Story rejected

[Hypoxia]

I understand the concept of padding. I'm not an idiot. Comments like this which talk down at me are the sole reason that I haven't just posted the story here. I don't feel a desire to prove myseld to people who for some reason feel they somehow have the stroke to talk down at people they don't know.

"Talking down" was not my intent. I had no knowledge of your level of education / expertise, and I tend to be a bit jocular. If you can't take a joke, feh. These forums host candid discussions that sometimes get rough. Some members are snippy or grumpy or just plain nasty. If you're easily offended, this place ain't for you.

Don't let the tentacle monsters getcha.

 

[sr71plt]

I didn't back off. I decided that I didn't need to be talked down to by someone I've never met, who doesnt see the arrogance in believing that he should be considered the authority on what I write.

I won't apologize for not assuming that someone posting that other stories here are illiterate writes any better themselves without seeing it for myself (and I am, in fact a professional editor, and give objective professional reviews.). To post that someone is arrogant to say "show me yours" when you are slamming the quality of the work of others here fingers you as the one with a problem to begin with. In this case, your issue is that the story was too short and you chose to take after the quality of the work here instead of addressing that issue. So, sorry, not feeling it for you. I offered to look at your work. Who knows, you might have gotten a tip or too in how to move it over the minimum wordage limit without having to pad it with irrelevant words. We'll never know, though, will we?

 

[8inthebox]

I won't apologize for not assuming that someone posting that other stories here are illiterate writes any better themselves without seeing it for myself (and I am, in fact a professional editor, and give objective professional reviews.). To post that someone is arrogant to say "show me yours" when you are slamming the quality of the work of others here fingers you as the one with a problem to begin with. In this case, your issue is that the story was too short and you chose to take after the quality of the work here instead of addressing that issue. So, sorry, not feeling it for you. I offered to look at your work. Who knows, you might have gotten a tip or too in how to move it over the minimum wordage limit without having to pad it with irrelevant words. We'll never know, though, will we?

We won't. Because you and I fundamentally disagree. I'm not interested in anything you are offering me as from the beginning we have not seen eye to eye. I'm not upset about it. Quite frankly, this back and forth with you is tiresome and not worth it to me. I already said I should have read the minimum word requirements closer. I already said that I am not blaming Laurel at all. What I do not need or want is your approval for anything. I'm just not that interested in it.

 

[TxRad]

Slamming other writers work is a good way to get a lot of peoples backs up even if it is not their writing. You might want to remember that in the future.

As for not taking Pilot up on his offer to have a look at your work, you might want to chalk that up to a missed opportunity. He does a good job and has excellent insight.

From what I read, no one was talking down to you. Pointing out some things you seemed not to understand but if that's all it takes to get under your skin, you're in for a rude awakening and I'm not talking about here on the forums.

In any case, have a nice day and welcome to the funny farm.

 

[8inthebox]

Slamming other writers work is a good way to get a lot of peoples backs up even if it is not their writing. You might want to remember that in the future.

As for not taking Pilot up on his offer to have a look at your work, you might want to chalk that up to a missed opportunity. He does a good job and has excellent insight.

From what I read, no one was talking down to you. Pointing out some things you seemed not to understand but if that's all it takes to get under your skin, you're in for a rude awakening and I'm not talking about here on the forums.

In any case, have a nice day and welcome to the funny farm.

I don't feel like I slammed anyone's work. I didn't understand why there was a limit on word count and not a requirement towards grammar. I understand now that for one person, the word count limit is easier to enforce. Got it. It makes sense. I don't need life lessons though. I'm perfectly content with my situation. Have a good day.

 

[lovecraft68]

Slamming other writers work is a good way to get a lot of peoples backs up even if it is not their writing. You might want to remember that in the future.

As for not taking Pilot up on his offer to have a look at your work, you might want to chalk that up to a missed opportunity. He does a good job and has excellent insight.

From what I read, no one was talking down to you. Pointing out some things you seemed not to understand but if that's all it takes to get under your skin, you're in for a rude awakening and I'm not talking about here on the forums.

In any case, have a nice day and welcome to the funny farm.

Ever see Meet the Spartans? The Pit of death? We should have something similar. "Push him into Loving wives"

 

[autoplot]

Ever see Meet the Spartans? The Pit of death? We should have something similar. "Push him into Loving wives"

THIS! IS! LW!

