Egregious mistake or just bad

[Fleurdelille]

Hello there. I'm struggling with the reception of my latest story. (Blinds)

Intellectually, I'm telling myself my biggest mistake was placing the story in the LW section without warning the reader the series deals with concepts like cheating and betrayal. I feel like I should have understood there are certain expectations at play, and even if cheating in the LW section isn't entirely uncommon, that it's a polarizing topic. That the placement was an egregious error on my part.

14/18 one star reviews in 3 hours after weeks of writing is kind of crushing, though. Could aswell have told me my newborn is an ugly child. I find it hard not to convince myself I'm an awful writer and should stop immediately. Been reaching out to multiple people in the VE program prior to uploading but it's tough to find people that has time to critique your work. Would anyone be willing to look through the story and give me your honest feedback? Is it really THAT bad?

 

[StillStunned]

I find it hard not to convince myself I'm an awful writer and should stop immediately.

One of the most important lessons you can learn on Lit is that scores aren't a measure of quality, but of the reader's feelings. Too many factors beyond your control influence how readers vote for you to take the score as an indictment of your writing abilities.

That said, I've never published in LW, and I'm too much of a coward to ever try.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I havent the time to read it right now, but I can assure you that the one-stars will be for the topic and not the quality of the story. Despite what you might think, there are plenty of readers there for the cheating aspect, just that the haters vote more often and earlier (sometimes, one suspects, before even reading the story)

I've been in the same boat for stories which I know are solid or even amongst my best. It's just the way the category works so keep writing (maybe for another category next time)

 

[Fleurdelille]

One of the most important lessons you can learn on Lit is that scores aren't a measure of quality, but of the reader's feelings. Too many factors beyond your control influence how readers vote for you to take the score as an indictment of your writing abilities.

That said, I've never published in LW, and I'm too much of a coward to ever try.

I wasn't even aware that was a thing tbfh. I've been an avid reader for 20 almost years, somehow this has completely gone over my head until now. I didn't truly expect a category to have that much impact. If anything, if I had done more research ahead of time I probably wouldn't even have placed it in LW.

 

[CalBishForNow]

1. Here's a link to the story, if anyone else wants a look: The Blinds Between Us, Ch. 01. OP, Lit doesn't make it easy to get from the story side to the forum side, so it's a good idea to put a link to your story page in your signature.
2. StillStunned and TheRedChamber are right, LW grades harshly in general. This has been measured.
3. Generalities aside, your story seems to be exactly what LW hates in particular. It's only chapter one of we don't know how many, but that plus the tags makes it look like it's about exactly what LW hates: a woman cheating on her good-but-not-quite-masculine-enough husband with a big-dicked asshole for no reason but pure lust, and getting pregnant. If that's where you're going and it ends with the husband finding out and beating up the other guy and getting everything in a divorce, you'll probably get good scores in LW when that happens. If not, maybe you should have hinted better at where it is going, or put it in Erotic Couplings.
4. No, it's not that bad. I hesitate to say too much, I only skimmed it and there's a lot going on beyond the quality itself - that theme isn't my thing either, and it's hard to judge a series by the first chapter, for starters - but I think the biggest problem with it so far is just how fast Nicole goes from "I hate you" to "fuck me." But the sex is hot, and I like how Michael gets characterization beyond "asshole", and it's brave of you to give him it after the sex rather than before.

 

[BeechLeaf]

I have a quick look at New each day, and they're conveniently published at 7 a.m. my time (UK). I prefer to make a cup of tea and scan their names and descriptions before any votes have been cast to bias me. But oh no, in LW a lot of stories already have votes very early, and that seems to be mostly 1. Pretty sure the perpetrators don't bother reading them - can't have, in that time.

(Not that I ever read LW, but I see the frothing hate just on the vote count.)

 

[Rob_Royale]

I've added it to my reading list.

