I think I have given up - - - Story still pending

[AwkwardlySet]

I disagree. I have never had an DM to Laurel ignored.

Resubmitting puts you at the back of the line, regardless of any note to the admin that you include. My experience, as well as hundreds of others, indicates that patience, followed by a polite DM to Laurel gets the desired results. You will seldom get a message back, but if your request is courteous and legitimate, you will likely see the desired action take place.

Will you stop giving BS information? There are no more than a handful of cases of people reporting that their PM was answered, either with words or with action. While there are now likely hundreds of cases of people reporting not getting a response of any kind. You are either blind or you are simply gloating for being considered special by the website admins.

You are constantly implying that the PM approach works, while emphasizing that it's all about being courteous and polite. That's basically saying that all others are just rude or stupid or both.

PMs don't fucking work. The fact that it (maybe) worked for you once, and that Laurel once replied to Chloe, or I don't know who, about a contest, doesn't prove a god damned thing. If like 1% of PMs get through to Laurel, then people should simply stop PMing. It's a waste of effort and just another way for people to feel rejected and "unworthy."

The fanboy club should stop whitewashing reality. It just puts people down.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Will you stop giving BS information? There are no more than a handful of cases of people reporting that their PM was answered, either with words or with action. While there are now likely hundreds of cases of people reporting not getting a response of any kind. You are either blind or you are simply gloating for being considered special by the website admins.

You are constantly implying that the PM approach works, while emphasizing that it's all about being courteous and polite. That's basically saying that all others are just rude or stupid or both.

PMs don't fucking work. The fact that it (maybe) worked for you once, and that Laurel once replied to Chloe, or I don't know who, about a contest, doesn't prove a god damned thing. If like 1% of PMs get through to Laurel, then people should simply stop PMing. It's a waste of effort and just another way for people to feel rejected and "unworthy."

The fanboy club should stop whitewashing reality. It just puts people down.

My information is factual and based on over a decade of experience on this site. The fact that I consistently get a response (problem solved) when I DM Laurel and others do not is relevant, whether you want to admit it or not.

Why is the question.

I have never met Laurel. I have never communicated with her at any time other than when requesting her intervention on a story issue. I am not unique in asking her for assistance and getting it.

If your antagonistic attitude is how you communicate, it is easy to understand why your experience might be different.

 

[SmilingLez]

The fact that I consistently get a response (problem solved) when I DM Laurel and others do not is relevant, whether you want to admit it or not.

Lucky you

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Want a count of how many of mine she’s ignored since late August (last time she replied to me)? It’s a big number and:

View attachment 2585449

I have only had one reply to a DM with Laurel in over a decade. I have had over a dozen responses in the form of actions that resolved the particular issue.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Will you stop giving BS information? There are no more than a handful of cases of people reporting that their PM was answered, either with words or with action. While there are now likely hundreds of cases of people reporting not getting a response of any kind. You are either blind or you are simply gloating for being considered special by the website admins.

You are constantly implying that the PM approach works, while emphasizing that it's all about being courteous and polite. That's basically saying that all others are just rude or stupid or both.

PMs don't fucking work. The fact that it (maybe) worked for you once, and that Laurel once replied to Chloe, or I don't know who, about a contest, doesn't prove a god damned thing. If like 1% of PMs get through to Laurel, then people should simply stop PMing. It's a waste of effort and just another way for people to feel rejected and "unworthy."

The fanboy club should stop whitewashing reality. It just puts people down.

The keyword in your statement is the number of answered DMs that were REPORTED.
If you DM Laurel and your problem gets fixed, you don't run to the AH to report it.
If you do you risk getting attacked for being insensitive or gloating or whatever the flavor of the day is.
We realistically have no idea how successful or unsuccessful DMing Laurel is at this point.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I have only had one reply to a DM with Laurel in over a decade. I have had over a dozen responses in the form of actions that resolved the particular issue.

And twenty years ago, Lehman Brothers was a large and successful investment bank.

You realize we are all talking about more recent times, since about two years ago, and on? Even I can claim that Laurel used to respond to my PMs in my early days here, about three years ago. Things have radically changed since then - for the worse.

Once again, stop being deaf and blind to what many people are reporting here. PMs to Laurel do not reliably work for literally anyone on the website, and they don't work at all for a huge majority of authors. It has been like that for a long while now, and what used to happen years ago holds no relevance. The times have changed.

 

[SmilingLez]

We realistically have no idea how successful or unsuccessful DMing Laurel is at this point.

