This little moan was triggered by reading another member's story, although, I have had earlier thoughts on the subject.
I came upon a story in the historical category which I thought was extremely well written and quite original. I noticed it had been issued over a year, but what struck me was in that time, with 3.000 views recorded, that when I submitted my comment that would be TWO comments out of 3000 reads. I know there are a happy band of writers who are guaranteed a solid readership whether by their skill or their many friends. But even then, the number of viewings they've had far outstrips the comments they gain.
I feel we do have to question of out of 3000, why could they not be bothered to submit even a brief 'Liked this' or 'hated this' --surely better than a blank nothing.
I have heard from two readers who no longer write because they had so few responses. Not seeling favour--just needing to know their effort was appreciated.
On checking, I find that my best number of comments has been 24 out of 4000 viewings--- So did the other 3976 readers of that story just shrug and say "So what?" Unable to scroll on and type in a response. Many writers write simply for their own gratification but many thrive and are encouraged by a show of verbal support.
There now, got that off my chest!
NOTHING GOOD IS GOING TO LAST FOREVER---EXCEPT LOVE!
I would think the percentage of unregistered visitors to Lush far outweighs actual registered members. They just come here to read the stories.
Also, if I read something I don't particularly like sometimes I opt not to leave a comment as opposed to leaving a critical one.
Lots of reasons.
Fair point, Liz. From what you say, I guess you must have read most of mine! Lol
NOTHING GOOD IS GOING TO LAST FOREVER---EXCEPT LOVE!
I really don't think it's healthy to write for other people.
You should write for yourself and not to get likes. I've been writing for a while and the stories that get the most likes also get the most dislikes.
But I truly don't give a fuck.
I've had death threats because I wrote about a woman cheating on her husband or a white woman having sex with a black man. I don't care about any of this.
Write what you want and let like minded people come to you. If you've only posted on Lush, you probably don't know what bitter readers seem like. Lush is a relatively accepting group.
Most people just want to get off so they google search the fetishes they want. Don't worry about them. And don't expect them to write a comment. There are a lot of people that just pander to others to get comments to make themselves feel better....
I wish these people would spend more time learning how to write and less time pandering to other members to get "likes."
Most readers who comment on stories are active members and generally open minded. We do get the occasional up tight, closed-minded douchebag who will leave negative and rude comments on stories involving genres, fetishes, sexual orientation, etc. that the reader is opposed to. So, fuck those trolls!
Probably most story views come from non-members just reading some sex stories. We really get a lot of views here on Lush. The first erotic story site l was a member of didn't garner near as many views as Lushstories.
There are a helluva lot of great, high quality stories to read here.
The ratio of views to scores/comments will always be disproportionate. Stories will always have more views than comments. Probably it's the same rate for Lush members to non-Lush members. There will always be more non-members who read the stories or are after a quick fix. It's just the way it is. It all depends on what matters to you. If you're more concerned about readership rates or the rate of voting and commenting.
I've found that in any media only an extreme minority of viewers/readers will provide feedback. It's just human nature, the majority of consumers are not authors themselves and simply don't realize how much of a dopamine hit creators get when we get validation and how rough it can be when that validation is absent. That's why you see youtube videos that end every single time with "please like and subscribe"... its cliche and repetitive but it actually works because otherwise it would simply not occur to many consumers that doing so is in some way helpful (even if they know it intellectually).
I imagine the problem is even greater for erotic media simply because a significant portion of the audience feels a certain level of shame about their sex lives and that makes it awkward and embarrassing to engage with the author. In a lot of cases, a comment is really saying "I really enjoyed masturbating to your story", making a comment much more personal than it might be otherwise.
I don't know that there's any real solution other than to remind yourself that for every person who liked your story enough to leave a comment or vote there were probably 100-500 people who liked it but stayed silent. So just imagine it like a birthday card signed by a bunch of friends. It's just one card but it represents a lot of well-wishes.
The people who garner the most comments are either well known (usually good) writers or people who have collected a lot of online friends and trade compliments. If you get a positive comment from someone you don’t know, treasure it.
