Normal numbers of send backs

[Jorvik1220]

Hi all

I was wondering what the normal number of send backs for your publications are? I've only just started writing and haven't been able to get a single thing out because I keep getting it sent back

I spent my time when writing thinking about narrative, description, etc rather than worrying about the tiny points of grammar. My writing is generally high standard (I have to write for my job) and having my work sent back because I've missed two or three capitols in the middle of a section of dialogue is just really disheartening.

How many send backs in normal?

Jorvik

 

[NotWise]

How many send backs in normal?

I haven't had one sent back yet.

You might ask for help on the Editor's Forum to get a better idea of what's going wrong.

 

[Kantarii]

Know the site rules, play by the site rules and it’s doubtful anything you submit to the site will be sent back short of really, really bad grammar/ punctuation. Kant

 

[BuckyDuckman]

I haven't had one sent back yet.

You might ask for help on the Editor's Forum to get a better idea of what's going wrong.

Despite his nom de plume, Notwise is spot on with this answer. Methinks it could be a content issue rather than a grammatical issue.

 

[SimonDoom]

I would second NotWise. Perhaps go on the Editor Forum or Story Feedback forum and find somebody to look closely at the story and give you more in depth advice about what needs to be changed.

There are many resources on this site that you can read concerning guidelines for stories, including guidelines on grammar, style, and conventions.

 

[GenesisBurke]

Hey Jorvik,

I have posted six stories, and I only had one sent back, not because of grammar, but because the story was too focused on non-consent.

I would advise using something like Grammarly. Very helpful and the basics are free.

 

[Jorvik1220]

Know the site rules, play by the site rules and it’s doubtful anything you submit to the site will be sent back short of really, really bad grammar/ punctuation. Kant

I mean my grammar isn't bad. As I said we're talking about the odd missed bit of punctuation, etc. Initially it looked like it was because I was using English grammatical conventions (being English) rather than US (I mean seriously, commas inside quote marks? That makes zero sense! ). Like I've now had both of my stories bumped back like 5 times each for what seem like really small things. My last one was because I had, over the entire story, three small typos.

 

[Jorvik1220]

Despite his nom de plume, Notwise is spot on with this answer. Methinks it could be a content issue rather than a grammatical issue.

They haven't mentioned anything about the content in the notes you get when it's sent back. All the feedback has been like "you put your commas outside the speech not inside as we like" (I'm English and in English Grammar, rather than US, you put commas outside the quote marks) or a couple of small typos.

My first rejection of my first story they said was because it had someone under 18 in it, which wasn't true.

 

[Jorvik1220]

I would second NotWise. Perhaps go on the Editor Forum or Story Feedback forum and find somebody to look closely at the story and give you more in depth advice about what needs to be changed.

There are many resources on this site that you can read concerning guidelines for stories, including guidelines on grammar, style, and conventions.

I mean I understand grammar and punctuation, we're talking about small mistakes here and there; I've certainly read worse work on here than what I'm writing. I'm just surprised that they care so much about what are a small number of mistakes...

 

[Jorvik1220]

Maybe your work has too much potential to be downgraded by small mistakes

Well that's certainly a nice way of looking at it I'll probably post a link or two in a couple of the form things if/when I finally get them published! I'd like to get a good sample of responses to it

 

[hadruprider]

They haven't mentioned anything about the content in the notes you get when it's sent back. All the feedback has been like "you put your commas outside the speech not inside as we like" (I'm English and in English Grammar, rather than US, you put commas outside the quote marks) or a couple of small typos.

My first rejection of my first story they said was because it had someone under 18 in it, which wasn't true.

Sounds to me like you need to learn how to punctuate dialogue. Most of us don't normally write dialogue so we don't really know the rules.
Pick up any novel and look at it. You'll see that the comma goes inside the quotes, whether it's English or US.

If you like, pm me part of your story and I will have a look. I have done this for a few people.

Edit:
Here is a bit of dialogue by a highly regarded English writer.

"Are they good friends, lovey?" asked the old woman.

"Who?" retorted Rob.

"He and she?"

"What, Mr. and Mrs. Dombey?" said Rob. "How should I know!"

"Not them," replied the old woman.

 

[Jada59]

I have never had a send back. And I think all but one of my stories contain at least one error that I didn't notice before I submitted.

 

[Jorvik1220]

Sounds to me like you need to learn how to punctuate dialogue. Most of us don't normally write dialogue so we don't really know the rules.
Pick up any novel and look at it. You'll see that the comma goes inside the quotes, whether it's English or US.

If you like, pm me part of your story and I will have a look. I have done this for a few people.

Edit:
Here is a bit of dialogue by a highly regarded English writer.

"Are they good friends, lovey?" asked the old woman.

"Who?" retorted Rob.

"He and she?"

"What, Mr. and Mrs. Dombey?" said Rob. "How should I know!"

"Not them," replied the old woman.

