What I've done is taken a look at each of my chapters I've posted over the last 2 weeks and the attention they've managed to get. Using that information I'm going to try to answer the question any writer/artist/entertainer wants to know! What makes a series popular?
Relatability ~ First and foremost, I'd like to focus on the most obvious factor when it comes to writing. How well can the reader relate to the main character? When you're reading something, no matter what it is, it helps to be able to place yourself in the shoes of the main character. I feel this applies ten fold to smut. If the reader can't envision themself as one of the characters in the major scene of a smut story, it most likely won't give them the reaction intended.
Let's look at Harem King! for instance. This story follows Bennett. Bennett is depressed and feels trapped in his dead end job. The second paragraph of chapter one explains just how much he hates life and how he could possibly think selling his soul to the Devil for something as shallow as obtaining a harem would be a good idea.
"Bennett sat in his ill-fitting supermarket suit with his head in his hands. He was tired, despite sleeping through the night and most of Sunday afternoon. That didn't matter, he was exhausted. He was always exhausted. He hadn't even made very many calls that morning, but the few he had were nothing less than draining. No one was happy to hear Bennett's voice on the other end. Who liked getting called by a scammers? Nobody, that's who, and they made sure Bennett heard about it."
Depression and disliking one's job is about as common as breathing among the the main demographic that would be on the Foundry, reading my work. There's no doubt that the majority of users that frequent the site are young men that can relate heavily to Bennett. People like me who enjoy curvy older women just as much they enjoy mousy librarians. Who have had a crush on a fit girl at the gym as well as their less-than-kind boss. People who are willing to sell their soul just as Bennett has for what, if not less than, he received.
Now let's look at Alorna the Dragon. Alorna started out with a strong following, not nearly as strong as Harem King!, but strong nonetheless. This story follows a powerful, extra curvy, dark skinned Elven slaver that runs a strict scorched earth policy. Admittedly, much less relatable than Bennett. Alorna carries herself with an air of royalty and demands respect from any who even hear her name. This personality is hard to match for most people and Alorna's line of work is, without a doubt, one of the worst things someone can do in the real world. Even if she were the most likable character to ever exist, the fact that she's a slaver definitely deters a large chunk of people from even reading the story. So, while she had a strong start with her first two chapters, she's slowly, but surely being passed by the companion series, "High Priestess Cecilia". I doubt she'll even be the second most popular character in the Dark Fantasy line once the third series begins, because she simply isn't relatable.
So how is Cecilia more relatable than Alorna? Cecilia is a (half) Amazonian woman which towers over everyone. Not to mention she converses with demons in hopes of bringing forth a holy war and has three imp companions. Well that's simple. Cecilia doesn't take herself nearly as seriously as Alorna does. In her intro scene, she showed that not only does she carry the same presence as Alorna, but that she was still willing to have fun. She played tricks and butted heads with the always serious slaver. On top of that, out of all three of these MC's, Cecilia has the most of something just important as relatability. Appeal.
Appeal ~ Appeal is just as important as relatability because without it, there's no reason to read the story. Sure, Alorna is built like a goddess, just as Cecilia and Kay [from Harem King!] are, but her story focuses more on her business than her sex life. While the first and second chapters end with Alorna spending time with a bed mate, the bulk of each chapter focuses on a larger overarching plot. Meanwhile, Cecilia and Bennett have much much more sex driven stories.
Another thing that plays into appeal is just who they are as characters. Bennett's appeal lies in his story and the women he has within in his harem. Everyone can admit that they've, at one point in their life, wanted a harem filled with women of all different shapes and sizes. Meanwhile Cecilia is a priestess. Priestess' are basically the fantasy world's version of a nun and everyone likes nuns. The taboo of one doing certain things is definitely something that draws attention. Once that attention is pulled in enough for someone to actually click the story, they see that, no Cecilia isn't a nun, but the opposite, which is just as good. Not to mention the introduction of Jessie, Cecilia's new Jester sidekick. With the world's fascination of shoving as many dicks as they can into Harley Quinn, it's easy too see why adding a jester to the story would keep people interested.
Voice ~ Voice is something unique to each writer/artist/entertainer. It's all those little quirks added into your work that lets people know its yours. It's something that can be loud within a piece of work, or quite, but it needs to be there. Without it, your work loses a certain factor that keeps people's attention. It makes it seem like you're creating this thing because you feel you have to and not because you want to.
One of the reasons I think Harem King! caught on better than any of my other work, is because my voice is loud within it. A lot of the problems, a lot of the feelings, and a lot of the thoughts Bennett has came from my own life and because of that the story feels more real. When I read through the chapters, I can see myself in Bennett's troubles and I think other people can see themselves too.
Putting your voice into your work is important, no matter what it is. It's what sets your work apart from everyone else in the world. It's what makes your work yours.
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