A Nestling's Observations
As the quality of my writing has improved, that is as the number of spelling and grammatical errors have declined, and my sentence structure has improved along with my plots, and characters, I expected a commensurate improvement in my scores relative to the works of other authors. That, by and large, proved to be a false thesis. I've found stories by other authors with far more serious grammatical problems continued to score higher in the same category at the same time as my own—I know, as I read those stories myself. Many of those stories seemingly without a plot—composed of a litany of graphic sex acts strung together.
So, what gives? I think it comes down to the fact the majority of readers want graphic, descriptions of sexual acts, not all readers mind you, as I have enough followers and comments that show otherwise, but it seems to a major driver. So, if the story contains those elements, regardless of how poorly it's composed, it will receive a higher score. Again, just a fact of life that reflects the interests of the readership.
Another trend appears in my rankings—those stories that show female desire for sex and the drive to obtain it, either as an individual or as a member of a group—rank lower. None of my stories that center on the fact females think about and seek sex for their own pleasure have ever gone HOT and remained there. Females, when portrayed exhibiting the same sex seeking behaviors as males result in the story failing to receive a high score.
Does this reflect a double-standard? You tell me. I'm obviously biased in that regard as a female author. But to my mind, it begs the question. What epithet applies to a man who is truly promiscuous and has negative connotations? What epithet applies to a woman in that regard using the same criteria? It's not hard to come up with a list, at least for women.
So, what else have I learned? I check the bios of those who offer comments and find most are aged sixty and over and are male—a demographic I hadn't expected to be honest. Of course, many don't have any information at all in their bios, so the sample size is small. Given that, I've concluded that most of these men are married, some have a partner of some sort, the rest are single—divorced, widowed, etc. Comments received from them suggest they are sexually under-served, and I expect a little lonely in a way. So what is their outlet? You're on the website that provides it. I offer no pity, just understanding.
The good news—my romance stories are enjoyed by many male readers. Especially when they support the traditional notions of romance embraced by many female readers. Since my target audience, by choice, is women, male appreciation is icing on the cake so to speak and I'm thankful for the response. More so, that it has given them pleasure.
There have been suggestions by some that I 'spice' my stories up a little more. These comments are taken into consideration—but frankly, most often not acted upon unless they support the character and the plot. I can see that adding the 'spice' would raise scores—but then, I'm not being true to myself. Am I being stubborn? Yes. Am I being honest with the readers? Yes.
I don't read the great majority of stories or categories on Literotica as doing so takes away from the time I have to write. I do, on occasion, submit comments to an author while not giving my identity away in an effort to be helpful.
I've been frustrated in my efforts to be helpful when offering comments read by all the members of the community and choose my words carefully when I do.
The biggest problem I have is in scoring a story. As an author, I obviously look at a story differently than the average reader. I appreciate a well-written story with minimal errors, a good plot, and character development. I want to reward that aspect of the author's work. I remember how poorly crafted my first stories were and I don't wish to penalize a new author who is really starting out—I've been there not all that long ago.
I don't want to rank a story based upon whether I liked the subject matter or not. Why? Because after reading a story and finding it really wasn't my cup of tea if I were to rank it on that basis, it would get a two. If I really, really didn't like the story, it would get a one. I won't give a one, rarely a two, and after reading the author's bio if I see they are new, will gladly give it a three as a form of encouragement. This still bothers me though as I wish it were easier to score based upon both technical merit and what I would call creativity.
My solution is to not rank/score a story I find distasteful. The reason really doesn't matter if it's not of a technical nature (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.). If I've learned anything after being on Literotica it's that my view of the sexual world is very 'vanilla' and the world is full of varied textures and flavors. No one appointed me a judge. I only have opinions and everyone has one of those.
So, when I send comments to an author privately and anon I provide a score for technical merit, and one for creatively. Perhaps not the best solution, but one I hope another author finds helpful.
The other mechanism I've employed is to provide an 'edited' version of poorly crafted text as an example of how it could have been written with proper punctuation, spelling, and extraneous words removed. I select a paragraph or two, trying to include dialogue if needed, and do a copy and paste.
I provide the original text with the edited version below it and explain this is how I would have written it; but explain that an editor may very well see it differently. I've found I'm better at editing than I realized—I just can't seem to find my own mistakes as easily. I've discovered most authors realize that at some point if they keep at it.
I'd been advised by several male authors to be careful about revealing too much about myself. I have heeded their advice—I'm glad I got it early. It's too bad in a way, but this world isn't always kind and caring the way you would like it to be.
Finally, one last comment regarding editors. I've been blessed to have found a good one, actually, I was the one to be found. I was simply smart enough to have accepted the offer. Any author benefits from another set or two of eyes on their draft stories. Even general comments can point out flaws an author doesn't recognize. I've revised two my stories based upon reader comments and they are better for it. So, if you find an error, or have a suggestion on how to improve what you have read, offer it.
I'm still growing as an author, but I'm getting my new feathers now, it will be a while before my wing and tail feathers are developed enough for me to leave the nest. Each new story, each helpful comment, brings me just a little closer. There's a big, wide world out there and I intend someday to view it as I fly. Maybe someday I'll meet Big Bird.
Thank you for your time and interest.
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