Where did I go wrong?

[StillStunned]

Thank you for that information. Will I use it in the future to assess my work. I just won’t dwell on it to much. I have more in the works, and of course this knowledge can be incorporated in the future. Hopefully, someday, I’ll produce a work equal to yours.

There's a thread in the Authors' Hangout with our tips and tricks for getting a better view-to-vote ration: Making the reader finish.

 

[NickAxel]

I've stopped trying to make sense out of the stats. My first story appears to have been well received but after that the numbers are all over the place. I was getting discouraged when I realized something. Every story got at least one heart. I gained three followers with my worst rated story. There's satisfaction in that. One person said I like your style, or better yet, I like your work.

Look at it this way, you can't troll bomb the Favorite and Follower stats.

True, I did receive one comment that made it all worthwhile,

 

[drunkwombat]

True, I did receive one comment that made it all worthwhile,

Excellent!

 

[NickAxel]

There were 2 parts to what I was trying to say (probably badly):

1. Your stats are on the low end of what I'm calling vote percentage. That's the number of votes you're getting in relation to views. .47% of your views resulted in votes. The average from my own stories is 1.48%.
   1. I've heard some folks make a convincing case that this stat is as close as we can get to measuring roughly how many people who clicked on your story actually finished it. A low vote % is likely a sign a high portion of people clicked off before finishing.
2. Your absolute number of ratings (18) is very low. Which means the rating is very volatile. Because of how the rating math works out, a handful of 1 star ratings have a very large impact when you have that few votes.

Did I do the math correctly?

 

[filthytrancendence]

Did I do the math correctly?

Looks right.

Worth noting that some folks around here seem to like to express this stat as the reciprocal. Or the ratio of views to votes. % just makes more sense to me, but YMMV.

 

[Tomh1966]

Sure enough the story in question drifted upward in ratings. When you start to have a back catalog the drifting upwards generally continues as people who like you will read your old stuff and generally vote for it with a good score.

 

[NickAxel]

Sure enough the story in question drifted upward in ratings. When you start to have a back catalog the drifting upwards generally continues as people who like you will read your old stuff and generally vote for it with a good score.

Yeah I’ve noticed that too. It helps to getter better with each one. Looks like Beneficial Friendship is trending towards the same results as A Foursome In The Night. So now back to the stories that are in the works.

 

[DeMont]

Hi

Over the past couple of years I’ve written a few stories on here and, while I don’t seem to get a huge number of readers for them, they seem to have generally been well received.

I’ve struggled to find a character I want to write about but found one and have been trying to turn her adventures into a series (A Fresh Start)

The first three episodes went well but the fourth bombed and I don’t really know why. I get that not everyone likes the same thing but if you liked the first three then I’d assumed you’d like this one.

I know I got a couple of one star reviews but that’s lit for you. The thing is that even though I got 2k readers in a week (which is good for me) I got very few people giving me a rating (good or bad), which suggests that maybe a lot just gave up before the end

Any insights gratefully received

BF

https://www.literotica.com/s/a-fresh-start-while-the-cats-away

Good morning (just) @Biker_Faerie,
Writing is one of those things where you just can't predict how the story will go over. It's like trying to guess, exactly, the winning numbers of the national lottery.
People that read your stories first off may well decide, on a complete whim, that further chapters are going to be "more of the same" and, as they say, variety is the spice of life. On the other hand you may well end up with a group of "Followers" that wait for each new chapter. I am touching on that very thing myself at the moment even though I know there's a better than even chance that it's not going to work. It's almost like professional writing, you have to get through the first 500 publishers rejections before you get a bite. That, my friend, is one of the hardcore facts about writing. Here, I think, the trick is to write for yourself first and then, looking at other stories that have rated highly in the category you're writing for see what elements your story has or doesn't have in it.

As others have mentioned also, pick your tags and section carefully. See where the readers are going for the most part and see if you can fit, or tailor, your story in there.

Most importantly of all, don't be discouraged. Keep writing what you WANT to write and don't look too hard at the "numbers" that come up after it. My first story seemed to go through the roof, my second didn't... I don't know where my third will go but I've already planned and started the fourth. Have a little faith baby...!!!
Most respectfully,
D.

 

[Ulises1]

Hi

Over the past couple of years I’ve written a few stories on here and, while I don’t seem to get a huge number of readers for them, they seem to have generally been well received.

I’ve struggled to find a character I want to write about but found one and have been trying to turn her adventures into a series (A Fresh Start)

The first three episodes went well but the fourth bombed and I don’t really know why. I get that not everyone likes the same thing but if you liked the first three then I’d assumed you’d like this one.

I know I got a couple of one star reviews but that’s lit for you. The thing is that even though I got 2k readers in a week (which is good for me) I got very few people giving me a rating (good or bad), which suggests that maybe a lot just gave up before the end

Any insights gratefully received

BF

https://www.literotica.com/s/a-fresh-start-while-the-cats-away

My feedback is not technical nor it pretend to be general, it's just a taste of my taste, of what I look for in this kind

Hi

Over the past couple of years I’ve written a few stories on here and, while I don’t seem to get a huge number of readers for them, they seem to have generally been well received.

I’ve struggled to find a character I want to write about but found one and have been trying to turn her adventures into a series (A Fresh Start)

The first three episodes went well but the fourth bombed and I don’t really know why. I get that not everyone likes the same thing but if you liked the first three then I’d assumed you’d like this one.

I know I got a couple of one star reviews but that’s lit for you. The thing is that even though I got 2k readers in a week (which is good for me) I got very few people giving me a rating (good or bad), which suggests that maybe a lot just gave up before the end

Any insights gratefully received

BF

https://www.literotica.com/s/a-fresh-start-while-the-cats-away

My feedback is not technical nor it pretend to be general, it's just a taste of my taste, of what I look for in this kind of stories. In fact, is more about what I don't like (which is what I think you asked for, why isn't my story working?).

The central character in your story is apologetic and insecure, at least she is like that in the first two paragraphs, enough to send me looking for something else.

I know, from experience, that there is not much good sex (or anything good) when people feel insecure and apologetic. Of course, in real life those situations can evolve and end being fantastic, but there is not much interest in it for me when looking for a sex story.

And never forget what the editor publishing Henry Miller's quite well received sex stories in Paris asked of him: go to the nitty gritty. I know, writers don't like to hear that, but the rule is still there, because we are what we are.

I hope this silly comment is of help.

Good luck with your writing.