New author stories

[Sammywest]

Hi,
I have now had 2 stories rejected by moderaters and I find the reasons extremely thin and very unhelpful. This is discouraging for new authors and due to the very weak reasoning in the rejection it’s disappointing and unhelpful. Is there some agenda or code to being a successful writer on this site?

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Check the Author Hangout for very extensive discussion of this. It's also the place to ask more specific questions. I suggest posting the actual rejection messages, so your fellow authors can help better.

--Annie

 

[joy_of_cooking]

Post the reason given for the rejection, verbatim, and why you disagree.

(As far as anyone knows, it's ultimately at Laurel's sole discretion whether anything gets published or not. But she usually has patterns, so we might be able to help if you say something more specific than "extremely thin and very unhelpful.")

 

[Racoonteur]

Honestly, Sammy, I'm ready to pull the plug on my account here for exactly the same reason you describe.

I've made an honest effort and have tried everything that's been mentioned to you, and about to be mentioned to you, and still am frustrated.

I've made a last ditch effort via email, but don't hold out any hope. I've also requested that the one chapter that miraculously made it through the gauntlet to be deleted and will shutter my account when that happens.

There are those here who will try to somehow make it your fault or accuse you of being impatient simply because they haven't dealt with this themselves... yet. They point vaguely at something that happened in October, but admit they don't know exactly what it was - just, something.

I've tried to understand what might of happened, but I'm at a point now where I really don't care. I'm looking at other options for getting my stories out there, as are others. Good luck with your efforts.

 

[ronde]

Hi,
I have now had 2 stories rejected by moderaters and I find the reasons extremely thin and very unhelpful. This is discouraging for new authors and due to the very weak reasoning in the rejection it’s disappointing and unhelpful. Is there some agenda or code to being a successful writer on this site?

I've had multiple rejections of stories and I've never found the reasons to be "thin". They were all either confusing punctuation or in two cases a violation of the relatively new policy about politics in stories.

The "code" to being a successful author on Literotica is to pay attention to things that contribute to the readability of the story like punctuation, spelling, and paragraph length, and to err on the conservative side when interpreting the submission rules. I continue to see posts on this forum that start with, "Will this pass the moderators?" when it's pretty obvious the author is seeking a way around the rule about under-age characters or stretching the interpretation of "non consent". Hinting about underage sex will surely get your story rejected as will a story where a character is basically raped but in the last line says he/she enjoyed it.

As others have said, it would help to know why the story was rejected. Most rejections are just auto-generated boiler plate recommending that you seek a volunteer editor, but you really only need to be honest with yourself about whether your story is readable and if you followed the site rules to the letter.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Hi,
I have now had 2 stories rejected by moderaters and I find the reasons extremely thin and very unhelpful. This is discouraging for new authors and due to the very weak reasoning in the rejection it’s disappointing and unhelpful. Is there some agenda or code to being a successful writer on this site?

What were the reasons? Copy and paste the rejection notes here.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

If it is technical rather than content based, look for an editor who can help.
If it is a content issue, that can be a little trickier, but depending on the nature of the problem it can sometimes be dealt with.
If you got an AI rejection... @AwkwardMD has written quite extensively on how to address that pitfall.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Hi,
I have now had 2 stories rejected by moderaters and I find the reasons extremely thin and very unhelpful. This is discouraging for new authors and due to the very weak reasoning in the rejection it’s disappointing and unhelpful. Is there some agenda or code to being a successful writer on this site?

Without knowing the thin and unhelpful reason that Laurel gave you I can only assume (as you have) that there is a massive conspiracy against you personally. Clearly, that's the case right?

Or maybe, as it was for me when I first started here, that my writing wasn't yet up to snuff. It would have been great if she had taken the time to completely read my story and give me a complete critique but instead she advised I seek out an editor. Sooooo unhelpful, right? Because I'm sure she's got mountains of free time though she's checking hundreds of stories daily, by herself.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Hi,
I have now had 2 stories rejected by moderaters and I find the reasons extremely thin and very unhelpful. This is discouraging for new authors and due to the very weak reasoning in the rejection it’s disappointing and unhelpful. Is there some agenda or code to being a successful writer on this site?

Without saying what the reasons for rejection are, no-one can help you.

There are a dozen or so generic rejection notices - covering content compliance, punctuation and grammar, formatting, suspected use of AI, etc. - a collection of standard reasons for sending the story back. Tell us the reasons for rejection, and someone can give you guidance.

The way you get successful on this site is to figure out how it works, how you get past the various submission hurdles, how to get your stories published. Just like the rest of us did.

There's no secret handshake, nothing's personal. I reckon nearly everyone here has had a story or three rejected, so you're not alone.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

If you got an AI rejection... @AwkwardMD has written quite extensively on how to address that pitfall.

