My one plea and suggestion to ALL authors

[supercheetah]

I have only one plea to all authors here. It's a very big pet peeve of mine.

I only ask that all authors please look very carefully at their grammar and spelling. I have seen too many instances of poor grammar and spelling, and such instances can lead to confusion.

For example, every time a conversation is held, and the speaker changes to a different person, a new paragraph must be started! This is one of the most violated rules I see on this sight, and it is one that often leads to my own confusion as to whom is speaking.

 

[brightlyiburn]

I have only one plea to all authors here. It's a very big pet peeve of mine.

I only ask that all authors please look very carefully at their grammar and spelling. I have seen too many instances of poor grammar and spelling, and such instances can lead to confusion.

For example, every time a conversation is held, and the speaker changes to a different person, a new paragraph must be started! This is one of the most violated rules I see on this sight, and it is one that often leads to my own confusion as to whom is speaking.

First of all, Lit doesn't format that way. You can use a new paragraph, yes, but it doesn't indent.
Second, that's not entirely correct. Dialogue can be contained within a paragraph, although that is more stylistic. Although I don't read much here, I have yet to see that particular problem.

 

[Stardog Champion]

Get real,

While its a nice, Utopian ideal for the whole world to write with perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, you're destined for a very frustrating existance if you let a few mispelled words or grammatical errors drag you down.

If Literotica was a weekly magazine that you had to plunk down a few dollars for, I could see being more demanding when it comes to 'grammatical cleanliness", but what you have to understand about Lit is that it's a FREE and open forum for people of all types of educational and cultural backgrounds to express their ideas and thoughts about sex. I'm not crazy about everything I read here either, but I'm thrilled there's a 'marketplace' for us commom people to explore our sexual ideas instead of having that ability reserved only for professional writers.

If a story is lacking in the areas you brought up, chances are it will be dealt with by the voting process...ie lower voted stories usually get fewer reads.

SC

 

[Rainbow Skin]

There is no must about it. It may be convenient, it may be stylistically useful, it may be conventional, but there are no rules. Lots of people write badly, and lots of people write well, and almost none of it has anything to do with spelling or these imaginary rules of grammar.

 

[supercheetah]

Re: Re: My one plea and suggestion to ALL authors

First of all, Lit doesn't format that way. You can use a new paragraph, yes, but it doesn't indent.
Second, that's not entirely correct. Dialogue can be contained within a paragraph, although that is more stylistic. Although I don't read much here, I have yet to see that particular problem.

Indentation? I didn't complain about indentation. I know how HTML works, and getting real indents is a pain, and I wouldn't ask people to try and do that here.

I'll just point out again that this was a suggestion with a strong undertone. I'm not asking anyone to enforce this. I don't let these things get in the way of my enjoying a good story, but they still stick out to me like a splinter.

It's not just here either. It's Internet wide, and getting worse. I just wish it were getting better. Most people have their pet peeves. This one just so happens to be mine. I'm just trying to do what I can to alleviate the problem. If nobody listens to my plea, fine, but I'd like to hope that isn't the case.

 

[HornyHenry]

I have only one plea to all authors here. It's a very big pet peeve of mine.

I only ask that all authors please look very carefully at their grammar and spelling. I have seen too many instances of poor grammar and spelling, and such instances can lead to confusion.

For example, every time a conversation is held, and the speaker changes to a different person, a new paragraph must be started! This is one of the most violated rules I see on this sight, and it is one that often leads to my own confusion as to whom is speaking.

My sight is pretty good, but I agree that the stories on this site that have many glaring punctuation and spelling errors are difficult to read sometimes. If there are only a few, I try to ignore them if the story is otherwise good or hot. If it is so bad I can't read it, I don't. If there are many errors that detract from my enjoyment of a story, either I won't vote, or might give it a "4" instead of a "5".

I read, re-read, review, edit, and sometimes have someone else look at my stories before submitting them. Still, I'm amazed at the errors that have still slipped through, like the "sight" error that slipped through your post. I'll forgive you if you'll be tolerant of my few errors in my stories.
Thanks for reading and caring enough to post.

 

[elsol]

I think grammar and punctuation fanatics need to remember... you're the exception and not the rule.

Feedback in this aspect of writing is the most appreciated and easiest to absorb by a writer because it is the easiest to differentiate from reader preference.

There were at least three instances where you didn't precede a "but" with a necessary comma... in the first half of the chapter, among others.

