I've been rejected!

[TQM]

The episodes of Star Wars were published in a nonconventional way and therefore the entire movie series and all the spin offs and toys and books are immoral and it should all be banned. Star Wars books should be burned in a public bonfire. Baby Yoda should be deleted from all digital images and the government should set up re-education clinics to help Star Wars fans recover. It is very important that we all think alike and agree about numerical conventions. These, like all conventions, need to be worshipped and serve as the very core of what it truly means to be human.

I have said for years that Donald Trump is behind this mindless effort to block group-think-conformity.

And here I was about to start selling toys based on my stories. I was all set to start selling a life-size Victoria doll complete with tight jeans that can be rolled down. Was also starting the design of the Baby Victoria doll complete with baby tight jeans.

 

[TQM]

No need to be feisty. You may not have come here for advice, but that's what we do here. You can't get mad at us for doing our function when you're the one that stepped into the wrong room. If you go to the pound asking why your dog was taken away, you can't get mad when you hear barking it's the pound. If you wanted an explanation about the legality hope your dog being removed oh, you should have gone to the courthouse. There is nothing wrong with going to the incorrect place to ask a question, after all you didn't know. But you can't but you can't very well get mad at us for offering you the answers that we have.

Hi - there is nothing feisty in what I was trying to say. Please - find a way to extract any feistiness you see in what I'm writing. I don't want it there - and it isn't there. I'm responding and discussing only.

I'm not "making it all about me", as one person said. I'm responding.

The message I received said that a moderator reviewed what I wrote. I assumed that message was true. Someone else in this thread says there are no moderators - just the owners - that's fine by me too. I have no expertise in this matter. I'm not trying to deceive.

Anyway - it turns out what I've done has been done before. I should have googled this earlier. Here is what I just found:

"Isaac Asimov wrote the Foundation series out of chronological order. Numbering his books in chronological order 1 - 7, they were written and published in the order 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2. Other authors contributed to the Foundation saga between novels and after the events of Asimov's series."

 

[TQM]

I once had that problem: I had a story where I didn't have a chapter ready so I just went ahead and posted the next one - but the numbering system remained intact. (Chapter 7 was actually 6 or some such thing.)

I told the readers what I had done. No one complained. But this was a big if - it was on another site and I got away with it. It probably wouldn't fly here. My excuse - to myself anyway - was that I was impatient and the story was kind of episodic anyway.

One exception perhaps: if you have a series and much later you want to add a chapter in the middle - well, don't worry about the numbering. Just give it a new name and tell the readers where it goes. You probably will get away with that. Poor planning, I admit, but these things happen.

Thank you.

 

[MsNatalie99]

And here I was about to start selling toys based on my stories. I was all set to start selling a life-size Victoria doll complete with tight jeans that can be rolled down. Was also starting the design of the Baby Victoria doll complete with baby tight jeans.

Don't mind missyunderstanding, she's just a troll trying to stir things up. She'll be back to preparing the camps in no time. No one is yelling at you Tom. Nor am I trying to tell you how to tell YOUR story. I'm only trying to offer you the best advice I can with what I know. If you want to deliver it in the way you stated, PM Laurel. But we're a different set of cogs for different machine. We are just doing what we know.

 

[TQM]

This is as big an injustice as that time I got kicked out of a restaurant for shoving bread rolls up my nose even though they didn't say anywhere that it was against the rules to shove bread rolls up my nose.



Unless you're in the habit of stroking your dick at the airport, we shouldn't really have to explain that airports and erotic stories are not the same thing. You can stroke your dick while reading Part 3 of a Literotica story, but you can't stroke your dick in Terminal 3 at Toronto Airport.

But Toronto actually did have a Terminal 2, and if you're determined to treat your story like an airport, you can do what Toronto did. Write a Part 2 and post it. Write a Part 3 and post it. Then take Part 2 down.



Plenty of authors on Literotica have told stories in non-chronological order. Probably half the people in this thread have done it; I know I have. But that doesn't mean we need to count "one, three", because chapter numbering is about what order the chapters are to be read in, not the order they happened in.

Knee jerk answers will get only get you so far in life. Look what google just showed me:

"Isaac Asimov wrote the Foundation series out of chronological order. Numbering his books in chronological order 1 - 7, they were written and published in the order 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2. Other authors contributed to the Foundation saga between novels and after the events of Asimov's series."

