What I learned from publishing a Loving Wives story

[Lifestyle66]

My second LW attempt - just submitted - is serious and heterosexual. Then maybe I should have published it under a pseudonym.

Em

In my experience, the number of views in LW will depend on some factors which you can control.

When I post a story in my "Lifestyle Ch.## ___" series, the views seem to depend on the description line. Let's face it: before they actually click on the story to open it, the only things they see are the title, description, and possibly the current rating. So, in my Lifestyle chapters, the rest of the title is just one or two words. So, it's mostly the description which attracts their attention or not.

And I've found subtle descriptions don't trend well, either. It needs to be "In your face" descriptive of what they'll find in the story.
"Our swinger couple find regular FWBs in a meetup group." didn't do very well in attracting attention for that chapter (#12, at 3.8k views).
And "The wife flirts with and fucks a single guy." did marginally better, (#13, at 10k views).

But since #15, I've stopped adding chapters, and I'm copying and pasting portions of those build-up chapters as a prologue to new stories about the same lifestyle couple. My story in early May was "A Hard Lesson" as "A swinger couple's adventures can be humiliating." got 24.8k views! And my latest published just Saturday night "My Wife Wants a Hall Pass" as "Former boyfriend asks her out ... Okay, but with conditions!" now has 28k views (in just a day and a half).

So, lesson learned: stand-alone but complete stories, with very descriptive titles and tag lines draws the views. Edgy content and triggering scenes draw the votes and reactions. This latest story has the wife's former boyfriend coming out as Bi, leaning gay, and I've received 435 ratings (at 2.86 of course).

 

[Zach_lost_in_Aus]

This thread is very informative and useful.
Will still probably forget all the top advice when submitting my next story.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Loving Wives #2 is up today:

Jacob’s Progress

Doing much better than Harper’s Reckoning at the moment. Though I am anticipating the US troll wave some time soon.

Em

 

[Rob_Royale]

Well my first LW story has been posted. The Colonel's Wife is linked in my sig line. I'm pretty happy with it. I have at least one more LW story on my idea page.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Loving Wives #2 is up today:

Jacob’s Progress

Doing much better than Harper’s Reckoning at the moment. Though I am anticipating the US troll wave some time soon.

Em

I just finished "Jacob's Progress" and enjoyed it. Your writing is far more emotional than mine, so some of the characters are tough to relate, such as Jacob crying or his agnozing over the sex. His online hooker sessions also seemed to add a new POV into those who support such sites.

One of the reasons the story is doing so well is the ending. That type of ending goes over rather well in LW with that majority 'monogamy only' crowd. If you had ended with any more sharing, it would probably have scored far lower.

I gave it a 5, which is unusual for me with a BTB story.

(I posted my comment here, since it seemed appropriate for this thread.)

 

[EmilyMiller]

I just finished "Jacob's Progress" and enjoyed it. Your writing is far more emotional than mine, so some of the characters are tough to relate, such as Jacob crying or his agnozing over the sex. His online hooker sessions also seemed to add a new POV into those who support such sites.

One of the reasons the story is doing so well is the BTB ending (Burn The Bastard). That goes over rather well in LW with that majority 'monogamy only' crowd. If you had ended with a threesome between Jacob, Lucia, and Paula, it would probably have score far lower. Lucia inviting both Paula AND Ed to her wedding seemed a little unlikely. But it was a relatively minor distraction needed for her to get back together with Paula.

I gave it a 5, which is unusual for me with for BTB story.

(I posted my comment here, since it seemed appropriate for this thread.)

Thanks. That’s kind of you and appreciated .

I get some guys who say my men are women with a [probably small] cock.

I get some guys who say my men are more realistic than the normal stereotypes.

I get quite a few women who say my men are super accurate.

I got the above a lot about Fragile - with which Jacob’s Progress has some parallels (though the FMC is much uglier in Fragile ).

I guess it’s a female POV and very much depends on the guy reading.

I know a few bereaved guys on Lit - Jacob isn’t based on any of them, but he isn’t totally made up either.

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

I posted this on the comments thread. Thought I’d add it here too:

—

Just a follow up:

1. I turned off anonymous comments. Actually almost half of the anonymous comments I got on Harper’s Reckoning were positive and most of the rest were at least polite. But it’s not worth it for the minority of sewer dwellers.
2. I thought Harper’s was writing an LW story on my terms, but I found out I could do that just fine and not be as in your face. Jacob’s drips with my concerns and viewpoint, I just shifted my frame of reference slightly

Em

 

[Lifestyle66]

Thanks. That’s kind of you and appreciated .

I get some guys who say my men are women with a [probably small] cock.

I get some guys who say my men are more realistic than the normal stereotypes.

I get quite a few women who say my men are super accurate.

I got the above a lot about Fragile - with which Jacob’s Progress has some parallels (though the FMC is much uglier in Fragile ).

I guess it’s a female POV and very much depends on the guy reading.

I know a few bereaved guys on Lit - Jacob isn’t based on any of them, but he isn’t totally made up either.

Em

There are a great deal of different personalities out there. Men who are highly emotional, and those who are unemotional. Men who are sensitive, and those who are insensitive. Men who are uncaring or uncaring. Men who are clueless, and others who are clued in and pick up on everything.

Likewise, there are women who fit all of those various descriptions, too.

For a more in-depth version of your story "Jacob's Progress", it would have been nice to see your personality developing a few of the other husbands in the neighborhood swinger club. The two swingers in your story were manipulators, one pimping out his wife and the other a rapist, seeming to show you having a negative view of such sharing. My stories of a swinger world show it (and most of the swingers) in a more positive light, which is why the majority of the LW crowd 1-bomb mine.

