, but often tend to be smaller, wiry men who can move fast)
If you want you can PM me and I will comment on a story you are thinking about in private.

I appreciate your observations. I hadn't considered the early morning readers. And about the story, thank you for the critique. Gently, I'd have to disagree with you that there was no reason for the sexual response, but at the same time, I acknowledge that if you find this sort of thing disturbing, then it makes sense why you wouldn't see the rationale behind it. That's not a complaint or condescension, by the way, I do see from this that maybe I ought to explain the actions in my story a bit better to help it make more sense.

Yeah, height and weight are difficult for me. lol.

Thanks for the offer. Do you think you could PM me a critique of my first story as well?

Fuck em, if you're okay with your story, and some other people have liked it as well, then don't worry about it.

Takes time to build a base and over that time its a learning curve with a lot of hits and misses, but you stick with it, you'll gain that group of people who enjoy you and the stats will go up.

If you let the shmucks here get to you, then you're finished before you ever really got started.

Keep writing, everything else is noise.

Thank you, I'm grateful for your comment x

Your putting a lot of words in my mouth to continue pontificating on a point that wasn’t made. If that's not arrogance…then

Point to the OP still stands, just write for your, don’t worry about ratings, enjoy the art of it. The thread has apparently devolved from the ops initial entry into those who want to grandstand in typical AH fashion.

So with that, I bid you all goodnight

Anything beyond that is just others adding their own self-importance to my point

I'm not adding anything. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean that it's not there. I'm just pointing that out.

Not to butt in or anything, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate both of your perspectives on this matter. Thank you for commenting c:

 

[Priscilla_June]

Not to butt in or anything, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate both of your perspectives on this matter. Thank you for commenting c:

Np keep it up!

 

[Whanmore]

Bro when I first started I wondered why so many writers who started at the same time as me with far fewer stories, gained hundreds of followers at the jump and I was trudging at 1 follower a week. It was maddening but after I kept writing and saw no changes I just embrace. I no longer worry about ratings or followers. My regular readers comment every story and I love those guys and I love diving into the preferences of every new follower I get. I can't wait to get to 100 followers I may drop a special story or something IDK but now I'm just trying to get back to writing stories I like for me and just hoping someone gives it a like.

 

[Whanmore]

When you buy a soup and sandwich from my deli and the soup is cold and has hairs in it and the sandwich has stale soggy bread, do you say "Oh well, she's the exalted cook and I'm just a lowly eater, I'll eat it up and tip her anyway" ? No, you either ask for your money back, or you walk out and never come back, or both.

I don't know that this is the appropriate metaphor. Finding hair in your soup is not just distasteful. It's a Mistake. A wrongdoing that must be rectified. Reading would be more like... Ordering something new off the menu... it arrives exactly as presented, prepared as the chef desired and the consumer eating and saying "Hmm.. not for me."

In that respect I think the customer (reader) could take into account, the cooking process, the craftsmanship, the skill and the effort it took while separating his personal preferences. Indeed if one couldn't I'm not sure I'd want to cook for them.

This Convo gave me "The Menu" vibes. Good movie with Lord Ralph Fiennes

 

[ElectricBlue]

Bro when I first started I wondered why so many writers who started at the same time as me with far fewer stories, gained hundreds of followers at the jump and I was trudging at 1 follower a week.

Always check what categories those writers are in before you compare yourself to them. Some categories have far more traffic than others, but if they're not your kink...

 

[Whanmore]

Always check what categories those writers are in before you compare yourself to them. Some categories have far more traffic than others, but if they're not your kink...

Big Facts!

 

[Mogrem]

Oh, I have seen that done before. Thanks for reminding me about it, I had actually forgotten. lol. I'll consider doing that in the future, though I may try my luck without it again first before I commit to the idea.

Its not too late. If you forgot you can still go back and comment on your own story with an end note from the author: "Love it? Hate it? Came here for the grammar but stayed for the spelling? Please let me know in the comments."

 

[gunhilltrain]

Its not too late. If you forgot you can still go back and comment on your own story with an end note from the author: "Love it? Hate it? Came here for the grammar but stayed for the spelling? Please let me know in the comments."

That's fine at the very beginning, but few are going to see it ten days later. I do get two or three old stories favorited every month, but that is an anomaly. Still nice that somebody found them anyway. Sometimes comments show up on old stories too, but not often.

 

[AndNowWeRun]

Its not too late. If you forgot you can still go back and comment on your own story with an end note from the author: "Love it? Hate it? Came here for the grammar but stayed for the spelling? Please let me know in the comments."

I appreciate the advice, thank you! I may actually remove my previous stories and possibly tinker with them some more in the future. I haven't quite decided yet. I just noticed some stuff that I'm starting to feel iffy on, personally.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I appreciate the advice, thank you! I may actually remove my previous stories and possibly tinker with them some more in the future. I haven't quite decided yet. I just noticed some stuff that I'm starting to feel iffy on, personally.

