Hello all. My frustration is that, although I have managed to have a couple of stories posted I have also had several rejected and the "reason" link only leads me to the various resource guides. Driving me crazy as I don't have and editor yet and proof all my stuff equally--at least I think I do.
New author says hello and vents frustration
- Thread starter Artist101
- Start date
Gabriel_Lee
Really Really Experienced
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2001
- Posts
- 392
Hello Artist101,
Feel free to vent away. There's nothing like a good vent to start the day. Sorry about the rejects. What, no clues at all?
Anyhows, welcome newbie
GL
P.S. Any relation to Room101?
Feel free to vent away. There's nothing like a good vent to start the day. Sorry about the rejects. What, no clues at all?
Anyhows, welcome newbie
GL
P.S. Any relation to Room101?
oggbashan
Dying Truth seeker
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2002
- Posts
- 56,017
Punctuation perhaps, but ...
I have read your two posted stories.
The problem doesn't seem to be with the content or the way you tell the story.
I think you might have a small problem with punctuation. It isn't easy to edit your own work and very easy to miss things that someone else would see.
There are several sentences that don't have a period (full stop) at the end. The sentences might be run on by the software and have to be corrected manually. I don't know if that is the problem.
The punctuation within quotation marks doesn't follow the normal conventions e.g. "Good Evening" should be "Good evening,".
There are a couple of minor typos e.g. in The Subject is Suzy there is a "thathad" as one word that a spell-checker should have picked up.
Some of the paragraphs could do with being broken up into shorter ones.
Apart from those minor niggles I can't see why your stories should be rejected but I have only read the ones that have been accepted.
We need more information before we can help on the rejections.
Og
I have read your two posted stories.
The problem doesn't seem to be with the content or the way you tell the story.
I think you might have a small problem with punctuation. It isn't easy to edit your own work and very easy to miss things that someone else would see.
There are several sentences that don't have a period (full stop) at the end. The sentences might be run on by the software and have to be corrected manually. I don't know if that is the problem.
The punctuation within quotation marks doesn't follow the normal conventions e.g. "Good Evening" should be "Good evening,".
There are a couple of minor typos e.g. in The Subject is Suzy there is a "thathad" as one word that a spell-checker should have picked up.
Some of the paragraphs could do with being broken up into shorter ones.
Apart from those minor niggles I can't see why your stories should be rejected but I have only read the ones that have been accepted.
We need more information before we can help on the rejections.
Og
Quasimodem
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2001
- Posts
- 2,191
Not to worry, Artist101.
We all feel the need to vent when the pressure builds. In fact, once you have been here a bit longer, you will be offered the option of exchanging those vents for more fashionable louvres.
Oh, and welcome from a fellow *Canuck!
* Part of the beat them to the nationalistic slur, policy.
We all feel the need to vent when the pressure builds. In fact, once you have been here a bit longer, you will be offered the option of exchanging those vents for more fashionable louvres.
Oh, and welcome from a fellow *Canuck!
* Part of the beat them to the nationalistic slur, policy.
Gabriel_Lee
Really Really Experienced
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2001
- Posts
- 392
Like Oggbashan, I also had a quick look at your stories. There were a number of minor items I could comment on, but nothing which might indicate problems with any story told in a similar way.
I've seen much worse stuff posted and I would not describe your stories as being in any way bad.
Give us some clues.
GL
I've seen much worse stuff posted and I would not describe your stories as being in any way bad.
Give us some clues.
GL
wildsweetone
i am what i am
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2002
- Posts
- 6,809
Hi Artist101 and Welcome to Litland! I hope your stay is enjoyable
Not sure myself why your stories were rejected... perhaps they contained underage characters in them?
Whatever the reason, keep writing
Not sure myself why your stories were rejected... perhaps they contained underage characters in them?
Whatever the reason, keep writing
Pure
Fiel a Verdad
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2001
- Posts
- 15,135
Hi Artist 101
The first few paras, and some problems. Additions in [].
Deletions in /xxx/. comments in {}.
Summary: many mistakes, mostly punctuation. Periods are missing, and quotations punctuated wrongly. Some spelling errors. I assume you want American spelling?
I could see how a bit higher level of these probs would cause rejection.
We all have to start somewhere. Don't give up. Get help. Learn some variety in sentences.
Best,
J.
