A Category That Is: Loving Wives Pt. 02

These are the sole views, thinking and muddling of The Soulful Bard on Literotica Category "Loving Wives" that brings out some of the most colourful responses you'll ever see on an erotic website.

Frankly, I didn't expect a barrage of comments on that earlier essay. Thanks to all of those who commented, provided helpful insights and even ended up fighting on the comments board itself. It was really appreciated. =)

Took some time, battles with real life and some shit waddling, but here it is.

This time I'll take on some points that I didn't include in my earlier essay - The Authors, readers themselves and contents of the story.

~*~

As far as the category concerned, punishing the Cheating/Whoring Wife seems to have been the flavour for a long time. Women cheat and their respective husbands/boyfriends catch 'em and take some appropriate revenge (or Karma hits her really hard). Wife Sharing is rare to find and cuckold/wimpet husband even rarer.

Some authors don't dare to venture into this territory due to obvious reasons such as trolling and shit, but that is a talk for some other day. The first question for anyone new to this category and heard about its (de)famed status is...

What Exactly Happens Out there?

So, you've banged your head over a story for god-knows-how-many days and have rattled away on your keyboard with cold pots of coffee as your sole companion. You click that golden "Submit a Story" button, wait patiently for your submission to be cleared by yours truly (Laurel), and doze off to a night of fitful sleep.

You wake up in the morning to find a few distinguished comments on your story:

"i hated your story. 1*"

"your a wimpy cocksucker!"

"you deserve castration."

And other gibberish nonsense.

If you're still rubbing the sleep off your eyes, I'm sure these comments are good as any cup of coffee with a double shot of caffeine.

Yeah, THAT vile.

You look around, trying to track those sonovabitches, only to find that they're no one else but a part of the Anonymous Assholes™.

Either you're left gnashing your teeth or you shrug your shoulders indifferently and delete those comments with a click. Better still, you're laughing your ass off because you've successfully managed to rile 'em up.

Most of the above case isn't true, (in other words, I was kidding, for those of you with a lil' slow processing) unless of course, you're writing one of those stories where there are loads of "wimpy" husbands/boyfriends wanting to see their wives/girlfriends getting the bojangles fucked out of their brains by someone else.

Now back to the topic.

The first question to seize your thoughts is...

Who da fuck are they?

Most readers just enjoy reading stories here and do not want to associate themselves with the website in any possible way. Some readers come to this section only to read the comments and get some laugh out of the shrieks and incoherent noises. They're a small portion, but a significant one.

Usually, the readers don't bother to comment on the sweat, blood and toil of the authors. Personally speaking, if you don't bother to give me a feedback on a 16k word story I've written for free, even when I've specifically begged for it, I don't bother with such readership either.

There are three types of commenter on Literotica:

1. People who haven't signed up as a member of this website.

2. People who are a member of this site, but don't bother to log in while commenting.

3. People who are a member of this site, and comment with their usernames for everyone to see, especially for the author.

Then, a small question also takes birth...

Why do they do it?

Pretty obvious, but I really don't have a blanket rule for all the commenter.

Most people comment on a story because it touched them in a personal way. That emotion is enough for them to whip out their keyboard and type a generous comment in favour/opposition of the said story. To the best of my estimates, the number stands at one comment per 10,000 views on an average story.

Some people get really nasty and abusive in here. A regular reader of the category will be able to agree with me. I have got no excuse for them. They're outright hateful and racist most of the times.

I don't understand one thing: If you hated a story so much, why bother reading at all?

The greatest punishment you can give to an author is by not reading his story. Yeah, it hurt when a beta reader ripped my entire draft to shreds. I'm sure it does to others too.

Then why bother reading and commenting vile things at all?

The best possible explanation I can come up with is that these people feel the need to impose themselves and their views on the rest of the world. They think that they, the righteous brigade, need to impart a few lectures in morality and story-writing to the world (under the cloak of Anonymous unless their abusive wives come to know about it).

I think that it's best for an aspiring author to delete such comments and not waste their time on such anonymous filth. It is wisely said:

Never argue with an idiot. First, they'll bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

Do you really want to waste your time and sweat over such people?

I think not. If you're smart, you won't.

What comments should you expect?

I should say that a majority of the comments you have on most of the stories aren't really helpful. They don't do much, apart from boosting/lowering your confidence.

"Great Story"

"Haawt Damn"

"This Sucks."

"You should stop riting."

Do they tell you much about your story?

Newp.

To "Great Story" and "Haawt Damn" - Thank you! But I'd love to hear more of what exactly was "hawt damn" or made it a great story for you.

To "This Sucks" and "You should stop riting" - Tell me why, otherwise all you're getting from me is a flip of da holy bird (by the way, that typo was intentional. I saw that on a comments board, promise).

To me, such comments are nothing but a decorative sight on the comments board.

And then, there are these types of comments:

"I really liked the way you did this. It could've been better this way..."

"I really hated your story because of this. This part felt like complete nonsense..."

