What about adding a "Story Summary" to story entries?

[bridgetrose]

There are so many great stories here that I think might often get overlooked by people, simply because they either a) Don't like/don't relate to the title or b) The short summary doesn't intrigue them enough to click on it.

Because of that, I almost always try to add a "Story Summary" at the start of each of my stories. Of course, you have to click into the story to see it. But still, I hope that it allows people to know what they're checking out before they get too invested into it.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea for Literotica to add a special "Story Summary" option when submitting a story? It would be a higher character count than the short summary (60 characters). Maybe somewhere around 500 characters. And it wouldn't show up on the main list of stories, but maybe there would be a "detailed view" option to show all the stories, but also display the Story Summary?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this. I looked for a "Site Feedback" area, but didn't see anything that stood out...

Thoughts?

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

Personally, I think it'd be good idea. Like a back of book blurb, though 500 words feels like too much. Maybe like 75-100.

Whether the site will realistically implement something like this is another question...

EDIT: You said 500 characters! Seems manageable.

 

[SimonDoom]

I wouldn't favor it as a Literotica option, just because I think it's just one more thing for an author to do. But if authors want to add summaries, by all means do.

This is not something I have done, and I have never felt the need to do it.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I've started doing a little "In this chapter you can expect x, y and z" at the beginning of each entry in my series, largely because I intend for the sex aspects to expand dramatically as it goes further and not each encounter will be to everyone's taste. In that, I try to hit the sexual elements but also any big non-sex things:

In this chapter you can expect trading of nudes, oral, handstands, workplace chat and some light exhibitionism.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There are so many great stories here that I think might often get overlooked by people, simply because they either a) Don't like/don't relate to the title or b) The short summary doesn't intrigue them enough to click on it.

Because of that, I almost always try to add a "Story Summary" at the start of each of my stories. Of course, you have to click into the story to see it. But still, I hope that it allows people to know what they're checking out before they get too invested into it.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea for Literotica to add a special "Story Summary" option when submitting a story? I

The Series function allows you to write a short preamble, but I don't think it makes much difference, since you have to be in the story already to click into the Series function. At least, that's how I see it working.

You could I suppose put a "back of book cover" kind of blurb at the top of your stories, but personally, I can't see the point. If I want to find out what the story's about, I read the story. If it does nothing for me, it's a back click and I'm out of it. There's no investment unless the story is doing something in the first several hundred words

Other than that, most preambles seem to be squick warnings for the nervous reader. I'm not a nervous reader, so they're wasted on me.

Tags tell people what in the content, that should be enough, really.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I wouldn't favor it as a Literotica option, just because I think it's just one more thing for an author to do. But if authors want to add summaries, by all means do.

This is not something I have done, and I have never felt the need to do it.

Agree, but I think the tag line should be increased. 60 characters sucks. 150 maybe?

 

[Bamagan]

I'd use it if Lit provided it. That being said, if the title/blurb one has chosen fail to catch the reader's attention, I'm not sure an extra paragraph of description would be able to overcome that. The new story cards (still in beta) show the tags before you click into the body of the text. That might be enough to help draw in otherwise disinterested readers who have a particular fondness for, say, nipple clamps or Louboutins or smegma (or warn them away if the reverse is true).

There are so many great stories here that I think might often get overlooked by people, simply because they either a) Don't like/don't relate to the title or b) The short summary doesn't intrigue them enough to click on it.

Because of that, I almost always try to add a "Story Summary" at the start of each of my stories. Of course, you have to click into the story to see it. But still, I hope that it allows people to know what they're checking out before they get too invested into it.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea for Literotica to add a special "Story Summary" option when submitting a story? It would be a higher character count than the short summary (60 characters). Maybe somewhere around 500 characters. And it wouldn't show up on the main list of stories, but maybe there would be a "detailed view" option to show all the stories, but also display the Story Summary?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this. I looked for a "Site Feedback" area, but didn't see anything that stood out...

Thoughts?