Not true In the UK we put the commas outside the quotes because the speaker being reported doesn't 'say' (or use the verbal inflection of) the comma. If you like the comma belongs to the quoter not the speech of the original quotee Here's a web page on it: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/how-to-use-quotation-marks

By the same token I believe that all punctuation should be outside quote marks and that we should also be able to double up (i.e. have punctuation inside then outside the quotes) where there's ambiguity. For instance imagine that A says "that was nice food". A could be saying "That was nice food." and A could be saying "that was nice food?", these clearly have different meanings! How then do you differentiate between B saying "Was A rude when they said 'that was nice food'" for each way A could have said it? You need double punctuation:

Was A rude when they said "That was nice food?"?
And
Was A rude when they said "That was nice food."?

Its the only way to avoid all the ambiguity. But hey people like clean looking sentences/never letting grammar evolve over a lack of ambiguity!

 

[ElectricBlue]

They haven't mentioned anything about the content in the notes you get when it's sent back. All the feedback has been like "you put your commas outside the speech not inside as we like" (I'm English and in English Grammar, rather than US, you put commas outside the quote marks).

Hmmm, I think you'll find English English puts commas inside speech marks, just like the US - certainly in Australia it does. By the sounds of it, your punctuation is not up to site standards.

If a story is correctly punctuated and meets the site's content rules, it will get through first time. Sounds like you need to find an editor, and brush up on your grammar.

Edit: you've not read Grammar Girl closely enough - the article specifically refers to colons, semi-colons, dashes, not commas, being outside the speech marks.

 

[Kantarii]

Okay, since we can’t actually see the work in question to assertain the punctuation issues, can the OP provide a description of what kind of story we are dealing with. Ie. Does the story contain topics like: underage, bestiality, necrophilia, rape that are hot topics for rejection?

If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure there is a minimum amount of a story that can be posted here in a thread. A few paragraphs, I think. Kant

 

[hadruprider]

You clearly don't know what you are talking about.

You think you know more about punctuation than Charles Dickens.

I withdraw my offer to help.

 

[Jorvik1220]

Nope Give it a quick google In the UK commas go outside the quotes I've explained it more in another post

 

[Jada59]

Not true In the UK we put the commas outside the quotes because the speaker being reported doesn't 'say' (or use the verbal inflection of) the comma. If you like the comma belongs to the quoter not the speech of the original quotee Here's a web page on it: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/how-to-use-quotation-marks

By the same token I believe that all punctuation should be outside quote marks and that we should also be able to double up (i.e. have punctuation inside then outside the quotes) where there's ambiguity. For instance imagine that A says "that was nice food". A could be saying "That was nice food." and A could be saying "that was nice food?", these clearly have different meanings! How then do you differentiate between B saying "Was A rude when they said 'that was nice food'" for each way A could have said it? You need double punctuation:

Was A rude when they said "That was nice food?"?
And
Was A rude when they said "That was nice food."?

Its the only way to avoid all the ambiguity. But hey people like clean looking sentences/never letting grammar evolve over a lack of ambiguity!

Oh wow. That's just wrong!

 

[Jorvik1220]

Okay, since we can’t actually see the work in question to assertain the punctuation issues, can the OP provide a description of what kind of story we are dealing with. Ie. Does the story contain topics like: underage, bestiality, necrophilia, rape that are hot topics for rejection?

If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure there is a minimum amount of a story that can be posted here in a thread. A few paragraphs, I think. Kant

Two stories that I'm trying to get through simultaneously

One is a hypnosis story so does have a strong Non-Consensual element, hence if there were content worries there I would entirely understand! The other is hot but much more tame- a bunch of students (all over 18) go to a holiday home, get drunk and end up all shagging each other!

 

[Jorvik1220]

Oh wow. That's just wrong!

Oh it's certainly not how it's done! But as I said "I believe that all punctuation should" i.e. that's how I think we should do it. There isn't a way to differentiate between those kinds of sentences otherwise

 

[Jada59]

Oh it's certainly not how it's done! But as I said "I believe that all punctuation should" i.e. that's how I think we should do it. There isn't a way to differentiate between those kinds of sentences otherwise

I could not read something written like that. It would fry my brain.

 

[Jorvik1220]

I could not read something written like that. It would fry my brain.

Only because you're not used to it If you'd have grown up with it being like that you'd be able to read the meaning very quickly, but we'd actually have a grammar able to expressing everything in the language unambiguously (well we'd still need more thorough rules for the use of multiple oxford commas in complex sentences that combine lots of conditionals, conjunctions and disjunctions. English is terrible at marking scope!!)

 

[hadruprider]

This is getting quite funny. I'm starting to see why you are getting rejected so many times


Here is a helpful guide to punctuating dialogue, UK based.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://...FjARegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw09OVlRwkrwt-TdH41WjN-C

It confirms that all punctuation goes inside the quotes, at least in Scotland

 

[SimonDoom]

I mean I understand grammar and punctuation, we're talking about small mistakes here and there; I've certainly read worse work on here than what I'm writing. I'm just surprised that they care so much about what are a small number of mistakes...

Jorvik,
Since you have not provided a link to your story, it's impossible for anyone to say exactly what the problem is to or advise you. If you want advice, you need to make the story available for people to review.

 

[Jorvik1220]

How do we do that before it gets accepted?