My idea, apparently, wasn't original. Not really surprising. But showing attitude as a way of thinking about things won't get you far.

 

[MsNatalie99]

Knee jerk answers will get only get you so far in life. Look what google just showed me:

"Isaac Asimov wrote the Foundation series out of chronological order. Numbering his books in chronological order 1 - 7, they were written and published in the order 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2. Other authors contributed to the Foundation saga between novels and after the events of Asimov's series."

My idea, apparently, wasn't original. Not really surprising. But showing attitude as a way of thinking about things won't get you far.

It's hard not to show attitude. It may not be your intention, but you are coming across as aggressive. Original or not, it's your idea. But your responses read like attacks. If you're angry when you type it, it will likely show when we read it.

 

[TQM]

It's hard not to show attitude. It may not be your intention, but you are coming across as aggressive. Original or not, it's your idea. But your responses read like attacks. If you're angry when you type it, it will likely show when we read it.

Well I am sorry that you read what I write that way. But I'm not angry. I was, if anything amused at the rejection. I still find it funny. The fact that it has clearly been done before suggests I'm right in finding it amusing.

If someone is insulting, I'm not afraid to insult them back. But nothing you've said has been insulting. I've tried to simply address the things you've said.

Anyway - it is certainly not the case that I'm angry. And I don't want to appear that way. I do have a right do disagree with someone's opinion.

Having done, now, just some modest research, apparently there is an entire cottage industry of writings that were published out of chapter order. And I don't think their readers got too confused.

I think my rejection here remains amusing. I just wanted to understand exactly why it was rejected. I was not looking for - nor did I ask for - advice as to "what to do." It's not like I get paid for this here anyway.

(I actually have been offered - once - by a reader to pay me for writing a story for him. didn't do it.)

I don't think too many would get confused, but its possible. And so what? I'm sure Sir Isaac just shrugged too.

 

[MsNatalie99]

I think my rejection here remains amusing. I just wanted to understand exactly why it was rejected. I was not looking for - nor did I ask for - advice as to "what to do." It's not like I get paid for this here anyway.

(I actually have been offered - once - by a reader to pay me for writing a story for him. didn't do it.)

Well it's a free site. You're not getting paid, this is true, but neither are you paying for your work to be published. You were rejected, and I am sorry. But it is the right of Laurel to do so. It has been recommended that you reach out to her with your concerns. I would simply suggest you take a deep breath, before you hit send. Angry or amused, your tone is aggressive. Agree, disagree, that's on you, but this isn't an injustice. It's an inconvenience. A lot of new writers come on here acting like the proverbial Karen, when they don't immediately get their way, or don't hear the answers they were wanting. If you feel like people are being rude to you, then be the bigger man. "They did it first " is a child's argument.

 

[SimonDoom]

Well I am sorry that you read what I write that way. But I'm not angry. I was, if anything amused at the rejection. I still find it funny. The fact that it has clearly been done before suggests I'm right in finding it amusing.

.

You're not alone, by any means, in finding this Site and its rules at times baffling and/or idiosyncratic. The best attitude to take is "it is what it is" and just work with it. Noodling over the "why" can be diverting, but probably isn't productive.

I think it's worth it to just accept the way the Site does things because the readership here is so much bigger than elsewhere.

I wish you luck with your story.

 

[TQM]

Well it's a free site. You're not getting paid, this is true, but neither are you paying for your work to be published. You were rejected, and I am sorry. But it is the right of Laurel to do so. It has been recommended that you reach out to her with your concerns. I would simply suggest you take a deep breath, before you hit send. Angry or amused, your tone is aggressive. Agree, disagree, that's on you, but this isn't an injustice. It's an inconvenience. A lot of new writers come on here acting like the proverbial Karen, when they don't immediately get their way, or don't hear the answers they were wanting. If you feel like people are being rude to you, then be the bigger man. "They did it first " is a child's argument.

Thank you. I just wanted a possible explanation that made sense. I've resubmitted the story - still calling it chapter 3 - yes, I'm stubborn - but I did add an explanation to the moderators. If that doesn't work I will have to decide if I want to press further with it. Thank you with your advice as to how to do that.

I've re-read what I've written, and I have to tell you I don't see the aggression you do. I am sorry you feel it is there.

I wouldn't consider myself a new writer here. But I don't frequent this place much either.