======
[story by artist 101]
Sara stepped out of the cab into the cool spring air. The ride had cost her thirty dollars, a hefty chunk of the two hundred she had started out with. She had planned on an expensive evening[,] but she had hoped she wouldn't have /had/ to spend it on transportation. Across the street from where the cab had dropped her off[,] stood a large building. The sun had not quite set[,] so she could clearly see that it fit in with the industrial buildings in the area. Except for the large lighted sign on the roof which advertised the night club's name {frag}: The Extasy{sp.} Club.
She walked across the street, taking careful steps. She didn't usually wear high heels[,] and she did not want to stumble. She wore a simple white blouse and a knee length dark skirt. As she approached the building[,] she felt a little nervous. Built of plain concrete block[,] the entire side was broken by only a single door. There was a cluster of cars around the door[,] and while she was walking towards the door[,] a man exited the building and headed towards one of the cars. He didn't glance in her direction.
She arrived at the door, which was worn and battered. Only a sign indicating that a person had to be eighteen to enter marked it. Her mouth dry with excitement[,] she grabbed the handle, pulled the door open and entered the dim hallway behind it.
The hallway was painted in a dark shade of red/,/ although the paint was scuffed and peeling. Bare light bulbs lit the way to a doorway through which she could hear music playing. The lights on the other side of the doorway pulsated with the thumping bass notes as she got closer to the doorway.
At the door were two men. One was young and muscular, wearing black jeans and a T-shirt. He leaned against the frame of the door. The other man, seated at a small table[,] was much older and wore a rather shabby suitcoat{two words}. She could feel them watching her as she made her way down the hallway in her unfamiliar{?} shoes.
"You her[e] to se[e] Ernie[,] miss?" asked the older man at the desk. "About the job?"
Sara wondered for a moment who Ernie was. She fought a sudden desire to suddenly say that she had made a mistake, [to]turn around and leave. No[,] she thought to herself. I'm going to get what I came for. {thought in italics}
"No, I'm here to see the show[,]" she declared, perhaps a bit too firmly.
"Zat so[,]" he replied. He paused and looked at her. He looked up at the bouncer who was still leaning against the doorframe, unabashedly staring at Sara. "Five dollar cover after six o'clock[.]"
Sara bit her lower lip. She could see the oversized digital watch on his wrist. She clearly saw the numbers indicating five/-/fiifty-two. Rather than argue[,] she opened her purse and found a five. She thrust it /out/ toward him. The man in the T-shirt grinned. "/e/[E]njoy the show[,]" he leered as she walked past him into the darken[e]d area beyond.
Once inside[,] Sara paused to get her bearings. As she moved into the room[,] she could see a stage in the /centre/[centre] of the room. Along the wall to her left stretched the bar[,] and she could see a number of men and women seated at the bar, mostly in couples. One man sat at the bar alone[,] and he raised his head as she walked in. Most of the tables were empty/,/ /all though/[although] there was a group of four college boys seated at one, [a] pitcher of beer between them. She moved towards a table at the other side of the room, a few rows from the stage[,] and took a seat. She was aware that a number of people were watching her/e/ as she sat down. She hung her raincoat on the back of her chair.
A waitress wearing a black leotard came and asked her if she wanted anything to drink. Sara ordered a rye and soda[,] and the waitress left. She looked around the room nervously. She was painfully aware that she was the only [unaccompanied] woman
[t]here who was not an employee of the club and that everyone must be wondering what she was doing there. She stared at the table[,] not sure where she should look next.
The lights flashed on the stage. A deep male voice came over the PA system asking that everyone give a big welcome to the next dancer. No one clapped or even moved. A song started playing[,] and after about twenty seconds[,] a woman appeared and took the /too/[two] small steps up to the stage.
The woman [on stage] had blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of her back[,] and she wore a short, tight dress. Sara watched her as she walked around the stage, not dancing really, just moving. Sara found herself staring at this woman as she moved.
The waitress returned. She asked for eight dollars. '/s/hit[,]' thought Sara[,] 'at this rate my money will be gone before I get to the good stuff[.]'/./She passed the waitress a twenty and gave her a two[-] dollar tip when she handed back the change. She took it without a word. {pronoun refs unclear}
Sara returned to looking at the woman on stage. She had looked at women before[,] but always in a furtive way, afraid of being caught staring. Here she knew it was all right to look [to look at them]/,/[;] that was why she had come. /She had come to the bar to look at women./ A wave of excitement ran through her body at the /thought/[idea]. She knew that she had thoughts about women, and had looked at their pictures. She wasn't gay[,] /though/[because] she definitely liked men. But this was new, a forbidden thrill.
