I don't get the angst about story rejections.

[MrPixel]

OMG, I just had a story rejected! What am I going to do? What did I do wrong? Why is LitE such an awful place?

Obviously, I'm being satirical. I did have a story rejected this morning for underage content, a retrospective musing where the MMC had lusted after the FMC just before she was of age. It was a very easy fix in this case.

What gets me about the litany of complaints about "Woe is me. Why was it rejected?" is that the rejection notice quoted the paragraph that broke the rules. It couldn't have been any clearer. Is this not the case with other rejections? I've had two other rejections, and the explanation for each was equally clear. So I'm having some difficulty understanding why so many writers - typically noobs - complain about repeated rejections and not understanding why.

 

[Lifestyle66]

... the rejection notice quoted the paragraph that broke the rules. It couldn't have been any clearer. Is this not the case with other rejections? I've had two other rejections, and the explanation for each was equally clear. So I'm having some difficulty understanding why so many writers - typically noobs - complain about repeated rejections and not understanding why.

The first chapter of my series (two years ago) was rejected with the notice saying merely that it violated the underage rule, but it didn't specify which paragraphs. The story had the two high school juniors (age 17) start dating, and I avoided any references to sex except to say that after their junior prom, they enjoyed "the whole experience". But with that rejection, I had to change three references to the MCs, and specifically inject that they were 18-year-old seniors when they got together.

So, sometimes the rejections are more generic, unless it is just one sentence when they catch it.

 

[BBlaketbv]

My first story got sent back too. The explanation why it was sent was clear and helpful. It even had links to the forum where they explain how to fix certain mistakes/issues.

It was easy enough to fix, and I appreciate that they don't just allow anything. It means there is a certain quality standard.

 

[gunhilltrain]

The first chapter of my series (two years ago) was rejected with the notice saying merely that it violated the underage rule, but it didn't specify which paragraphs. The story had the two high school juniors (age 17) start dating, and I avoided any references to sex except to say that after their junior prom, they enjoyed "the whole experience". But with that rejection, I had to change three references to the MCs, and specifically inject that they were 18-year-old seniors when they got together.

So, sometimes the rejections are more generic, unless it is just one sentence when they catch it.

It may not seem reasonable to us, but merely having having two people that age at a junior prom is not going to work. Remember that no one person could closely read that much material every week, so just the number "17" as an age indicator will be picked up. They (Laurel) will also probably not have the time to indicate the paragraphs for you.

It helps to keep this image in mind when considering what happens to your story after it is submitted.

https://media.istockphoto.com/id/13...=rzQAvJbsPnMkei75npI00FrhQXNc3_1bkGqt9yP96Ho=

 

[yowser]

I haven't had the fortune you all have experienced. Couple of them got sent back, a year or two after I'd been posting tales, neither of them even close to underage (I 'got' the rules.) One totally puzzled me, a middle age hotwife and middle age married folks. The only thing I could think of was that I mentioned one character had 'two boys' in the family (purely informational, not even within a half page of sexual activity) and I suspect that phrase got snagged. No information to help me diagnose. I even sent it to an editor, about the only time I used one, who couldn't find any issues either.

Resubmitted a couple weeks later, no alterations at all, no note to Laurel, and it went through.

Mysteries abound.

 

[Bazzle]

Because people like complaining and see very insistent that their underage porn is perfectly normal?

 

[MediocreAuthor]

I've only had one rejection, a poem which was rejected because it wasn't "poem-y" enough.

The rejection was fine. (I guess Lit doesn't recognize prose as poetry? Oh well)

What was annoying in this case was the fact that it took them 2 weeks+ to reject it. That sucked, but in my particular case, I was totally fine with it.

 

[Seadog777]

People put a lot of time and effort into a story.
So when it gets rejected, it stings.
That dumbass automated rejection message that you get, isn't exactly clear on WHAT you did wrong.
I got extremely pissed and cut a fucking promo on Laurel after the 3rd time it got rejected.
That was when she herself actually told me what was wrong and why.
I apologized, thanked her for her help, and we now have a great friendly relationship.

 

[MrPixel]

I guess what's sticking in my craw at the moment is a recent complaint about being rejected multiple times over "formatting problems". The forum post itself was a grammatical nightmare. If the story structure was anything like the prose in the post, well, yeah. Maybe it's an ESL thing. It could be that the automated filter in that case considers basic grammar issues "formatting", which I suppose would lack clarity versus, say, a problem with dropping HTML or whatever into the text.

Since I didn't see any follow-up from the OP in that thread I can't guess as to the resolution if there was one.