As an aside, I do object to your use of the name 'Karen'. I find it an inappropriate attempt in misusing someone's actual name as a slur. I know it is being used this way. That doesn't make it appropriate. I'm sure you have known real people named 'Karen.' I know I have. It's hurtful to continue this. I would not be happy if my name were Karen, and I read what you wrote.

 

[MsNatalie99]

Thank you. I just wanted a possible explanation that made sense. I've resubmitted the story - still calling it chapter 3 - yes, I'm stubborn - but I did add an explanation to the moderators. If that doesn't work I will have to decide if I want to press further with it. Thank you with your advice as to how to do that.

I've re-read what I've written, and I have to tell you I don't see the aggression you do. I am sorry you feel it is there.

I wouldn't consider myself a new writer here. But I don't frequent this place much either.

As an aside, I do object to your use of the name 'Karen'. I find it an inappropriate attempt in misusing someone's actual name as a slur. I know it is being used this way. That doesn't make it appropriate. I'm sure you have known real people named 'Karen.' I know I have. It's hurtful to continue this. I would not be happy if my name were Karen, and I read what you wrote.

Should I apologize to all the Karen's who have been misrepresented? I will try to change my phrasing. Cantankerous Twat from now on

Now is there anything else we can change for you while you declare that you won't make such changes yourself?

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Having done, now, just some modest research, apparently there is an entire cottage industry of writings that were published out of chapter order. And I don't think their readers got too confused.

You've listed a lot of examples of already well established authors in other genres and other publishing platforms doing chapters out of order. Ok, fine, you have those examples. But that's not relevant to Literotica. Point to a series published here, under Laurel's auspices, not written in a nonchronological way, but numbered out of order, and that would be relevant to your "But why [me]?" complaint.

Incidentally, I'd also say you're confusing writing something in a nonlinear/nonchronological way with numbering it out of order. I've read many, many books that are written in a nonchronological way, but the chapters are still numbered 1, 2, 3, even if the events in chapter 3 come before the events in chapter 2. (I.e. they're not numbered 1, 3, 2). I've read many books that had large gaps in time (some classics of literature), and they're still chaptered 1, 2, 3, not 1, 3, 7, 11.

As lots of other people here have already written, there are plenty of ways to indicate that a lot of time passed between chapters without messing around with the numbering of them.

I think my rejection here remains amusing. I just wanted to understand exactly why it was rejected. I was not looking for - nor did I ask for - advice as to "what to do." It's not like I get paid for this here anyway.

(I actually have been offered - once - by a reader to pay me for writing a story for him. didn't do it.)

I don't think too many would get confused, but its possible. And so what? I'm sure Sir Isaac just shrugged too.

It's good that you fiind the rejection amusing, rather than some affront to your artistic integrity. Most of the threads that show up here discussing rejection notices want to argue about the purpose of Laurel's rules or that she's being too narrow in her construction of certain disallowed subject matter.

But I'll just rephrase part of what I wrote to you earlier. The reason that the scanbot expects 1, 2, 3, rather than 1, 3, 5 is because that's what the readers will expect also, at ths point in your series.

Right now, the scanbot has two pieces of information: a) you wrote a story with "ch 1" in the title, b) you just submitted a story with the same title except it's 'ch 3". The scanbot doesn't know that you're planning to continue that way, and subsequently submit 'ch 5' without there being a chapter 4. It's doesn't know your artistic reasons for wanting to do so. All it knows is that '2' comes after '1', not '3". Therefore an error must have occurrred. Therefore rejection notice.

You said you resubmitted it with a note, so hopefully that will get you past the scanbot.

You have followers, and you have other series numbered in the conventional way. I'm assuming they were submitted in the same order as their numbering.

And like I also said before, you've been given the reason for the rejection (an assumption of your error, rather than a rejection based on content) but you just don't like it. So, I'll just add this: put yourself in a reader's position. You've read 'ch 1' of a story, and you get a notice that the author posted the next installment, if it's labelled 'ch 3' is your first thought going to be "wow, that's a really clever artistic choice that guy made, he's telling me that nothing happened for a while"? or is your first thought going to be "well, that's weird, did he forget he was only on chapter 1?"

Maybe you decide to go ahead and read it anyway. Presumably you'd enjoy it once you do. But does omitting 'ch 2' do anything for the reader or help the reader understand the action?

