Lush Stories is a joke of a website

[TheHurtLiker]

Decided I'd try to post some stuff on a different story site and "Lush Stories" was the first one that came up. I submitted my story "Beach Bum" and it was rejected because there were a couple times the main character said "no" and they said it was non-consentual even though it was in the context of a BDSM relationship. I changed it enough so it could get through, and it was accepted. Then I submitted the first chapter of my series "Owned". It was rejected because it contained fart fetish stuff, and they said it falls under "scat" and is unacceptable. I politely tried explaining that those are two different fetishes entirely, and that my first story also contains elements of it and was accepted. This prompted them to retroactively tell me to edit my first story or have it deleted. Fuck these people, honestly. I'm sick and tired of encountering censorship everywhere. What the fuck is the point of reading erotic lit if you have gatekeepers trying to make it more boring than what you see on Pornhub? Fart fetish isn't everyone's thing, for sure. But it's harmless. Who the fuck are they to decide this kink is inappropriate? Unbelievable. Modern internet is a complete joke. I told them I wouldn't be submitting to them anymore.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

There are other story websites, bigger than Lush and with less censorship than Lit, for example. Whether you will be satisfied with them, that's a whole different question

 

[AG31]

Decided I'd try to post some stuff on a different story site and "Lush Stories" was the first one that came up. I submitted my story "Beach Bum" and it was rejected because there were a couple times the main character said "no" and they said it was non-consentual even though it was in the context of a BDSM relationship. I changed it enough so it could get through, and it was accepted. Then I submitted the first chapter of my series "Owned". It was rejected because it contained fart fetish stuff, and they said it falls under "scat" and is unacceptable. I politely tried explaining that those are two different fetishes entirely, and that my first story also contains elements of it and was accepted. This prompted them to retroactively tell me to edit my first story or have it deleted. Fuck these people, honestly. I'm sick and tired of encountering censorship everywhere. What the fuck is the point of reading erotic lit if you have gatekeepers trying to make it more boring than what you see on Pornhub? Fart fetish isn't everyone's thing, for sure. But it's harmless. Who the fuck are they to decide this kink is inappropriate? Unbelievable. Modern internet is a complete joke. I told them I wouldn't be submitting to them anymore.

I gave up on Lush for their arbitrary and opaque policies. Different individual reviewers have different ideas of what the policies mean.

 

[MillieDynamite]

The website has asked me several times to return, but they made me do extra edits to not offend the sensibilities of the weaker readers. I just couldn't be bothered. So, my answer has always been a resounding NO!

 

[Priscilla_June]

There are other story websites, bigger than Lush and with less censorship than Lit, for example. Whether you will be satisfied with them, that's a whole different question

Which ones? Or can we not say? Im always trying to understand the field of whats out there.

 

[MillieDynamite]

SOL is the biggest site behind Lit.

Which ones? Or can we not say? Im always trying to understand the field of whats out there.

EDIT: Sent you a PM.

 

[gunhilltrain]

SOL is the biggest site behind Lit.

EDIT: Sent you a PM.

Every site has it's own quirks. The one you mentioned generally doesn't bother the writers much and posts stories within a day or so of being submitted. Their software is antique, but I've gotten used to it. "A site for every purpose, and a purpose for every site."

 

[AwkwardlySet]

@Priscilla_June
AO3 if you are interested in fanfic content. It's huge and it has almost no restrictions. But it's heavily focused on fanfic.
SOL is a standard erotic story website with a bit fewer restrictions that Lit. It's also much smaller, and somewhat more focused on the needs of authors, but with an aged interface and with no forum worth mentioning.
Both sites have no categories, but they do have a much better tags system that works pretty well on SOL (although it's restricted in the sense that you can't come up with your own tags), and a very messy tags system on AO3 because there you have absolute freedom to create tags as you see fit. Mods there put in work to unite and link related tags so it does work in a way, but it's incredibly messy and confusing for new users.

 

[MillieDynamite]

The convoluted scoring apparatus sucks at SOL, to be sure. Every time you think you're excellent or terrible, they pull you to the middle. Yes, it has a very outdated look and feel. There are few comments, most of the time, and you can't really set comments to ON or hide them behind the paywall until after it is published. I think I put some stories on AO3 but not sure and wouldn't remember how to access my account there now.

Every site has it's own quirks. The one you mentioned generally doesn't bother the writers much and posts stories within a day or so of being submitted. Their software is antique, but I've gotten used to it. "A site for every purpose, and a purpose for every site."

