Hmmm.... I have a few pointers, I guess.

1) Avoid stories without any story codes at all, as they tend to include very objectionable material.

2) You can sort based on file size, which might cull the search down to only shorter stories.

3) Find authors you like, or find a story you like and check out the pages of reviewers that liked the same story. You can kind of follow the flow of other people's likes via shared Bookshelves or review listings.

4) Read the synopsis. Sometimes, it is obvious when a writer doesn't know what they're doing.

I understand what you mean about stories being too long, though I guess that's kind of moot if you give up after a few paragraphs. A lot of the more popular stories here are the kind that are specifically designed to go on forever, which can be intimidating.

You shouldn't need to redo the entire search if you don't like one story; if your browser settings are correct, back will bring you to the search listings.