What is a good score? At what point should I think that my story isn't scoring well or is scoring outrageously good? I've seen some with scores in the forties, so I want to set myself a goal of hitting that high mark, but I'd like to still be proud of a score in the teens...unless that's still a low score by community standards. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of every story I write, even the ones I can't post here, and I'm not writing just for the accolades or attaboys. I write because I can't NOT write. When I don't feel like doing anything else, I still want to write. All the same, I still crave validation as a writer, just like any writer does whether he or she admits it or not. So...what's a good score to be proud of?
The things is, most people here will rarely tend to vote below a 4. All my stories are somewhere in the 4-5 range average score.
If this was a "marking scheme" the averages should probably be centered around a 4 or even a 3 depending on how you think things should work. The problem with that is that anything that is bad enough to merit a 1 or 2 probably should not be getting past the mod team in the first place (assuming that means equivalent to a D or E in school).
But it isn't marking scheme. It's a really a glorified "Like" system. So I figure if I'm getting 4s and 5s, that means people like it. The number of votes (ie. the number of people who actually bothered to vote on a story rather than how they voted) and comments are really more meaningful to me
There isn't a benchmark. You can be score-whore if you want but it's not actually going to give you the validation you're looking for. All it'll do is prove that you're good at marketing yourself.
The comments are probably best for validation because you can see who's giving them and that will help you judge the validity and honesty of the comment. Comments from someone who has "editor's picks" or "famous stories" or have won competitions here will probably carry more weight than someone who just gives everything a 5/5
If it's important to you, I'd suggest you busy yourself making friends. Not just anyone, people who actual matter. People who comment a lot. People who are well networked themselves. Or you could just write really good stuff - at least one mod will see it and if it's really good - they might recommend it
Warning: The opinions above are those of an anonymous individual on the internet. They are opinions, unless they're facts. They may be ill-informed, out of touch with reality or just plain stupid. They may contain traces of irony. If reading these opinions causes you to be become outraged or you start displaying the symptoms of outrage, stop reading them immediately. If symptoms persist, consult a psychiatrist.
Why not read some stories instead
NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber Well, if it's just a popularity contest, then I expect I'll not be getting very high scores. I won't kiss ass just to get higher scores. My work should speak for itself, I would think. And I agree, the comments are always more important to me than scores. I want to know that people like what I create, but I also want to know what they liked about it. "Score-whore," that's funny!
Writer's rule - accept that for every word you write, some people will love it, some people will loath it, some people won't be swayed strongly in either direction.
One editor that I've been working with for about three years surprised me by replying to one of my submissions recently. I had assumed that he liked my writing as he kept publishing it and sending me cheques but I wrote a story with an almighty twist in the tail - it was one of those magic writing moments where you sit back and grin inanely with satisfaction. He simply wrote, "Nice one ;-)" which made me grin inanely all over again... although that could have been the effect of the celebratory gin and tonic.
