Is Lit Loosing It's Dedication to Good Stories?

[msboy8]

When I submitted my first story (over a year ago), I had to submit it about 4 times before it was approved. And rightly so, there were some definite punctuation, and grammatical errors in it.

Lately I have been on the Story Discussion and other forums checking out stories at the request of the author. Half of these have been already approved by Lit. I have tried to just read the story to comment on how it was written and if it could be improved, but I have been distracted by spelling and gramatical errors. I expect to find these in non-approved stories, but rarely in approved stories.

I would rather see less stories being approved or more time being taken for approval, to maintain the reoutation of excellence for Literotica stories.

 

[lucky-E-leven]

When I submitted my first story (over a year ago), I have to submit it about 4 times before it was approved. And rightly so, there were some definite punctuation, and grammatical errors in it.

Lately I have been on the Story Discussion and other forums checking out stories at the request of the author. Have of these have been already approved by Lit. I have tried to just read the story to comment on how it was written and if it could be improved, but I have been distracted by spelling and gramatical errors. I expect to find these in non=approved stories, but rarely in approved stories.

I would rather see less stories being approved or more time being taken for approval, to maintain the reoutation of excellence for Literotica stories.

Is this post purposely written with grammatical errors to prove a point?

(Honestly not trying to be ugly here.)

~lucky

 

[TheEarl]

I would personally (and I'm aware this is not a common POV) be very supportive if Lit decided to introduce a quality threshold. Not one that allows only professional-novelists-masquerading-as-pornsters to submit, but one that would lose the very bottom of the barrell, the 'I kikced down the dor adn camed in her fase' stories.

I know it's not exactly feasible, but JMHO.

The Earl

 

[rgraham666]

Sturgeon's Law applies to every form of literature.

"90% of everything is crap."

It's going to apply even to Lit. And what is crap is highly subjective.

If I'm reading a story, and it has huge spelling and grammar errors, I stop reading.

 

[davidwatts]

I would personally (and I'm aware this is not a common POV) be very supportive if Lit decided to introduce a quality threshold. Not one that allows only professional-novelists-masquerading-as-pornsters to submit, but one that would lose the very bottom of the barrell, the 'I kikced down the dor adn camed in her fase' stories.

I know it's not exactly feasible, but JMHO.

The Earl

At last, some feedback on my latest epic "Kikced Down the Door adn Camed In Her Fase". Did you think there was too much kikceding or just not enough cameing?

Seriously, I can't imagine what it must be like wading through the five hundred or so stories that do get approved each day. How many don't, and what might the ones that don't make it be like to read?

Although your suggestion has merit, I withhold endorsement of the "losing the bottom of the barrel" concept until I am told where that might leave me.

 

[Sherry Hawk]

I would personally (and I'm aware this is not a common POV) be very supportive if Lit decided to introduce a quality threshold. Not one that allows only professional-novelists-masquerading-as-pornsters to submit, but one that would lose the very bottom of the barrell, the 'I kikced down the dor adn camed in her fase' stories.

I know it's not exactly feasible, but JMHO.

The Earl

I agree with you 100%, Earl.

 

[china-doll]

I agree with you 100%, Earl.

Well, there goes all my stories.

 

[CharleyH]

When I submitted my first story (over a year ago), I had to submit it about 4 times before it was approved. And rightly so, there were some definite punctuation, and grammatical errors in it.

Lately I have been on the Story Discussion and other forums checking out stories at the request of the author. Half of these have been already approved by Lit. I have tried to just read the story to comment on how it was written and if it could be improved, but I have been distracted by spelling and gramatical errors. I expect to find these in non-approved stories, but rarely in approved stories.

I would rather see less stories being approved or more time being taken for approval, to maintain the reoutation of excellence for Literotica stories.

Nope. People just don't read the good ones often, I could name them. The top stories in categories are not often best, they are, what they are ... this is a porn site Get me off or fuck you, ONE bomb!

Spelling and grammar on SDC, unless author asks, should be overlooked. ME example, I have a grammar editor, and I don't look for it in SDC, much more important concerns, don't you think? That is the last of them, and the least in SDC that an author is concerned about.

Maybe I am reading your post wrong? Sure, post to lit with good grammar, but good grammar does not get me off

 

[TheEarl]

Sure, post to lit with good grammar, but good grammar does not get me off

Strange girl; don't know about everyone else, but one look at a well-shaped comma and I'm off and away!

The Earl

 

[msboy8]

Nope. People just don't read the good ones often, I could name them. The top stories in categories are not often best, they are, what they are ... this is a porn site Get me off or fuck you, ONE bomb!

