Silencing the voices

[TheWritingGroup]

This.

Beta readers picking up inconsistencies or any type of error is the purpose, rewriting your story isn't. People have to hold the line on that.

That's a very specific and incorrect unusual definition of beta reading. In fact, it's the definition of copyediting.

--Annie

 

[ColtonWrites]

A possible option might be five published stories before you get access to AH.

Or at least one

 

[Voboy]

A possible option might be five published stories before you get access to AH.

Is the AH overrun with non-writers? Or am I simply not looking at the threads the non-writers are posting in?

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Prospective, future, aspiring writers are now to be shunned?

 

[ColtonWrites]

Prospective, future, aspiring writers are now to be shunned?

No, but its not that hard to put up SOMETHING on the site. 750 words isn't a very high bar.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Yeah, I totally protest against such an option, mostly because T wouldn't be allowed to participate anymore.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Our mission, should we choose to accept it is to fertilize the mind. To foster, nurture, and guide it to fruition.

 

[Voboy]

Our mission, should we choose to accept it is to fertilize the mind. To foster, nurture, and guide it to fruition.

"Fertilize..."

Do what now? I mean, this is Lit...

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Seed it with ideas.

 

[StillStunned]

"Fertilize..."

Do what now? I mean, this is Lit...

"Fertilise" v., to cover in shit.

 

[TheLobster]

"Fertilize..."

Do what now? I mean, this is Lit...

So many agricultural terms in erotica, aren’t there?

Fertilize, seed, plow…

And chief among them is of course the ever-useful hoe

 

[lovecraft68]

That's a very specific and incorrect unusual definition of beta reading. In fact, it's the definition of copyediting.

--Annie

Beta readers are readers and some react to the story in an invested way rather just a straight up second pair of eyes.

Maybe a contract should be drawn up by the author seeking their help and lay out exactly what is expected and have them e-sign it before they receive the story.

 

[lovecraft68]

A possible option might be five published stories before you get access to AH.

People are joking about this but I think there's merit to it.

Not because you need to have X stories here to have an opinion but you should have posted some stories before coming here in the sense of how seriously should you take all the advice, opinions etc here?

If you have your feet on the ground you're more likely to be discerning in what you take from here. If you've published nothing you're apt to listen to everything including things that may dissuade you.

There are times there can be multiple threads on the front page complaining about bombs/views/delays/rejections nasty comments. A brand new person sees that, they may thing this is what's here and not bother.

If you posted stories here you'll know a lot of it is over reaction or exceptions.

I published my first story here in May 2010. My first foray here was sometime in 2011 and I already had two dozen stories, enough to have established my identity as a writer and decide what made sense or didn't to me.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

The AH is to help people build up the knowledge and confidence to submit a story.

 

[lovecraft68]

I arrived around the same time. It was... interesting. And I constantly had the sense it had been even more interesting a few months before.

2015 was the year of the Cabin, bad times.

But the all time low of this forum was sometime around 2008, the infamous dead baby thread which this site somehow decided to let stay until so many people lodged so many public and PM complaints it was removed...somewhat.

That thread cost this site the woman who most likely has been the #1 selling self pubbed erotica author for a long stretch of time whose stories have now been made into movies by a major porn studio.

Two people were involved in that thread. One started that one, the other started another thread attacking the new #1 author here for a time and drove her off as well, because again, the site let it happen.

The mod coming along around the time you did has kept those extremes from happening again. I don't see anything in close to the last ten years that has been anywhere near that bad, and 2015 was nothing compared to people mocking a woman having a miscarriage.

 

[talemestories]

People are joking about this but I think there's merit to it.

I don't think there should be any gatekeeping of AH at all, personally but push come to shove, let established writers in.

Right now, it's pretty much the same repeated question or comments over and over from the newbs with the same folks chiming in with the same answers. Pin a 'FAQ Newb Questions' and refer them to that.

Personally, I hope to see discussion about writing, people having some fun, and writers chatting with each other (perhaps without the political crap).

 

[talemestories]

Beta readers are readers and some react to the story in an invested way rather just a straight up second pair of eyes.

Maybe a contract should be drawn up by the author seeking their help and lay out exactly what is expected and have them e-sign it before they receive the story.

