Questions from someone new

[Emirus]

Oh no! I lost my HOT rating

Guess it was only a matter of time… fun while it lasted

I read your story, Archie, and thought it good for a first submission. I left a comment which I hope you thought helpful but, in all honesty, I couldn’t give it more than a 4. So if you’ve lost the fabulous red H it’s not because readers don’t like the story it’s just because they’ve voted that they like it (4) but didn’t love it (5) both of which are better than saying it’s average (3).

There are a lot of writers, myself included, who would like a H on every story but think between 4 and 4.5 is still quite nice and acceptable. If it’s above 4 you’ve still got a fair amount of 5 votes. Lots of stories go down and then come back up so don’t be too disheartened at losing the H because it could return.

Now is the time to concentrate on getting your second story finished and submitted.

 

[Archieosullivan]

I read your story, Archie, and thought it good for a first submission. I left a comment which I hope you thought helpful but, in all honesty, I couldn’t give it more than a 4. So if you’ve lost the fabulous red H it’s not because readers don’t like the story it’s just because they’ve voted that they like it (4) but didn’t love it (5) both of which are better than saying it’s average (3).

There are a lot of writers, myself included, who would like a H on every story but think between 4 and 4.5 is still quite nice and acceptable. If it’s above 4 you’ve still got a fair amount of 5 votes. Lots of stories go down and then come back up so don’t be too disheartened at losing the H because it could return.

Now is the time to concentrate on getting your second story finished and submitted.

Thanks emirus, it’s all good, I’m honestly not bothered in the slightest, it’s all a bit of fun. And I have a penchant for self deprecating humour.

Appreciate the comment. Another story will not happen quickly, but maybe one day. Cheers.

 

[SimonDoom]

Oh no! I lost my HOT rating

Guess it was only a matter of time… fun while it lasted

I had a story that was parked at 4.49 for years. I kept trying to will it to cross the red H boundary, like Carlton Fisk waving his arms at his home run ball in the 75 World Series, but it didn't get there. It didn't seem to hurt it in terms of views and favorites but I still wanted it because the remaining 7 chapters of the story were over 4.5. I gave up hope, but after 4 years the story finally got over the hump, and it's stayed there, for now, tenuously.

So give it time. You never know.

 

[Javahead]

I had a story that was parked at 4.49 for years. I kept trying to will it to cross the red H boundary, like Carlton Fisk waving his arms at his home run ball in the 75 World Series, but it didn't get there. It didn't seem to hurt it in terms of views and favorites but I still wanted it because the remaining 7 chapters of the story were over 4.5. I gave up hope, but after 4 years the story finally got over the hump, and it's stayed there, for now, tenuously.

So give it time. You never know.

And don't be too discouraged if your judgement and those of reviewers aren't in total accord. As others have noted, that may be at least in part an artifact of the category - readers in different categories may vote higher or lower than the norm, and more frequently.

My latest story was published in "Novels and Novellas". After just 1.1K downloads, it has more votes than some of my other stories that have been around for years and have over 10x the number of downloads, and they've been relatively generous in their ratings. I think it's a solid story, but I'm fairly certain if it had gone into LW, it would had several times the total downloads and - probably - a lower score.

And sometimes you just have to admit to yourself that your sentimental favorites may not appeal as much to your readers. One of my own favorites - "Paying the Price" - is an older story I first posted here about three years back. I confidently expected it to get the coveted red "H", but after three years and 100 votes it's sitting solidly at 4.44 and it's unlikely to ever exceed the threshold. While a couple of others from that same time that I wasn't as confident of have stayed comfortably above it. De gustibus, I suppose.