Has anyone seen a post from someone who had a previously "rejected for AI" story, telling what they did to correct their issue and successfully publish it?

Just curious.

 

[lovecraft68]

There are those here who will try to somehow make it your fault or accuse you of being impatient simply because they haven't dealt with this themselves... yet.

Well said, the biggest site defender became the sites biggest detractor, running around the boards attacking the system and demanding others to do the same, as soon as one of their stories had an issue.

If I were new here, I wouldn't last long. I don't know what the issue is just like no one else does, but I'd never linger on a site this dysfunctional. I'm here because I've been here a long time and lit isn't my sole writing focus. For those who want it to be, these are tough times.

 

[ColtonWrites]

Has anyone seen a post from someone who had a previously "rejected for AI" story, telling what they did to correct their issue and successfully publish it?

Just curious.

I know I have gotten one, did a quick-pass rewrite and found the stuff that probably triggered it in the first place (I had used the same phrasing in several places and had two interactions that were near-identical). When I fixed that, I resubmitted and it was accepted.
(Interestingly, its my lowest-rated story here, probably because R/NC content is less popular. Its the one with the most engagement on AO3, likely because R/NC content does well there.)

 

[lovecraft68]

Has anyone seen a post from someone who had a previously "rejected for AI" story, telling what they did to correct their issue and successfully publish it?

Just curious.

Read what you quoted, AwkwardMD has a good thread about this topic including ways around it.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Read what you quoted, AwkwardMD has a good thread about this topic including ways around it.

I am aware of the advice given. What I'm curious about is which of it has been verified by someone who followed it.

People come here for all sorts of advice, but we seldom see or hear about whether that advice worked.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I know I have gotten one, did a quick-pass rewrite and found the stuff that probably triggered it in the first place (I had used the same phrasing in several places and had two interactions that were near-identical). When I fixed that, I resubmitted and it was accepted.
(Interestingly, its my lowest-rated story here, probably because R/NC content is less popular. Its the one with the most engagement on AO3, likely because R/NC content does well there.)

Thanks for sharing. Your experience might now be helpful for others.

 

[Racoonteur]

Without knowing the thin and unhelpful reason that Laurel gave you I can only assume (as you have) that there is a massive conspiracy against you personally. Clearly, that's the case right?

Or maybe, as it was for me when I first started here, that my writing wasn't yet up to snuff. It would have been great if she had taken the time to completely read my story and give me a complete critique but instead she advised I seek out an editor. Sooooo unhelpful, right? Because I'm sure she's got mountains of free time though she's checking hundreds of stories daily, by herself.

As you can see, this is just one rotten example of the uncaring smart ass-ery that this site is devolving into. The simple fact is, no one knows and no one cares. People who get published are happy to tear at those who complain about their far-too-vague culling, telling them that it's simply because their writing is better and yours is "not up to snuff." However, you can go through the site and find stories just like yours that have somehow gotten through the subjective gauntlet... repeatedly.

It doesn't matter if you invite another set of eyes to review and help because they too will eventually throw up their hands saying, "It's a mystery to me too." Meanwhile, the vague, unhelpful rejection remains and the snipers snipe or make excuses for an ineffective system that desperately needs help to be changed but isn't and no one knows why not.

Writers tell stories. They love to communicate. When they enter a system that refuses to communicate and only the confused and the detractors remain, there is a problem. I'm not one for making predictions but, this does not bode well.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I am aware of the advice given. What I'm curious about is which of it has been verified by someone who followed it.

People come here for all sorts of advice, but we seldom see or hear about whether that advice worked.

Most of the authors affected don’t come to the forum. Some do, but get their answers and never return once their problem fixed. Some VE's don't interact with the forum at all except to put their info on a list and answer PMs.

You're only choice is to trust me or not, and I really don't care which one you choose.

 

[Bazzle]

As you can see, this is just one rotten example of the uncaring smart ass-ery that this site is devolving into. The simple fact is, no one knows and no one cares. People who get published are happy to tear at those who complain about their far-too-vague culling, telling them that it's simply because their writing is better and yours is "not up to snuff." However, you can go through the site and find stories just like yours that have somehow gotten through the subjective gauntlet... repeatedly.

It doesn't matter if you invite another set of eyes to review and help because they too will eventually throw up their hands saying, "It's a mystery to me too." Meanwhile, the vague, unhelpful rejection remains and the snipers snipe or make excuses for an ineffective system that desperately needs help to be changed but isn't and no one knows why not.

Writers tell stories. They love to communicate. When they enter a system that refuses to communicate and only the confused and the detractors remain, there is a problem. I'm not one for making predictions but, this does not bode well.

There are fictional hurdles to get over that are not always covered in H&S hivis tape.

