Something wrong with this picture .

[OralHungryWayBack]

I just don't understand this. I had one of my submissions sent back for punctuation formatting issues. I proofread and corrected the punctuation to meet the requirements . I resubmitted that story and then corrected the first 2 parts of the story . I resubmitted them. Imagine my surprise when I had a submission sent back 40 minutes later, for the same reason .

I've been a successful, self-published blogger for 12 years. I have a global readership. I will make a decision on this situation, depending on whether or not Literotica wants to publish my content.

 

[KeithD]

You can post up to three paragraphs of a story on the discussion board. If you do that from your story, perhaps someone can see what the problem is.

Hate to break it to you, but about 95 percent of the time someone who thinks what they sent in meets Lit. requirements turns out to be wrong. Maybe you're in the 5 percent but if you don't provide something to look at, no one here can help you.

 

[NotWise]

The post itself might be a clue. Start with the space before a full stop, which is used inconsistently.

 

[_Lynn_]

The post itself might be a clue. Start with the space before a full stop, which is used inconsistently.

I agree.

 

[ElectricBlue]

The post itself might be a clue. Start with the space before a full stop, which is used inconsistently.

Plus two typos, a lower case i when it should be I.

Punctuate correctly, run a spell check, and you run a better chance of publication. It sounds like you're trying to hold Lit to ransom, when it's more likely the state of your copy.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

You can post up to three paragraphs of a story on the discussion board. If you do that from your story, perhaps someone can see what the problem is.

Hate to break it to you, but about 95 percent of the time someone who thinks what they sent in meets Lit. requirements turns out to be wrong. Maybe you're in the 5 percent but if you don't provide something to look at, no one here can help you.

This is a sample of the corrected text that is now rejected for the same punctuation formatting reason .

Preston's head spun. Yolanda's aggressive tits out invitation went straight to his crotch.
Yolanda took his hand and Preston found himself walking without knowing where he was going. Yolanda wasn't hindered by such unknowns. She had led many barely inititiated and newly minted young men along the strategically landscaped paths of the resort. You could be close enough to hear an orgy , but not see anything without revealing yourself.

 

[KeithD]

Preston's head spun. Yolanda's aggressive tits out invitation went straight to his crotch.
[there should be an extra carriage return between paragraphs. If you're not providing them, that would be a reason to reject. Take a look at the story file of other stories.]
Yolanda took his hand and Preston found himself walking without knowing where he was going. Yolanda wasn't hindered by such unknowns. She had led many barely initiated and newly minted young men along the strategically landscaped paths of the resort. You could be close enough to hear an orgy , [If you are leaving spaces before punctuation marks, like you did with periods in your first post and as you do with this comma, that would cause rejection.]but not see anything without revealing yourself.

So, two possibilities of rejection for incorrect punctuation--lack of proper paragraph formatting and incorrect punctuation mark spacing.

Your second sentence has a different problem. I had to read it a couple of times to figure out what it was saying. It should be:

Yolanda's aggressive, tits-out invitation went straight to his crotch.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

So, two possibilities of rejection for incorrect punctuation--lack of proper paragraph formatting and incorrect punctuation mark spacing.

Your second sentence has a different problem. I had to read it a couple of times to figure out what it was saying. It should be:

Yolanda's aggressive, tits-out invitation went straight to his crotch.

Thank you for your help. I had taken the paragraph spacing out because the original problem made me paranoid about spacing. In fairness, I must admit that I have never posted so much as a comment, without finding an obvious typo. I have proofread all 120.000 words of my content on WordPress, 4 times. I still find typos. I had to learn to edit HTML, in self-defense. Even so, some things still don't stay fixed. I will edit and resubmit, following your advice.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

Aha!

Im making discoveries. I just caught my phone arbitrarily spacing a punctuation mark, after I had made the correction . I clicked to Preview, and there it was. Maybe I need to hit it with a bigger hammer.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

What an adventure

I just finished proofreading and correcting the third installment in the Fool's Utopia series. The first 3 times through, I found that something was lost between Edit and Preview. The Preview showed some of the spacing errors that I know I had corrected, in fact, my phone has committed the same spacing errors in this reply. I know that I didn't use the space bar. It comes down to the quirks of my phone are not the Moderator's fault. That's ok. My dogs love me and I have coffee.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

After a good night's sleep, this struggle with trying to meet the requiements of a website is in better perspective. I've written more serious content and I'm published in much bigger environments than Literotica. People on 6 continents have told me that I changed their lives for the better. I've been around this block, many times. I always expect to be told to go start my own website, if I want things my way. No problem. I did that 12 years ago. That freed me to tell my critics to do the same. Writing erotic fiction is only an entertaining hobby for me, like fishingbor bowling. It isn't my life's work and approval doesn't validate my existence . If I ever get a story published here, fine. The fact is that I won't miss anything, if I don't.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

After a good night's sleep, this struggle with trying to meet the requiements of a website is in better perspective. I've written more serious content and I'm published in much bigger environments than Literotica. People on 6 continents have told me that I changed their lives for the better. I've been around this block, many times. I always expect to be told to go start my own website, if I want things my way. No problem. I did that 12 years ago. That freed me to tell my critics to do the same. Writing erotic fiction is only an entertaining hobby for me, like fishingbor bowling. It isn't my life's work and approval doesn't validate my existence . If I ever get a story published here, fine. The fact is that I won't miss anything, if I don't.

