Rejected Story

[hottchic]

Well I had a story rejected and it was the so far best in my "Tits have benefits" series!

The good thing is that the only reason it was rejected was for not breaking up dialog, I had alot of paragraphs where two characters were talking.

Actually I think it is a good thing looking back on it because the revised version is easier on the eye which could increase the rating of the story in the long run.

My question is:

Can I expect the time to approval for a re-submission to fast track or does it take the same amount of time as any new submission?

 

[lovecraft68]

Well I had a story rejected and it was the so far best in my "Tits have benefits" series!

The good thing is that the only reason it was rejected was for not breaking up dialog, I had alot of paragraphs where two characters were talking.

Actually I think it is a good thing looking back on it because the revised version is easier on the eye which could increase the rating of the story in the long run.

My question is:

Can I expect the time to approval for a re-submission to fast track or does it take the same amount of time as any new submission?

Same amount of time

 

[hottchic]

Bummer LOL

That sort of ruins my TBS (time between stories), I get the idea that a lot of people reading Lit do not have such a long attantion span.

 

[PennLady]

Bummer LOL

That sort of ruins my TBS (time between stories), I get the idea that a lot of people reading Lit do not have such a long attantion span.

You might be surprised. A lot of people will remember and keep reading a story even if a month or so goes by between installments. If I'm writing a long one, I try to arrange it so I can post about once a week. If it's all done, I'll post one a day.

 

[hottchic]

You might be surprised. A lot of people will remember and keep reading a story even if a month or so goes by between installments. If I'm writing a long one, I try to arrange it so I can post about once a week. If it's all done, I'll post one a day.

Actually I had just been thinking about this myself. Anybody who was not too interested in this series probably stopped reading after the first story. Particularly coming up to chapter 4, almost all of the people reading are repeat readers and if they liked all of the first three stories I imagine they are probably prepared to wait for the forth.

 

[lovecraft68]

You might be surprised. A lot of people will remember and keep reading a story even if a month or so goes by between installments. If I'm writing a long one, I try to arrange it so I can post about once a week. If it's all done, I'll post one a day.

I did once a week (or an average of) for about six months. This year things changed schedule wise in everyday life and I have been doing one a month. I've lost about a thousand views and a dozen or more votes per story. The die hards will follow but the casuals seem to "forget" pretty easily.

Sometimes I wonder if the initial steady schedule "spoiled them"

 

[PennLady]

I did once a week (or an average of) for about six months. This year things changed schedule wise in everyday life and I have been doing one a month. I've lost about a thousand views and a dozen or more votes per story. The die hards will follow but the casuals seem to "forget" pretty easily.

Sometimes I wonder if the initial steady schedule "spoiled them"

They might have, but also -- people's routines change and they may not have the time to do the things they did before. You have less time to write/post and plenty others may have less time to read them. And some people's interest may peter out in a story, and there's nothing to be done about that. I think they longest story I posted was in 12 parts, and the views went down a little with each one, as I recall.

But then again -- this being a free site, and everyone reading and writing for their own reason, the readers don't owe anyone anything, nor do the writers owe the readers. But mostly that all seems to work out.

 

[PennLady]

Actually I had just been thinking about this myself. Anybody who was not too interested in this series probably stopped reading after the first story. Particularly coming up to chapter 4, almost all of the people reading are repeat readers and if they liked all of the first three stories I imagine they are probably prepared to wait for the forth.

I'm sure there have been longer gaps, but there's a story called "Rainey's Story," and I remember two years elapsed between the last two installments. But people read it! I think my longest gap was 4-6 weeks for an on-going story, and probably a couple of months or more just between posting stand-alones.

Write and post for yourself -- anything else is just extra fun.

 

[hottchic]

I'm sure there have been longer gaps, but there's a story called "Rainey's Story," and I remember two years elapsed between the last two installments. But people read it! I think my longest gap was 4-6 weeks for an on-going story, and probably a couple of months or more just between posting stand-alones.

Write and post for yourself -- anything else is just extra fun.

Yeah, I agree I should just post for myself, but I was looking forward to monitor people reading my latest story beacuse I think it is the best yet in the series, but now I have to wait.

