I'm still trying to work out how I score the stories I read.
Is it based on the writer's ability to put me into the situation? Do poor grammar/comprehension/annoying writing styles bring it down one or two points? Is it a good use of descriptive words, or the ability to shape their characters so I can "see" them in my head? Is it purely a scientific launch into, "and this is what they did when they shagged"? Sometimes I think a story is a bit crap, but the writer has obviously spent time and effort into it, for which I mark them higher. Sometimes the story is wonderful, but characters or certain words used make me cringe and I struggle to read it, for which I have to find some kind of balance in my scoring.
I also try to leave a comment to explain, without being too critical or gushing. Sometimes I simply score because I cannot put it into words. I don't mark down for the category it is in, I try to avoid those altogether.
How do you mark stories you score? What do you take into account or dismiss? What makes you mark lower or higher?
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If I can imagine the characters clearly it gets 3. If I can imagine what's happening it's 4. If's it's overall enjoyable and I feel I like it a lot and wish it was me it gets 5.
I'm pretty generous with my scoring- 5's and 4's on stories that are titillatingly well written and not over the top and always leave comments regarding what I like about it.
I don't give low scores- 3 and lower just because someone's story has poor grammar- not everybody has a master on the english language nor do I give low scores because of crappy writing style or I abandoned reading because it was boring. I just don't give a score.
I based my scoring on how well written the stories are, the characters, the dialogue, and the overall impact it had on me. If the stories inspire me, I will give it a high score.
I typically only score the stories I really enjoy, so I'm usually giving out 4's or 5's. In order to keep my interest a story has to be believable and it has to flow well. If I can't really picture the events happening in my head I lose focus. A well-written story makes me enjoy it twice as much. I can't stand trying to read a story with a ton of grammatical errors in it..it drives me crazy! I hardly ever score stories that I don't like because I usually don't finish them anyway. A story has to be pretty terrible for me to take time to give a low score.
I don't, because I don't understand how other people score stories.
To my mind all stories, before I read them start at 3 and move up or down according to interest, excitement, etc to gain points and bad writing, bad grammar, bad spelling, bad style, and unbelievability to lose points. Thus my average for stories would be 3 with some 2s, some 4s and the occasional 5 or 1.
That would clearly be unacceptable in an environment where 3 is a tragedy for the author and 1 is only given out of jealousy.
And that is why I have disabled scoring on my stories.
If I like a story and all the punctuation/grammar/spelling is correct I give it a four or a five, depending on whether it had that 'WOW' factor (sometimes the 'wow's' there, sometimes it isn't.) I don't think I've scored anyone with anything under a four yet, but that's mainly because if I start reading a 'bad' story I just abandon it after the first few paragraphs and can't be bothered to comment and rate it. I don't think it's nice to give low scores; I'd rather not give a score at all. It bugs me when people write a mean comment on my story and I'm just like, 'Why the hell did you bother reading it then, punk?' LOL. I don't take criticism very well unless it's given by a friend.
hi sitting great question to ask well there few things i look for in a story:::::: 1) first thing i look at is the story believable and how well are the people in the story are develop.::::2) length of story.. although i might rate a short story with a 4 if the item one is followed it may get a 5 if it hold my attention and it WOWS ME!!!::::: 3) IF A STORY IS MORE THEN ONE PART I READ ALL THE PARTS FIRST BEFORE RATING EACH PART TAKING 1 AND 2 IN TO ACCOUNT FOR EACH PART::::: ALSO I TAKE EACH PART OF THE STORY AS A WHOLE AND RATED AS THEY FLOW INTO EACH OTHER
IF I GIVE A RATING OF 3 OR 4 I EITHER SEND A PIRVT MESSAGE OR IF IT SOMETHING MINOR I POST IT TO THE STORY IT SELF
Excellent question/interesting comments. I've wondered why some really weak stories have such high ratings. According to these posts, it's because a lot of people don't rate a story unless they can give a 4 or 5. That tends to invalidate the rating system, but I suppose we're all human and a skewed system should not surprise me.
