In your opinion, what is the one "best" story of some of your favorite authors on SOL.
"Best" to be defined as, all things considered, the one story you liked most. Bonus points for an explanation of why you liked the story.
Asking for one per author is an attempt to avoid answers like
"any story by Author X."
My all-time favorite is Service Society by Lazlo Zalzac. I liked it for it resonated with my opinion of big business and how we ignore our loved ones in the rush to earn a living.
Like REP I consider Lazlo Zalezac the best author on SOL. It was a great loss when he passed away.
While Service Society is definitely in the top 10 I consider The Reset Manifesto his best. The fight of normal people against political&business crooks and frauds. It competes for first place with The Millionaire Next Door. A great story about a man working very hard to make his dream come true.
I browsed Lazlo Zalezac's stories and came upon one that had story tags of "Slow, Violent" and a Sex Content of "no sex."
How can you have "slow" with "no sex"? "Slow" is defined as "There is a story and plot development before any sex occurs." But no sex occurs in a "no sex" story.
(By the way, the rest of the "slow" definition is "Not a stroke story." That part should be removed from the definition.)
How can you have "slow" with "no sex"? "Slow" is defined as "There is a story and plot development before any sex occurs." But no sex occurs in a "no sex" story.
There's no dichotomy. Slow still primarily means, hey - we have plot and story here! It doesn't promise that there WILL be sex, just that there would be plot and story before there was any - IF there was any to be included in the first place. Thus, the no sex add-on.
Slow still primarily means, hey - we have plot and story here! It doesn't promise that there WILL be sex, just that there would be plot and story before there was any - IF there was any to be included in the first place. Thus, the no sex add-on.
By that logic, every no sex story should be tagged as slow.
By that logic, every no sex story should be tagged as slow.
Not necessarily. Think of two war stories, both don't have sex, one is about a long tediously boring march, and goes into great detail about how nothing of much interest happens. The other is from the front line, during a frantic battle for survival during an assault, where everything is thrown at the reader to such an extent that it's overwhelming.
One of those two stories is tagged as 'slow'. Which one do you think it is... No question mark as it's rhetorical.
One of those two stories is tagged as 'slow'. Which one do you think it is...
Again, the official SOL definition of SLOW is "There is a story and plot development before any sex occurs."
By that definition which StarFleet Carl claimed to be following, the two stories you describe, either both necessarily qualify as slow, or neither does.
What you are positing is a different definition of Slow for no sex stories than is used for sex stories.
Again, the official SOL definition of SLOW is "There is a story and plot development before any sex occurs."
Both tags (slow, no sex) are correct if the story ends before any sex occurs. The SLOW definition allows the sex to occur after the finish of the story.
HM.
Both tags (slow, no sex) are correct if the story ends before any sex occurs. The SLOW definition allows the sex to occur after the finish of the story.
That's my point, there are only two rational positions that do not require a separate definition of slow for no sex stories.
1. All no sex stories are slow.
2. No sex stories never qualify as slow.
Both of these are self consistent and rational. And I am very explicitly not taking a position on which of the two is correct.
Any attempt at a middle ground between those two requires a different definition slow for no sex stories.
one is about a long tediously boring march, and goes into great detail about how nothing of much interest happens.
That's not the SOL definition of "slow" but that's why I would never use that tag.
When I hear that a story is slow, I think of nothing happening for quite some time. I'm not saying a reader needs to be hooked in the first sentence or first paragraph, but the author does need to get them involved/interested sooner than later.
A famous librarian once said she gives a novel 50 pages. If it doesn't grab her by then, she puts it down.
When I hear that a story is slow, I think of nothing happening for quite some time. I'm not saying a reader needs to be hooked in the first sentence or first paragraph, but the author does need to get them involved/interested sooner than later.
"Fast Is SLOW
SLOW Is SMOOTH
SMOOTH IS FAST!"
I will concede that some authors on SOL may use the SLOW Tag incorrectly; indicating that there is some necessary build up / "world building" until some significant plot points may get resolved.
I am okay with that. Actually, I seek those kinds of stories out. In a rich, as in vivid, world, such as JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth I enjoy the Hobbits journeys through the Shire, hiding from the Nazgul, encountering Tom Bombadil, the Barrow Mounds, the town of Bree, waiting on Storm Top for Aragorn, and on to the Last Homy House (Elrond), etc., etc., etc.