 

[TQM]

Should I apologize to all the Karen's who have been misrepresented? I will try to change my phrasing. Cantankerous Twat from now on

Now is there anything else we can change for you while you declare that you won't make such changes yourself?

There are lots of things you can change for me. In particular, I'd prefer to stop getting older.

Look - there was a legitimate reason why I called the story what I did. I didn't think it was a big deal. I never thought anyone would take the time to see if there were earlier chapters, when reviewing it. My mistake.

Being told I have to publish chapter 2 first is just funny. I'm not "making fun" of anyone. But it made me laugh with the absurdity of it.

I one day showed up in Chicago to enroll in university there. I was sent to the Office of Foreign Student Affairs (because I'm not American) to enroll.

I went there - and talked to the clerk at her desk - introduced myself and told her I've been sent here. Her response was, "Hello. Do.... you..... speak..... English?"

This was funny too in the same way. I had just been speaking English - actually better English than her. It's a funny thing to ask someone who has already demonstrated no difficulties in speaking English.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Thank you.

Keep in mind that I still had to have a conventional numbering system. I doubt that any site would allow you to avoid that.

You are correct in that "no story is complete until the author says it is." You are free to go back and extend it as much as you want. You are even free to add something in the middle, but then you can't number it. A while ago we had someone who wanted to add something like "Chapter 3.5." Nope, it won't fly here; you can't have it numbered at all - not unless you want to repost everything with new numbers and really, it's just not worth it.

 

[MsNatalie99]

There are lots of things you can change for me. In particular, I'd prefer to stop getting older.

Look - there was a legitimate reason why I called the story what I did. I didn't think it was a big deal. I never thought anyone would take the time to see if there were earlier chapters, when reviewing it. My mistake.

Being told I have to publish chapter 2 first is just funny. I'm not "making fun" of anyone. But it made me laugh with the absurdity of it.

I one day showed up in Chicago to enroll in university there. I was sent to the Office of Foreign Student Affairs (because I'm not American) to enroll.

I went there - and talked to the clerk at her desk - introduced myself and told her I've been sent here. Her response was, "Hello. Do.... you..... speak..... English?"

This was funny too in the same way. I had just been speaking English - actually better English than her. It's a funny thing to ask someone who has already demonstrated no difficulties in speaking English.

Well ok then... It is a funny thing to ask. But it is a reqired question. Anyway this was an "amusing" waste of time. I gotta jet, but good luck to you and your story. ✌

 

[TQM]

You've listed a lot of examples of already well established authors in other genres and other publishing platforms doing chapters out of order. Ok, fine, you have those examples. But that's not relevant to Literotica. Point to a series published here, under Laurel's auspices, not written in a nonchronological way, but numbered out of order, and that would be relevant to your "But why [me]?" complaint.

Incidentally, I'd also say you're confusing writing something in a nonlinear/nonchronological way with numbering it out of order. I've read many, many books that are written in a nonchronological way, but the chapters are still numbered 1, 2, 3, even if the events in chapter 3 come before the events in chapter 2. (I.e. they're not numbered 1, 3, 2). I've read many books that had large gaps in time (some classics of literature), and they're still chaptered 1, 2, 3, not 1, 3, 7, 11.

As lots of other people here have already written, there are plenty of ways to indicate that a lot of time passed between chapters without messing around with the numbering of them.



It's good that you fiind the rejection amusing, rather than some affront to your artistic integrity. Most of the threads that show up here discussing rejection notices want to argue about the purpose of Laurel's rules or that she's being too narrow in her construction of certain disallowed subject matter.

But I'll just rephrase part of what I wrote to you earlier. The reason that the scanbot expects 1, 2, 3, rather than 1, 3, 5 is because that's what the readers will expect also, at ths point in your series.

Right now, the scanbot has two pieces of information: a) you wrote a story with "ch 1" in the title, b) you just submitted a story with the same title except it's 'ch 3". The scanbot doesn't know that you're planning to continue that way, and subsequently submit 'ch 5' without there being a chapter 4. It's doesn't know your artistic reasons for wanting to do so. All it knows is that '2' comes after '1', not '3". Therefore an error must have occurrred. Therefore rejection notice.

You said you resubmitted it with a note, so hopefully that will get you past the scanbot.

You have followers, and you have other series numbered in the conventional way. I'm assuming they were submitted in the same order as their numbering.