 

[lovecraft68]

THIS! IS! LW!

Tonight we read in hell!

 

[ChloeTzang]

Tonight we read in hell!

LOL. No shit. This is nothing compared to what you get there. Nothing, I tell you, nothing!!!!

 

[HeyAll]

Welcome to the site, and thanks for submitting.

Way back in the late 90s, we started Literotica as a place where anyone - from a seasoned author to a somebody writing their first piece of fiction ever - can put up a story for an audience. This was long before "social media". Back then, if you weren't a "real" author, you could put your writing up on a weblog (there wasn't even Wordpress back then) and hope that someone stumbled upon it. We hoped that by posting stories daily, we could grow an audience for new writers.

We don't determine "quality" - we allow the readers to make that decision using voting and comments. We also understand that one person's crap is another person's treasure. In general (at Lit and elsewhere), stories that are voted highly and positively commented are ones that the average reader is more likely to enjoy. (I've never been a fan of the type of movies that win Oscars or books that are #1 on the NYT bestseller list, but the previous holds true despite anomalies like myself. )

All of our Submission Guidelines are concerned with content (no under 18s, no bestiality, etc.) and basic readability (not all one paragraph, basic spellchecking and punctuation, etc.). For the purposes of this site, all stories must be 750 words or longer.

This is what has worked for us for nearly 20 years. Other sites have different limits/guidelines. That's fine. The Internet is a big place, and not every story is a fit for every site.

If you tend to write flash fiction / shorter fiction, you may consider collecting several works on a theme (enough to make the word limit) and submitting them in one submission form, as Ogg and others have done in the past.

Hope this helps, and feel free to PM me any time with specific questions.

You should seriously use parts of this as an "About Lit" feature for the upcoming sight redesign. Just a suggestion.

 

[rjordan]

You aren't going to get very many offers for free editing from a professional editor. Even targeted feedback from experienced authors can be hard to come by. I would have jumped at the chance to have Pilot review my first story.

So would I. I practically begged for an editor a year ago. I got one response from a good writer, but one I ultimately couldn't work with. Constantly harped on adding more graphic sex. I don't write graphic sex.

rj

 

[ThisNameIsntTakenYet]

So would I. I practically begged for an editor a year ago. I got one response from a good writer, but one I ultimately couldn't work with. Constantly harped on adding more graphic sex. I don't write graphic sex.

rj

Just goes to show that good writers don't necessarily make good editors. An editor should respect the writing style of the writer, not force such big changes in the story. Of course suggesting to change a scene is fine, but it should be done with respect for the writer and their style. At least, that's my opinion on editing.

 

[sr71plt]

Just goes to show that good writers don't necessarily make good editors. An editor should respect the writing style of the writer, not force such big changes in the story. Of course suggesting to change a scene is fine, but it should be done with respect for the writer and their style. At least, that's my opinion on editing.

I think you meant that the other way around--that good editors don't necessarily made good writers. It works both ways, but your point seems to be the reverse of what you wrote.

 

[ThisNameIsntTakenYet]

I think you meant that the other way around--that good editors don't necessarily made good writers. It works both ways, but your point seems to be the reverse of what you wrote.

Well, he said he got a response from a good writer, which turned out to be a bad editor. But I guess a good editor doesn't have to be a good writer either. That was not my original point though.

 

[sr71plt]

Well, he said he got a response from a good writer, which turned out to be a bad editor. But I guess a good editor doesn't have to be a good writer either. That was not my original point though.

Bet Rjordan meant "editor" rather than "writer."

But if you want to get technical, and sticking with the meaning you want to give it, pushing for more graphic sex by another writer isn't being an editor at all--it's purely a reader reaction. So, your post just leaves me confused on what the meaning is.

 

[rjordan]

Bet Rjordan meant "editor" rather than "writer."

But if you want to get technical, and sticking with the meaning you want to give it, pushing for more graphic sex by another writer isn't being an editor at all--it's purely a reader reaction. So, your post just leaves me confused on what the meaning is.

No, I meant to say he was a good writer. He is. Based on posts in the Feedback (?) forum, he was a good copy editor as well. But we didn't click for the reason ThisName stated. I told him the areas I wanted to work on up front. His response was primarily the need for more graphic sex. It's not my style. In fact, I often skim through graphic descriptions in other's stories if the story itself is interesting. I was looking to improve my overall "game", not play someone elses. For me, he wasn't a good match. For others, he could very well be.