 

[Anastasia_V]

I've added it to my list to read later. Posting in LW requires a thick skin, and as has been said, you'll get downvoted just because of the subject. I don't let it bother me. In fact, the more I can stir them up, the better. My latest story, published on Oct. 3, started out with a score of 2.08 when I first checked about 10 hours after publication. This morning it was up to 2.25. That tells me I do have some fans in the category. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or not, but I don't seem to get many hateful comments.
My recommendation is to write what brings you joy; there will always be haters.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I read the story. There is no world, except the LW as it currently is, in which this is a one-star story. As @CalBishForNow mentions, it's difficult to critique the opening chapter of a story, but what is here is at least very solid and a good example of 'frustrated wife lets her guard down' that LW trolls love to hate. I could critique it further, but anything I said would be more about my own preferences vs the choices you made, rather than anything objectively bad. So, yeah, as I said before, keep writing.

 

[Fleurdelille]

Thanks for all your replies. I get it now. I just wasn't aware that this was a thing. I'm not delusional, I understand there are some concerns with the story itself. It's just that; in the 20 years I've been reading stories here, I don't think I've ever graded a story I didn't finish reading, not unless the language was butchered. If I don't like the subject matter, I just don't finish reading.

It's not that I expected everyone to love it, I certainly thought some readers would be some offended for sure. Just didn't expect 10 one stars in 30 minutes, that the hate towards the trope would be seething like this. Much easier to take it on the chin after being assured it's to be expected. If anything, I'm now almost looking forward to pissing these people off with the direction I'm heading for.

I like how Michael gets characterization beyond "asshole", and it's brave of you to give him it after the sex rather than before.

When it comes to infidelity, I think it's not entirely uncommon for these kinds of talks to happen after sex rather than before. Certainly, developing a deeper connection with someone can be a catalyst for cheating. But I also think that in writing, because we want readers to like our characters, it's too easy to give them "an excuse," something that could justify — or at the very least explain their morally dubious behavior. I didn't want Michael's past to work as an excuse. I wanted it to complicate how she sees him, after the fact, especially since this is not where the story ends.

 

[smallercuck]

My stories often have cuckolding themes. When they are in LW they get hate (in addition to love, if they're written well). That's just how it goes here. The score should climb back toward normalcy but you'll still score lower than other categories, and you'll get some nasty comments.

 

[Anastasia_V]

If anything, I'm now almost looking forward to pissing these people off with the direction I'm heading for.

We are of similar mind. I’ve yet to get much vitriol in comments, but i suspect my day is coming.

 

[ThePiper146]

I started writing and put stories in all the wrong places. I thought Mature stories were for mature readers - which was completely wrong. I am a seriously prolific writer so there are lot of mis-categorised stories in my name. Then somebody yelled at me for leading them astray so I went in search of enlightenment and I found a very coherent and useful summation by TinkFairy here:
As to getting 1's. I notice that early readers (08h00 SAST) are often the really harshest critics. Or as Anastasia_V suggests there are some readers who do not actually read the story, just mark it down.
So far I have managed to scrape away from the 1's but it is dishaeartening.
So my advice, for what it is worth is: Just keep on writing for the fun of it, watch the ratings and you will soon find what the audience like and don't like.
As for harsh comments, I have learned a lot from those harsh comments so don't ignore them. Read the comment, understand and maybe get something out of it or if you think it is just plain nasty then of course you can swear softly and delete the offending message.
You can see my category chaos here

 

[TheLobster]

Mature stories were for mature readers

Sir, we are all immature readers and writers here, sharing prurient fantasies. In the Mature category, as well as well everywhere else.

I’m glad you figured it out, at least. Definitely do submit requests to put your stories into right categories, though, since otherwise you’re really hampering their potential reach.

 

[ThePiper146]

Sir, we are all immature readers and writers here, sharing prurient fantasies. In the Mature category, as well as well everywhere else.

I’m glad you figured it out, at least. Definitely do submit requests to put your stories into right categories, though, since otherwise you’re really hampering their potential reach.

Thank you for the humor and the advice!
I will start the process of change right away.

 

[Imstillfun]

Intellectually, I'm telling myself my biggest mistake was placing the story in the LW section without warning the reader the series deals with concepts like cheating and betrayal.

I post in LW all the time. Over 1/2 my stories. Most get the initial 1* bombing. If your story is good enough the scores go up after the initial bombing. Many are well over 4.5. I built a following of over 14,000 posting in LW.