And like I also said before, you've been given the reason for the rejection (an assumption of your error, rather than a rejection based on content) but you just don't like it. So, I'll just add this: put yourself in a reader's position. You've read 'ch 1' of a story, and you get a notice that the author posted the next installment, if it's labelled 'ch 3' is your first thought going to be "wow, that's a really clever artistic choice that guy made, he's telling me that nothing happened for a while"? or is your first thought going to be "well, that's weird, did he forget he was only on chapter 1?"

Maybe you decide to go ahead and read it anyway. Presumably you'd enjoy it once you do. But does omitting 'ch 2' do anything for the reader or help the reader understand the action?

Thank you for your comments.

Let's get this straight, first. There is a chapter 2. I have chosen to not write about it. I don't think it is compelling enough. I'm not confused about anything. Maybe one day I will decide otherwise. That's surely up to me.

Whether it was clever or not - I'm trusting you all to make your own judgments and I'm really not asking anyone this question. I'm not sure I care.

Your bot explanation - makes sense to me. I thank you for it.

Lastly - I do have a following here - and even though I hadn't submitted anything in years, here, I regularly get emails asking me to write more and add chapters to stories. I also know my stories are polarizing and some insist on reading them and telling me how horrible they are. My scores defy a bell curve.

By omitting chapter 2, it challenges the reader. Some won't like it. I get that and I'm cool with it. I'm pretty sure my followers will beat off to it. I'm sure I will also gain new followers. And I'm sure I'll gain new haters too.

It's just a very weird thing to use to reject the publication of a story. The more I look into it, the weirder it seems.

I will admit to being surprised at the reaction here in this thread. I thought artistic license - even for a lousy artist - would be the first thing to be defended. I'm actually shocked that it wasn't the first thing defended. I did violate no actual rule.

 

[TQM]

Keep in mind that I still had to have a conventional numbering system. I doubt that any site would allow you to avoid that.

You are correct in that "no story is complete until the author says it is." You are free to go back and extend it as much as you want. You are even free to add something in the middle, but then you can't number it. A while ago we had someone who wanted to add something like "Chapter 3.5." Nope, it won't fly here; you can't have it numbered at all - not unless you want to repost everything with new numbers and really, it's just not worth it.

I understand what you're saying. I appreciate what you're saying. But it is a limit being imposed for no obviously good reason. I'd suggest - and it's not a big deal one way or the other - that this limit be reconsidered for the sake of artistic license. Not saying I'm any good. But if someone wants chapter 3.5, let them do it.

I grew up on reading Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus. Let numbering mean something.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Thank you for your comments.

Let's get this straight, first. There is a chapter 2. I have chosen to not write about it. I don't think it is compelling enough. I'm not confused about anything. Maybe one day I will decide otherwise. That's surely up to me.

No, I don't think you're confused about your own story. I wrote that you seemed to be confusing nonchronological content with numbering things out of order. But that's a minor point, and I don't have much to add.

It's just a very weird thing to use to reject the publication of a story. The more I look into it, the weirder it seems.

Maybe this will make it seem less weird. A while back a person started a thread saying that they'd submitted two chapters of a story on the same day, chapter 6 and 7, iirc. They got notice that chapter 6 was rejected for a content issue, but that chapter 7 had been accepted with a publishing date. Then the next day, the publishing date for chapter 7 disappeared. No rejection notice, just no longer recorded as being accepted. Suffice to say, the OP was confused.

Consenus in this forum was that Laurel was waiting for the person to fix the content rejection on chapter 6, and set a publishing date for it, before setting the new publishing date for chapter 7. The OP subsequently confirmed this, they fixed the problem with chapter 6, and both chapters were published, 7 shortly after 6.

So, clearly, if you're going to number your chapters, the expectation is going to be that they're in the conventional order. But you've already figured out the way around that, and i hope you're successful.

 

[MsNatalie99]

I understand what you're saying. I appreciate what you're saying. But it is a limit being imposed for no obviously good reason. I'd suggest - and it's not a big deal one way or the other - that this limit be reconsidered for the sake of artistic license. Not saying I'm any good. But if someone wants chapter 3.5, let them do it.

I grew up on reading Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus. Let numbering mean something.

What are you hoping to accomplish? What is the mission of the thread? You say that you did the thread without understanding what this forum was for. You had gotten your answer and ample attention. You have argued with everyone who has tried to advise you, even the ones who agreed. Take it up with Laurel and move on. Your not talking about artistic license, your mad because your story got bounced back due to a perceived possible error.