1) Don't use Grammarly,
2) Find a friend to read over what you think is the best story since the Bible - to check for obvious spelling errors and punctuation,
3) Carefully read the rejection notice. There will be a hint to why it failed - rather than moaning, fix the issues and resubmit, and explain what you have done for the admins.
4) Don't use Grammarly to fix any of the above.

 

[HordHolm]

As you can see, this is just one rotten example of the uncaring smart ass-ery that this site is devolving into. The simple fact is, no one knows and no one cares. People who get published are happy to tear at those who complain about their far-too-vague culling, telling them that it's simply because their writing is better and yours is "not up to snuff." However, you can go through the site and find stories just like yours that have somehow gotten through the subjective gauntlet... repeatedly.

It doesn't matter if you invite another set of eyes to review and help because they too will eventually throw up their hands saying, "It's a mystery to me too." Meanwhile, the vague, unhelpful rejection remains and the snipers snipe or make excuses for an ineffective system that desperately needs help to be changed but isn't and no one knows why not.

Writers tell stories. They love to communicate. When they enter a system that refuses to communicate and only the confused and the detractors remain, there is a problem. I'm not one for making predictions but, this does not bode well.

Ok, you've also had ten other replies simply asking you to post the rejection notices so people have a better idea why you've been rejected. Without that, we simply can't give you any sort of answer or advice.

I'm afraid your answer above is making my spidey-senses tingle. You've been here since October this year, and yet this is the "uncaring smart ass-ery that this site is devolving into." How would you know, unless you've been here a lot longer and this account is an alt?

If you are genuine, then post the rejection notices and maybe someone can help.
If you simply want to rant, fine, but say so.

However, what I have seen upthread is some genuine answers from people offering to help. Some gracious acceptance of those genuine offers might go a long way...

 

[AwkwardMD]

Ok, you've also had ten other replies simply asking you to post the rejection notices so people have a better idea why you've been rejected. Without that, we simply can't give you any sort of answer or advice.

I'm afraid your answer above is making my spidey-senses tingle. You've been here since October this year, and yet this is the "uncaring smart ass-ery that this site is devolving into." How would you know, unless you've been here a lot longer and this account is an alt?

If you are genuine, then post the rejection notices and maybe someone can help.
If you simply want to rant, fine, but say so.

However, what I have seen upthread is some genuine answers from people offering to help. Some gracious acceptance of those genuine offers might go a long way...

Racoon has posted his rejection notice elsewhere. It was for underage. And I read his story. And I told him what to change. He wants to be a victim more than he wants to change one line of his submission.

 

[HordHolm]

Racoon has posted his rejection notice elsewhere. It was for underage. And I read his story. And I told him what to change. He wants to be a victim more than he wants to change one line of his submission.

Fine. Suspicions confirmed.

 

[Rob_Royale]

However, you can go through the site and find stories just like yours that have somehow gotten through the subjective gauntlet... repeatedly.

It doesn't matter if you invite another set of eyes to review and help because they too will eventually throw up their hands saying, "It's a mystery to me too."

It's hard enough to hear 'but look what he did' from children but to hear it from adults is rough. Are you really wanting to die on the hill of 'this story is badly written/has grammar/spelling/punctuation issues, so mine should be posted too'?

The second sentence is an assumption and complete BS.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

If it is technical rather than content based, look for an editor who can help.
If it is a content issue, that can be a little trickier, but depending on the nature of the problem it can sometimes be dealt with.
If you got an AI rejection... @AwkwardMD has written quite extensively on how to address that pitfall.

I was rejected for content once. I reposted the story with one change (one sentence, where I made it clear the story was inspired by, not a continuation of, another author's work) and an explanation in the notes to admin that not a single character or location or plot point was taken from Carl Bradford's work. And that Carl had no problem with what I was doing. It was published within 24 hours.

--Annie

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Most of the authors affected don’t come to the forum. Some do, but get their answers and never return once their problem fixed. Some VE's don't interact with the forum at all except to put their info on a list and answer PMs.

You're only choice is to trust me or not, and I really don't care which one you choose.

If I can't trust you, who can I trust?

My comment was, I thought obviously, aimed at those authors who do come the the AH seeking advice. I guess saying "people who come here" needs to be more specific to the AH forum.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

1) Don't use Grammarly,

In my opinion, this is false information. I have used Grammarly since it launched and have never had a story rejected for doing so.

The key is HOW you use it.

If you use it to identify grammar mistakes, such as the use of "their" instead of "they're", you will have no problem, especially if you then manually make the correction rather than letting the application generate the correction for you. Let Grammarly "see" but not "do".

Where people run into issues is when they rely upon Grammarly to rework sections of their stories based upon its recommendations. Those are generative AI and will typically be detectable.

The "tool" isn't the problem, it's how people use it. Advising people not to use it at all is overkill.