I did it! I submitted a "Romance" Story

[GoldenCojones]

I did it! I just submitted my first "Romance" story. It's called "Chad's Choice"

As soon as I hit the "Submit" button, the butterflies started swarming.

Will my readers like it? Will they hate it? Will my pet trolls 1 bomb it out of existence only for it to rise like a phoenix from ashes when the sweeps finally come through? Oh, the agony of waiting for it to go from "Pending" to "Accepted"

Okay, I'm being over the top melodramatic here, but it's me. What did you expect?

I hope the romance readers are kind and gentle souls. My next story is shaping up to be a "Romance" story as well. Unless I get ripped so hard on this one that I capitulate and drop it in EC. But it truly is a romantic story, even more so than this first one. What is happening to me?

Geez, I gotta stop listening to Stevie Nicks. Cue Motley Crue. That'll stop the romance cold

 

[sr71plt]

OK, where did I put my sledge hammer? Guess I have two days to find it.

 

[NotWise]

I hope the romance readers are kind and gentle souls.

They totally aren't. They can be a tough crowd.

My next story is shaping up to be a "Romance" story as well. Unless I get ripped so hard on this one that I capitulate and drop it in EC. But it truly is a romantic story, even more so than this first one. What is happening to me?

Finally expressing deeply held, romantic urges? Shocking your wife, who wonders WHO you are? Go for it.

I haven't posted to a lot of categories--to Romance only once, and maybe never again. It was totally not worth the experience, but maybe your story fits their formula better than mine did.

 

[GoldenCojones]

They totally aren't. They can be a tough crowd.



Finally expressing deeply held, romantic urges? Shocking your wife, who wonders WHO you are? Go for it.

I haven't posted to a lot of categories--to Romance only once, and maybe never again. It was totally not worth the experience, but maybe your story fits their formula better than mine did.

I don't think I'm shocking my wife She has told me before that I'm a hopeless romantic, just like Angus Young

 

[lovecraft68]

Did you go HEA? If you did you should not have too much to fear. Have an unhappy ending that's usually what they'll get hissy about.

Stevie Nicks? Man, forget the Crue, you need something even stronger. Get some Slayer or Old School Metallica going.

Nicks is coming to Boston soon with the Pretenders opening. I've been mocking my sister mercilessly because she's going.

 

[OmnislashXX]

I think the first real question you have to ask is:

"Will it get approved or rejected?"

 

[MLClifton]

.............

 

[MLClifton]

Did you go HEA? If you did you should not have too much to fear. Have an unhappy ending that's usually what they'll get hissy about.

Stevie Nicks? Man, forget the Crue, you need something even stronger. Get some Slayer or Old School Metallica going.

Nicks is coming to Boston soon with the Pretenders opening. I've been mocking my sister mercilessly because she's going.

I am so envious of your sister right now.

 

[GoldenCojones]

I think the first real question you have to ask is:

"Will it get approved or rejected?"

That's so funny! It actually was rejected!

Please remove email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, usernames, real names, or other identifying information from story, or change them to pseudonyms or obviously fake information.

I had two fake phone numbers and an address for an empty lot, but I get that Laurel couldn't have known the address was fake. One of the phone numbers was 867-5309. I wish I could have left that one, I thought it was a cute reference. But, as has been stated on the boards before, this is Laurel's site so I respect her rules. I edited out the phone numbers and addresses and resubmitted this morning.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Use a Hollywood phone number...555-1234.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Use a Hollywood phone number...555-1234.

That was the other phone number

It may have been just the address she objected to or maybe she just missed the reference of having Jennifer's number be 867-5309. I did put 214 on the start of it and that probably obscured it. Anyway it doesn't matter, it was easy enough to edit it out and it didn't change the story at all. I should have been more careful with both.

 

[sr71plt]

Use a Hollywood phone number...555-1234.

One could try that (I hope someone does), but I bet it still would be rejected.

 

[lovecraft68]

I am so envious of your sister right now.

I know. Not every woman can have a brother like me

 

[OmnislashXX]

Hate to break it to Laurel, but the submission guidelines mention nothing about including phone numbers. Might want to include that inside the line telling people not to use web addresses or e-mails. Might save some people some rejection time.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

That was the other phone number

It may have been just the address she objected to or maybe she just missed the reference of having Jennifer's number be 867-5309. I did put 214 on the start of it and that probably obscured it. Anyway it doesn't matter, it was easy enough to edit it out and it didn't change the story at all. I should have been more careful with both.

Or explained in the notes field that all are not real.

 

[rjordan]

I hope the romance readers are kind and gentle souls.