Here's what I want in a story:
1. I want it to hook me in the first two or three paragraphs.
2. I want to be able to suspend my disbelief and buy into the story.
(My favorite stories are the sexy ones that seem 100% true!)
3. I don't want a story to confuse me.
4. I want it to lead to a climax...maybe in more than one way.
5. I'd like to learn something new or enjoy an interesting twist.
6. Because there are SO MANY stories here, I'd like it to be fast-moving or, at least, not too long.
If it has two of these it's definitely going to get a 4 or 5. If it has none of these I might not read to the end and, therefore, I would not score it.
If I scan through the story to find out the ending I might give it a 1, 2, 3 or 4. I've rated about 10 stories and only given a VERY LOW score once. BTW, I've started reading MANY stories and found myself unable to continue. Those stories didn't get scored. If the rating system were 100% honest I could choose stories based on their rating. Too bad it doesn't work that way.
Should I NOT give low scores to keep from hurting someone's feelings? Well, that could be another forum question.
Quote by MuchoCurious Excellent question/interesting comments. I've wondered why some really weak stories have such high ratings. According to these posts, it's because a lot of people don't rate a story unless they can give a 4 or 5. That tends to invalidate the rating system, but I suppose we're all human and a skewed system should not surprise me.
Here's what I want in a story:
1. I want it to hook me in the first two or three paragraphs.
2. I want to be able to suspend my disbelief and buy into the story.
(My favorite stories are the sexy ones that seem 100% true!)
3. I don't want a story to confuse me.
4. I want it to lead to a climax...maybe in more than one way.
5. I'd like to learn something new or enjoy an interesting twist.
6. Because there are SO MANY stories here, I'd like it to be fast-moving or, at least, not too long.
If it has two of these it's definitely going to get a 4 or 5. If it has none of these I might not read to the end and, therefore, I would not score it.
If I scan through the story to find out the ending I might give it a 1, 2, 3 or 4. I've rated about 10 stories and only given a VERY LOW score once. BTW, I've started reading MANY stories and found myself unable to continue. Those stories didn't get scored. If the rating system were 100% honest I could choose stories based on their rating. Too bad it doesn't work that way.
Should I NOT give low scores to keep from hurting someone's feelings? Well, that could be another forum question.
You are absolutely correct on all points in this post.
I am guilty of being one of those people that is over-generous with scoring sometimes. In fact, I honestly can't remember the last time I gave a story less than a '5' (which is kind of ironic, since some people think I'm one of the 'mean girls' here... pffttt... lol). If the story really deserves a low-score, I probably won't finish reading it and therefore avoid the scoring system, which as you said - contributes to the skewed ratings on some pieces. But I also know that I've seen some writers get really upset when their story gets a mere '4'. I think on a site where a social community becomes part of it and writers become more than just an arbitrary name attached to a piece of writing, you're going to end up with scores getting influenced (either positively or negatively).
For me - I like a well-written story with quality character development and dialogue. I definitely will return to an author's portfolio to read more of their stories if they've hooked me onto their writing/style. Admittedly that makes me very narrow with my reading-targets so those well-earned 5's are easier to hand out. Conversely, I end up missing out on some great gems by new authors that haven't hit my radar yet.
Thank you very much for replying, everybody. I really appreciate it.
Quote by DirtyMartini I give everybody a 1 unless they pay me...why you ask?
Actually, there's probably more than a couple of threads on the subject...do a search, and see what comes up...
So that's why I hear "DirtyMartini gave me one" bandied about all the time!
I did do a search, and I got bored by page 10, sorry! I found it easier asking directly than trawling through all the posts on other things.
Quote by MuchoCurious Excellent question/interesting comments. I've wondered why some really weak stories have such high ratings. According to these posts, it's because a lot of people don't rate a story unless they can give a 4 or 5. That tends to invalidate the rating system, but I suppose we're all human and a skewed system should not surprise me.
Here's what I want in a story:
1. I want it to hook me in the first two or three paragraphs.
2. I want to be able to suspend my disbelief and buy into the story.
(My favorite stories are the sexy ones that seem 100% true!)