- "Most kids would not have pulled what I did but my father's money, my freedom, and my attitude about the future made me close to untouchable." (after but)
- "An innocuous experiment except that I really had not paid any attention to the instructions for the procedure." (after except)
- "I was not the type that did drugs but there was a difference if I made the stuff myself." (after but)
- "The only thing he could really call me to the mat for was that I would have more end product than anyone else in the class but I 'seemed' to be doing everything right." (after but, and sorry, but this whole sentence is clunky and should be rewritten)

Clear cut examples like this particular person so helpfully offered actually killed the problem in my writing after they sent this to me.


Do not plead or suggest... POINT OUT the errors.

Some writers will get pissy, but some will consider you a godsend.

Sincerely,

ElSol

 

[NoJo]

Do not plead or suggest... POINT OUT the errors.

Some writers will get pissy, but some will consider you a godsend.

Sincerely,

ElSol

Right on.

I always appreciate any feedback that helps me to make my next story better, or fix up my current story. So I'm happy to receive spelling/grammar crits. Obviously, I'd prefer to get them before I've submitted the story.

 

[patricia51]

Re: Re: My one plea and suggestion to ALL authors

My sight is pretty good, but I agree that the stories on this site that have many glaring punctuation and spelling errors are difficult to read sometimes. If there are only a few, I try to ignore them if the story is otherwise good or hot. If it is so bad I can't read it, I don't. If there are many errors that detract from my enjoyment of a story, either I won't vote, or might give it a "4" instead of a "5".

I read, re-read, review, edit, and sometimes have someone else look at my stories before submitting them. Still, I'm amazed at the errors that have still slipped through, like the "sight" error that slipped through your post. I'll forgive you if you'll be tolerant of my few errors in my stories.
Thanks for reading and caring enough to post.

*Sigh* I run my stories through Spellcheck, through grammer check and by at least one friend. Invariably the first time I look at one when its posted I find errors. It drives me crazy, I'm sure it does other people too.

 

[supercheetah]

Re: Re: My one plea and suggestion to ALL authors

My sight is pretty good, but I agree that the stories on this site that have many glaring punctuation and spelling errors are difficult to read sometimes. If there are only a few, I try to ignore them if the story is otherwise good or hot. If it is so bad I can't read it, I don't. If there are many errors that detract from my enjoyment of a story, either I won't vote, or might give it a "4" instead of a "5".

I read, re-read, review, edit, and sometimes have someone else look at my stories before submitting them. Still, I'm amazed at the errors that have still slipped through, like the "sight" error that slipped through your post. I'll forgive you if you'll be tolerant of my few errors in my stories.
Thanks for reading and caring enough to post.

I commend you for doing as such, and thanks for pointing out my small mistake. Small things like "sight/site" are understandable, but I get hung up on entire stories that are filled with such erroneousness all throughout.

I'll do as asked and let people know when I spot such errors in their stories.

 

[flyer333]

Overuse of words

Yes, confusion can result when characters are not identified when speaking. Another common mistake is overuse of the same words that identify the speakers. For example:

"I like you," he said.

"I like you more," she said.

"I'm serious," he said.

"I know," she said.

Mix it up with things like SAID, REPLIED, RESPONDED, RETORTED, CONFESSED, REVEALED, ANSWERED, QUESTIONED, INQUIRED, SPOKE, ANNOUNCED...just a few for starters.

Now look at the same example with a little more emotion.

"I like you," he nervously revealed as he glanced down awkwardly at the floor.

"I like you more," her perky voice responded in a manner that both surprised and elated him.

"I'm serious," he firmly announced, suspecting she might not be aware of the intensity of his true feelings.

"I know," she reassured him in her sweet, angelic way.

I'm glad writers are asking for assistance. I'm now an authorized editor for Lit and my plate is empty right now, so if anyone needs me to look at something I'm willing. It doesn't have to be complete, I can review partial manuscripts and let you know how it's progressing.

 

[flyer333]

Overuse of physical descriptions

For the record, I'm not trying to artificially inflate the number of my posts. Another thought occurred to me after the last post

Don't state a person's physical description. Allow it to be revealed. Again, an example:

"Sheila stood on the north corner of Hollywood and Vine. She is 5' 2", has long blonde hair, green eyes, and big tits."

This is how I would reveal the same information, but in a different manner. I avoid specifics and allow the reader's imaginination to form the character's dimensions in their own mind.

"Sheila stood on the north corner of Hollywood and Vine. Air disturbed by passing cars blew several strands of her long blonde hair upon her face. She instinctively swept the hair out of her green eyes and tucked them behind one ear. In so doing a finger brushed against the diamond earring that adorned her lobe, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face.

<Notice the paragraph break>

"She felt eyes staring at her and glanced to her right. She noticed the suit before anything else. Fashion was important. Next, her eyes traveled up to the face, and locked onto the gray eyes that shamelessly admired the mounds nestled within her tight blouse."