Oddly enough, that attitude is key to being happy here as a writer. Those who fret and wring their hands over each pushback develop ulcers quickly. So, cheers for you!

That said, based on what I've seen so far, I would respectfully suggest that you go to the Editors' Forum and get somebody from there to help turn your good ideas into stories which won't turn off readers with grammatical errors. Not to be a grammar nazi, but it does matter; a lot of people just shut down if they run into too many of those, no matter how good the plot is.

Good luck.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

Oddly enough, that attitude is key to being happy here as a writer. Those who fret and wring their hands over each pushback develop ulcers quickly. So, cheers for you!

That said, based on what I've seen so far, I would respectfully suggest that you go to the Editors' Forum and get somebody from there to help turn your good ideas into stories which won't turn off readers with grammatical errors. Not to be a grammar nazi, but it does matter; a lot of people just shut down if they run into too many of those, no matter how good the plot is.

Good luck.

First , I want to thank everyone for their advice and efforts . I took that advice and took positive action to correct my own problem . The solution was a different website . I now have 3 stories published . That only took 3 hours . Perhaps rejecting submissions for punctuation formatting gives a sense of superiority . I just don't see it . Literotica almost killed my will to write . I just walked around the blockade . I'll stick around for the Forums and the people I've met here , but I make no apology for my grammatical structure . Fortunately , Literotica does not decide the industry standards .

As I stated , earlier , I've read thousands of stories on Literotica . Some if those had glaring content errors . One story had a female character who suddenly had a penis , in mid-scene . I've read stories in which the author couldn't keep the character names straight . It turns the story upside down when I have to ask , " Who the hell is that , and where did they come from ?"

The product you approve isn't as consistent as you believe it is . At least you can't read my content without getting some on you .

 

[KeithD]

I'm sorry, but putting a character space before periods and commas, which comes out in your latest message here too, is NOT industry standard. It's a mistake and it's your mistake when rendered, even if it's something some mechanical system you're using is doing to you. It's not happening regularly on Literotica submissions and it's a mistake. It's not something Literotica is doing to its authors.

So, really, it's still your attitude being displayed here, not non-industry standards by Literotica. If you don't want to meet the standards here, fine, just don't submit your work here, but don't go thinking that you aren't showing an attitude about this.

 

[jaF0]

Im making discoveries. I just caught my phone arbitrarily spacing a punctuation mark, after I had made the correction . I clicked to Preview, and there it was. Maybe I need to hit it with a bigger hammer.

One of the main reasons I use a PC with a real, full sized keyboard and a writing program like LibreOffice.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'll stick around for the Forums and the people I've met here , but I make no apology for my grammatical structure . Fortunately , Literotica does not decide the industry standards .

No, the publishing industry does, but I don't think you'll find your approach to punctuation in any style manual. I've been reading and writing for many decades, and I've never once seen the punctuation style used in your posts. It might be used somewhere in the world, but not in English.

You might need to fix your phone, because if that's what it does to your drafts, there's a problem right there. There's no space before a period, not in written English.

 

[SimonDoom]

First , I want to thank everyone for their advice and efforts . I took that advice and took positive action to correct my own problem . The solution was a different website . I now have 3 stories published . That only took 3 hours . Perhaps rejecting submissions for punctuation formatting gives a sense of superiority . I just don't see it . Literotica almost killed my will to write . I just walked around the blockade . I'll stick around for the Forums and the people I've met here , but I make no apology for my grammatical structure . Fortunately , Literotica does not decide the industry standards .

As I stated , earlier , I've read thousands of stories on Literotica . Some if those had glaring content errors . One story had a female character who suddenly had a penis , in mid-scene . I've read stories in which the author couldn't keep the character names straight . It turns the story upside down when I have to ask , " Who the hell is that , and where did they come from ?"

The product you approve isn't as consistent as you believe it is . At least you can't read my content without getting some on you .

In this post, you have a space between the end of the word and the comma or period/full stop in every single case. There is no editor or publisher of any standard whatsoever in any forum at all that would accept this. If you want to be published, you must fix this. Period. You must accept that this is something you must do and that Literotica is not being strange or unreasonable to expect you to do this.