And heaven help me if the filter starts rejecting for run-on sentences and fragments. I'd never get anything past it.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I guess what's sticking in my craw at the moment is a recent complaint about being rejected multiple times over "formatting problems". The forum post itself was a grammatical nightmare. If the story structure was anything like the prose in the post, well, yeah. Maybe it's an ESL thing. It could be that the automated filter in that case considers basic grammar issues "formatting", which I suppose would lack clarity versus, say, a problem with dropping HTML or whatever into the text.

Since I didn't see any follow-up from the OP in that thread I can't guess as to the resolution if there was one.

And heaven help me if the filter starts rejecting for run-on sentences and fragments. I'd never get anything past it.

I posted a couple stories, then had repeated rejections for 'formatting problems', no more detail given.

Eventually I copied and pasted 15k words into the text box, and it worked fine. I've had to do the same ever since - looks like LibreOffice files (even txt and rtf) don't play nicely with Lit since the LO last big upgrade.

Or something.

 

[MrPixel]

Thanks for the heads-up on LO. Not there yet, but I will be once the brick I throw at my Mac hits the target. Pages on MacOS seems to be OK, other than the latest update forcing .docx now for MSWord export. The .doc export worked fine, so WTF is the deal about eliminating it?

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I would probably think the same as you if I hadn't experienced a baseless rejection myself. I seriously doubt I am the only one. Combine that with long queues and the ire is understandable, especially when you see something that breaks those same rules in a much more obvious way getting approved and published. The system is far from perfect and that is why authors should hone their patience, but that is also why we shouldn't polish our pitchforks every time someone makes a post in which he or she complains and vents the frustration.

 

[Seadog777]

I guess what's sticking in my craw at the moment is a recent complaint about being rejected multiple times over "formatting problems". The forum post itself was a grammatical nightmare. If the story structure was anything like the prose in the post, well, yeah. Maybe it's an ESL thing. It could be that the automated filter in that case considers basic grammar issues "formatting", which I suppose would lack clarity versus, say, a problem with dropping HTML or whatever into the text.

Since I didn't see any follow-up from the OP in that thread I can't guess as to the resolution if there was one.

And heaven help me if the filter starts rejecting for run-on sentences and fragments. I'd never get anything past it.

The automated filter that they use, NEVER takes into consideration the actual flow of a conversation.
Only the "grammatical" structure of a sentence.

"Yes I'm on the way there" with no comma is how a person talks.

"Yes, I'm on the way there" that "lack" of a comma is what used to get my stories rejected.

 

[ElectricBlue]

People put a lot of time and effort into a story.
So when it gets rejected, it stings.
That dumbass automated rejection message that you get, isn't exactly clear on WHAT you did wrong.
I got extremely pissed and cut a fucking promo on Laurel after the 3rd time it got rejected.
That was when she herself actually told me what was wrong and why.
I apologized, thanked her for her help, and we now have a great friendly relationship.

My guess is the first pass every story goes through is a software scan, a grammar bot or word bot of some kind, so you're not dealing with a human being at all. Hence the standardised rejection notices. You're dealing with a computer, you're into an automated process.

Once Laurel pointed out the problem, what was it, whose was it? I'm guessing it was something you had to fix, and probably the dumbass message wasn't so dumb after all.

That's the problem - folk assume their story is getting personalised attention from a human reviewer, when it's probably not, and as a consequence, with their ire up, and their belief in their own infallibility, they're not reading the questions closely enough.

I'm guessing the set of standardised rejection notices have been around for a decade or two, and the vast majority of writers don't get them, so the problem is (and it is, every time in these threads) something in the submission that's wrong.

 

[Djmac1031]

The one that truly puzzled me was the post a week or so ago complaining his story was rejected because of spelling errors.

Like, seriously. Someone pointed out your mistakes and gave you the chance to fix them BEFORE publishing and subjecting yourself to public criticism for them.

Be thankful.

 

[Seadog777]

My guess is the first pass every story goes through is a software scan, a grammar bot or word bot of some kind, so you're not dealing with a human being at all. Hence the standardised rejection notices. You're dealing with a computer, you're into an automated process.

Once Laurel pointed out the problem, what was it, whose was it? I'm guessing it was something you had to fix, and probably the dumbass message wasn't so dumb after all.

That's the problem - folk assume their story is getting personalised attention from a human reviewer, when it's probably not, and as a consequence, with their ire up, and their belief in their own infallibility, they're not reading the questions closely enough.

