I Ask for Help Getting an Edit Approved

[GollyRojer]

I submitted my first story, entitled "Rochelle and Me", on 7/12/22. A few days later I submitted "Rochelle and Me, Continued". This story was rejected with the explanation that a script ties together stories in a series by the naming convention, and that each story should have the same name with suffixes "Ch. 1", "Ch. 2", etc.
So I submitted a change to the first story, renaming it "Rochelle and Me Ch. 1 - EDITED". Then, assuming that would be processed first, I re-submitted the followup as "Rochelle and Me Ch. 2".
The second story has been rejected twice more. As near as I can tell, this is because the edit to the first story has not been processed.
It is now several days later and "Rochelle and Me Ch. 1 - EDITED" still has not been approved. Can someone tell me if there is a way to encourage the moderators to actually look at my edit and approve it so that the name gets changed, and the second story submission will match?

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Edits are always prioritized last and can take up to two weeks to be taken care of.

 

[oggbashan]

The numbering convention is better expressed as Ch 01, Ch 02 etc.

Otherwise when you get to Ch 11 the series will appear as 01, 11. 02. etc.

 

[KeithD]

Just go to any of the story files and look at how other captured stories are being titled.

 

[Wark2002]

I am wondering why "continued" is not a good enough indicator. I understand that a third chapter can't be called "continued" again, of course, but this doesn't really make sense.

 

[oggbashan]

Look at this, one of my series:

Brobdingnag: 6 Part Series​

Brobdingnag Ch. 01
Brobdingnag Ch. 02
Brobdingnag Ch. 03
Brobdingnag Ch. 04
Brobdingnag Ch. 05
Brobdingnag Ch. 06 and Last

 

[GollyRojer]

Thanks for your answers, everyone. oggbashan, thanks for the tip. I doubt that Rochelle and Me will go beyond ch. 3 or maybe 4, but I'll certainly use your example in the future.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I am wondering why "continued" is not a good enough indicator. I understand that a third chapter can't be called "continued" again, of course, but this doesn't really make sense.

As the Author of The Gold Dollar Girls and The Gold Dollar Girls Return, I agree.

 

[GollyRojer]

As the Author of The Gold Dollar Girls and The Gold Dollar Girls Return, I agree.

When the story was initially rejected, they gave me the option of keeping the title or changing to a format that the "series script" would recognize. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, my impression was that if I kept the title as "Continued" the stories would not be linked, and so the second would not be listed at the end of the first as "next in series". I could have left it alone, but decided to make the change to the "Ch. 01" format.

 

[MelissaBaby]

When the story was initially rejected, they gave me the option of keeping the title or changing to a format that the "series script" would recognize. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, my impression was that if I kept the title as "Continued" the stories would not be linked, and so the second would not be listed at the end of the first as "next in series". I could have left it alone, but decided to make the change to the "Ch. 01" format.

Understood, but it seems inconsistent that "return" would be allowable but "continued" would not.

In future, you might try adding a note when you submit, noting that you would like the stories to be serialized. If you look at my author's page, you will see that Mary and Alvin's Covid Christmas is listed as part of the Mary and Alvin series, even though it does not match the chaptering format.

 

[tenyari]

So...

If I want to have a series of stories in the same 'Universe' that are not chapters, but have some connectivity... is there a convention to note that in their title that won't get 'rejected for not being ch'...

I've been thinking of them as 'volumes', as there is a 'non-required' order to best read them in. But not as chapters as they're not serially related.

But does this site NOT allow me to put anything in the title connecting them unless they're chapters?

 

[oggbashan]

It is a bot that links stories. If you title the parts with an identical start e.g

My Story, you can follow it with whatever you like if numbered Pt., Ch., or else in alphabetical order:

My Story: Beginning;
My Story: Development;
My story; Evasions; etc.

But if the start of the title isn't EXACTLY the same the parts won't link.

 

[tenyari]

So I want a reader to see the link, but I want the bot to NOT link them, I'd just use something similar but not identical.