And now knowing that she was definitely straight[, she] was paying money to see a woman take off her clothes in a sleazy strip bar. The woman on stage had allowed her dress to ride up over her hips and slide down off her breasts so that it was just a band of material around her waist. Sara was mentally comparing the woman's breasts to her own and realized that her own were much larger. /. /She took another sip of her drink.
The woman on stage had moved onto the floor and was now lying down and spreading her legs in the air. A single man seated at the stage side seats seemed to be interested in the close[-]up view. Sara found herself wanting to look over the man's shoulder so she could have a better view. She settled on simply concentrating from where she sat. She knew that these were the better seats. The music ended abruptly[,] and there was a small smattering of applause. The woman stood up, adjusted{? put on?} her dress and walked off the stage.
[omitted]
"May I join you? the woman asked. "My name is Andrea[.]"
The first few paras, and some problems. Additions in [].
Deletions in /xxx/. comments in {}.
Summary: many mistakes, mostly punctuation. Periods are missing, and quotations punctuated wrongly. Some spelling errors. I assume you want American spelling?
I could see how a bit higher level of these probs would cause rejection.
We all have to start somewhere. Don't give up. Get help. Learn some variety in sentences.
Best,
J.
======
[story by artist 101]
Sara stepped out of the cab into the cool spring air. The ride had cost her thirty dollars, a hefty chunk of the two hundred she had started out with. She had planned on an expensive evening[,] but she had hoped she wouldn't have /had/ to spend it on transportation. Across the street from where the cab had dropped her off[,] stood a large building. The sun had not quite set[,] so she could clearly see that it fit in with the industrial buildings in the area. Except for the large lighted sign on the roof which advertised the night club's name {frag}: The Extasy{sp.} Club.
She walked across the street, taking careful steps. She didn't usually wear high heels[,] and she did not want to stumble. She wore a simple white blouse and a knee length dark skirt. As she approached the building[,] she felt a little nervous. Built of plain concrete block[,] the entire side was broken by only a single door. There was a cluster of cars around the door[,] and while she was walking towards the door[,] a man exited the building and headed towards one of the cars. He didn't glance in her direction.
She arrived at the door, which was worn and battered. Only a sign indicating that a person had to be eighteen to enter marked it. Her mouth dry with excitement[,] she grabbed the handle, pulled the door open and entered the dim hallway behind it.
The hallway was painted in a dark shade of red/,/ although the paint was scuffed and peeling. Bare light bulbs lit the way to a doorway through which she could hear music playing. The lights on the other side of the doorway pulsated with the thumping bass notes as she got closer to the doorway.
At the door were two men. One was young and muscular, wearing black jeans and a T-shirt. He leaned against the frame of the door. The other man, seated at a small table[,] was much older and wore a rather shabby suitcoat{two words}. She could feel them watching her as she made her way down the hallway in her unfamiliar{?} shoes.
"You her[e] to se[e] Ernie[,] miss?" asked the older man at the desk. "About the job?"
Sara wondered for a moment who Ernie was. She fought a sudden desire to suddenly say that she had made a mistake, [to]turn around and leave. No[,] she thought to herself. I'm going to get what I came for. {thought in italics}
"No, I'm here to see the show[,]" she declared, perhaps a bit too firmly.
"Zat so[,]" he replied. He paused and looked at her. He looked up at the bouncer who was still leaning against the doorframe, unabashedly staring at Sara. "Five dollar cover after six o'clock[.]"
Sara bit her lower lip. She could see the oversized digital watch on his wrist. She clearly saw the numbers indicating five/-/fiifty-two. Rather than argue[,] she opened her purse and found a five. She thrust it /out/ toward him. The man in the T-shirt grinned. "/e/[E]njoy the show[,]" he leered as she walked past him into the darken[e]d area beyond.
Once inside[,] Sara paused to get her bearings. As she moved into the room[,] she could see a stage in the /centre/[centre] of the room. Along the wall to her left stretched the bar[,] and she could see a number of men and women seated at the bar, mostly in couples. One man sat at the bar alone[,] and he raised his head as she walked in. Most of the tables were empty/,/ /all though/[although] there was a group of four college boys seated at one, [a] pitcher of beer between them. She moved towards a table at the other side of the room, a few rows from the stage[,] and took a seat. She was aware that a number of people were watching her/e/ as she sat down. She hung her raincoat on the back of her chair.
A waitress wearing a black leotard came and asked her if she wanted anything to drink. Sara ordered a rye and soda[,] and the waitress left. She looked around the room nervously. She was painfully aware that she was the only [unaccompanied] woman
[t]here who was not an employee of the club and that everyone must be wondering what she was doing there. She stared at the table[,] not sure where she should look next.