I think you get the idea. I almost launched into a whole new story there

Down. boy...

 

[flyer333]

Sorry

Okay, I'm officially embarrassed. Touting myself as an editor and then posting after I've had a couple. SORRY!

In case you didn't notice my last post:

[This is how I would reveal the same information, but in a different manner. I avoid specifics and allow the reader's imaginination to form the character's dimensions in their own mind.]

You'll see the glaring mistake. I must have had "gin" on my mind. LOL

 

[Lady Cassandra]

I cn stll undrstnd th stry rgrdlss f spllng. Dtt fr grmr.

 

[elsol]

I cn stll undrstnd th stry rgrdlss f spllng. Dtt fr grmr.

Actually it would be...

I cn stll undrstnd te stry rgrdlss of spllng. Dto fr grmr.

At least if you and I read the same article that says the human brain can recognize and cohesively put together words in a paragraph as long as the first and last letter of a word are preserved.


ElSol

 

[HornyHenry]

Here's a prime example of what we're talking about here

This guy, Mark Singer, writes really hot stories. People like them, as can be seen by the large number of red "H"'s. I recently read his "Teasing Terri--" series and really enjoyed them.
(I've had him bookmarked for a long time and keep comming back 'til I read them all!)
http://english.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1236&page=submissions

However, his spelling and some grammar really needs help. He constantly confuses your and you're, their and they're, and that sort of thing. It DOES detract from the stories somewhat, however, his writing is otherwise so good and flows so well that I can overlook these problems. I gave him "5"'s on most stories I have read, if not all. This is one of the rare writers that deserve "5"'s in spite of their errors.

I have stopped reading some stories before when the grammar and spelling is so bad that I have to stop and try to figure out what they're saying. So, I agree with supercheetah and the others on this point. But don't throw throw out the good stories just for a few mistakes.

And, Patricia,

*Sigh* I run my stories through Spellcheck, through grammer check and by at least one friend. Invariably the first time I look at one when its posted I find errors. It drives me crazy, I'm sure it does other people too.

Yep, that's what has happened to me, exactly!
And, I'm waiting patiently for your avatar to come, you sexy lady.

 

[Erotic_Bard]

While I understand what people here are saying about not needing good grammer, spelling and punctuation to enjoy a story I have to admit that personally, these items will make me click away without finishing the story.

Not that anyone is immune to mess ups in grammer and spelling. Almost all stories have some problem that slips through. The occasional slip-up isn't the problem.

The problem is that when a story is so badly spelled and grammatically incorrect it becomes difficult to read and any mood that the author is trying to create is broken. It reflects badly on the author and indicates lazy writing.

Breaking rules for style's sake is acceptable, but it's usually obvious when this is the purpose of the writer. I think the original complaint was simply regarding the fact that paragraph break rules are just being ignored - it's not a style issue.

Posting to a message board is one thing - it's not something that warrants re-writes and editing before posting. A story does warrant this attention and will almost be better because of it.

In other places on the web I have read of people who happen to complain about these issues being called intellectual snobs. It seems that the other side is just as guilty of being snobs on the side of ignorance and sloppy workmanship.

I'm not trying to start any kind of argument or anything, but it bothers me that the original poster's thoughts have been completely dismissed because he/she posted it as a plea instead of a request or suggestion.

 

[HornyHenry]

Supercheetah's 1st complaint

I only ask that all authors please look very carefully at their grammar and spelling. I have seen too many instances of poor grammar and spelling, and such instances can lead to confusion.

This is the one I addressed. The paragraph issue is a real one too. There are certain accepted paragraph formatings here that make stories easier to read.

I agree with what you say about the importance on grammar, spelling, formatting, etc. And, yes, postings here or on other forums are not expected to be correct! However, please go read the first one or two parts of Mark Singer's "Teasing Terri.." and tell me it wasn't hot, in spite of his grammatical errors. That's the point I was making.

 

[mustang_grl143]

I must say I am nervous about my writing becaus I am a very bad speller but i like this site because it alows you to be you and you do not have to be a pro to write

 

[GrammarGoddess]

Ok, I admit to being a complete grammar geek, and I admit that I'm in the minority with that, but. . .

A few grammar/spelling errors aren't a big deal, but sometimes it's a huge struggle to get through a story because the mistakes make it hard to tell who's speaking, or the sentences become run-ons, or the mistake are just so glaring that they make it hard to pay attention to plot or characters.

A recent story I liked at first kept replacing words like "good" with "well" at inappropriate places. It wasn't a big error, and wouldn't be caught by spell check, but it was distracting from the flow of the story.