3. I don't want a story to confuse me.
4. I want it to lead to a climax...maybe in more than one way.
5. I'd like to learn something new or enjoy an interesting twist.
6. Because there are SO MANY stories here, I'd like it to be fast-moving or, at least, not too long.
If it has two of these it's definitely going to get a 4 or 5. If it has none of these I might not read to the end and, therefore, I would not score it.
If I scan through the story to find out the ending I might give it a 1, 2, 3 or 4. I've rated about 10 stories and only given a VERY LOW score once. BTW, I've started reading MANY stories and found myself unable to continue. Those stories didn't get scored. If the rating system were 100% honest I could choose stories based on their rating. Too bad it doesn't work that way.
Should I NOT give low scores to keep from hurting someone's feelings? Well, that could be another forum question.
Do you ever write a comment to explain it? I chose not to insist on a comment for my stuff, although I value them, as I think the more you understand about what people can identify with, the better it can shape you as a writer, even if you don't agree. I also want people to have the freedom of choice, and if they mark me down without giving me comments on how they think it could be better, they either don't think it's possible, or they are content not to care. In which case, I will never be a better writer, so it's their shame, not mine. I know it's down to the writer to put their "goods" (or "bads"!) on display, but without honest feedback, how can one improve when one hasn't a clue?
I would be interested to read that thread!
Quote by Dancing_Doll
You are absolutely correct on all points in this post.
I am guilty of being one of those people that is over-generous with scoring sometimes. In fact, I honestly can't remember the last time I gave a story less than a '5' (which is kind of ironic, since some people think I'm one of the 'mean girls' here... pffttt... lol). If the story really deserves a low-score, I probably won't finish reading it and therefore avoid the scoring system, which as you said - contributes to the skewed ratings on some pieces. But I also know that I've seen some writers get really upset when their story gets a mere '4'. I think on a site where a social community becomes part of it and writers become more than just an arbitrary name attached to a piece of writing, you're going to end up with scores getting influenced (either positively or negatively).
For me - I like a well-written story with quality character development and dialogue. I definitely will return to an author's portfolio to read more of their stories if they've hooked me onto their writing/style. Admittedly that makes me very narrow with my reading-targets so those well-earned 5's are easier to hand out. Conversely, I end up missing out on some great gems by new authors that haven't hit my radar yet.
Yes, you are horribly mean. You say true things nicely and stuff. Terrible.
I was really excited to get my first 1, I was all, "YAYYYYY! I'm normal!" because everything can't be perfect all the time. But even with a 5, I'm always wondering, WHY is it a 5? What makes it that way? I think writers (me, anyway) are guilty of over-analysing what other people think of their work. I do worry that people score me higher than they would because they don't want to dent my ego - maybe because I worry too much. But I still think that lower marks mean there is room for improvement. When I see anything lower than a 5 in my own work, I use it to go back through and see if I can view it objectively, and ask friends too. I don't re-write (at the moment), but I try to take it into consideration for the future. That's also why I try to leave a comment on why I did like someone else's work, so they can see what it was I liked about it. If I do get high scores, I also try to work pinpoint why people liked it so I can try to develop that.
I am now reading more stories that have been recommended to me, or by friends who have asked me to. There's some interesting stuff out there...
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1) The first few sentences of the first paragraph should pull me in and tell me where the story is going to go. If they are very catchy and hold my interest, then there is a good chance I will continue reading.
2) Content and Grammar-- I realize that not everyone is perfect and that there will be mistakes made, but the use of content words and correct grammar is essential to any story. Content and grammar can tell a reader a great deal about an author. If the content is very easy to follow and the grammar is sub-par, then I do not keep reading. Complex content and the use of good grammar skills will always keep me reading.
3) Well-written quality-- A complex content will almost always lead to a well-written qualitative story. When these are put to use, everything comes together and flows naturally throughout. It is not always the quantity that matters.
If I read all three of these, I will almost always give a score of 4 or 5, and it is usually a 5.
If a story does not hold my interest, I never score a story. This is in part because I know I would not want any of my stories scored because it only brings down not just the rating, but also when the author looks at his scores and sees a score of 1, 2, or 3, it brings down the author's morale.