 

[VallesMarineris]

There are so many great stories here that I think might often get overlooked by people, simply because they either a) Don't like/don't relate to the title or b) The short summary doesn't intrigue them enough to click on it.

Because of that, I almost always try to add a "Story Summary" at the start of each of my stories. Of course, you have to click into the story to see it. But still, I hope that it allows people to know what they're checking out before they get too invested into it.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea for Literotica to add a special "Story Summary" option when submitting a story? It would be a higher character count than the short summary (60 characters). Maybe somewhere around 500 characters. And it wouldn't show up on the main list of stories, but maybe there would be a "detailed view" option to show all the stories, but also display the Story Summary?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this. I looked for a "Site Feedback" area, but didn't see anything that stood out...

Thoughts?

I don't think a story summary option is a good idea, simply because most people won't bother with it, especially if it's as long as you suggest.

Think about the most recent movie or TV drama you watched. It started right in with the action, trying to grab you ASAP. You didn't even see the title until several minutes in. Hollywood has figured out how to manage modern viewers, who are impatient and have a zillion options besides whatever is being presented to them. So cut to the chase, as they say in Tinsel Town.

Lit readers can be especially twitchy, because not only do they want to be entertained, they want instant gratification of their particular sexual proclivities. So you want to grab them even before the story starts, in the title and description. The title is like the Hollywood movie’s poster; the description is like the trailer.

I personally skip prefaces, author’s notes, acknowledgements, etc. in mainstream literature I read, and I suspect most readers do the same. When I write I like to follow Elmore Leonard’s famous advice: “Try to leave out all the parts readers skip.”

I’ve looked over your profile and you do fine with your titles and descriptions. And the categories help: Romance readers expect characterization and a slow burn; I/T readers know what they’re in for also. Are your summaries really telling them something they need to know?

You’re a good writer. Your readers like what you’re doing, as shown by the red H’s you get. You can have confidence in what you’re writing. Just put it out there.

 

[TheLobster]

Like some here, I’d rather see the limit on existing description raised. One Standard Tweet, or 140 characters, seems like an obvious choice.

And of course, the site should surface the story tags much better since right now, they are displayed literally nowhere.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I sometimes do a preamble, especially if the story is in an event or contest, because then many readers will come from the story list and not have seen even the category let alone the story description, and won't yet have clicked on the tags, if they even know that function exists.

It can also be useful if you reuse characters, to explain that this is a new story with them, but no need to have read previous ones. Seeing that an author has at least thought about that would encourage me to read further. Similarly, mentioning a beta reader would reassure me that the author has put some effort into writing something coherent.

So one of my longest preambles reads:
"Adrian and Dan are back by popular demand. They make new, younger, friends. No need to have read their previous exploits.
Many thanks to yowser for beta reading.
___
WARNING: if you just clicked on the list of Literotica Valentine's Day stories, please note that this story is in the Gay Male category. It contains men fucking each other, and also British English.

If either of those repulse you, please hit Back now. I have many other stories with only heterosexual or lesbian sex, but I'm afraid the Englishness is unavoidable."

If a reader doesn't find that mildly amusing, they probably won't like the story, either. Only got one comment on that one to the effect of "couldn't understand a word of what they were on about", so that's a win as far as I'm concerned!

 

[alohadave]

It always amazes me how institutionalized people are here. Plenty of sites and media use short summaries, and they are good for readers looking for something to read.

Are you required to use them, no. Are you required to write an essay, no.

Think about looking at books in a bookstore or library, the first thing you read is the summary blurb to see if it's a story you want to read.

On another site I'm on, you get 500 characters for a description. Some people use all of it, some use a few words.

 

[Britva415]

Those blurbs aren’t summaries, though. A summary summarizes what happens, including how it finishes.

I think a field like this is useful but maybe calling it a summary invites sub-optimal usage. A description that’s longer than the “short description” - what could that be called which is different from “description” which is already in use.

“Teaser” or “back-cover blurb” or “marketing pitch” are better ways to describe how to best use this field, though they aren’t good labels for it.