The interlude with Tom Bombadil allowed a bit of interaction with ("The One") Ring in an almost uniquely safe place. Also, it is Tom Bombadil who rescues the Hobbits from the Wights (perhaps only Gandalf, or maybe Elrond or Galadriel could have done it, and they had not yet met the other two. For good reasons both were staying in Elf Havens). Tom Bombadil suggests that the hobbits arm themselves, but otherwise not loot the treasures of the dead kings of Andor. Thus, Merrydoc Brandybuck acquires the "shortsword" (dagger) that allows him to inflict damage upon the Witch King of Angmar (also the Leader of the Nine Nazgul) outside the Walls of Gondor.
The acquisition of the dagger occurred in the first third of the First Book: The Fellowship of the Ring. It does not "pay off" until the last third of the Third Book: The Return of the King. "SLOW" by nearly anyone's standards.
I am currently reading Blazing Star by GreyOldWolf https://storiesonline.net/s/24317/blazing-star
(The author did not (mis)use the SLOW Tag.)
I have read the prologue, forward, and six chapters, and I am enjoying it tremendously. There hasn't been much conflict, so far, mostly because the MC, and later his comrades, are being careful, making plans, and they have smoothly resolved the problems they have encountered so far. It seems there are serious problems ahead; however, reasonable awareness of likely problems is why the characters have been conducting themselves in a prudently slow manner.
I don't just use Tags, I also read the Author's description of their story too.
While some writers may be (mis)using the SLOW Tag to indicate a story with a long build up. It seems most readers understand what the Tags: SLOW and NO SEX mean in combination. Even if it is Not the exact SOL definition of the Tags. SOL uses definitions similar to many other sites with porn stories. However, it has many more Non-Sex stories.
I would bet a round of beers that more than 50% of readers (and too many writers) Don't read the List of Definitions on SOL. They just use their "common sense" (or at least their own Expectations) about what particular definitions mean.
I base the above opinion on having read various comments on stories, Blog posts, and in the Forums; the misunderstandings and complaints about non-issues, etc.
"I'll be tak'n it Slllowwww an' Eazy, Baby." Marius
Edit: This was more in reply to Switch Blayde than Marius.
It probably should be pointed out that Lazeez on many, many occasions has pointed out that the purpose of storiesonline was to create a site with a range of genres.
However, the old adage of 'sex sells' is very apt and the submissions of 'porn' stories to the site greatly exceeds that of all other genre submissions.
Rightly or wrongly, I've always had the impression that Lazeez would prefer that not to be the case, however railing against the fact is akin to taking a stance like that of King Canute and the sea.
It's my understanding that he simply gave up to the inevitable and that is why the sister sites finestories, scifistories etc came into being. Look at the submission guidelines for them and they actively, politely, push away the more...smutty... side of things. It's also worth noting that with those restrictions, both submissions and readership are considerably lower than they are here.
As to the miss-use of tags, life has always had a way of subverting the definition of something to something else entirely. Take for instance the word 'gay'. It actually means to be, bright, colourful and happy, yet ask most people nowadays and they will tell you it's an easier way to spell and say 'homosexual'.
The site may say that the definition is "There is a story and plot development before any sex occurs. Not a stroke story", but it would seem that the readership and writers have taken it more to mean "There is a story and plot development." Obviously you can rail against that development, but you kinda have to ask yourself the question, "Is it worth it?"
Look at the submission guidelines for them and they actively, politely, push away the more...smutty... side of things. It's also worth noting that with those restrictions, both submissions and readership are considerably lower than they are here.
The key point for SciFi Stories is this:
SciFi-Stories is a science fiction and fantasy stories site. Only science fiction and fantasy stories accepted.
If a story is neither, then it won't be allowed.
As for sex, it has the same restriction as here:
Age restrictions: Your work (stories, poems or blog entries) may not contain characters younger than 14 having sex or being in sexual situations (masturbation and nudism are not allowed). In other words, all characters that engage in any sexual activity must be 14 or older.
That's why I cross post, and have all four of my True History stories posted there, as well as Love Never Changes.