We all work hard to produce a quality piece of well-written art here, and to have low scores bring down the ratings and the possible morale of other writers, could discourage authors not to keep writing when in all actuality, they could be great writers that need some tweaking!
"So don't cry to me.
If you loved me,
You would be here with me.
Don't lie to me,
Just get your things.
I've made up your mind."
I score other peoples scores on how I criticize and write my own stories.
The success to all stories is that there must be a good introduction to get the peoples attention in the first place.
The body of the story should be believable, hold and maintain a reader's interest, and flow in a developing sequence of events.
All stories should have an ending, leaving the reader in no doubt what has happened.
With such tools today as spell checks, there is no reason for any story to be littered with bad spelling. I will not mark a story down for incorrect punctuation or lack of profound or long words; as all writers cannot be literary genius's. A good honest attempt with my first few comments will always receive a 4 or 5.
Finally, if I do not like a story, I will not rate it with a 1 or a 2. I think such marking is grossly unfair as different readers have different perceptions of each story. Is the glass half full or is it half empty. Just because 99 people love a story shouldn't make that story bad because of 1 person giving it a 1.
I would encourage all the wonderful staff of Lush here to delete scores of 1 and 2 in the voting of stories for this very reason. Amen!
A story to me has to be believable and taking you there slowly but by making you clearly see the road. Many story are like some modern porn.. just that porn without eroticism and soul.
I do agree with most of the peoples who have given their input into this so writing more would it be only repeating it. So my answer would be support for "sensualDesires83, MuchoCurious, and others.
I think that from here we can uncover a problem. Most stories as it was noted by Dancing Doll might be overly high rated.. this doesn't help neither the future readers or the writer. Two, there is NOT a true line-up of stories.
WE do understand however that a story must contain emotionally responsive elements that interact and feeds us in a personal way. so, what someone might like could not erotically give a feeling of excitement and pleasure to another.
Ok, hard to fix this. My two cents: I would like to know someone favorite story. Possibly of you guys that have posted a reply.. I would trust your opinion..Hey maybe I start a post about this.
Choose n Practice Happiness
Life is simple; we are what we eat and what we read. Talk is superfluous.
Finally, if I do not like a story, I will not rate it with a 1 or a 2. I think such marking is grossly unfair as different readers have different perceptions of each story. Is the glass half full or is it half empty. Just because 99 people love a story shouldn't make that story bad because of 1 person giving it a 1.
I would encourage all the wonderful staff of Lush here to delete scores of 1 and 2 in the voting of stories for this very reason. Amen!
Surely if a reader strongly dislikes a story, it is fair that they can mark accordingly with a 1 or 2? Is it not fair to only allow higher votes?
If indeed, as you request, the system was moved to 1, 2 or 3, would it not follow that it marks like this:
1. Crap/awful/terrible/lowest mark available
2. Average/meh/whatever/fair to middling but more middling
3. Brilliant/perfect/wonderful/can't be improved
Surely with the gradients between 1-5, it is easier to get a clearer picture of where one's story lies? e.g. an average score of 2 would say it isn't diabolical, but there's loads of room for improvement, whereas a 4 would say excellent work but something could have been developed or more attention to a character, etc, could have made it better. A 5 would mean the reader loved the story and wouldn't want anything changed, whereas a 1 would mean for whatever reason, they really hated it.
Every score is the scorer's own view and does not necessarily make the story what that person scored it. Simply, that person sees it the way they do. I LIKE the average scoring, as it gives me a better overview of how people in general like or dislike my work. Based on that, it helps me decide whether I want to PM those who disclosed what they put to get a better idea. I wouldn;t be able to do that with a score of just 1, 2 or 3.
As far as the scores making me more likely to read a story, as some have suggested elsewhere (and is probably a different thread, sorry!), I am more likely to read a story based on low scores, as I will be interested to see why most people disliked it.
