Why can I can not get responses from volunteer editors?

I am looking for volunteer editors. I have written to about a dozen as well as several messages to Literotica about them and I only got 1 Negative response.
What am I doing wrong??

turkeyhuntr said:

I am looking for volunteer editors. I have written to about a dozen as well as several messages to Literotica about them and I only got 1 Negative response.
What am I doing wrong??

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I do not know the answer but I can assure you that you're not alone

If you are looking for a stopgap solution for the time being, may I suggest trying Grammarly?

It's a free add-on for MS Word and will help with spelling, grammar, syntax, tense, etc.

They also have a pay version that helps with phrasing, making your text active as opposed to passive and other facets of writing.

Good luck!

RubenR said:

If you have been trying the 'Volunteer Editors' option, than the answer is simple; that option doesn't work.

Better to try the Editor's Forum. You can start your own thread, reply to an existing one, or PM people that volunteer.

I would suggest to briefly indicate the subject of your story, which category, how long, and other relevant information. Even then, success is not guaranteed; it's a thankless job, editing, and I can imagine people prefer to edit the stories they like to read, which, obviously, is a matter of taste.

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I second Reuben's advice. I've actually had four editors that I found by posting on the Editor's Forum, so it does work. In addition to the info suggested above, you might also include a timeline if you are trying to submit for a contest or meet some other deadline.

turkeyhuntr said:

I am looking for volunteer editors. I have written to about a dozen as well as several messages to Literotica about them and I only got 1 Negative response.
What am I doing wrong??

Click to expand...

the link on the front page of literotica does not work as advertised. from my work, no emails get sent. To use the VE listings as shown on the front Literotica page, click on the newest 7-8 volunteers' user name to go to their member page (NOT volunteer editor page) and then use the CONTACT tab to contact them. Send out 7-8, get 1 or 2 replies.

When I started out on Lit, I sought an editor. Eventually, I said to Hell with it and posted my story. I don’t see that as a bad move. I listened to people who commented on my stories- maybe not initially, but with a little motivation from their feedback, I began looking at how to improve my writing and doing my own editing. I may not be the best writer on the site, but when I post a story now, I feel better knowing I gave 100% of myself to tell the story the way it was intended - not edited by someone else.

Now, I’m going to deter you from finding an editor. One of the biggest joys Lit offers is posting your own story and about 3 days later seeing it in the headlines for others to read. Sure, you can have someone edit it for you, but the satisfaction is greater if you invest the time to do it yourself.

I’m probably going to get bashed for my suggestion, but ask yourself this - If you are unable to find an editor, what then? Do you leave the site? Wait and cry about it until someone comes along to edit it for you? Or do you man up and take it upon yourself to do the work necessary so you don’t need to depend on someone to edit it for you?

I chose to educate myself, listen to those that offered feedback, and edit my stories myself because, you know what, no editor wanted to help me. Kant

turkeyhuntr said:

Why can I can not get responses from volunteer editors?

Click to expand...

Because nobody likes you?

turkeyhuntr said:

I am looking for volunteer editors. I have written to about a dozen as well as several messages to Literotica about them and I only got 1 Negative response.
What am I doing wrong??

Click to expand...

• You have no stories up. Even volunteers want references.
• You're not a women that editors can perv on.
• You aren't offering nude pictures in exchange for services.

Kantarii said:

When I started out on Lit, I sought an editor. Eventually, I said to Hell with it and posted my story. I don’t see that as a bad move. I listened to people who commented on my stories- maybe not initially, but with a little motivation from their feedback, I began looking at how to improve my writing and doing my own editing.

Click to expand...

I also do not use an editor. I suppose it never even occurred to me that they would suggest actually altering parts of the story but if this is the case then I won’t use one in the future. It might be nice to have a second pair of eyes to proof it for errors but even then, there’s bound to be some.

I have edited for others before but when I do it is more for grammar and punctuation; I feel like it isn’t my place to offer opinions unless they explicitly ask for them and then I do but don’t expect them to heed my advice 100% but take it with a grain of salt and do what they wish with it.

If you’re worried about finding errors, this is what I do (and I often catch about 98% of the errors in my stories this way): leave the story alone for a while. Don’t look at it, don’t read it, don’t open it; preferably a month but a few days or a week will work too. Then, start at the beginning and read the story aloud. Reading it out loud it forces your brain to focus and you’ll catch most of the errors you’ve missed before.

I have been lucky enough to work with a number of excellent editors and none of them have ever tried to influence me to change a story.

Beta-readers, yes. Editors, no.

For me, it comes down to this: should you still publish even if you can't find an editor? Yes. Use Grammarly or something similar and do the best you can on your own.

Should you use an editor any and every time you have the opportunity to do so? Absolutely. There is no reason not to use an editor.

I've tried submitting without an editor and end up with too many mistakes being posted for my liking.

For me it isn't anything grammarly would pick up, it's me leaving in notes I've made or a friend has made to me, or once I repeated a few paragraphs when I c&p my story to the Lit submission page.

ANd heck even an editor couldn't help me with that one!

I wish I could find an editor that could stick with me and I know I'm hard to work with because I have a schedule that no one can stand by. I can be busy in an instant and not be around for days-weeks. So sometimes I'll ask for an editor and get some responses, but then I don't get a chance to follow up for a week or more.
Also doesn't help that I can't log into my account on my phone so I can't reply unless I'm home on my laptop.

But yeah finding an editor is a challenge.

Like you said, you're hard to work with. I'm an editor at the moment for a series, and I find that consistent schedule keeps things running smoothly. Too long between chapters, and people can forget and lose interest. What kind of crazy timeline are you demanding of them? Read this thing in 2 days and edit it for me, and I'll disappear for a week?

Why did I decide to volunteer to edit the series that I did? Because I enjoyed reading it. The payoff is that I get to read the content early, help improve the flow of writing, descriptions, and erotic scenes. Then I get to enjoy the final product with the rest of readers. And none of it feels like a chore, because I enjoy reading the series.