Building interest in a story

[Fayd1]

Hey everyone,

I've been updated my story "Possession Process" on a semi regular basis, at least twice a month. I often see on this forum that what matters more than views and likes is comments, but as it stands now I haven't received any comments or chapter to review.

I was curious how other writers build interest in their stories or what tips you might have on building a following. Atm I get the impression of indifference with my story which of course isn't preffered.

Maybe I'm just too preoccupied with getting my story out there opposed to writing good material

 

[SeriousBrainDamage]

Hey,
first off, I suggest you to put a link to your story if you want to talk about it.

I often see on this forum that what matters more than views and likes is comments, but as it stands now I haven't received any comments or chapter to review.

Atm I get the impression of indifference with my story which of course isn't preffered.

What matters is what matters to you, there's really not an objective standard.
Comments may be more statisfactory for most, but I'd say your story has been fairly well recived up to now.
Getting big numbers has much to do with fetishes involved and how popular is the setting you choose.

Getting others to add to your story on the other hand, is a bit like fishing.
Just throw your hook and wait

You put out a detalied introduction, but ultimately your story is still undeveloped and the main branch is only five chapters long.
Be patient.

 

[insertnamehere]

I've been updated my story "Possession Process" on a semi regular basis, at least twice a month.

That's practically nothing for a CHYOA story. Twice a week might put you on the, "Oh yeah, that story," radar. As it stands, everyone who sees your story is probably seeing it for the first time; you need dedication to build a loyal audience. Still, I understand real life is a thing, and it's certainly possible to gain some traction if you're adamant about this pace.

This particular excerpt from your introduction caught my eye:
... an average high school boy, who you play as, does not stand out particularly...
That line seems to apply to the entire story. Your story is about "...a man named John who gains the ability to possess through an app." I've easily seen a half-dozen stories on the site with the exact same premise. Literally, your protagonist is named John Doe - at least call him something other than a name that is notorious for its mundanity. Put simply, you need something in your story that sets it apart from others.

Your writing quality is actually fairly decent, in terms of the site culture. You could brush up on basic grammar, your introduction is bogged down with uninteresting information, and you don't seem to understand how bra sizes work, but these are all things that CHYOA readers in particular don't mind.

In that regard, I think it's worth just focusing on the quality of your content and thinking about why someone would choose to read your writing over another author. If you can't figure out a reason, then give your audience one.

 

[Fayd1]

That's practically nothing for a CHYOA story. Twice a week might put you on the, "Oh yeah, that story," radar. As it stands, everyone who sees your story is probably seeing it for the first time; you need dedication to build a loyal audience. Still, I understand real life is a thing, and it's certainly possible to gain some traction if you're adamant about this pace.

This particular excerpt from your introduction caught my eye:
... an average high school boy, who you play as, does not stand out particularly...
That line seems to apply to the entire story. Your story is about "...a man named John who gains the ability to possess through an app." I've easily seen a half-dozen stories on the site with the exact same premise. Literally, your protagonist is named John Doe - at least call him something other than a name that is notorious for its mundanity. Put simply, you need something in your story that sets it apart from others.

Your writing quality is actually fairly decent, in terms of the site culture. You could brush up on basic grammar, your introduction is bogged down with uninteresting information, and you don't seem to understand how bra sizes work, but these are all things that CHYOA readers in particular don't mind.

In that regard, I think it's worth just focusing on the quality of your content and thinking about why someone would choose to read your writing over another author. If you can't figure out a reason, then give your audience one.

Thank you for the constructive feedback! I really do appreciate it! It's comforting to get an outside eye into what I've done wrong and what I could be doing better.

Honestly the name John Doe was a place holder as I wanted to add the choose your name feature that CHYOA has but as time went on and I added onto the story I got lazy with it.

Also, i didn't realize I was unaware of how bra sizes worked, I'm sorry to ask but do you have a link where I can learn how to properly address and describe them? I truly did not realize how ignorant I was to the topic.

 

[Fayd1]

Hey,
first off, I suggest you to put a link to your story if you want to talk about it.



What matters is what matters to you, there's really not an objective standard.
Comments may be more statisfactory for most, but I'd say your story has been fairly well recived up to now.
Getting big numbers has much to do with fetishes involved and how popular is the setting you choose.

Getting others to add to your story on the other hand, is a bit like fishing.
Just throw your hook and wait

You put out a detalied introduction, but ultimately your story is still undeveloped and the main branch is only five chapters long.
Be patient.