The lights flashed on the stage. A deep male voice came over the PA system asking that everyone give a big welcome to the next dancer. No one clapped or even moved. A song started playing[,] and after about twenty seconds[,] a woman appeared and took the /too/[two] small steps up to the stage.
The woman [on stage] had blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of her back[,] and she wore a short, tight dress. Sara watched her as she walked around the stage, not dancing really, just moving. Sara found herself staring at this woman as she moved.
The waitress returned. She asked for eight dollars. '/s/
Sara returned to looking at the woman on stage. She had looked at women before[,] but always in a furtive way, afraid of being caught staring. Here she knew it was all right to look [to look at them]/,/[;] that was why she had come. /She had come to the bar to look at women./ A wave of excitement ran through her body at the /thought/[idea]. She knew that she had thoughts about women, and had looked at their pictures. She wasn't gay[,] /though/[because] she definitely liked men. But this was new, a forbidden thrill.
And now knowing that she was definitely straight[, she] was paying money to see a woman take off her clothes in a sleazy strip bar. The woman on stage had allowed her dress to ride up over her hips and slide down off her breasts so that it was just a band of material around her waist. Sara was mentally comparing the woman's breasts to her own and realized that her own were much larger. /. /She took another sip of her drink.
The woman on stage had moved onto the floor and was now lying down and spreading her legs in the air. A single man seated at the stage side seats seemed to be interested in the close[-]up view. Sara found herself wanting to look over the man's shoulder so she could have a better view. She settled on simply concentrating from where she sat. She knew that these were the better seats. The music ended abruptly[,] and there was a small smattering of applause. The woman stood up, adjusted{? put on?} her dress and walked off the stage.
[omitted]
"May I join you? the woman asked. "My name is Andrea[.]"
Last edited:
Hi, I'm relatively new to erotic fiction, but I've been reading on Literotica for several months now. Having decided that High School English gave me better grammar sense than many of the writers who get stories accepted, I signed up and wrote a story. That said, how long does it usually take for stories to be accepted? I'm on pins and needles here.
LadyAlice
LadyAlice
Quasimodem
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2001
- Posts
- 2,191
LadyAlice said:
Under ideal conditions, usually no longer than three days.
At the moment, Laurel will be concentrating on the "Nude Day Contest" entries.
As they have a limited time to reach an audience, and attain a vote, they have priority.
Try to blunt your pins and needles for a few extra days.
Best wishes,
BardsLady
Really Experienced
- Joined
- May 30, 2003
- Posts
- 255
Venting and Spelling stuff.
I've just read this thread and I can pretty much commiserate with the originator. But in a good way, I think.
My first story went through okay, but the second one was rife with spelling errors *I think*. The suggestion was for me to get an Editor. Now, I am seriously gunshy about editors. The last one I had, not on this website though, I submitted something to them, they just erased my name, added their own after editing it. Then turned it in as their original work. So you can see it was pretty hard on me to find an editor. But, I did it.
I went through the available editors here and found one I could work with: TheLegguy. He cleaned it up and edited it, then sent it back to me for a lookover and submission.
I submitted the revision. However, I think there was an error on my part. I may have uploaded the old file a second time. Hence, the rejection slip the second time around.
By this time, frustration was setting in, but I diddnt give up hope. I found, downloaded, and installed a program that actually had a spellchecker. I went through it twice to make sure things were okay, then uploaded that one into the cue. Hopefully, third timers are a charm.
But, Artist101, rejection doesnt mean the end of the world. Keep on writing, dont quit. Save everything you've written and maybe, someday, you can take all those stories, change genre' around a bit and you might have a romantic novel on your hands.
Keep in touch,
BardsLady
I've just read this thread and I can pretty much commiserate with the originator. But in a good way, I think.
My first story went through okay, but the second one was rife with spelling errors *I think*. The suggestion was for me to get an Editor. Now, I am seriously gunshy about editors. The last one I had, not on this website though, I submitted something to them, they just erased my name, added their own after editing it. Then turned it in as their original work. So you can see it was pretty hard on me to find an editor. But, I did it.
I went through the available editors here and found one I could work with: TheLegguy. He cleaned it up and edited it, then sent it back to me for a lookover and submission.
I submitted the revision. However, I think there was an error on my part. I may have uploaded the old file a second time. Hence, the rejection slip the second time around.