I'm guessing the set of standardised rejection notices have been around for a decade or two, and the vast majority of writers don't get them, so the problem is (and it is, every time in these threads) something in the submission that's wrong.

Yes, everything goes through a bot and a program, that ONLY looks at grammar.

It was when Laurel pointed out, that my 1st story was kicked back because of a SINGLE missed period at the end of a sentence.

She has done a better job at not letting that bot program, be the "end all be all".

 

[Rob_Royale]

My first story got sent back too. The explanation why it was sent was clear and helpful. It even had links to the forum where they explain how to fix certain mistakes/issues.

It was easy enough to fix, and I appreciate that they don't just allow anything. It means there is a certain quality standard.

Same here and I quite agree. I'm VERY thankful for that first rejection. Mine was also musings of pre-18 fantasies and my grammar. I scrapped that whole story and downloaded Grammarly. Been pretty successful since. I keep thinking about that first story though. I might re-write it at some point.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I think the only people who really get bent out of shape over story rejections are people who know they're writing something that they shouldn't be, and they're just upset that they can't slip it past Laurel. I can get it though, nobody wants the anxiety of having a piece bounced back to them but... if it's just some small errors like typos and things like that, I really don't see the need to be upset about that. I'd love to have my work sent back because a spelling or grammar error was caught, ahahaha!

 

[MediocreAuthor]

I think the only people who really get bent out of shape over story rejections are people who know they're writing something that they shouldn't be, and they're just upset that they can't slip it past Laurel. I can get it though, nobody wants the anxiety of having a piece bounced back to them but... if it's just some small errors like typos and things like that, I really don't see the need to be upset about that. I'd love to have my work sent back because a spelling or grammar error was caught, ahahaha!

You're fortunate that the system doesn't catch run-on sentences, or else your early works never would have seen the light of day

 

[SeraphNocturne]

You're fortunate that the system doesn't catch run-on sentences, or else your early works never would have seen the light of day

That's what I'm saying, I wish they'd bounce me back for errors! It would save me so much blind fury later on when I re-read the published final.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

That's what I'm saying, I wish they'd bounce me back for errors! It would save me so much blind fury later on when I re-read the published final.

Hey, if they bounced back stories for being garbage, my first stories wouldn't have seen publication either!

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Hey, if they bounced back stories for being garbage, my first stories wouldn't have seen publication either!

You're seriously too hard on yourself, you gotta be proud of those early works M! I love my early on stuff, glaring errors and all. It's just reflective of how much I've improved, and it's hard to replicate the passion you have when you just push out into publishing.

 

[PennameWombat]

I posted a couple stories, then had repeated rejections for 'formatting problems', no more detail given.

Eventually I copied and pasted 15k words into the text box, and it worked fine. I've had to do the same ever since - looks like LibreOffice files (even txt and rtf) don't play nicely with Lit since the LO last big upgrade.

Or something.

Thanks for the heads-up on LO. Not there yet, but I will be once the brick I throw at my Mac hits the target. Pages on MacOS seems to be OK, other than the latest update forcing .docx now for MSWord export. The .doc export worked fine, so WTF is the deal about eliminating it?

I use LibreOffice to generate .doc (not .docx) files for all of my submissions, including all of them this year (my Nude Day story was just posted). Never had a rejection based on formatting errors for them and they always look like I mean them to. I run LO on both Windows 10 and Linux, both have been fine.

Had one rejection for underage, a mother flirting with a guy while she was at a swimming pool with her kids. But that's not LO's fault.

So it's not generically an issue with LO, at least if you use .doc files

 

[Candy_Kane54]

The only rejection I got was due to quoting too much lyrics from a song. I pared it down to four lines and resubmitted. Problem solved.

 

[PennameWombat]

Yes, everything goes through a bot and a program, that ONLY looks at grammar.

It was when Laurel pointed out, that my 1st story was kicked back because of a SINGLE missed period at the end of a sentence.

She has done a better job at not letting that bot program, be the "end all be all".

The bot must be pretty good at understanding dialogue versus narrative. I have various aliens in my SF stories and most of them speak rather messed up English. They also have universal translators, so the story will bounce between perfect English, when they're using their native language and the human listeners are hearing the translations, and the broken English if the listener isn't hearing it through the translator.

This is also surprising because I've bailed out of a few stories on this site because grammar or such was too poor, and it wasn't an intentional aspect of the story (like my use of broken English, which I try to keep consistent in how they break it.) Either my standard of grammar is too high or the bot has certain triggers that you just happened to hit. And retrospectively, I've found a few odd, minor errors in my stories that weren't caught by me, the bot or Laurel.