 

[gunhilltrain]

Decided I'd try to post some stuff on a different story site and "Lush Stories" was the first one that came up. I submitted my story "Beach Bum" and it was rejected because there were a couple times the main character said "no" and they said it was non-consentual even though it was in the context of a BDSM relationship. I changed it enough so it could get through, and it was accepted. Then I submitted the first chapter of my series "Owned". It was rejected because it contained fart fetish stuff, and they said it falls under "scat" and is unacceptable. I politely tried explaining that those are two different fetishes entirely, and that my first story also contains elements of it and was accepted. This prompted them to retroactively tell me to edit my first story or have it deleted. Fuck these people, honestly. I'm sick and tired of encountering censorship everywhere. What the fuck is the point of reading erotic lit if you have gatekeepers trying to make it more boring than what you see on Pornhub? Fart fetish isn't everyone's thing, for sure. But it's harmless. Who the fuck are they to decide this kink is inappropriate? Unbelievable. Modern internet is a complete joke. I told them I wouldn't be submitting to them anymo

I've never had too much trouble with them, but the various moderators can be annoying. But then, Lit can be annoying too, and it's got one person making the decisions.

Lit has the biggest readership by far, which is an advantage. Lush has an age limit of sixteen, which allows for coming-of-age stories. So I'm sure I'll be on both indefinitely. One amusing Lush rejection: I had a female character who was Jewish complaining about Norman Mailer's attitude towards Jewish women. Mailer himself was Jewish (he was still alive at the time the story takes place). The whole bit, about four lines, was tongue-in-cheek on the part of the character. The site didn't use the term "anti-Semitic," but they made me remove those lines.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Yeah, they have a poor understanding of humor at the site.

I've never had too much trouble with them, but the various moderators can be annoying. But then, Lit can be annoying too, and it's got one person making the decisions.

Lit has the biggest readership by far, which is an advantage. Lush has an age limit of sixteen, which allows for coming-of-age stories. So I'm sure I'll be on both indefinitely. One amusing Lush rejection: I had a female character who was Jewish complaining about Norman Mailer's attitude towards Jewish women. Mailer himself was Jewish (he was still alive at the time the story takes place). The whole bit, about four lines, was tongue-in-cheek on the part of the character. The site didn't use the term "anti-Semitic," but they made me remove those lines.

 

[AchtungNight]

I submit to Lit and AO3 these days. I get more attention to my fanfic on AO3 but my original content is welcomed also. It gets more attention on Lit but has to pass the censorship. I don’t think I will ever submit to Lush based on stories I’ve heard. I did submit to other sites back when I first started writing, including SOL, but the lack of feedback there was not welcoming. I also wasn’t a fan of SOL’s submission software and scoring system. Oh well, two sites is trouble enough.

 

[alohadave]

The convoluted scoring apparatus sucks at SOL, to be sure. Every time you think you're excellent or terrible, they pull you to the middle. Yes, it has a very outdated look and feel. There are few comments, most of the time, and you can't really set comments to ON or hide them behind the paywall until after it is published. I think I put some stories on AO3 but not sure and wouldn't remember how to access my account there now.

What do you think of the story covers they just rolled out?

I raised a comment about the sizing on screen and it was pretty much brushed aside.

 

[TheHurtLiker]

I've never had too much trouble with them, but the various moderators can be annoying. But then, Lit can be annoying too, and it's got one person making the decisions.

Lit has the biggest readership by far, which is an advantage. Lush has an age limit of sixteen, which allows for coming-of-age stories. So I'm sure I'll be on both indefinitely. One amusing Lush rejection: I had a female character who was Jewish complaining about Norman Mailer's attitude towards Jewish women. Mailer himself was Jewish (he was still alive at the time the story takes place). The whole bit, about four lines, was tongue-in-cheek on the part of the character. The site didn't use the term "anti-Semitic," but they made me remove those lines.

The anti-semitism thing is hilarious. I guess because I'm very new to posting stories, I'm honestly shocked at the amount of censorship going on. To give another Lush example - in my story, the main character is buried up to his head in sand and his girlfriend is flicking his nose. He's saying things like, "Stop! That's annoying!" And this was considered to be some sort of "non-consentual" act by one of their editors. Um, okay? If we're gonna be that literal about it, I don't remember consenting to your absurd interpretation of my story but don't mind me, I'm just salty as hell about this

 

[MillieDynamite]

SOL, I'm not thrilled with the ones they stuck on mine, but I'm changing them as I can. But without the cover visible before you go in, it isn't really a draw factor.

What do you think of the story covers they just rolled out?

I raised a comment about the sizing on screen and it was pretty much brushed aside.

 

[silky52]

I've never had too much trouble with them, but the various moderators can be annoying. But then, Lit can be annoying too, and it's got one person making the decisions.

Lit has the biggest readership by far, which is an advantage. Lush has an age limit of sixteen, which allows for coming-of-age stories. So I'm sure I'll be on both indefinitely. One amusing Lush rejection: I had a female character who was Jewish complaining about Norman Mailer's attitude towards Jewish women. Mailer himself was Jewish (he was still alive at the time the story takes place). The whole bit, about four lines, was tongue-in-cheek on the part of the character. The site didn't use the term "anti-Semitic," but they made me remove those lines.