Thank you for the feedback! I do agree I am quite impatient and am expecting results too early. However it is always good to get an outside look into how I am writing and what i can do better

 

[gene.sis]

Also, i didn't realize I was unaware of how bra sizes worked, I'm sorry to ask but do you have a link where I can learn how to properly address and describe them? I truly did not realize how ignorant I was to the topic.

Well, what do you want to describe? The size of the bra?

It's more about the breasts, isn't it? (size, feel, shape (though shape can change depending on if the woman wears a bra or not))

See the thread Writing about breast size for some information/discussion about breast/bra sizes.

 

[Fayd1]

Well, what do you want to describe? The size of the bra?

It's more about the breasts, isn't it? (size, feel, shape (though shape can change depending on if the woman wears a bra or not))

See the thread Writing about breast size for some information/discussion about breast/bra sizes.

Ah I see that does make sense, thank you for that thread I will definitely save it as reference!
From what I understand, I should be using terms like full, pert, shapely, warm, weighty, etc. as vague descriptions to allow the reader to form their own mental image instead of describing them as B,C,D-cups etc.
Am I on the right track with this?

 

[gene.sis]

From what I understand, I should be using terms like full, pert, shapely, warm, weighty, etc. as vague descriptions to allow the reader to form their own mental image instead of describing them as B,C,D-cups etc.
Am I on the right track with this?

This is at least the preference of many authors here.

I completely avoid numbered body descriptions.
Given the international audience, the different measurements are usually confusing for the reader and might yank them out of the story. (The different bra sizing systems are even worse.)

You could also use vague adjectives for size like big, average, huge, tiny, flat, and so on.
Another way would be to use comparisons like "Even if you cup one of her tits with both hands, you couldn't cover every inch of her soft skin."

 

[insertnamehere]

Thank you for the constructive feedback! I really do appreciate it! It's comforting to get an outside eye into what I've done wrong and what I could be doing better.

Good. That attitude will get you places. Many would just ignore contradicting feedback, but if you strive to improve yourself, you will.

Also, i didn't realize I was unaware of how bra sizes worked, I'm sorry to ask but do you have a link where I can learn how to properly address and describe them? I truly did not realize how ignorant I was to the topic.

The links I can find all pertain to very specific cases, i.e. particular companies or locations, which is the first issue - bras work differently around the world. Many of your readers probably have very different ideas of what 'D-cup' means. Genesis is also correct in that bra size describes the garment, not the body shape.

My main gripe, however, is that the bra sizes you (and many other CHYOA authors) use is not accurate or meaningful under any system. A bra size consists of a cup size and a band size. A woman with a C-cup bra could have tiny or enormous breasts. An American woman with a 34C bra that correctly fits has breasts that are just slightly smaller than average, as the US average is 34D. The simplest way to think of it is that band size is the size of a woman's chest without her breasts, and cup size is how much her breasts 'stick out'. As such, a 42A (US) bra will accommodate breasts that are large, but wide and flat in shape.

I have a system for coming up with a fictional character's bra sizes, should I ever need to - I personally tryto avoid settling on a specific one. First, work out their body shape. The average US woman has a band size of 34, so if your character is more petite than average, they need less than 34, and if they're wider than average, you want more than 34. Note that this doesn't mean 'fat' or 'skinny'; taller people generally have larger ribcages, and vice versa. Second, determine their cup size using sister sizes. Breasts that take a 34D bra have roughly the same volume as 32DD/E, 30DDD/F, 36C, 38B, etc. Since the average bra size (US) is 34D, you can use that to work out what cup sizes mean for a given band size. Note that this doesn't mean women with 30-inch ribcages tend to have F-cups. Smaller women have smaller breasts on average, and vice versa.

 

[Fayd1]

Good. That attitude will get you places. Many would just ignore contradicting feedback, but if you strive to improve yourself, you will.

The links I can find all pertain to very specific cases, i.e. particular companies or locations, which is the first issue - bras work differently around the world. Many of your readers probably have very different ideas of what 'D-cup' means. Genesis is also correct in that bra size describes the garment, not the body shape.

My main gripe, however, is that the bra sizes you (and many other CHYOA authors) use is not accurate or meaningful under any system. A bra size consists of a cup size and a band size. A woman with a C-cup bra could have tiny or enormous breasts. An American woman with a 34C bra that correctly fits has breasts that are just slightly smaller than average, as the US average is 34D. The simplest way to think of it is that band size is the size of a woman's chest without her breasts, and cup size is how much her breasts 'stick out'. As such, a 42A (US) bra will accommodate breasts that are large, but wide and flat in shape.