Spelling and grammar on SDC, unless author asks, should be overlooked. ME example, I have a grammar editor, and I don't look for it in SDC, much more important concerns, don't you think? That is the last of them, and the least in SDC that an author is concerned about.

Maybe I am reading your post wrong? Sure, post to lit with good grammar, but good grammar does not get me off

In part I agree, but if I get distracted by spelling or grammar errors I am not as likely get off on the story. The voting system and the ratings of stories is a very different and more difficult nut to crack.

 

[neonlyte]

I'm largely with Charley here. If the words aren't working, the grammar won't change them. It's a generalisation I know, they go in tandem - at least, they should. And there is 'style', that's what made the 'guess the voice' thread interesting (for me). The way individuals structure their writing, idiosyncracies in type style, juxtaposition of words...

You find gems in the strangest places on Lit. They are not found that often (for me) on the top lists, the bulk of the readers have different objectives from my own and voting reflects to a large degree sexual gratification - entirely as it should on a porn site. I'm more intereted in the erotic, (I know, it's an old arguement - one persons porn is another persons erotica, etc...) the motivation, the sex inside the head. There isn't a catagory for that, I have to search it out or rely upon a few posters here to point me in the right direction.

Now I'm off to read BS's "Will" - I'm told it's what I'm looking for.

 

[CharleyH]

Strange girl; don't know about everyone else, but one look at a well-shaped comma and I'm off and away!

The Earl

Ooo, was that your story that got me off? Must have been the semi-colons, that big jutting comma, underneath the tender dot. lol

 

[CharleyH]

I'm largely with Charley here. If the words aren't working, the grammar won't change them. It's a generalisation I know, they go in tandem - at least, they should. And there is 'style', that's what made the 'guess the voice' thread interesting (for me). The way individuals structure their writing, idiosyncracies in type style, juxtaposition of words...

You find gems in the strangest places on Lit. They are not found that often (for me) on the top lists, the bulk of the readers have different objectives from my own and voting reflects to a large degree sexual gratification - entirely as it should on a porn site. I'm more intereted in the erotic, (I know, it's an old arguement - one persons porn is another persons erotica, etc...) the motivation, the sex inside the head. There isn't a catagory for that, I have to search it out or rely upon a few posters here to point me in the right direction.

Now I'm off to read BS's "Will" - I'm told it's what I'm looking for.

Thanks Neon. Beautifully stated. Exactly.

 

[BlackShanglan]

You find gems in the strangest places on Lit. They are not found that often (for me) on the top lists, the bulk of the readers have different objectives from my own and voting reflects to a large degree sexual gratification - entirely as it should on a porn site. I'm more intereted in the erotic, (I know, it's an old arguement - one persons porn is another persons erotica, etc...) the motivation, the sex inside the head. There isn't a catagory for that, I have to search it out or rely upon a few posters here to point me in the right direction.

Agreed. That is one reason why I like the "favorites" lists; they help me see what the people who write what I like might be reading. I've found some good stories that way.

Now I'm off to read BS's "Will" - I'm told it's what I'm looking for.

A thousand blessings light upon you.

Shanglan

 

[BlackShanglan]

Thanks Neon. Beautifully stated. Exactly.

Especially that last bit.

 

[Weird Harold]

Lately I have been on the Story Discussion and other forums checking out stories at the request of the author. Half of these have been already approved by Lit. I have tried to just read the story to comment on how it was written and if it could be improved, but I have been distracted by spelling and gramatical errors. I expect to find these in non-approved stories, but rarely in approved stories.

I think it depends on what kind of spelling errors you're seeing. Lit has always had it's share of spelling errors, but most of the stories hve alwys beenble to at least pass the scrutiny of a spell checker. The spelling errors I've seen have been more "commonly confused words" and homonym problems that true spelling errors -- the kind of spelling and word choice errors that too much trust in a spell checker generate.

I think that the standards haven't gone downhill at Lit and increasing the standards wouldn't make a great deal of difference -- I find same sort of problems in commercial, mainstream print fiction genres, where quality standards are presumed to be much higher -- as I see at Lit. Perhaps not to quite the same degree as here, but the same types of errors -- and Lit is a site for amateurs, who shouldn't be expected to produce consistent technicl exellence as well as intersting new stories.

Proofreading is apparently a lost art because computers are "faster, cheaper, and more accurate" than human proofreaders.

One thing I would suggest, is that if you're asked to comment on story and the spelling and grammar error levels interfere with your enjoyment of the story, then say so -- and suggest ways to avoid them in future stories.

Evenif I'm specificlly asked to ignore spelling and grammar to comment on plot or characterization issues, If the spelling and grammar are bad enough to make analysing the plot and characterization difficult I'll say so.