Got to love logic.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

The keyword in your statement is the number of answered DMs that were REPORTED.
If you DM Laurel and your problem gets fixed, you don't run to the AH to report it.
If you do you risk getting attacked for being insensitive or gloating or whatever the flavor of the day is.
We realistically have no idea how successful or unsuccessful DMing Laurel is at this point.

Actually, I kind of do, as we've had so many claims of PMing not working that we've begun speculating about Laurel being ill and unable to participate in the website affairs. Multiple veteran AHers said their PMs weren't being answered. And only then Chloe said that she replied to her visavi an event or contest, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

That alone proves the extent of Laurel's not-replying, for whatever reason.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Actually, I kind of do, as we've had so many claims of PMing not working that we've begun speculating about Laurel being ill and unable to participate in the website affairs. Multiple veteran AHers said their PMs weren't being answered. And only then Chloe said that she replied to her visavi an event or contest, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

That alone proves the extent of Laurel's not-replying, for whatever reason.

Not really, because we have no idea the volume of answers.
It seems like her usual MO is to fix things and move on. If your story is stuck and she unsticks it, she doesn't need to reply to your DM, and historically doesn't.
We don't know how many people are getting their problem solved.
The fact that people are speculating doesn't prove anything. Conspiracy theories are nothing but speculation...

The people claiming Lit is burning down don't have any more evidence than those who claim everything is fine. Attacking people over the issue doesn't help.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I have only had one reply to a DM with Laurel in over a decade. I have had over a dozen responses in the form of actions that resolved the particular issue.

I’ve had much more than an dozen replies and lots of action. But neither have happened since late August this year.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

We have a variation of Survivorship Bias, but in this case we only know about the ones that didn't make it.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

View attachment 2585519
We have a variation of Survivorship Bias, but in this case we only know about the ones that didn't make it.

We do, besause if there's anything an AHer likes doing, it's boasting about Laurel replying to them. So we do know about the AH, at least. The part we are speculating about is the part of autorship that doesn't use the forum, and thus likely never even tried PMing Laurel. But, yeah that part is speculation.

 

[SamBomb]

D

We really need to stop recommending DMing or @ing Laurel. In 2025 that's just totally impotent.

Delete, re-submit, and put the message to Laurel in the story submission Notes field. She's still publishing stories, so, we know she receives those notes.

Did that November 15. Still pending.

 

[StillStunned]

We do, besause if there's anything an AHer likes doing, it's boasting about Laurel replying to them.

Not really. Nowadays that will get you attacked for being insensitive or denying other people's problems. Same with approvals: when people complain that they've been waiting for weeks, it's considered bad form to reply that your story went through in less than 24 hours.

I'll just say that my experience isn't what others are reporting here. I have little to complain about, so I keep my mouth shut. I doubt I'm the only one.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

And twenty years ago, Lehman Brothers was a large and successful investment bank.

You realize we are all talking about more recent times, since about two years ago, and on? Even I can claim that Laurel used to respond to my PMs in my early days here, about three years ago. Things have radically changed since then - for the worse.

Once again, stop being deaf and blind to what many people are reporting here. PMs to Laurel do not reliably work for literally anyone on the website, and they don't work at all for a huge majority of authors. It has been like that for a long while now, and what used to happen years ago holds no relevance. The times have changed.

Once again, stop being deaf and blind to what many people are reporting here.

I am not disputing the fact that others might not have the same experience as me, or calling their experiences "BS".

As recent as two weeks ago, I received a response to a DM with Laurel. I did not get a written reply, but I did get the resolution that I requested, proving that the process still works, at least for me.

You can whine and gripe all you want. I have chosen a different option and will continue to share the success of that with others.

Deal with it.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I’ve had much more than an dozen replies and lots of action. But neither have happened since late August this year.

My last response from her was two weeks ago.

Admittedly, I don't ask her questions or attempt to do anything more than point out a story issue that I need her assistance with. A story pending more than 15 days, a story title needs to be allowed a few more characters, etc. Her responses, even her latest, occurred within hours.

Why do I get responses when others claim not to? I have no idea. All I can tell you is that Laurel is still responding to some, if not all DMs, so I will continue to view that process as functioning.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Why do I get responses when others claim not to?

This is why people are pushing back at you. Claim? Really? Are you suggesting their claims are bogus? I think this convo has run its course. If you refuse to even acknowledge the experiences of [many] others, then what’s the point of talking?