Call me vain, call me shallow, call me an attention seeker, probably I'm guilty as charged, but I still love who I am now so I don't give a fuck if people think I am those things.

 

[PennLady]

Yeah, I agree I should just post for myself, but I was looking forward to monitor people reading my latest story beacuse I think it is the best yet in the series, but now I have to wait.

Call me vain, call me shallow, call me an attention seeker, probably I'm guilty as charged, but I still love who I am now so I don't give a fuck if people think I am those things.

Oh I think most of us are looking for a little attention -- else we wouldn't check our ratings and leave public comments open. I just always advise people not to count on any of it too much; good stories get ignored, bad ones get raves, and so you just have to be happy with what you've done.

 

[hottchic]

@Pennlady

Yes I like what I have done, I also think I am loveable and cute LOL, but I guess there is nothing wrong with that.

My problem is that I went through most of my life thinking I was never good enough.

Now I am really beginning to love myself but unfortunately I do suffer relapses from time to time.

By the way Pennlady, you seem like a very caring person to me, thankyou for your support.

 

[PennLady]

@Pennlady

Yes I like what I have done, I also think I am loveable and cute LOL, but I guess there is nothing wrong with that.

My problem is that I went through most of my life thinking I was never good enough.

Now I am really beginning to love myself but unfortunately I do suffer relapses from time to time.

By the way Pennlady, you seem like a very caring person to me, thankyou for your support.

hottchic -- of course you're lovable and cute. It's good you're confident in yourself now. It's nice to get some extra love from your readers, but like I said -- don't live and die by it. But it sounds like you have a good grip, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[michchick98]

Actually I had just been thinking about this myself. Anybody who was not too interested in this series probably stopped reading after the first story. Particularly coming up to chapter 4, almost all of the people reading are repeat readers and if they liked all of the first three stories I imagine they are probably prepared to wait for the forth.

I've had the same problem of having to resubmit after editing/rejection but before the story went live. It caused a gap in between chapters when I was trying to have one out every few days. It took a bit longer but didn't seem to hurt my readership any. Like PennLady said, if people like the story, they'll wait.

 

[Darkniciad]

I had almost a two year lapse in new chapters on SOTM, and only dropped down about 20 votes from the average with the first new one. That then went to about 10 votes when the second new one hit. Should probably level back out to even with the next one, once my editor gets his computer running again

Other than a few with really short attention spans, the loss of a couple of days isn't going to hurt your readership, most likely.

 

[ishtat]

rubysen posted the second part of a story 5 years after the first and still appears to have kept an audience... but I guess, it is a very particular audience.

 

[oggbashan]

I just reviewed some of my stories.

For Brobdingnag, it took my five years before I wrote the ending.

For Shelacta, an on-going series, the last chapters came six years after the first - the result was virtually NO votes for the last chapters.

I have several posted stories that are incomplete. Maybe I'll continue Miranda the Witch for Halloween. Or not? Maybe Halloween 2015?

Og

 

[hottchic]

I Just got another story rejected on dialog format, this time in my Lesbian love affair series "Fiona and Ariel"

Just so that people don't start thinking that I am just a sloppy writer, I had already submitted this story before the other one was rejected also on dialog format.

In my defense I would say that it was because I wrote my Fiona and Ariel series a year before I first started reading stories on Lit and I was just submitting the stories as they were without proof reading them.

One problem I have is that the Word grammer checker does not pick up these dialog errors. So I did have a tendency to just say no spelling errors (red underlined), no grammer errors (green underlined) ok I can submit.

Now I am being more careful and always diligently proof reading my stories and correcting any errors before submiting.

Sighs....well I guess I am learning from my mistakes at least.

 

[estragon]

@Pennlady

Yes I like what I have done, I also think I am loveable and cute LOL, but I guess there is nothing wrong with that.

My problem is that I went through most of my life thinking I was never good enough.

Now I am really beginning to love myself but unfortunately I do suffer relapses from time to time.

By the way Pennlady, you seem like a very caring person to me, thankyou for your support.

