I am mostly a reader and have dabbled in writing. I'm sure most on this thread have no idea who I am. As a rule, my stories tend to have high scores with low views. I'm not sure what that means exactly but I hope that it means that I have a little talent-it's just widely undiscovered. And, I'm absolutely comfortable with that.
I would hate to think that my high scores are simply "mercy 5's". That my friends and/or other readers didn't really like the piece but scored it as a 5 because they're afraid to hurt my feelings or even worse-afraid of any sort of retaliation. But, after reading this thread I'm sure that some are. Which is a shame.
I actually want honest feedback. If it's too pedantic, uninteresting, lacks flow, etc., then I really want to know what people feel. I hope to God I never deserve a 1 or a 2 but if I do, then I hope for God's sake somebody will LET ME KNOW!!!! I have much better things to do with my time than generate pieces of crap writing for the world to snicker and pat my head about-especially over and over and over again-just because they're a friend.
I understand we are all amateurs but this site is about writing. And in my opinion, the fact that we put words on paper that are grammatically correct and within the rules does not merit a perfect score. Obviously, the mods and owners provided the ability for 1's and 2's to be used on the stories that have been verified. Being verified is the baseline. The low scores are supposed to have a purpose on here. As do the 4's and 5's. I think it's a shame that all of us (myself included) tend to only consider using 4's and 5's for stories that are really just average (3?) or -gasp!- below average.
This is not just a Lush phenomenon...we see it in our schools, our youth sports teams, office politics. A nationwide habit of grading on a curve and therefore watering down the accomplishments of the exceptionally gifted. And even those who are gifted rarely hit a home run every time at bat. I don't understand why any author would be upset if sometimes they don't deserve a 5. Or a 4. Or a 3. What in the world is so wrong with being average?
However, using a 1-5 scale there is a lot of room for personal interpretation. Some are scoring based on how much it turned them on. Others just care about the quality of writing. Others want the subject matter to appeal to them (in my opinion this one is crap-if you hate the idea of a Daddydom or sex with a step-sibling then why are you reading the story-don't give it a low score!!!) Some like them short and sweet. Or some want a developed plot. You'd almost have to have different categories to score with any degree of accuracy. But, since so few rarely give even one score then I suppose far fewer would give several.
Sigh...It's not a perfect system, but for me, it's not worth giving what I feel is an accurate score if by doing so I ruin someone's day. Some simply cannot tolerate the idea of being perceived as less than perfect and Lush probably isn't the place to psychoanalyze them or even ourselves. So, deserved or not, I give high scores or I don't vote. This is not real life but an escape-not a place to have contentious conversations. If somebody needs great scores to keep writing then who am I to deny them their own release from their real life. And perhaps, someday they'll turn out a truly stupendous piece that will make all of the false adulation worthwhile. And, then...we'll all give them a 5.