I agree with both of you that it works both ways. Players sometimes make good coaches, but there are lots of good coaches who can't play a game at all. Fat, bald Eastern European men coaching world class 14 year old girl gymnasts come to mind.

rj

 

[sr71plt]

Players sometimes make good coaches, but there are lots of good coaches who can't play a game at all. Fat, bald Eastern European men coaching world class 14 year old girl gymnasts come to mind.

rj

Sounds like they might be playing a different game.

 

[lovecraft68]

No, I meant to say he was a good writer. He is. Based on posts in the Feedback (?) forum, he was a good copy editor as well. But we didn't click for the reason ThisName stated. I told him the areas I wanted to work on up front. His response was primarily the need for more graphic sex. It's not my style. In fact, I often skim through graphic descriptions in other's stories if the story itself is interesting. I was looking to improve my overall "game", not play someone elses. For me, he wasn't a good match. For others, he could very well be.

I agree with both of you that it works both ways. Players sometimes make good coaches, but there are lots of good coaches who can't play a game at all. Fat, bald Eastern European men coaching world class 14 year old girl gymnasts come to mind.

rj

If you're a baseball fan from way back you know people swore by the methid of hitting taught by Walt Hrniak who himself was a career .250 hitter

 

[rjordan]

If you're a baseball fan from way back you know people swore by the methid of hitting taught by Walt Hrniak who himself was a career .250 hitter

I'm not, but it's the same idea. A coach has to be able to observe critically and have an idea of what corrective measures are required. A player can do something instinctively and have no idea how to pass that on to another player. Same as an editor.

When I worked freelance, you had to be incredibly prolific to make a living at it. I met a lot of editors who knew the subject well, and given time could crank out a decent story, but couldn't do it on demand and at the pace they themselves set for writers. But I appreciated every one of them. They all made me look better, even the assholes among them.

Good writers can be good editors, but rarely at the same time with the same material.

rj

 

[rjordan]

Sounds like they might be playing a different game.

Some of them have been in trouble for it too. Their story couldn't be told on Lit.

rj

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.

Using your first post as a reference, I repeated it
to show what 750 words looks like. I've written
forum posts longer than this.

So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.

So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.

So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.

So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.

So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut. So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible garbage that makes it through the approval process, I can't help but feel a little discouraged with how they choose which stories are good enough to make the cut.So I had my first attempt at submitting a story rejected for not reaching 750 words in length. While I understand that lit wants to have a minimum length, when I read some of the unintelligible.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Using your first post as a reference, I repeated it to show what 750 words looks like. I've written forum posts longer than this.

750 words? LOL. That's a sentence! (Well, it could be one of mine until I start editing and breaking it down). I'm lucky if I can finish a story in less than 20,000 words. I'm a bit wordy when I start writing. Way too wordy sometimes.

 

[glynndah]

I love writing very short stories. I like the challenge of being concise and choosing just the right words and phrases. One of my favorite stories {although it isn't one of the highest scoring ones, Moonlight Wood is less than 800 words.

 

[mistakenconfidence]

Oh, how I wish I would have to worry about the minimum word count requirement. I tend to ramble and write so many things, I can't imagine telling a story below 750 words. I usually need at least that to set the scene or establish some kind of beginning.

That's exactly what I was thinking! I just submitted my first story and I just checked the word count... It's 9,758 words in total.

Is that too long? Is there an upper limit for word count in one submission? It's still marked as pending so I'm not sure yet.

 

[holliday1960]

That's exactly what I was thinking! I just submitted my first story and I just checked the word count... It's 9,758 words in total.

Is that too long? Is there an upper limit for word count in one submission? It's still marked as pending so I'm not sure yet.

I have found no reference to upper limits anywhere on the site. There are standards which I am sure the more experienced authors will jump in here to enlighten you soon. Roughly, 3500 words is one literotica page, so, no...your story will not be considered too long by any means. It will post as 2+ pages. There are also options of breaking longer stories into individual chapter submissions. As well as submitting to novels and novellas as one long piece. Congratulations on your first work. Welcome, and have fun.