The reminds me of the time I foolishly signed up to be a volunteer editor and found out I would be a spellchecker and paragraph maker for many that contacted me.

That being said, Idid have a great experience with someone that wanted extra eyes for a fantasy story that I would never have read on my own. Cool story, too.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I don't think there should be any gatekeeping of AH at all, personally but push come to shove, let established writers in.

Right now, it's pretty much the same repeated question or comments over and over from the newbs with the same folks chiming in with the same answers. Pin a 'FAQ Newb Questions' and refer them to that.

Personally, I hope to see discussion about writing, people having some fun, and writers chatting with each other (perhaps without the political crap).

Not sure what prompted this, but there's no push or shove here. No one is crowding anyone else.

This place is called the Author's Hangout, and sure, it was meant for authors primarily. But everyone should feel welcome to post and discuss here. No one is gatekeeping, and no one should.

I'd understand the sentiment if there were so many people here, and if non-authors spammed this place with distracting stuff. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't think there should be any gatekeeping of AH at all, personally but push come to shove, let established writers in.

Right now, it's pretty much the same repeated question or comments over and over from the newbs with the same folks chiming in with the same answers. Pin a 'FAQ Newb Questions' and refer them to that.

Personally, I hope to see discussion about writing, people having some fun, and writers chatting with each other (perhaps without the political crap).

There are some stickies at the top of the forum for commonly asked questions.

There is also the newish-by forum standards- feature where when you type the topic of your thread it will show you existing threads that may answer that question.

Either people don't see the stickies or care to look at the previous threads, or they just want to ask.

The interesting thing about it is I don't blame them, they're new so what's old to us is new to them but when you'll get a few people here responding "This again" I get it but why are you responding?

Because in addition to the same thing over and over, the same argument will ensue over and over-copyright comes to mind- so in that sense we're all responsible for this and its more on us than the new poster.

As far as political crap, there's a forum for that and a rule that's where it belongs but I do see a fair amount of it here and the mod chooses to let it go. Moderation of both stories and forums has always been consistently inconsistent.

 

[Voboy]

There are some stickies at the top of the forum for commonly asked questions.

There is also the newish-by forum standards- feature where when you type the topic of your thread it will show you existing threads that may answer that question.

Either people don't see the stickies or care to look at the previous threads, or they just want to ask.

The interesting thing about it is I don't blame them, they're new so what's old to us is new to them but when you'll get a few people here responding "This again" I get it but why are you responding?

Because in addition to the same thing over and over, the same argument will ensue over and over-copyright comes to mind- so in that sense we're all responsible for this and its more on us than the new poster.

As far as political crap, there's a forum for that and a rule that's where it belongs but I do see a fair amount of it here and the mod chooses to let it go. Moderation of both stories and forums has always been consistently inconsistent.

Rule #1 of internet forums: almost nobody ever reads the Stickies.

 

[StrentWriter]

A possible option might be five published stories before you get access to AH.

I’ve only published one 100K word novel. Would that preclude me then compared to someone who, say, had five 750 word short stories published?

I think it’s a bit arbitrary in all honesty…who arbiters who gets in, and who doesn’t?

 

[Voboy]

in all honesty…who arbiters who gets in, and who doesn’t?

We already covered this: the assholes do.

 

[talemestories]

Not sure what prompted this, but there's no push or shove here. No one is crowding anyone else.

I'm not sure if you read my previous posts. I said 'but push come to shove' that was my suggestion as part of the discussion. As in, 'if a decision needs to be made at a future time, I would suggest that ...'

This is one of the reasons I don't often participate in forum posts as people take things so personally or they start making veiled snide comments such as ...

 

[talemestories]

I’ve only published one 100K word novel. Would that preclude me then compared to someone who, say, had five 750 word short stories published?

I think it’s a bit arbitrary in all honesty…who arbiters who gets in, and who doesn’t?

Yes.

You would require three more stories.

It's a Five Story Rule (FSR) that would fix everything.

 

[StrentWriter]

Yes.

You would require three more stories.

It's a Five Story Rule (FSR) that would fix everything.

That only makes four stories if I wrote three more…

I am quite glad that rule didn’t apply before I published my novel here!