These, my dear readers, are absolute gold.

I'll congratulate them for taking the time to put their thoughts into words and telling me about it. Appreciation as well as criticism, with a sound reason, is my favourite. Hats off to such commenter (even if they are as rare as diamonds in a goat's ass)!

These comments help me improve as an author. Next time, I'll know what particular kinks a great turn on or a miserable cliché. I'll know where to look for my mistakes and correct them.

I'll get to know a lot of things because you took the time to tell me about it.

You, my dear readers, are what make Authors tick and give them the inspiration to write more stories.

Enough of the overview! Now it's time to head to the category dissection unit. Pull on your protective coats and shades!

This is going to be down and dirty.

1. The Stories of Loving Wives:

I enjoy reading a story for what it is and what it's trying to convey. I think a story is great even when the main protagonist himself is an alcoholic asshole, because writing such a story is different and a challenge in itself.

I really don't think that people should judge a story because it hit some of their personal peeves, but well...it still remains my opinion.

The type of stories I'm familiar are listed below. I don't claim a PhD in these things, but it is the best to my knowledge. Listed are the type of stories that you should expect in the LW category.

1. A. Cheating Wives:

Rarely have I ever found a Cheating Wives story (if ever) to be erotic one.

Maybe it's the adrenaline rush of the heartbreak or the writing style itself, I don't venture near such stories if I'm out here to wiggle my joystick.

But, if I'm out to read a good story that sets my heart rate through the roof, then Loving Wives is the first category I'd prefer.

It's not easy to find a good story these days. When I say good I mean to say original. Be it presentation, writing style, plot et cetera. Most of the times, the wife cheats, hubby dearest takes revenge and/or runs away and finds another love.

The rest of the stories are a combination or a slight variation of the above mentioned stories. You'll find a majority of the stories with cheating wives and the 3 'R's -

1. Revenge - Hubby takes down the wife and the lover. (BTW, one such story involved the Army too!)

2. Reconciliation - Hubby takes down the lover and keeps the wife for himself.

3. Runway Groom - Hubby runs away with all of his stuff (or not) and finds some other love.

In my opinion, 95% of the times, it's plain boring.

What I read has mostly been dug from the Forums when someone asks me for a critique on his/her story. I dug out a few gems, but a great story that stands a class apart from the rest is a hard job.

I mean, it feels like the same shit being droned over again and again. Who needs that?

I've seen some authors writing such stories with great skill such as Rehnquest. I just love the local flavours such as culture and people he introduces into his stories. Apart from the plot, it's a great thing that I look forward to. Not to forget LaRasCasse. His recent foray into Loving Wives with a cheating wives story was exceptional - very different from the stock.

Yeah, a story that makes sense and not a shit saga to prove that the righteous male always emerges triumphant. This is kinda hard to find.

~o~ Special Mention ~o~

Votes and Comments: Usually the best comments can be found reserved for the stories of this sub-category. I usually encounter comments like "Loved the revenge", "Revenge fell short of my expectations" and the usual stuff. But some readers are also highly critical of revenge. They are in favour of reconciliation and stuff like that.

You can usually see a war of words between the above mentioned two types of readers. Most of the times, it's colourful and makes my time here just enjoyable. Some times, I just roll my eyes and move on.

In my opinion, this category is a landmine.

< Attention Authors: Step at your own risk.>

I'm yet to see a Loving Wives story that has had a consistent score once it has been posted, whether it is in the "New Stories" section or the "Hall of Fame" section.

The scores fluctuate a lot.

Of course, a lot of trolling is involved too but the multiple scores from the same person get swept by the periodical "sweeps" by the management. It weeds out a lot of troll votes and 1-stars.

If you feel that your story (or any other story) is being "attacked" or has suspicious voting pattern, contact Laurel through a Private Message on the Literotica Forums. She'll wave her magic wand, and voila!

The scores are up (or down) again!

Some people comment that an author who writes such story is a misogynist who only wants to portray woman as the worst thing ever happened to us. Or an author who writes wife sharing story is a cuckold and a wimp.

For the first case, I don't think it's true. Most of the times anyway.

It's like saying that an author who writes Incest stories wants to fuck down his entire family or someone who likes stories with reluctant sex is a rapist. You cannot make a blanket rule and then preach it everywhere. Not only is it stupid, but also an ignorant and obnoxious thing to do.

You cannot judge the intentions of an author just from his writings. Even psychologists don't do that.

And for the second case, who do you think you are to say that a particular author is a wimp or anything equally stupid?

I don't know what they read, but some people don't even know what a cuckold or a wimp even means. Forget about them using the word where it belongs.

Roll-eyes and move on.

1. B. Sharing Wives/Swinging.

Man, oh man!

In my opinion, these stories are haaaaawwwwt!

I love to read how a wife enjoys the thrills of some man other than her husband, most preferably without knowing that her husband is behind this. I don't engage in swinging (I'm just too jealous), but this thing doesn't make the story any less hot.