You can do that, and repost with new versions but I think you have to change the titles. In my experience, a second revision is enough. Those can work, but if they don't, then it's time to move on.

 

[AndNowWeRun]

You can do that, and repost with new versions but I think you have to change the titles. In my experience, a second revision is enough. Those can work, but if they don't, then it's time to move on.

Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks. Hmm. Well, it's something to be mindful of in the future, at any rate. At a certain point, it's probably best to just let the stories go. lol.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Yeah, I don't think I'd have the discipline either for having everything finished and neatly squared away before posting it all in segments. It's different knowing you can just quickly post them on Literotica, as opposed to having a manuscript that needs to go through proper channels and hoops first.

You don't have tohave everything squared away in a long story. To give you an example I just posted the 28th chapter of a story. I had 3 chapters written after that. As i was making a few changes, I realized I really ought to add a line or two to that first chapter. I'd pick up the thread later. At least I did not want inconsistencies. Each of these chapters are about 10k words or so in length, so not small little scenes. I have an idea for how this thread of my overall story will go. the rest of the story is a developing plot like a soap opera.
I have a different story coming out in the morning. It is the first of 11 chapters already written and the story is not ready to conclude.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks. Hmm. Well, it's something to be mindful of in the future, at any rate. At a certain point, it's probably best to just let the stories g

I guess it's her choice on how to proceed. By the way, "algolagnia:" to me, that usually only extend to naughty student-aggrieved professor games, for example. "You've got some nerve asking me for an incomplete!" I've done some of those, but usually a few bruises on the rear end are the worst damage. I know, some define it as pain inflicted on the genitals I guess.

 

[RejectReality]

Big Facts!

Yep, your only high-traffic category is a single story in LW. The rest are in the middle. You can't remotely compare yourself to someone who's cranking out Incest/Mature/LW/Anal, because the traffic in those categories is orders of magnitude more than what you're working with. It will naturally take longer to increase your follower numbers, but in the meantime, fewer voters overall means it takes fewer regular readers to dilute the malicious/"meh" votes.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yep, your only high-traffic category is a single story in LW. The rest are in the middle. You can't remotely compare yourself to someone who's cranking out Incest/Mature/LW/Anal, because the traffic in those categories is orders of magnitude more than what you're working with. It will naturally take longer to increase your follower numbers, but in the meantime, fewer voters overall means it takes fewer regular readers to dilute the malicious/"meh" votes.

@Whanmore has admirable scores in his first years here. I only noted two that were below 4.00. What more could anyone ask for? I think I said that followers, in my experience, seem to usually be having lunch or something rather than reading my stories.

I wonder why Mature is so popular here. Are the writers or readers here here on the older side? What age cohorts do writers here define as mature?

 

[Mastered_again]

I wonder why Mature is so popular here. Are the writers or readers here here on the older side? What age cohorts do writers here define as mature?

I haven't written in that category, but mature is still popular in my house.

 

[Melon_Morph]

You can do that, and repost with new versions but I think you have to change the titles. In my experience, a second revision is enough. Those can work, but if they don't, then it's time to move on.

Are you using tags effectively. For example, my first story, which I put out slowly between 2018-2019, still gets a fair bit of traffic. I believe this is entirely because of it being a fetish story with lots of specific tags.
Im not sure what the content of your writing is like, but if it does fit into any kind of niches or fetishes, make sure to tag it appropriately. People will scour the site looking for something in particular. I know I do.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I wonder why Mature is so popular here. Are the writers or readers here here on the older side? What age cohorts do writers here define as mature?

A fair chunk of Mature is old farts like you and me writing older man younger women fantasy content, coz that's in our wheelhouse, and there's a similar aged audience for it. There are also women readers with "the daddy thing" (I surmise this) who don't like incest stories.

The young women in my stories are getting older as I am, generally nowadays in their late twenties early thirties. The only time I've written eighteen year olds are the "young university me" stories, where the male protagonist is the same age.

I've also got a November November story where both protagonists are mature, both reminiscing. That one's semi-autobiographical, and has done well.

I've found the Mature audience to be the most adult on the site, no silly squicks, appreciative comments, higher than elsewhere Vote/View ratios. Adults on an adult erotica site, who knew?

 

[Gamblnluck]

I haven't written in that category, but mature is still popular in my house.

I wrote one story in mature. I thought about putting it into loving wives but it did not quite fit. It was from the perspective of a PI investigating a pair of women suspected of cheating.
Many of my stories are a little edgier, so I put them into other categories. But at the same time, sex scenes are not priority. I prefer to go with plot and character development. Or at least a character's internal conflict or response to the situation.