By this time, frustration was setting in, but I diddnt give up hope. I found, downloaded, and installed a program that actually had a spellchecker. I went through it twice to make sure things were okay, then uploaded that one into the cue. Hopefully, third timers are a charm.
But, Artist101, rejection doesnt mean the end of the world. Keep on writing, dont quit. Save everything you've written and maybe, someday, you can take all those stories, change genre' around a bit and you might have a romantic novel on your hands.
Keep in touch,
BardsLady
FlyontheWall99
Really Experienced
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2003
- Posts
- 113
Bardlady wrote;
I suppose theft is another form of flattery .... That sounds terrible, I've always been reluctant to send my work or even unveil it before it is submitted because I worry about it being theived after I have slaved over it.
The way around it is I found two other readers who I trust and they read and edit my stuff before submission. It's another option if you don't want to go through an editor you don't know, although the problem remains that you have to trust them.
I know if someone copied or stole my work like that I'd be seriously steamed, I think it's the worst case scenario for a writer. So I commiserate with you
Back to writing ...
Fly ...
I suppose theft is another form of flattery .... That sounds terrible, I've always been reluctant to send my work or even unveil it before it is submitted because I worry about it being theived after I have slaved over it.
The way around it is I found two other readers who I trust and they read and edit my stuff before submission. It's another option if you don't want to go through an editor you don't know, although the problem remains that you have to trust them.
I know if someone copied or stole my work like that I'd be seriously steamed, I think it's the worst case scenario for a writer. So I commiserate with you
Back to writing ...
Fly ...
BardsLady
Really Experienced
- Joined
- May 30, 2003
- Posts
- 255
Thanks Fly..
Yeah, it was hard for me. Because each piece of work for me is.. My baby. I have a hard time letting go of it. Especially after the incident. I wasnt letting go of it for anything until it was submitted.
But I need to thank Literotica.com for helping me understand that there are only a few rotten apples. Most of them are good and honestly want to help people with getting stuff done right. It broke that gunshyness and I now have a really nice guy who says it's okay to send him more stories for editing. Which is nice.
So, Thanks guys. You're great.
BardsLady
Yeah, it was hard for me. Because each piece of work for me is.. My baby. I have a hard time letting go of it. Especially after the incident. I wasnt letting go of it for anything until it was submitted.
But I need to thank Literotica.com for helping me understand that there are only a few rotten apples. Most of them are good and honestly want to help people with getting stuff done right. It broke that gunshyness and I now have a really nice guy who says it's okay to send him more stories for editing. Which is nice.
So, Thanks guys. You're great.
BardsLady
FlyontheWall99
Really Experienced
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2003
- Posts
- 113
I find that you can also get a lot of help here in the forums without necessarily having to give someone your story. There are some good tips to be found around the traps about what to do and what not to do.
You can also strike up a conversation with some people out there who are editors and essentially get to know them before you approach them for editing advice.
Another good tip is to research your proposed editor, it may seem very simplistic but if your editor is a much regarded, and mush posted author, then there should theoretically be less impetus for them to pinch your work. I mean why would someone with their own broad range of work and acceptance want to steal a newbies story???
Back to writing ....
Fly ...
You can also strike up a conversation with some people out there who are editors and essentially get to know them before you approach them for editing advice.
Another good tip is to research your proposed editor, it may seem very simplistic but if your editor is a much regarded, and mush posted author, then there should theoretically be less impetus for them to pinch your work. I mean why would someone with their own broad range of work and acceptance want to steal a newbies story???
Back to writing ....
Fly ...
BardsLady
Really Experienced
- Joined
- May 30, 2003
- Posts
- 255
Rejected stories and Stolen stories
Hi Fly,
It was a long time ago that that story was stolen. I guess I'm over that now, thanks to people here at Literotica.com.
Okay, I have a question for those of you who are reading this thread who have access to the stories before they get posted in the New Stories Section:
Is there any other reason for rejection of a story BESIDES spelling errors? That and the spellchecker/get an editor reasons. I really would like to know this.
I would like to have a few clarifications answered about my story: Castile de la Luna
BardsLady
Hi Fly,
It was a long time ago that that story was stolen. I guess I'm over that now, thanks to people here at Literotica.com.
Okay, I have a question for those of you who are reading this thread who have access to the stories before they get posted in the New Stories Section:
Is there any other reason for rejection of a story BESIDES spelling errors? That and the spellchecker/get an editor reasons. I really would like to know this.
I would like to have a few clarifications answered about my story: Castile de la Luna
BardsLady
