2 questions for a newbie

[makesmehappy3]

I have 2 questions, one is procedural and the other is opinion.

First, how do I post a story so it gets in with the others here? THere are probably pretty concise instructions, but I don't see them, even though they're probably right in front of my face.

Second, opinions. I have 2 stories that are in various stages of completion. I'm wondering if I should post them, then re-post as I get further into the story, or wait until it's all done? Both of these are already over 5 pages long, and will easily double in length before the first chapter is finished. What do you all think?

 

[Eilan]

For how to submit stories, click me.

 

[makesmehappy3]

Thanks!

 

[bailadora]

If you're comfortable doing so, you could post in separate installments (perhaps one chapter per installment). Example.

 

[SweetErika]

Second, opinions. I have 2 stories that are in various stages of completion. I'm wondering if I should post them, then re-post as I get further into the story, or wait until it's all done? Both of these are already over 5 pages long, and will easily double in length before the first chapter is finished. What do you all think?

I'm not sure how long Lit pages are, but you could easily find that out by coping a full page from a multipage story, pasting it into Word and getting a word count. Then you'll have some idea of how many Lit pages what you have thus far will fill.

The reason you want to keep an eye on the number of Lit pages is most readers tend to appreciate reasonable installments. A lot of people have 15 minutes to read a story, but not 45+ minutes. 3 Lit pages seem to be a popular length for installments on sex stories (vs. Novels/Novellas, Poetry, Illustrated, etc.), but you could look at some of the top rated chapter stories and check on that.

Anyway, maybe you could find a good place to break in what you already have. The advantage to posting something now vs. when the story is completed is you could receive valuable feedback that you could use when you continue writing and editing. However, because there's no notification system for readers when more chapters or pieces from their favorite authors are posted, you may want to wait until your story is finished, edit the hell out of it (definitely have a sharp editor and at least one beta reader help you with that) and then post the whole thing. Do NOT submit something with an illogical stopping point or that's poorly edited and then go back and add to it/fix it when you get a chance - you'll get killed in your rating and feedback AND cause extra work for the submission staff.

For writing/story advice, you can--and should--turn to some of the brilliant people in the Author's Hangout and Editor's Forum. How To isn't a bad place to ask, and there are plenty of writers here, but the AH and EF regulars specialize in this subject, so feel free to ask for assistance.

 

[subwannabe]

I have probably hundreds of stories I have written but never posted any on Literotica, or any other site. People who have read them said they were really good. I don't want to discourage you but you should be prepared for the fact that the entire process can be somewhat political. I'm not saying that it can't be a rewarding experience but it's just too involved for me. An editor is often suggested but many of the stories here I wonder if maybe the editor was on vacation when editing. There can be cliques here so don't be surprised when these cliques vote favorabley on stories from people they know and if someone doesn't like your story a whole bunch of bad votes can happen too. My only advice is to not take it all seriously, good or bad.

 

[SweetErika]

I don't want to discourage you but you should be prepared for the fact that the entire process can be somewhat political.

How so? I didn't find it political at all, but perhaps we're using different definitions for that term.

I'm not saying that it can't be a rewarding experience but it's just too involved for me.

If you already have the stuff written, it's just a matter of sprucing it up and submitting it.

An editor is often suggested but many of the stories here I wonder if maybe the editor was on vacation when editing.

I've edited quite a few stories in the past, so let me share my thoughts on that:
1) The crappy stories didn't actually have an editor. The authors may not have even proofread or edited their work themselves prior to submitting (this is a lot more common than one might think, particularly in the First Time category and with "stroke stories," in my experience). You'd think that people would read what they wrote and fix the glaring issues before submitting it and/or asking for an editor's help, but many don't. I've received pieces that the author didn't even bother to run a spellcheck on before asking for my assistance, FFS!

2) The story did have an editor, but the editor either wasn't very sharp OR--and perhaps more likely--they did their best to fix it up and suggest good changes, but the writing was so awful that the end product was still crap. I've worked on plenty of those stories, too.

Now as for Lit's submission editors, they try to follow the submission rules, plain and simple. They don't judge whether a story is shitty or not; as long as it doesn't contain any forbidden topics or too many technical errors, it'll get approved.

There can be cliques here so don't be surprised when these cliques vote favorabley on stories from people they know and if someone doesn't like your story a whole bunch of bad votes can happen too. My only advice is to not take it all seriously, good or bad.

There's a contingent that reads, but lowballs and criticizes, the Loving Wives stories in particular. I've heard the Poetry readers are a tough audience.

However, Lit does periodic "sweeps" for suspicious votes to even out the ratings.

And even though I only have one story posted, I can tell you I've received amazing feedback (both positive AND constructive criticism) and suggestions from all sorts of readers I don't know at all. Before I submitted my story, I turned to some of my friends here to get their honest feedback, and rather than kissing my ass, they gave me invaluable insights that improved the end product many times over. The thing is, my "clique" (if you can call it that) here is far smaller than the number of people who read and respond to my work, so I feel like it gets a fair shake. The positive comments are fair, and the critical ones are fair, too, when I look at it objectively (I don't pay attention to the rating, really).

But you should submit some of your stories and see what the experience is like for yourself!

 

[EdwardMidweston]

2) The story did have an editor, but the editor either wasn't very sharp OR--and perhaps more likely--they did their best to fix it up and suggest good changes, but the writing was so awful that the end product was still crap. I've worked on plenty of those stories, too. QUOTE]

Very true. The old cliche is right--one can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. The othr problem is that some writers, especially neophytes, tend to interpret even the most tactfully-phrased constructive suggestions as personal attacks and insist on submitting their original version--with all the mistakes preserved for posterity.

In either case, there's little an editor can do to help someone who steadfastly resists all improvement.