SA Penn Lady is OOTATG = One Of The All Time Greats. By the way, "SA" stands for "Son Altesse", Her Highness. She helps other writers, she never has what the English call "side", and she writes as good a story as anyone on Lit. SA Penn Lady, you're the best!

 

[estragon]

There Are Volunteer Copy Editors

I Just got another story rejected on dialog format, this time in my Lesbian love affair series "Fiona and Ariel"

Just so that people don't start thinking that I am just a sloppy writer, I had already submitted this story before the other one was rejected also on dialog format.

In my defense I would say that it was because I wrote my Fiona and Ariel series a year before I first started reading stories on Lit and I was just submitting the stories as they were without proof reading them.

One problem I have is that the Word grammer checker does not pick up these dialog errors. So I did have a tendency to just say no spelling errors (red underlined), no grammer errors (green underlined) ok I can submit.

Now I am being more careful and always diligently proof reading my stories and correcting any errors before submiting.

Sighs....well I guess I am learning from my mistakes at least.

Hottchic, there are volunteer copy editors available. I have copy edited for some fairly good writers on Lit (names supplied on request). I don't do continuity, plot or characterization; just spelling, punctuation, syntax and sentence structure. No IM, so if you want, contact me via the feedback on my authors page.

 

[PennLady]

I Just got another story rejected on dialog format, this time in my Lesbian love affair series "Fiona and Ariel"

Just so that people don't start thinking that I am just a sloppy writer, I had already submitted this story before the other one was rejected also on dialog format.

In my defense I would say that it was because I wrote my Fiona and Ariel series a year before I first started reading stories on Lit and I was just submitting the stories as they were without proof reading them.

One problem I have is that the Word grammer checker does not pick up these dialog errors. So I did have a tendency to just say no spelling errors (red underlined), no grammer errors (green underlined) ok I can submit.

Now I am being more careful and always diligently proof reading my stories and correcting any errors before submiting.

Sighs....well I guess I am learning from my mistakes at least.

Well, hottchic, sounds like we need to find your dialogue problems.

Some basic stuff:
-- Use double quotes (") to open and close a statement
-- Put statements by different characters on different lines
-- Use proper punctuation

I have examples if you'd like to see them. Do you know what the specific problem was?

 

[michchick98]

SA Penn Lady is OOTATG = One Of The All Time Greats. By the way, "SA" stands for "Son Altesse", Her Highness. She helps other writers, she never has what the English call "side", and she writes as good a story as anyone on Lit. SA Penn Lady, you're the best!

Yeah, she's pretty okay for being a non Red Wings fan.

 

[PennLady]

Yeah, she's pretty okay for being a non Red Wings fan.

I try, I try.

 

[hottchic]

Well, hottchic, sounds like we need to find your dialogue problems.

Some basic stuff:
-- Use double quotes (") to open and close a statement
-- Put statements by different characters on different lines
-- Use proper punctuation

I have examples if you'd like to see them. Do you know what the specific problem was?

Yeah, it was the different characters on different lines, I read the suggested tutorial and fixed accordingly. The problem is that the Word grammar checker does not detect this problem.

And guess what, I must have done something right because chapter 4 of 'Tits Have Benefits' goes on line tomorrow

And here is a kiss for you PennLady, mwah

 

[PennLady]

Yeah, it was the different characters on different lines, I read the suggested tutorial and fixed accordingly. The problem is that the Word grammar checker does not detect this problem.

And guess what, I must have done something right because chapter 4 of 'Tits Have Benefits' goes on line tomorrow

And here is a kiss for you PennLady, mwah

Hey, glad to hear it went through! *hug*

You can't rely on the grammar checker. For one thing, that wasn't a grammar issue, that was a punctuation issue, and although I know that sometimes grammar issues encompass punctuation problems, they don't always. When it comes to stuff like that, you are probably better withy some kind of style guide. Or-- just look at the books you read.

I think that's what puzzles me about a lot of the errors I see. You don't need to go far to just pull out a book, check it out, and see what that author does. I'm not saying it's a guarantee -- I sure find typos and such -- but you can be relatively (relatively!) assured of basics like how dialogue should be done. I mean, I figure a lot of people write b/c they read and want somehow to join the ranks of the authors they read. So why not learn from that?