I suspect a lot of writers see Lush as just another competitive venue in which they're miffed if, after what THEY (my emphasis) consider, an effort superior to some other writer's, they don't get the recognition that THEY (again, my emphasis) feel they deserve. One of the reasons in MY OPINION (once again, my emphasis) this world is in such a mess is this idea that we have to better than everyone else, i.e., unbridled ambition and competition. Here's a suggestion to all aspiring writers - write for your own enjoyment and reasons. If you're happy with the product you produced, then you're the only one that counts. If someone else doesn't like your story or chooses not to either vote on it or leave a comment, so what so long as you're happy about it.
Unbridled ambition and excessive competition is the primary reason (MY OPINION) why we'll never see equality in the world. We all pay lip service saying we want equality. What a lot of people really want is to be in your place and you in their's, not equality at all.
I'm one of those people who want and treasure every compliment I get. That said, I do write for myself, not to please an audience, but I still enjoy finding that others liked what I wrote. Some comments are more touching than others, but all are welcome. I've often said I welcome negative reviews, but the few I got I didn't agree with. They were not informative or helpful. One thing that bothers me is I never understand why some stories garner a lot of readers and others comparatively few. The title? The blurb? A couple of my stories I felt were among my best I posted in catagoties where they did far worse than most of the others. Either viewers never go there or don't look for my stories but only read what appears in the category they like.
I admittedly get why the view/comment ration it this way, most people don't want to bother with commenting. I fear we are living in an age where the reader reads what he or she wants and then moves on, disregarding the consequences of this choice.
Looking at writing as a circle (just like the circle of life) we write to tell stories. You can tell them to yourself, but it is far better to tell them to others, to pass them on. Once, you told a story and you would get a reaction, people cheered or smiled or even walked away, but you got the reaction. Nowadays, you post a story and get thousands of views, but each and every one of them is a blank mask that doesn't react, they read and move on. Suddenly, you (the writer) have no idea if your story is good or bad, could be the best story in the world, could be the worst... You no longer know, and I believe that is a perfectly good reason to stop writing, breaking the circle.
Those few who still uphold this ancient deal of reaction (commenting) to the hard work we do for ourselves and them, are nothing short of angels in a sea of blank faces. Then again, what can we do? Only show our deepest appreciation to those angels as they still hold their end of the bargain that is writing.
If My Work Earned Your Attention Please Consider Commenting Or Emailing Me.
I find myself commenting on about two a day, mostly writers I have read before. I probably read 4 per day. I also skip a lot of stories because the topic doesn't interest me. I do writing but publish on Lit to keep the stories togeher (33 of them)
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
Herbert Spencer
I write for myself and hope that others enjoy my stories. It certainly is nice to have votes and particularly comments on my writing so that I know others have enjoyed or related to it. However, if someone chooses not to vote or comment then I don't get upset about it. My satisfaction comes from writing and posting my stories hoping someone else gets pleasure from reading them. As I now have 5 famous stories and several comments on many of my other stories I feel that my writing is appreciated by lots of readers and I thank all that have taken the time to enjoy them.
A 'read' doesn't mean you got read. It's just a hit.
I figure one vote per hundred hits and one comment per thousand as a rule of thumb.
I console myself with self-delusion.
I cleave to the thought that readers get off so quickly when reading my stories that they never get all the way to the bottom where the voting buttons are.
I write for my own gratification. I am not into cliques or patronizing. I personally think that I am an "OK" writer, but I don't get off on patronizing the field. The mods have made me a better writer and in the process, I fell in love with poems.
I actually joined Lush all those years ago precisely because the hit ratio of comments for a story is much, much higher than 'the real world', where you send what you consider to be good stuff off into the ether and a lot of the time you never hear anything.
Just as in the rest of life, the people who get a lot of comments on Lush put in a lot of work - building up a portfolio of stories and cultivating a network of followers.
Success is mostly effort, skill... and a little bit of luck. Put in the effort, work on your skills and hope for a bit of luck. It's a big pond and we're all little fishes.