I like that people feel comfortable posting their work here because they can do so while the writing is still a little rough, and I understand that sometimes what appear to be errors to one reader are intentional elements of style. However, when these problems get in the way of a good story it's bad for everyone involved. The reader doesn't enjoy the story as much as possible, and the writer doesn't produce his or her best work.

 

[TxRad]

When I first started to write, it was out of boredom. A little trip down memory lane to fill in the time. That turned into a 287 page book.

Spelling? Grammar? style? I'm the jock that sat in the back of your highschool class. How I ever passed is beyond me and a secret my female teachers wouldn't want me to pass around. So a good spelling/grammar checker is a must for me but it doesn't rule my writing.

I try to keep it real. Meaning the way people talk and think. Most people don't talk or think with perfect grammar. Actually, I think it adds to the flavor of the story(s)

My two cents worth.....

 

[Erotic_Bard]

Writing how people speak is fine - that's using colloquial language and if done well, it can be a great story enhancer. (Mark Twain did it expertly).

But that's not the point of the original argument. It's the language and grammer 'around' the dialogue that can be the problem.

 

[brightlyiburn]

Ok, I admit to being a complete grammar geek, and I admit that I'm in the minority with that, but. . .

A few grammar/spelling errors aren't a big deal, but sometimes it's a huge struggle to get through a story because the mistakes make it hard to tell who's speaking, or the sentences become run-ons, or the mistake are just so glaring that they make it hard to pay attention to plot or characters.

A recent story I liked at first kept replacing words like "good" with "well" at inappropriate places. It wasn't a big error, and wouldn't be caught by spell check, but it was distracting from the flow of the story.

I like that people feel comfortable posting their work here because they can do so while the writing is still a little rough, and I understand that sometimes what appear to be errors to one reader are intentional elements of style. However, when these problems get in the way of a good story it's bad for everyone involved. The reader doesn't enjoy the story as much as possible, and the writer doesn't produce his or her best work.

This makes a lot of very good points. One, that a few little errors should not ruin the story. Usually they don't. There's almost a scale...a few little mistakes that obvious typos which doesn't make a story unreadable, to a grammatical train wreck that is painful to try to read. Most of the problems I've seen here fall about the middle, and that can detract from the story. I think, however, complaining about every single little typo, especially if there's only one or two, is silly.
Two, elements of style. Some things are elements of style (something I might have to discuss with my editor). Much of the time I've seen no problem with adjusting to it. Very little of it makes me stop. I remember this one author who used some odd tenses which brought me to the occasional pause, but it didn't ruin the story. However, this is why there are so few radically different structures of writing as far as stories go. There is definately a certain amount of organization that is needed.
Three, people feel comfortable here. Unfortunately, I've seen some authors who stubbornly refuse to work on their grammar and editing. This is probably due to grammar nazis who jump on their first story, pointing out errors galore and not mentioning the good points of the story. This is a show of negative-reinforcement backfiring. If that's all people get, they won't feel comfortable posting here. If they thought they had to check every little thing with a fine tooth comb, they wouldn't want to bother.
Balance is what you need. Try to show them the strong points that need to be supported by good grammar and spelling. Explain to them why the changes you suggest will help, and why the things you point out take away from the story. Mix it up with the things they do correctly. If they still don't listen, well, you did what you could.

But don't be anal about the occasional little typo. You get them even in books you pay for. You're not paying a cent here, so don't get all in a tizzy if you don't get perfection.

 

[Sean]

Typos aren't a problem.To quote Tolkien"my typing is of the strictly two fingered variety",but grammar is something else entirely.And,although you're not supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction,minor spelling or grammatical errors can be annoying they're not that big a deal.But(again?) can I put a plea in from the from the more British readers of this site about some REALLY bad grammar which is purely American?To whit(how pretentious does that sound?) "gotten" as in "I'd gotten laid last Thursday".Gotten is not a word."In back of";aargh!sorry,drunken rant over.lol Sean

 

[Sean]

Typos aren't a problem.To quote Tolkien"my typing is of the strictly two fingered variety",but grammar is something else entirely.And,although you're not supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction,minor spelling or grammatical errors can be annoying they're not that big a deal.But(again?) can I put a plea in from the from the more British readers of this site about some REALLY bad grammar which is purely American?To whit(how pretentious does that sound?) "gotten" as in "I'd gotten laid last Thursday".Gotten is not a word."In back of";aargh!sorry,drunken rant over.lol Sean

See Houdini and his underwater tricks/you were sitting at the front hoping his locks would stick.JAMES