I have a system for coming up with a fictional character's bra sizes, should I ever need to - I personally tryto avoid settling on a specific one. First, work out their body shape. The average US woman has a band size of 34, so if your character is more petite than average, they need less than 34, and if they're wider than average, you want more than 34. Note that this doesn't mean 'fat' or 'skinny'; taller people generally have larger ribcages, and vice versa. Second, determine their cup size using sister sizes. Breasts that take a 34D bra have roughly the same volume as 32DD/E, 30DDD/F, 36C, 38B, etc. Since the average bra size (US) is 34D, you can use that to work out what cup sizes mean for a given band size. Note that this doesn't mean women with 30-inch ribcages tend to have F-cups. Smaller women have smaller breasts on average, and vice versa.

Oh ok I think I understand, there is truly so much more to bra sizes than I initially thought I appreciate your breakdown, it makes a lot of sense but I can also understand why many writers on CHYOA don't particularly pay mind to cup size and band size; it is a level of detail that, based on this site's audience, see's almost over explanatory. However I will take this information forward to go back and change the diction used in my story to have more fitting terms. As gene.sis mentioned above, if I go with a vague description it allows the reader to imagine what it looks like opposed to stating a concrete number and expecting readers to understand what that number means on an international scale.

I will take everything mentioned in this thread and try to implement it within my existing and upcoming chapters in a helpful way. I am definitely more oriented towards the end goal of comments and chapter reviews but I need to learn to enjoy the process along the way; furthermore, I will try my best to make things unique in the realm of my story so that it stands out better.

 

[Yabusa]

Late to the party, but I do want to chime in!

As a fan of possession stories, I did come across Possession Process at one point and enjoyed the chapters I read quite a bit. I didn't go through all of them, but as far as possession stories go, they're certainly a nice read. They're not groundbreaking, but that's not a problem if they do what they're supposed to (and there's plenty of redundancies in just about every kink category, anyway...)

I think what's really just important is if you have an idea you enjoy, to write it, and not worry about the numbers or comments or views much. Paradoxically, if you write about what you'd find interesting versus what you think readers might find interesting, you might see more people adding your story to favorites so they can check back on it, because your chapters will be filled with your flavor for scenarios that will set it apart from other similar stories. Especially if there's an idea that pops into your head along the lines of "I've never seen this in a story but I'd love to read about this scenario," chances are readers will agree, and you're going to really resonate with some readers who are going to constantly come back for more.

I can only use my own writing as examples, but I write some weird stuff. The majority of my writing on CHYOA is filled with a lot of scenarios that I'm convinced no one else would care about, but I like it so I put it in. That stuff ends up being what gets the majority of views and likes, which I didn't expect at all. I do have one branch that I came up with after hearing a similar scenario described by friends in a Discord, and I thought "hey, this group likes it when scenario X happens, I'll put something similar in my story!" It turns out barely anyone seems to like that path at all, especially since it ends up feeling different from the rest of the story. I don't mind that it's not well-liked by others (after all, I still like it), but it's certainly a case of me writing what I think others wanting to read and finding that it falls flat.

As for just getting new readers... using tags can make it easier to search for certain content, especially if there's something specific to search for. Some people find my stories from the tags and searching, which helps when I haven't written for a long while, but typically my biggest view bumps are the few hours after I post a new chapter. It's always possible to make chop a chapter in half, and now you have two updates you can post! Plus, that can open up more branching possibilities, which might inspire more writers to jump in.

 

[Sune's Kiss]

This particular excerpt from your introduction caught my eye:
... an average high school boy, who you play as, does not stand out particularly...
That line seems to apply to the entire story. Your story is about "...a man named John who gains the ability to possess through an app." I've easily seen a half-dozen stories on the site with the exact same premise. Literally, your protagonist is named John Doe - at least call him something other than a name that is notorious for its mundanity. Put simply, you need something in your story that sets it apart from others.

I tend to agree with this. Googling the characteristics of this "average high school boy" and finding out if his hair and eye colour correspond with a racial stereotype. If your character is blond with blue eyes, pre-assigning them with a Germanic or Dutch name (even though it's a variable) can make your protagonist more appealing (it also doesn't hurt that most of the non-English stories that get posted appear to be German).

The name John Doe evokes images of an unidentified corpse, and I don't think people come to CHYOA to read about random dead guys (some however, might, and I am not here to kink shame).

That being said, I'm yet to publish any of my works and I commend you for releasing your creation into the wild.

Another thought, you could go into detail about how average your protagonist is. Maybe he has the innocent face of a farmboy or something like that.