I think that unless some kind of programming was written into the site (if it's even possible) that would look at what each of us likes (i.e. category, tag words, score we give it) that would make the site able to predict stories we might like, I can't see how random highly-marked stories is going to make me want to read them. I hate it when things like Facebook predict what I would like to read. This site already has little lists of suggested reading under them - I don't know if that's based on the tag words or categories or titles, though.
I have just realised I need coffee because I have just confused myself. Sorry.
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The comments on this question are more thoughtful than on most forum issues. I suppose the ultimate way to judge a story is by how many times it is read in a given number of months. Even that can be skewed because provocative titles and certain categories are more popular. And some categories have a cult following. Oh well!
Quote by MuchoCurious The comments on this question are more thoughtful than on most forum issues. I suppose the ultimate way to judge a story is by how many times it is read in a given number of months. Even that can be skewed because provocative titles and certain categories are more popular. And some categories have a cult following. Oh well!
But I would mostly like to know how you score a story, please...
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I've never thought about how I score a story, until now, that is. I think it's down to a few main factors. The most important thing for me is that it is well written and free from as many grammatical and spelling errors as possible (I know that's what the story verifiers are for, but some stories, quite understandably fall though the net, the mods can't be expected to be perfect). Second I like a story to grab my attention pretty quickly, if it does that then I can forgive spelling and grammar, but if it doesn't grab me, I'll tend not to read it all the way through and not bother scoring it because that would be unfair to give a low score just because it was uninteresting to me - it may just be that it didn't grab me at the time and most of the time I'll bookmark the story and give it another go later. Third, I like continuity, not really much I can say about that, self explanatory really. If it got the Author's message across and I liked it, I'll score it highly, if I feel it could be better, I'll usually give it a middle score and comment too and if I didn't like the story or the execution, but liked the premise, I won't score it, but I may comment on some of the bits that I did like. That's what happens when I'm consciously thinking about how to score a story, but sometimes I score on impulse - if it made me feel good, I'll score highly, if not score not so highly. I hope this helps answer your question.
I just simply read the story and go on my gut instict. Pure and Simple!! If there is good flow, it gets a high score. If there are obvious spelling and grammer errors, then it gets dropped a point or two.
There have been a few mentions on this thread so far that English may not be the first language of the author but almost every program I have ever worked with has a simple 'spellcheck' option and should be used often. If in doubt of your work, send it to a frusted friend on Lush to have them seek and destroy any errors before sending it to the moderators for approval.
Finally and probably most importantly... Did the story turn me on and keep the hormones flowing through to the end (of the story)??? If the submission has spelling or grammer errors but kept my third eye's attention from start to finish, then the score just went up even higher. After all... thats what we are all here for; to read erotica and be turned on.
Another person who tends to only score stories she likes. Oops sentence fragment but I can't edit on this damned iPad keyboard screen. A 4 is for an interesting or imaginative story with some flaws in structure or grammar. I also may score a 4 for a well-written story which compels interest but doesn't seem terrifically erotic to me.
Fives are for stories with interest, flow, compelling characters and hotness.
Sometimes I don't feel compelled to give a score and just leave a comment. Personally, I think comments mean more than scores in this venue.
I have very simple voting tatics.
Any story or poem that is written by Frank_Lee gets an automatic 5 - I don't think it is even possible for him to write a 4 or below
Everyone else gets a 1 - only because they are not Frank_Lee.
lol, only joking, I think it can be checked that I have never voted under a 4 or 3.
A story does not have to make me cum all over my seat or make me squirt across the room for it to deserve a 5. A well written story - and yes, mistakes included - that has me glued to the chair, is what gets voted a 5. Mistakes are often overlooked and I do (as do the hard working lush story verifiers), allow at least 5 to slip through before voting less than a 5 (yet to happen). Sometimes there can be a misspelling that word etc does not pick up, sometimes it could be a simple software format error, so I do not lower the score for that very reason.
A story that is slightly unbelievable like having a 16 inch penis and people that cum instantly together or on demand, but is well written, (as long as I don't have to say to myself 'WTF' more than once) will get a 4 or maybe a 5, but most likely a 4.