 

[neonlyte]

Especially that last bit.

Tis read.

Speechless momentarily - astonishing beautiful.

 

[msboy8]

I think it depends on what kind of spelling errors you're seeing. Lit has always had it's share of spelling errors, but most of the stories hve alwys beenble to at least pass the scrutiny of a spell checker. The spelling errors I've seen have been more "commonly confused words" and homonym problems that true spelling errors -- the kind of spelling and word choice errors that too much trust in a spell checker generate.

I think that the standards haven't gone downhill at Lit and increasing the standards wouldn't make a great deal of difference -- I find same sort of problems in commercial, mainstream print fiction genres, where quality standards are presumed to be much higher -- as I see at Lit. Perhaps not to quite the same degree as here, but the same types of errors -- and Lit is a site for amateurs, who shouldn't be expected to produce consistent technicl exellence as well as intersting new stories.

Proofreading is apparently a lost art because computers are "faster, cheaper, and more accurate" than human proofreaders.

One thing I would suggest, is that if you're asked to comment on story and the spelling and grammar error levels interfere with your enjoyment of the story, then say so -- and suggest ways to avoid them in future stories.

Evenif I'm specificlly asked to ignore spelling and grammar to comment on plot or characterization issues, If the spelling and grammar are bad enough to make analysing the plot and characterization difficult I'll say so.

Thanks Wierd Harold, That's why I have editors proof read it before I submit it. They tend to make the final product so much better. I would be lost without them, FrenziedMaiden, Satin Kitty 69 and outrabutterfly. They all have different editing styles which are all helpful.

 

[wishfulthinking]

I think we should give more power to trolls. Any stories that receive less than 2.00 in score after the first month should receive an email like the following:

Dear Wishfulthinking

We thank you for your recent submission titled "Fuck Slut does Daddy, Mummy and the Twins".

Unfortunately, due to our recent introduction of quality control standards, your story is not what our website is looking for. This was more than likely reflected in the feedback, public comments and/or votes you received, or lack thereof.

We take this opportunity of thanking you and advising that you are banned from submitting a story for a period of 30 days to allow you to digest the magnitudes of your wrongs.

The Literotica Team



But seriously, I'll have to ponder this, MS. My theory is that when you are new, your stories are heavily screened, and they probably secretly give you a rating that may carry a warning eg "leans towards excessive violence" or "bad spelling" so that next time you submit, they can keep an eye out for it. Once you have a few posted, perhaps they are not as intense.

 

[neonlyte]

there may be something in what you say Wishfull. My latest story had only 2 preview readings, my first stories had up to 12 preview readings.

They obviously know me by now, the most controversial thing is likely to be a comma in the wrong place. Doesn't stop "Anon" pointing out the lack of sex in the first sentence though.

PS. can you give me a link to Fuck Slut does Daddy, Mommy and the Twins?

 

[Weird Harold]

Thanks Wierd Harold, That's why I have editors proof read it before I submit it. They tend to make the final product so much better.

The last story I submitted went past ten different editors/proofreaders of varying usefullness. It's a story I can be proud of, but in spite of my effort to achive perfection it has a couple of spelling and grammar errors left in the posted version that slipped past everyone and stood out like glaring beacons to me once I read the posted story.

Very few authors here are willing to spend the two months or more of editing (and waiting on editors) required to achieve even that level of "perfection."

 

[elsol]

I worry about my stories.

I just want to make sure that even when I don't write your thing, you still give it a shot because ElSol wrote it and that means quality.

As to others, I assume what I've always assumed; they don't give a shit and that's why their stuff reads like shit.

The amount of submissions had to overwhelm at some point causing a relaxing of the standard... after all it's the writer's responsibility to do it right.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[impressive]

Y'know, if the spellign and grammer are THAT bad, there is a check box at the bottom of the story to report it. I have no clue what happens to that report, if anything, but if more people used it perhaps there would be action taken. (Pull the story 'til the author submits corrections? I dunno. Maybe.)

 

[Lauren Hynde]

When you are reading a story and detect such egregious grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors, scroll to the end of the page, where it says: Report problems with this story, click here. One of the options you'll be given is "Spelling and/or punctuation."

As many pointed out already, there are dozens of stories submitted every day, and some will always slip through. If the readers don't report substandard stories when given the chance, how can they ask for higher quality?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Y'know, if the spellign and grammer are THAT bad, there is a check box at the bottom of the story to report it. I have no clue what happens to that report, if anything, but if more people used it perhaps there would be action taken. (Pull the story 'til the author submits corrections? I dunno. Maybe.)

There you go. Someone who understands me.