The sheer conflict involved paves the way for an amazing read, if written artfully. Not every Tom, Dick and Harry can write a good story but I definitely saw more than a few worth checking out in this website and others (it's not cool to mention other sources here).

Like I've said before, I rarely come across such a story. And even if I do so, it's even rarer to find a story that is in the Hall of Fame.

Yeah, you can find a few Contest Winners like The Accidental Nudist Cabin by Tx Tall Tales and The Private Party by Snake138. You should keep in mind that they've been submitted for a particular contest like Nude Day. I don't think they would've won a monthly contest because of the sheer amount of 1 bombing by a majority of trolls.

Maybe someday, such a story can win a monthly too.

I can only hope for it.

~o~ Special Mention ~o~

Votes and Comments:

The ones who read this category religiously are definitely going to leave a generous comment if the story is good.

And the others?

Well, a hater is gonna hate. You can't stop them.

I've seen a few stories with exceptional ratings, but that was a long time ago. I recently checked on them to find that their ratings have sunk by a huge margin.

So, if you're going to post a story, swallow every bit of ego you have and wear armour of the thickest quality you can find. Posting a story here isn't for the weak hearted. ;)

~ The Bard's Opinion ~

I don't have a precursory taste of what I want. A revenge story can be a great read, but so can be a story with swinging and sharing.

It just has to be written well. That's it.

If you're an aspiring author hoping to write more than a few stories in LW, I'd usually suggest the following steps. They worked out the best for a few people, and I hope they do for you too:

1. Create an alt -

This step is optional.

Create a different Literotica User Account, one that you'll use only to post stories on Loving Wives.

Most of the times, some dedicated trolls attack your other stories which aren't in LW. You'll find a general drop of scores on all of your stories. Also, expect to receive a fair amount of malicious Private Feedback on your e-mails (by the Anonymous Assholes™ ).

Some of these attacks are targeted and kinda specialised. To say that it's disheartening will be an understatement.

If you don't want that, follow this step.

However, more seasoned authors aren't bothered by the fluctuating scores at all. If you feel that you can handle it, there's no need to create a different alt.

Only ye with teh thicker skins proceed to leap o'er this step.

At your own peril, of course.

2. Write a Story -

Ha! A lame point you think?

Think again.

When I say "Story", I mean to say an original story, something that hasn't been rehashed over a thousand times here.

Write whatever you want, but try to be original. It'll go a long way.

Readers will remember your story for a particular kink or plot that touched them in a personal way. Expect a surge in the number of favourites, voting and comments if you choose this path.

3. Get an Editor (if you can) -

Not from the Volunteer Editors list. That is defunct. Most people just want to showcase their name and that's it. You'll waste your time by waiting to get a response.

Try the Editor's Forum on the Literotica Forums. I'm sure you'll find a good Beta Reader and editor.

It's necessary that you get a polished work out there. Some Grammar Nazis can't quit bitching about the missing commas and periods.

Not only that, but your story looks better too. It's sort of a "personal satisfaction" thingy, but it won't do any harm. Free editing is something you should take a full advantage of on this website.

4. Don't fret over the scores -

Expect to have a 5.00 rating from the first few votes and a free fall afterwards. Yeah, the ups and downs of ratings in LW make the roller coaster look more comfortable.

So, be prepared.

Frankly speaking, I don't give a shit about the scores (unless it's a contest). It's just there. I won't advice anyone to take note of scores from anonymous readers, 99.99% of whom aren't professional critics.

A red H looks great, but the majority of the readers have a different taste than what you might expect. I've seen some great work getting trashed just because it didn't have "many sex scenes" and vice-versa. Some great stories have an awful rating just because it didn't have a happy ending involving a lot of mush.

Best advice?

Write for yourself. Including some expectations from the readers isn't bad but compromising on what you want to see in your work for their sake might be a disappointment for you on a personal level.

5. And don't fret over the comments too -

Don't. Ever. Do. That.

It's childish and so very un-adult. Don't lose your mind just because someone said something vile. I roll my eyes every time I see a thread on the Forums about this. In case you have an Anonymous Assholes™ saying something bad about your story without reason, delete his comment. Or keep it there, if you want.

Some readers do the thrashing themselves. That is fun to watch too.

Like I've said before, do not sit and argue with these twats.

It's a waste of time.

Also, not every comment in LW is stupid. Some of them are much more critical than you'd find in other categories. As an Author, I appreciate that. You should learn to appreciate criticism if you're going to write a story there, provided it's an honest criticism.

o~o~o~o

So, here it was - the grateful end of my ramblings. Most of you might have sighed out in sheer relief, but I hope you liked it. I also hope that it helped you, or at the very least, gave you a different perspective of the category. I wrote this in one go without any editor/advisor, so any spelling/grammatical error is solely mine.

I love Literotica. It's one of the best places to find quality smut stories. The Authors make it worthwhile, while the readers make them better with their helpful insights.

A dynamic place?

You bet it is.