A story that is totally unbelievable like a sub for example ordering her Master around or being a defiant just to get punished (both more than 1 'WTF' moment) will get a 3. But I don't think I have yet to score one, as most were read when I was verifying and I just let it be rather than low score.
I saw many stories that deserved a one or a two as a verifier, but they were rejected. I have yet to find one myself that deserves a low score - I am not saying they aren't out there, but as they say, each to their own and your one might be a 5 to me.
I rarely score stories - largely because I'm too particular about what I read to actually reach the bottom of the page with all bar a few stories... but when I do I like to think I am perfectly honest in my scoring. Regardless of who that person is. I don't give out a 5 to my bestest friends just because they're totally cool people, I also don't give out low scores because I didn't like the genre.
If people can really and truly write well I will be left in awe of their piece of writing regardless of whether the genre (etc) is one that I like. On Lush I have only come across three authors that have succeeded in this for me, personally.
I find it so frustrating to read stories that are clearly poorly written...and then see they've come out as '4.9', who the heck is giving them that many 5s??! I fail to see why giving out a 4 or a 3 is so frowned upon, why people often get so outraged if they receive such a mark... a 4 merely says 'good, but room for improvement' a 3 says 'potential, but not there just yet'. That's not a BAD thing, that's just people not giving you a false opinion. Flattery with stroke your ego....constructive criticism and scoring will stroke your talent into growing stronger (oo-err!).
With regards to the OP's post...I definitely score lower if the spelling/grammar/sentence structure isn't as it should be...this is writing people, I'm scoring you on WRITING. You can be amazingly creative and have the best plot ideas....but if you can't write, it's not a good story. When the grammar/spelling/general language errors distract you from the story that is absolutely where I'd be looking to mark a person down. Have some pride in your work people! Take that extra time to proof read it. If, for some reason, you are not as able as you would like re proof reading it ask a friend.
I have never given a 1, but I have given a couple of twos and threes. I ALWAYS follow up any score less than 4 with a PM containing suggestions and constructive criticism, and I try to find something good to say, so as to lessen he blow a bit.
"There's only three tempos: slow, medium and fast. When you get between in the cracks, ain't nuthin' happenin'." Ben Webster
I score stories on how well written they are, how deep the plot is, how developed the characters are, ect. Can't stand submissons that are all sex and no story.
I don't score stories and recently chose to disable scoring on my own writings. I don't believe that 'scores' tell me anything substantial about my own writing or about the quality of others works: is X better than Y because one has an average vote of 4.8 and the other 4.7? Not in the slightest.
Votes of 1,2 and 3 are demoralising and dispiriting to authors who receive them and most 'voters' tend to avoid them which produces a real voting range of somewhere between 4 and 5.
As an author I am always interested in chatting about writing and enjoy comments and PM's. I am happy to discuss the minuteae of story and sentence construction, language, imagery, rhythm, cadence and even erotica with those who are interested ... what score a story warrants is, at it's very best, no more than a shorthand for more considered and detailed conversations.
Yes, you should have a hazard label on you, "warning CG will be your every fantasy"
The majority of the stories that I vote on nowadays are ones that I've verified. If I feel they've done a nice job with it and I've been able to click that Verify button thinking, "I'm glad that this story is going to be on Lush," I'll go and give it a 5.
For me, the main factor is writing skill. If something is written very amateurly with little creativity and imagination, I will score that lower than the story whose content I really did not enjoy. I need something to make me think that they knew what they were doing when they wrote it; that they weren't just putting words on a page but that they were actually writing.
Technical accuracy can be important (you know how I hate bad punctuation) but it's not the be-all and end-all. You don't have to be a master of the English language to spin a good tale. If it distracts from the story a lot then I'm more likely to stop reading it or edit it rather than see it through to the scoring stage.
I'm a generous scorer - mostly 5s with occasional 4s. That said, a story that would typically get a 1 or 2 should probably not have been verified so, although the voting is skewed by the kind-heartedness of man, it's not too far off reality. Most importantly, since people do the same thing across the site, voting is fair.
*** 
I know it's down to the writer to put their "goods" (or "bads"!) on display, but without honest feedback, how can one improve when one hasn't a clue? 