Nobody here has claimed that the "product" here is consistent. Of course, it isn't. Standards are applied, but not always consistently. But the lack of consistency does not prove that the standards are not important or that it's not reasonable to expect authors to meet them.

I suggest you give it a go here, but work hard to rid your writing of the errors that have been pointed out and that appear to be stymying your ability to get published.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

I'm sorry, but putting a character space before periods and commas, which comes out in your latest message here too, is NOT industry standard. It's a mistake and it's your mistake when rendered, even if it's something some mechanical system you're using is doing to you. It's not happening regularly on Literotica submissions and it's a mistake. It's not something Literotica is doing to its authors.

So, really, it's still your attitude being displayed here, not non-industry standards by Literotica. If you don't want to meet the standards here, fine, just don't submit your work here, but don't go thinking that you aren't showing an attitude about this.

I can quickly clear this misunderstanding . I made it clear that I do not need to publish on Literotica . I don't have any objection to Literotica standards . They are irrelevant to me . I don't believe I have a negative attitude . The discussion would be entirely different on my website , where I am an absolute dictator . Since I am on Literotica as an independent and neutral party , seeking social interaction , publishing criteria is a non-issue . My blog post titled Commercial Identity explains my position in strict legal terminology .. The objective of Commerce is always Conquest . Since no commercial nexus in this discussion , there is no conflict . I can leave it be and live and let live .

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

No, the publishing industry does, but I don't think you'll find your approach to punctuation in any style manual. I've been reading and writing for many decades, and I've never once seen the punctuation style used in your posts. It might be used somewhere in the world, but not in English.

You might need to fix your phone, because if that's what it does to your drafts, there's a problem right there. There's no space before a period, not in written English.

I prefer a space before punctuation so that can see what the punctuation is .. Since I won't be submitting anything for publication on Literotica , there is no unresolved issue .

 

[KeithD]

I can quickly clear this misunderstanding . I made it clear that I do not need to publish on Literotica . I don't have any objection to Literotica standards . They are irrelevant to me . I don't believe I have a negative attitude . The discussion would be entirely different on my website , where I am an absolute dictator . Since I am on Literotica as an independent and neutral party , seeking social interaction , publishing criteria is a non-issue . My blog post titled Commercial Identity explains my position in strict legal terminology .. The objective of Commerce is always Conquest . Since no commercial nexus in this discussion , there is no conflict . I can leave it be and live and let live .

If you didn't have a chip on your shoulder, you wouldn't be posting with this attitude--you wouldn't bother to be posting at all. Whatever floats your boat, though.

And I see that the crazy space before punctuation isn't a mechanical problem at all. You're intentionally doing this. You're your own writing god.

 

[jaF0]

Im making discoveries. I just caught my phone arbitrarily spacing a punctuation mark, after I had made the correction . I clicked to Preview, and there it was. Maybe I need to hit it with a bigger hammer.

I prefer a space before punctuation so that can see what the punctuation is .. Since I won't be submitting anything for publication on Literotica , there is no unresolved issue .

So, which is it?

Also, curious about something. These types of threads often come from non-native English speakers. Is that the case here?

 

[ElectricBlue]

I prefer a space before punctuation so that can see what the punctuation is .. Since I won't be submitting anything for publication on Literotica , there is no unresolved issue .

A personal preference does not take precedence over publishing standards. In this case you are the only person who seems to think your punctuation is okay when it's not - as everyone here is pointing out. But hey, it seems you don't want guidance, so good luck with your blog.

 

[Charrla]

Under the "if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all" clause...

Good luck with your blog.

 

[OralHungryWayBack]

In this post, you have a space between the end of the word and the comma or period/full stop in every single case. There is no editor or publisher of any standard whatsoever in any forum at all that would accept this. If you want to be published, you must fix this. Period. You must accept that this is something you must do and that Literotica is not being strange or unreasonable to expect you to do this.

Nobody here has claimed that the "product" here is consistent. Of course, it isn't. Standards are applied, but not always consistently. But the lack of consistency does not prove that the standards are not important or that it's not reasonable to expect authors to meet them.

I suggest you give it a go here, but work hard to rid your writing of the errors that have been pointed out and that appear to be stymying your ability to get published.

I won't be publishing here The world is a bigger place than Literotica After a week publishing on another site I'm much hapier elsewhere Perhaps you feel "empowered" in your little banana republic but I don't need to be confined here

 

[WAT456]

Wish you the best

I won't be publishing here The world is a bigger place than Literotica After a week publishing on another site I'm much hapier elsewhere Perhaps you feel "empowered" in your little banana republic but I don't need to be confined here

Dude, I know you're frustrated with people's frustration, here but they only wanted to help, since you made the original request. They're frustrated because you went from "please help me" to "Eff all of you". Please reflect on that a bit. We're all here to be supportive. I hope you'll be happy, wherever you are writing.