 

[BobbyBrandt]

This is why people are pushing back at you. Claim? Really? Are you suggesting their claims are bogus? I think this convo has run its course. If you refuse to even acknowledge the experiences of [many] others, then what’s the point of talking?

You want to play the semantics card now?

In fairness, without you seeing my messages to Laurel and witnessing the responses, what I have stated my experiences have been are also just a "claim".

While not disputing the stated experience of others, I have just as little proof of what they say happened as they do of mine.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

This is why people are pushing back at you. Claim? Really? Are you suggesting their claims are bogus? I think this convo has run its course. If you refuse to even acknowledge the experiences of [many] others, then what’s the point of talking?

People are pushing back because people seem pretty invested in creating a panic that the sky is falling.
Trying to make a big deal about the use of the word "claim" is just a red herring.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I am not disputing the fact that others might not have the same experience as me, or calling their experiences "BS".

As recent as two weeks ago, I received a response to a DM with Laurel. I did not get a written reply, but I did get the resolution that I requested, proving that the process still works, at least for me.

You can whine and gripe all you want. I have chosen a different option and will continue to share the success of that with others.

Deal with it.

If you had posted that Laurel acted after your PM (and there's no actual proof that her action wasn't merely a coincidence), if you posted it just as another piece of information, then people would have congratulated you, and that would have been that.
But no, you instead created a thread and made a smug post that PMs work, and that it worked for you BECAUSE you were polite and courteous. Your post was loaded with implications that were condescending towards the overwhelming majority who can't seem to reach Laurel no matter what.

At first, I thought that the tone of your post might have been accidental, but you later disillusioned me from that notion. Even in this thread, it's easily seen that you are simply being smug about your "privilege" and that you're using it to relativize what practically everyone else is experiencing here.

Your posts are formally polite, but you are also a first-class BS-er who hides the smugness behind false manners. Most other apologists and cultists are at least quite open about their allegiances.

 

[Britva415]

People are pushing back because people seem pretty invested in creating a panic that the sky is falling

I was pushing back because he was actively discouraging people from using options which appear to be more effective for people who aren't him.

That deserves pushback because discouraging other authors from using those options is unhelpful.

For some authors, the sky IS falling. I don't see anyone trying to create a panic, I see people trying to help those authors work around the problem. The only behavior I see which I would associate with a "sky-is-falling" label is when people who would have you believe that there isn't a problem push back by calling everyone else Chicken Littles

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I was pushing back because he was actively discouraging people from using options which appear to be more effective for people who aren't him.

That deserves pushback because discouraging other authors from using those options is unhelpful.

For some authors, the sky IS falling. I don't see anyone trying to create a panic, I see people trying to help those authors work around the problem. The only behavior I see which I would associate with a "sky-is-falling" label is when people who would have you believe that there isn't a problem push back by calling everyone else Chicken Littles

Not sure if I'd say the people who are labeling anyone who disagrees with them a cultist are the rational actors in this little saga.

I think it's wonderful that people are providing all different kinds of help and advice. But when that advice is then followed by an injection of the sky is falling, that isn't particularly helpful.
Your story not getting posted is not, in fact, the sky falling. It sucks, yes. But it isn't proof that Laurel is dying, or that Lit is crashing, or any of the other conspiracy theories that are getting tossed around.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I was pushing back because he was actively discouraging people from using options which appear to be more effective for people who aren't him.

I actually disagreed with YOU discouraging others to try options that I know have worked for me and others.

Go back and read the posts again. I never told anyone NOT to try anything, but you did.

People can do whatever they want, and I encourage them to try all the options available. You are the one that said people should limit their options by not considering DMs to Laurel.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Not sure if I'd say the people who are labeling anyone who disagrees with them a cultist are the rational actors in this little saga.

It's not about agreeing or disagreeing with our opinion about Lit. It's about the tone of it, the smugness and the constant downplaying of the troubles that many authors have. Many authors feel very frustrated.
But sure, it's me bluntly calling out things that's the problem, not the smugness and snideness and the disregard of other people's struggles here on Lit.

At least I am very open and direct about everything I post on this board. But yeah, you can keep the false empathy and the smug "helpful" advice.

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

I appreciate everyone who has contributed to this thread but honestly this turned into a whole lot more than I had wanted from the posting.
I hope you all can accept this, my opinion of my thread.

I never wanted it to get into then”discussion” it became.

@AH_Mod will you please lock this thread or outright delete it?

Thank you all for you understanding