What does someone's religion have to do with anything?

 

[MillieDynamite]

If you are Jewish, it has a lot to do with everything. Or so our resident jew writer claims. I haven't seen her on here today, though.

What does someone's religion have to do with anything?

 

[silky52]

If you are Jewish, it has a lot to do with everything. Or so our resident jew writer claims. I haven't seen her on here today, though.

I'm not surprised if you call her a Jew writer!

 

[Priscilla_June]

Hmmm SOL not having the best feedback mechanism kinda makes me not want to bother. Really I’m just wanting to get more engagement but the more I look Ao3 and Lit are pretty much my best bets?

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Hmmm SOL not having the best feedback mechanism kinda makes me not want to bother. Really I’m just wanting to get more engagement but the more I look Ao3 and Lit are pretty much my best bets?

Forget engagement on AO3 unless you write fanfic, it isn't happening Maybe with something popular like futanari, but not with any regular Lit stuff. Lit is better for feedback than SOL because it has more readers but also because it lets anonymous readers comment. SOL has some great ways to protect you from trolls, and comments post instantly there because you have to be registered to comment. The bottom line is, there is no website that does it all good. Lit is probably the best overall, which kinda speaks volumes about how bad it is for us who basically provide free stories. New players are needed.

 

[gunhilltrain]

What does someone's religion have to do with anything?

She actually quotes a passage of his from The Naked and The Dead. Then she jokes that she'd like to meet him at a book reading/signing and tease him about his views. I started a story where she does exactly that at a bookstore on Fifth Avenue. She starts off pretending to be a fan (she calls him Mr. Mailer), and then eventually he's both intrigued and a bit shocked at what she comes up with. One of the things she calls him out on his his 1959 short story "The Time of Her Time." (The critics raved about it but It struck me as being absurd.)

Maybe I should finish it.

 

[gunhilltrain]

The anti-semitism thing is hilarious. I guess because I'm very new to posting stories, I'm honestly shocked at the amount of censorship going on. To give another Lush example - in my story, the main character is buried up to his head in sand and his girlfriend is flicking his nose. He's saying things like, "Stop! That's annoying!" And this was considered to be some sort of "non-consentual" act by one of their editors. Um, okay? If we're gonna be that literal about it, I don't remember consenting to your absurd interpretation of my story but don't mind me, I'm just salty as hell about this

I assume he got himself buried at the beach as a prank. I think I did see that once.

 

[gunhilltrain]

The convoluted scoring apparatus sucks at SOL, to be sure. Every time you think you're excellent or terrible, they pull you to the middle. Yes, it has a very outdated look and feel. There are few comments, most of the time, and you can't really set comments to ON or hide them behind the paywall until after it is published. I think I put some stories on AO3 but not sure and wouldn't remember how to access my account there now.

They've got a one-to-ten system instead of our one-to-five. Not a bad idea, I guess, but then they messed it up by doing that. Their explanation seems incomprehensible. Yet the webmaster, as cranky as he is, will honestly answer your questions on the same day.

 

[AwkwardMD]

The anti-semitism thing is hilarious. I guess because I'm very new to posting stories, I'm honestly shocked at the amount of censorship going on. To give another Lush example - in my story, the main character is buried up to his head in sand and his girlfriend is flicking his nose. He's saying things like, "Stop! That's annoying!" And this was considered to be some sort of "non-consentual" act by one of their editors. Um, okay? If we're gonna be that literal about it, I don't remember consenting to your absurd interpretation of my story but don't mind me, I'm just salty as hell about this

This is not censorship. Censorship is something governments do. A site choosing not to host content of one type or another is their prerogative. I understand that, from your perspective, there is little distinction between the two, but the distinction exists in spite of that.

Further, that is not an absurd interpretation of the story events as you've paraphrased them. Obviously you are shortening the real thing for brevity, but what you've described is a session veering into non-con. This is a widespread kink, but it is not without clear and significant drawbacks for the site hosting that content for profit. Sites like Lit and Lush have much bigger concerns than your artistic vision.


Edit: I am not trying to carry water for Lush, or Lit for that matter, but none of us are the center of the universe. I've had dozens of stories rejected for every conceivable reason. This is the game.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I submit to Lit and AO3 these days. I get more attention to my fanfic on AO3 but my original content is welcomed also. It gets more attention on Lit but has to pass the censorship. I don’t think I will ever submit to Lush based on stories I’ve heard. I did submit to other sites back when I first started writing, including SOL, but the lack of feedback there was not welcoming. I also wasn’t a fan of SOL’s submission software and scoring system. Oh well, two sites is trouble enough.

Try three. I'm trying to clean up the mess by keeping the submissions exclusive to each site. Well, the mess already exists.