Anyway, better titles and shortdesc content are always going to pay off. Once they click, then a blurb at the beginning of the story can set expectations. But the crux is getting that click in the first place. An extra field won’t help with that.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I would be in favor of a longer description field of 140 characters, but no more.

Other than alerting readers when a story contains no sex (this is Literotica, after all), I seldom provide any preamble to my stories.

 

[MelissaBaby]

"Ain't nobody got time for that."

 

[NuclearFairy]

Ya know how when you hover over a topic and it shows at least the beginning of the starting post? That would be nice to have for the stories as well. Then if you wanted to make a short description and put it at the beginning of the story it would show up just by people hovering over the story.

Of course it wouldn't work very well in touch screen mode. But I still think it's a good idea.

 

[Audiflex]

There are so many great stories here that I think might often get overlooked by people, simply because they either a) Don't like/don't relate to the title or b) The short summary doesn't intrigue them enough to click on it.

Because of that, I almost always try to add a "Story Summary" at the start of each of my stories. Of course, you have to click into the story to see it. But still, I hope that it allows people to know what they're checking out before they get too invested into it.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea for Literotica to add a special "Story Summary" option when submitting a story? It would be a higher character count than the short summary (60 characters). Maybe somewhere around 500 characters. And it wouldn't show up on the main list of stories, but maybe there would be a "detailed view" option to show all the stories, but also display the Story Summary?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this. I looked for a "Site Feedback" area, but didn't see anything that stood out...

Thoughts?

A longer, optional "Story Summary" field (visible in a detailed view) would help readers make better choices without cluttering the main listing. Some stories really need that extra context to hook the right audience especially if the title or short summary doesn’t do it justice.

 

[Audiflex]

I don't think a story summary option is a good idea, simply because most people won't bother with it, especially if it's as long as you suggest.

Think about the most recent movie or TV drama you watched. It started right in with the action, trying to grab you ASAP. You didn't even see the title until several minutes in. Hollywood has figured out how to manage modern viewers, who are impatient and have a zillion options besides whatever is being presented to them. So cut to the chase, as they say in Tinsel Town.

Lit readers can be especially twitchy, because not only do they want to be entertained, they want instant gratification of their particular sexual proclivities. So you want to grab them even before the story starts, in the title and description. The title is like the Hollywood movie’s poster; the description is like the trailer.

I personally skip prefaces, author’s notes, acknowledgements, etc. in mainstream literature I read, and I suspect most readers do the same. When I write I like to follow Elmore Leonard’s famous advice: “Try to leave out all the parts readers skip.”

I’ve looked over your profile and you do fine with your titles and descriptions. And the categories help: Romance readers expect characterization and a slow burn; I/T readers know what they’re in for also. Are your summaries really telling them something they need to know?

You’re a good writer. Your readers like what you’re doing, as shown by the red H’s you get. You can have confidence in what you’re writing. Just put it out there.

Attention spans are short, and a killer title/teaser is often all it takes to hook readers. If the current system’s working for you (and those red H’s prove it is!), no need to overcomplicate things.

That said, I still think a toggleable long-summary option could help niche or layered stories find their audience without annoying the "cut-to-the-chase" crowd. But your Hollywood analogy is spot-on: if the "poster" (title) and "trailer" (blurb) do their job, most readers won’t need a director’s commentary upfront.

 

[Audiflex]

I sometimes do a preamble, especially if the story is in an event or contest, because then many readers will come from the story list and not have seen even the category let alone the story description, and won't yet have clicked on the tags, if they even know that function exists.

It can also be useful if you reuse characters, to explain that this is a new story with them, but no need to have read previous ones. Seeing that an author has at least thought about that would encourage me to read further. Similarly, mentioning a beta reader would reassure me that the author has put some effort into writing something coherent.

So one of my longest preambles reads:
"Adrian and Dan are back by popular demand. They make new, younger, friends. No need to have read their previous exploits.
Many thanks to yowser for beta reading.
___
WARNING: if you just clicked on the list of Literotica Valentine's Day stories, please note that this story is in the Gay Male category. It contains men fucking each other, and also British English.