Talk to the powers that be. And if you can't flex your artistic mucle in a way that's satisfying you, then go somewhere where you can. But you are acting like someone who throws a fit in a restaurant when they've ordered something off the menu and was told no. This thread will not change the rules, alter any decisions, or get your story published. Go to Laurel. That's your answer. Anything else is just a cry for attention.

 

[TQM]

No, I don't think you're confused about your own story. I wrote that you seemed to be confusing nonchronological content with numbering things out of order. But that's a minor point, and I don't have much to add.



Maybe this will make it seem less weird. A while back a person started a thread saying that they'd submitted two chapters of a story on the same day, chapter 6 and 7, iirc. They got notice that chapter 6 was rejected for a content issue, but that chapter 7 had been accepted with a publishing date. Then the next day, the publishing date for chapter 7 disappeared. No rejection notice, just no longer recorded as being accepted. Suffice to say, the OP was confused.

Consenus in this forum was that Laurel was waiting for the person to fix the content rejection on chapter 6, and set a publishing date for it, before setting the new publishing date for chapter 7. The OP subsequently confirmed this, they fixed the problem with chapter 6, and both chapters were published, 7 shortly after 6.

So, clearly, if you're going to number your chapters, the expectation is going to be that they're in the conventional order. But you've already figured out the way around that, and i hope you're successful.

Thank you. I believe, the more I think about it, that there are reasons for why some choose to be unconventional. I'd support them. I do understand places need rules. Content issues are legit. Of all the good reasons to be rejected, this one is simply - funny.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

This is what happens when biologists get allowed to write fiction...

(Geeky science joke - biologists can't count. This is proven by the two enzymes that polymerise nucleic acids together to make DNA, which are called DNA polymerase 1 and DNA polymerase 3...)

 

[TQM]

This is what happens when biologists get allowed to write fiction...

(Geeky science joke - biologists can't count. This is proven by the two enzymes that polymerise nucleic acids together to make DNA, which are called DNA polymerase 1 and DNA polymerase 3...)

That's actually quite good.

Here is more on those who like creativity with their chapter numbers:

https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Unusual_Chapter_Numbers

 

[KeithD]

Hi - that may well be true. I'm only stating what the rejection said - namely that a moderator rejected it for the reason I've stated. I'm not making this up.

I have no "beef" with anyone. I disagree with the decision and I'm asking why it was made - there can be many reasons to publish something out of order. All the message said was to publish chapter 2 first. Given there is no chapter 2, I can't comply.

I told you that it isn't a moderator who rejected it. And I told you who the only person was you could negotiate with on this. I even told you how to connect with her. You aren't paying a damn bit of attention, so you must just want to vent into the void.

 

[TQM]

I told you that it isn't a moderator who rejected it. And I told you who the only person was you could negotiate with on this. I even told you how to connect with her. You aren't paying a damn bit of attention, so you must just want to vent into the void.

Your singular ability to miss the point is astonishing.

I don't give a flying fuck if there is a moderator. The message I got said a "moderator" rejected it and stated an implausible reason.

I'm not interested in "negotiating" anything.

I wanted to know if there was a good reason or a reasonable explanation for the rejection. I wanted to know if there was something I'm not thinking about that might explain why.

I keep repeating this to you, and you keep ignoring what I'm saying - and then you say I'm not paying attention.

I'm not venting. I'm responding to exactly what was written to me.

 

[MsNatalie99]

Your singular ability to miss the point is astonishing.

I don't give a flying fuck if there is a moderator. The message I got said a "moderator" rejected it and stated an implausible reason.

I'm not interested in "negotiating" anything.

I wanted to know if there was a good reason or a reasonable explanation for the rejection. I wanted to know if there was something I'm not thinking about that might explain why.

I keep repeating this to you, and you keep ignoring what I'm saying - and then you say I'm not paying attention.

I'm not venting. I'm responding to exactly what was written to me.

No one's ignored what you're saying. You got your answers in the first few responses. Now, your just repeating the same tantrum over and over. Nothing about your situation will change using this method. It is abundantly clear that you either lack the will to act on the advice given to you or the intelligence. Either way, there is no help for your problem here. You clearly don't care if your story gets published, or have the slightest concerns about artistic integrity. You only wish to argue, and I have no more time for the ranting of an entitled child. Good day Karen.