Quite a while ago I was working on a project with another author on here. They write quite slowly so to fill the time while I was waiting for them I started a story off the cuff, with little to no expectations for it. It quickly became my most popular story, by a long way. Although I enjoy its popularity it's not my favourite story to write. The story I pour my heart and soul into and love as if it were my own child gets a fraction of the interest my other stories do. Were it not for the support and encouragement of one person in particular who loves the story as much as I do I think I would have shelved it long ago. Does anyone else have this issue? Feeling obliged to update a story they are not in love with and lamenting the lack of interest in your pride and joy?
Oh definitely I still laugh that a certain branch I wrote as an april fools joke garnered a substantial amount of likes. The writing on that one is abysmal. I think there is a bit of a disconnect between the writers and the readers here. A lot of what writers value is not valued by readers who are here primarily to wank. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, this is a porn site after all. But it is something a writer has to take into consideration as to not get disappointed . It's a pretty big issue for me as well, so big in fact that I resolved to finish my current project before even starting to publish it, simply so I won't have to deal with motivation issues due to a lack of likes.
The thing you like writing the most is going to be the one that pushes your own specific combination of buttons. It's tailored to you specifically, and we're all beautiful and unique snowflakes with our own tastes. The stuff that gets the most likes is going to have broader appeal.
But seriously, a million factors can influence this. It can be based on whatever fetish or fetishes are present, because what appeals to you might not to most people. It could just be random chance, based on what portion of the reader-base happened to see that chapter, because this site has issues delivering relevant content to the populations that might actually enjoy it (it is mostly random chance and lucky timing that any specific reader even knows your chapter exists...this problem is being worked on from several angles right now, as I understand it, but I don't know that there is a near-term solution at hand). It could also be that you simply aren't writing the right kind of content for this site. Maybe the majority of CHYOA readers aren't here for "good" writing, they're here for filthy smut, and your epic tale of fantasy and whatever, while perhaps an objectively superior story in terms of plot, structure, prose, etc. is NOT better in terms of jerk-off potential. This is just an example...there are some really popular epic tales on this site with minimal smut involved. I know it's trite to say "don't worry about it, just write for you," because feedback rewards such as likes and favorites, and the chemical/psychological results from that, are a huge part of motivating a writer. Still...there's not a whole lot you can do about it, so...don't worry about it? Not quite the same, but I have two stories in progress. One is with an editor. That's really helpful, but he's also repeatedly vetoed some of what I thought we really great ideas and chapters. Despite the co-author being really helpful, I've refrained from letting him at my second story, in large part because I don't want that story having my ideas vetoed.
Lois Lane's Night Out is #8 on the top ten stories list. It also has the most chapters of any story on that list, by a lot (5,562 chapters; the next most is The Rulebook with 4,396). On a likes-per-chapter ratio, it is the least-loved top ten story.
And forget about writing chapters on stories that are basically dead. Trying to revitalize an old story is harder than just starting over from scratch. I almost wish that there was a combine function to merge existing stories that are similar enough.
Finishing a project before publishing is probably the best way forward for me next time I write a new story. I write on another site and that's how I published there, and it worked well for me.
I think I know the problem, or to be more specific why one is more popular than the other. The popular story has a male lead character and he has a sort of hareem going on, which will always push the right buttons here on Chyoa. The less popular story is told from a female lead, which given that the majority of the readers here are male means there is a bit of a disconnect. I've often wondered why writing in the 2nd person POV is so popular here when it's almost never done elsewhere, I think perhaps it's so the reader can more easily place themselves in the story, which again is why (I think) my female protagonist is less popular.
Well, it's Choose Your Own Adventure. By definition, that places the reader in (partial) control of the story, and the second person perspective fits that better than first or third person perspectives.
Oh, I feel like an expert on this haha. My most 'popular' story isn't my favourite, and I know a huge part of its appeal is that it's a branch of a massively read story. So, you kinda have to accept that, though it stings. Some stories you write to exercise writing techniques or ideas you don't really get to in erotica and you just have to come to terms with the flipside being that a lot of readers really are just here for the sex like Gambio said and that's fine. I wrote a story that was more of a mystery and had fight scenes and drama and it was definitely one of my least liked stories based on the numbers, but again that also factors in being part of a collection. But mainly, I had to be realistic about how a story that deliberately hid a lot of the kink that was supposed to be a main feature was going to have readers bail in droves before the end, which is totally understandable. This isn't an HBO prestige show, I can't just be like 'watch the first 8 episodes and then it gets really good!' with this shit. Also, it was a slow burn even for me, but I wanted to build the crime drama shit. Did I still pout to myself about how few people read/liked/commented on it? Yeah, a bit hahaha. All that being said, dude I am really impressed with the work you've put into An American Fox in London. It has drama and violence (the non-sexy, just actually bad kind done not for titillation but for the story itself) and I'm really happy you got it down even if it's not as broadly appealing as some of your other stuff. Again allow me to be a tool and bring up my own work, but I wrote a super long story with characters I loved and it went to a very dark and unpopular place plot-wise and the negative reaction soured me on it. I haven't touched it in years, which sucks frankly. But you have not fallen into the same trap and that's awesome, I hope you get AAFIL to the ending you always wanted it to get to and if it develops more fans over time that's great but even if not that's still pretty damn good.
Thanks My friend, those wise words make sense and have given me a lift. I need to remember my main reason for being here, to write what I want to write, anything else, even just one like, is a bonus. I'll keep coming back to AAFIL because I love writing it so much. It's just that the lack of love for it takes its toll so I can only write it in small chunks before it gets me down.