Like my existing 'working titles':

[Title relating to the MC's founding relationship] (setting name)
[Titles relating to funny events in the MC's life] (setting name)
... repeating this format whenever the mood strikes me to write another story ...
[Titles relating to funny events in the MC's life] (setting name)
[Title for the prequel event that set up the setting] (setting name)


Or my other inwork:

[setting name] Volume 1 [story name]: Ch 1-n
- Those will link

[setting name] Volume 2 [story name]: Ch 1-n
- These should be linked to each other, but NOT to the Volume 1 stories

It seems like I should NOT start these later ones with "Villains Volume X"
- In this second series there will be Volumes that will have chapters. Readers WILL want to read the volumes in order, but each will be like it's own novel. But they will be, if I do it right; like MCU movies; you could skip a volume and as such be mostly OK.

To get the bot to NOT link the volumes, maybe this would work?

[first story name]: Ch 1-n [setting name] Volume 1
[second story name]: Ch 1-n [setting name] Volume 2

 

[GollyRojer]

Well, I'll be damned. They published my second story even though they haven't edited the title of the first one. Their reasons for rejecting were always explained as conflicts in the titles. Strange.

 

[ElectricBlue]

[setting name] Volume 1 [story name]: Ch 1-n
- Those will link

[setting name] Volume 2 [story name]: Ch 1-n
- These should be linked to each other, but NOT to the Volume 1 stories

It seems like I should NOT start these later ones with "Villains Volume X"
- In this second series there will be Volumes that will have chapters. Readers WILL want to read the volumes in order, but each will be like it's own novel. But they will be, if I do it right; like MCU movies; you could skip a volume and as such be mostly OK.

To get the bot to NOT link the volumes, maybe this would work?

[first story name]: Ch 1-n [setting name] Volume 1
[second story name]: Ch 1-n [setting name] Volume 2

The script runs alpha-numerically.

As an aside, having Chapters and Volumes in that order is counter-intuitive. Typically, a Volume would be the book, with Chapters within it.

How long is this thing going to be, anyway? Sounds like you need to start with Ch.001 and allow yourself one thousand chapters.

 

[tenyari]

How long is this thing going to be, anyway? Sounds like you need to start with Ch.001 and allow yourself one thousand chapters.

Open ended for both items.

Different stories, same 2 settings. Stories will have their own chapters as needed.

So cluing readers in that 'this story is related to that one, but not part of it' without having some bot force them into weird sorting that doesn't match their actual relationships is what I'm seeking, while also still being able to put the chapters together, as the OP was trying to do with their story, without getting 'rejected' for not following the bot's requirements...

 

[ElectricBlue]

Open ended for both items.

Different stories, same 2 settings. Stories will have their own chapters as needed.

So cluing readers in that 'this story is related to that one, but not part of it' without having some bot force them into weird sorting that doesn't match their actual relationships is what I'm seeking, while also still being able to put the chapters together, as the OP was trying to do with their story, without getting 'rejected' for not following the bot's requirements...

I get it, having done the same.

But think dumb, like the robot, and don't try to get too clever. And be aware, when it fucks up it does so with genius, but you'll never get it fixed. I've got a three year old cock-up in my story list, that I've tried but failed to get fixed, where the same story list is repeated. One is correct, the other fell over right from the start.

 

[Duleigh]

If it's one story broken up into two parts, I can see their point

I have run a couple of different series of complete stories. I give the series a name followed by a unique story name, and I make sure those unique names are in alphabetical Order and that series name is a story tag. for example, my Gate series:
The Gate - A New Green Man Appears
The Gate - Elvish Has Left
The Gate - Going Home
Individually each one has all the elements needed to make a complete story Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. And when you read them in order they tell a complete story, it's a proper trilogy. And making the series name a tag brings up the entire series in a search for the reader. The tag trick allows you to add side stories like in my "We're A Wonderful Wife" series WAWW tag. Never had a problem with rejection for title format (yet)