If either of those repulse you, please hit Back now. I have many other stories with only heterosexual or lesbian sex, but I'm afraid the Englishness is unavoidable."

If a reader doesn't find that mildly amusing, they probably won't like the story, either. Only got one comment on that one to the effect of "couldn't understand a word of what they were on about", so that's a win as far as I'm concerned!

Your preamble is efficient, playful, and somewhat useful, it filters out the wrong readers while reassuring the right ones. The British English warning alone is gold.

For contest/event stories or recurring characters, a quick heads-up makes total sense. And yeah, if someone’s put off by your tone here, they’d hate the story, so it’s a win-win

 

[Cagivagurl]

There are so many great stories here that I think might often get overlooked by people, simply because they either a) Don't like/don't relate to the title or b) The short summary doesn't intrigue them enough to click on it.

Because of that, I almost always try to add a "Story Summary" at the start of each of my stories. Of course, you have to click into the story to see it. But still, I hope that it allows people to know what they're checking out before they get too invested into it.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea for Literotica to add a special "Story Summary" option when submitting a story? It would be a higher character count than the short summary (60 characters). Maybe somewhere around 500 characters. And it wouldn't show up on the main list of stories, but maybe there would be a "detailed view" option to show all the stories, but also display the Story Summary?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this. I looked for a "Site Feedback" area, but didn't see anything that stood out...

Thoughts?

Having a longer story description would be great. Trying to describe a story in the current descriptor box is almost impossible...
Tags are the obvious aid, although. I'm hopeless at choosing which ones to use.
Personally, I have never bothered inserting a summary. My thoughts are if they've opened the story. They, the readers are at least interested.
It's up to the story to keep them in....

If they're interested enough to open the story. Then it's up to the author to keep them...
I never read summary's. I think if the story's good enough, it'll hold them.

Just my thoughts. Everybody must approach it the way, they themselves think it works. As always, there's no golden rule or solution, no right or wrong.

Cagivagurl

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Personally, not a fan. I skip them when I see them. I'd rather have an opening that grabs me and won't let me go, than have someone tell me what I'm going to read.

 

[bridgetrose]

Thanks guys. You've all got some good feedback.

To clarify something, since it was mentioned a couple times: I don't particularly have a problem with whether or not my content is well received. I'm merely looking for a way the site could allow more people to potentially find the content they are looking for. Story titles are limited in two ways: 1) They need to be extremely short. My longest story title to date is "Why do you hate me, daddy?" And that one is borderline pushing the envelope. 2) As a writer, I sometimes want to be artistic/poetic with my story title. So story titles simply cannot always tell the reader exactly what to expect. Example: My most recent story is called "Just Say The Words". In itself, it conveys nothing. I COULD have called it: "Seduction of the Twins" which probably would have "hooked" more people from the start. But artistically, I just didn't like the second title option, so I went with the first.

The idea about simply expanding the short description from 60 chars to 140 chars would likely accomplish what I'm looking for.

But I would still enjoy having the OPTION of adding a "story summary". (And by "summary", no I do not mean a full story outline which tells them the ending. Maybe a better word could be chosen for what I'm talking about, but I think "summary" works just fine. Maybe "teaser summary".) Not everyone has to use it. But those who want to, can. And not every reader will read it. But again, those who want to will have the option to look at it.

Responding to one post mentioning about modern culture and how even in cinema, you have to "hook" the consumer within the first few minutes... that may be true. But they still rely on TRAILERS which are certainly longer than "60 characters". Most trailers are more like 2 to 3 minutes long. They have TEASER TRAILERS which are very short, like 30s or 60s. But then the full trailer (and for bigger budget films, even 2 or 3 full trailers). THOSE are used to entice the audience to go to the theater in the first place. My story summary idea is really just this, in written form. It would give potential readers another way to see if that particular story might be of interest.