 

[djrip]

There are a great deal of different personalities out there. Men who are highly emotional, and those who are unemotional. Men who are sensitive, and those who are insensitive. Men who are uncaring or uncaring. Men who are clueless, and others who are clued in and pick up on everything.

Likewise, there are women who fit all of those various descriptions, too.

For a more in-depth version of your story "Jacob's Progress", it would have been nice to see your personality developing a few of the other husbands in the neighborhood swinger club. The two swingers in your story were manipulators, one pimping out his wife and the other a rapist, seeming to show you having a negative view of such sharing. My stories of a swinger world show it (and most of the swingers) in a more positive light, which is why the majority of the LW crowd 1-bomb mine.

I'm on page 3 and these have been some confusing spoilers in here! I've never had to worry about spoilers for a lit story before. No more foruming for me, at least until I'm done.

 

[Pureotica]

I won't write in the category because I think the name is silly.

Maybe I'm a naïve idealist, but in optimal scenarios, if one is a wife, I hope that loving is baked into the cake. By and large, people tend to avoid life altering commitments with people they dislike. The world isn't perfect, and things can go south, but if we're making generalizations, loving and wife are essentially synonyms, or at least tend to have a fair amount of crossover. Just call the category swingers, make a slot for cheating stories, and end the source of much confusion, once and for all.

What shocks me is that LW generates so much strife, while incest, which is arguably more taboo, seems to be taken for granted. I'm not personally offended by any of it. I'd just expect the outrage-prone to aim their pitchforks at the easier target.

I don't have a dog in any of these fights. I just want a place to publish my weird stories for the three people who enjoy such things. Saving civilization is an admirable aspiration, but an erotica site seems like an unlikely place to accomplish it. Kind of swimming upstream, IMHO.

Lit's use of fuzzy and ill-defined category descriptors likely contributes to the ongoing kerfuffle. Trying to figure out where to place a story is like trans-dimensional calculus, especially for me, whose stuff is not traditional erotica to begin with. I'm okay with being niche. I just want to know where to find said niche. Hitting the target is like playing darts blindfolded.

 

[EmilyMiller]

There are a great deal of different personalities out there. Men who are highly emotional, and those who are unemotional. Men who are sensitive, and those who are insensitive. Men who are uncaring or uncaring. Men who are clueless, and others who are clued in and pick up on everything.

Likewise, there are women who fit all of those various descriptions, too.

For a more in-depth version of your story "Jacob's Progress", it would have been nice to see your personality developing a few of the other husbands in the neighborhood swinger club. The two swingers in your story were manipulators, one pimping out his wife and the other a rapist, seeming to show you having a negative view of such sharing. My stories of a swinger world show it (and most of the swingers) in a more positive light, which is why the majority of the LW crowd 1-bomb mine.

I don’t have a problem with sharing if it works for both parties. I have a problem with abusive relationships and the damage they do.

I’ve never been married (at the point of writing - I’ll hopefully come back and update this next spring ) but I’ve certainly been engaged in group sex and what you might call swinging. I have a positive view of that - so long as it’s consensual and everyone can handle it.

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

There are a great deal of different personalities out there. Men who are highly emotional, and those who are unemotional. Men who are sensitive, and those who are insensitive. Men who are uncaring or uncaring. Men who are clueless, and others who are clued in and pick up on everything.

Likewise, there are women who fit all of those various descriptions, too.

For a more in-depth version of your story "Jacob's Progress", it would have been nice to see your personality developing a few of the other husbands in the neighborhood swinger club. The two swingers in your story were manipulators, one pimping out his wife and the other a rapist, seeming to show you having a negative view of such sharing. My stories of a swinger world show it (and most of the swingers) in a more positive light, which is why the majority of the LW crowd 1-bomb mine.

Maybe try Fragile for a take on the potentially redemptive aspects of group sex.

It’s a very short story.

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm on page 3 and these have been some confusing spoilers in here! I've never had to worry about spoilers for a lit story before. No more foruming for me, at least until I'm done.

I’m not used to this. The most unpredictable element in most of my stories is how long before the FMC gets tied up .

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

I’m not used to this. The most unpredictable element in most of my stories is how long before the FMC gets tied up .

Em

Hey, @EmilyMiller !

Look at this extremely comfortable set of handcuffs I just happen to have here!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Hey, @EmilyMiller !

Look at this extremely comfortable set of handcuffs I just happen to have here!

Maybe I like them to be a little uncomfortable?

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

Maybe I like them to be a little uncomfortable?

Em

Oh look! An implausible scented candle!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Oh look! An implausible scented candle!

What is the girth of that candle (specific reference to The Devil and Angel Em)?

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

What is the girth of that candle (specific reference to The Devil and Angel Em)?

Em

Somewhere between magnificent and glorious.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Somewhere between magnificent and glorious.

Just short of “oh fuck, that’s not going to fit!”

Em

 

[Lifestyle66]

I'm on page 3 and these have been some confusing spoilers in here! I've never had to worry about spoilers for a lit story before. No more foruming for me, at least until I'm done.

Sorry.

I just edited out my spoilers.

 

[onehitwanda]

Just short of “oh fuck, that’s not going to fit!”

Em

I just instinctively crossed my legs. Thanks. Remind me not to play this particular version of chicken with you again

 

[EmilyMiller]

I just instinctively crossed my legs. Thanks. Remind me not to play this particular version of chicken with you again

A whole chicken? Now that’s deviant.

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

A whole chicken? Now that’s deviant.

Em

not just a whole chicken - a horrified, screaming one!

NOW who's deviant!

 

[Lifestyle66]

I’m not used to this. The most unpredictable element in most of my stories is how long before the FMC gets tied up .

Em

Like a boy scout, I'm prepared.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Like a boy scout, I'm prepared.

Suddenly very interested…

Em