I've only posted one story in Romance. Scored <4 as I remember (I've since killed voting), and only 4 comments. But I think they are representative of what Romance readers are looking for, keeping in mind it's a dangerous and usually meaningless exercise trying to figure out what readers like. They like what they like.

Anyway, here is a short excerpt from each of the 4 comments. Three are from Lit authors including a multi-HOF inductee in Loving Wives. The last one is from a reader, the group I most identify with.

"to the point and so cute"
"kind, in a way"
"says a lot about male female relationships"
"story about the need for commitment"

I very rarely read the Romance category because cute, kind and commitment often make for dull stories to me, but what the hell. It was fun to write, and that's my only meaningful reward.

rj

 

[FantasyXY]

In case anyone wonders, the number 867-5309 is still valid everywhere in the NANP. In most area codes this number has been requested by businesses that want the inbound cold calls, or have some recorded advertisement.

The only numbers that are supposed to be used in TV and literature are numbers with a 555 exchange... Except any area-code-555-1212. That number is reserved for IXC directory assistance.

I wonder how many years it will take before that stupid song quits wrecking havoc on that number...

 

[Hypoxia]

I've only posted one story in Romance. Scored <4 as I remember (I've since killed voting), and only 4 comments. But I think they are representative of what Romance readers are looking for, keeping in mind it's a dangerous and usually meaningless exercise trying to figure out what readers like. They like what they like.
<snip>
I very rarely read the Romance category because cute, kind and commitment often make for dull stories to me, but what the hell. It was fun to write, and that's my only meaningful reward.

Yup, write what you like, and maybe hope someone else likes it too. I've only submitted one piece to Romance so far (I'm cooking another). It's a slow low-sex historical romance about real people that's my highest-rated story. I didn't try to fit any formula. It happened as it happened.

The writing was fun. As for reading, I find myself most attracted to Mature, LW, and Romance, because the better-written stories are usually intriguing. I don't notice too much cuteness and kindness. Maybe I've been lucky. Or maybe I just automatically filter the crud and forget it.

 

[sr71plt]

I have four hetero stories under this account name in the Romance category (many more gay Romances, but they have to go in the GM general category as there's no separate Romance category for GM as there is for hetero here). All four are over 4.00, three of the four have red Hs, one of these also has a green E. The most frequent comment is the ever popular "more, please." My gay Romances in the GM category do just fine too. There are many Romances in my other account names, which do fine. I wouldn't shy away from putting something in the Romance category that was, in fact, romantic, which includes the bitter sweet as well as the HEA.

 

[rjordan]

The only numbers that are supposed to be used in TV and literature are numbers with a 555 exchange... Except any area-code-555-1212. That number is reserved for IXC directory assistance.

I miss the old exchange names. I can still remember some numbers from the early 60s. I had two girlfriends with Greystone 4 exchange numbers in San Francisco. I can still recall them. As soon as I remember the name of the exchange the numbers fill themselves in. 'Course, the numbers don't work and the girls are probably grandmothers many times over by now.

I also remember the number to dial to get the Time recording in San Francisco... POPCORN. No idea why that was picked. Maybe because people needed the correct time to match movie schedules.

rj

 

[lovecraft68]

I wonder how many years it will take before that stupid song quits wrecking havoc on that number...

Being its 30 years + and still going strong...It will never end.

The 80's gave us such nauseating never die songs as that one. Don't you forget about me, everyone wants to rule the world and hold me now. All of them would make my playlist of eternal torment and they are all immortal.

 

[Handley_Page]

I did it! I just submitted my first "Romance" story. It's called "Chad's Choice"


Geez, I gotta stop listening to Stevie Nicks. Cue Motley Crue. That'll stop the romance cold

It's not listed on your "submissions" page when I looked this evening

 

[sr71plt]

It's not listed on your "submissions" page when I looked this evening

The OP says it was submitted yesterday. Thus, it won't be posted until tomorrow at the earliest.

 

[Hypoxia]

I miss the old exchange names. I can still remember some numbers from the early 60s. I had two girlfriends with Greystone 4 exchange numbers in San Francisco. I can still recall them. As soon as I remember the name of the exchange the numbers fill themselves in.

I grew up with NAtional and LYcoming as the local exchanges, and YUkon and TUrner as the nearest long-distancers. Yeah, the numbers just fly in from my memory bank.

Plot bunny: A nostalgia piece, someone going through their Little Black Book reading the exchange names and associating each with exes. Rough romantic reminiscences. Silent tears shed over those they lost, those they left. Or for a darker turn, they're plotting something nefarious. Cue the ominous music...

 

[GoldenCojones]

It's not listed on your "submissions" page when I looked this evening

Sorry, still pending. It was rejected and I had to edit it and resubmit so I'm not really expecting it to be posted until Saturday or Sunday at this point.