Now, the difference is in readers and in scoring. The readers of that site are there for Science Fiction and Fantasy - NOT Jenny got anally fucked by her Rottweiler while sucking big black cock while her husband watched. Authors do have to note the age range of the story when they post it.
I figure it gives me a separate audience, and I get to advertise Bookapy there, too. And no one there has complained to me that my stories have sex in them.
As for sex, it has the same restriction as here:
Not quite true (I have two pseudonyms there). If you look, it actually states that your submission to the site "May contain horror, violence, mature themes [no graphic sex]"
No graphic sex. Which isn't the same as here.
No graphic sex. Which isn't the same as here.
I would hope you've read my stories on here, as well as the versions posted there. Here's a hint - they're the same. I admit, I don't get too far away from simple 'mainstream' Game of Thrones sex in my descriptions, but it's still pretty graphic. (That was something that surprised my wife when she watched GoT - that they showed full frontal MALE nudity, not just female.)
I would bet a round of beers that more than 50% of readers (and too many writers) Don't read the List of Definitions on SOL. They just use their "common sense" (or at least their own Expectations) about what particular definitions mean.
Hence the problem. Or at least a problem for me.
I spent a career in the DA/DBA world and data standards are critical to getting it "right." I always thought one of the strengths of SOL's search engine was the standardization of story codes, both what they are (including the spelling) and what they mean. I used to hate coming up with my own story codes on ASSTR and I hate doing that on Amazon KDP. I have to guess what the reader will be searching on. With SOL, there is no guess. The tags are standard and there's a definition for each.
@PotomacBob, sorry for the hijack.
Similar to quite a few fellow readers and writers, I consider Lazlo Zalezac the best author on SOL. It was a great loss when he passed away.
I consider The Millionaire Next Door to be the best story that I have read on SOL.
https://storiesonline.net/s/54088/the-millionaire-next-door
Among the reasons I believe The Millionaire Next Door is the best story on SOL (in addition to it being well crafted and engaging) is the commentary on modern Public Education in the USA. Today, yet again, a study revealed that LESS than One Third; Fewer Than 33% of people in the USA are capable of Identifying the Three Branches of Government!
Lack of Basic Civics Education is one of the greatest failures of our public education system. I believe we do NOT have a public "education" system. The children of the USA are fed into the maw of a GOVERNMENT - UNION INDOCTRINATION COMPLEX that places low, if any, emphasis on education. Reading and reading comprehension are Not emphasized. The euphemism "critical thinking" is often bandied about, however, too many teachers compel their students to adopt (or at least mouth) the teachers' Political/Social Agenda! Basic math skills are lacking too. Civics have been replaced with "social studies" that often over emphasize the comparatively minor flaws of the USA and lack context with History and the state of other nations at those times.
In The Millionaire Next Door the main character is dyslexic, it is identified too late, and it severely impacts his K-12 education experience. The main character belatedly realizes that he and his fellow students were Not taught about how to balance a check book, apply for a job, credit scores or how to apply for a loan, basic first aid, civics, and many other things that Should be done to prepare young people to become Citizens.
The Right To Vote is effectively worthless if citizens don't understand our existing laws, system of government, or at least basic civics. "But, but, a Majority of us Voted for Sunshine! Why is it Raining?" Or. Politicians often Call for Enacting a "new" law as a "solution" when there are Already Existing Laws that Politicians choose to NOT ENFORCE (for a variety of reasons). So, the Politicians Distract us with a "circus" of passing another new law.
Politicians distract us with Token "Bread & Circuses" for the Masses, while the Politicians and Their Cronies enrich themselves! We cannot be Law Abiding Citizens if we do not Understand the Laws and Regulations, as well as Basic Civics.
Although the beginning of the story seems to be set in the 1990's, or even 1980's; the main character The Millionaire Next Door as well as his friends and family provide some examples of how Individuals may Triumph and Improve the Lives of an ever-expanding circle of other People, as well as Society in general.
We would all benefit from learning how to manage our money, basic first aid, and The Ten Rules of Life!
Well, Argon has some really good ones.
I really enjoyed Witch Eyes and In the Navy.
I think they tie for best for me.
Back on subject, does anyone have any stories to list other than those by Lazlo Zalezac?
Well, Ernest Bywater has a few in my top 10. I'm currently rereading Survivor, ... again :)