OK... I read the FAQ....but

[OttoRank]

Dear Authors (I so hope to be one soon!):

II do apologise for starting a "newbie" thread in here... but I am seeking some feedback...

I carefully read the FAQ on story submission... I sent my story to a volunteer editor and enaged that experience... I had converted my story to MS word.doc file and then went to the submission page... I noted that two options were afforded me: "cut and paste" or upload through a browser window. Since I had edited the story in MSWord... I uploaded the .doc file.
Just before submission... in the "preview page" I was informed by the site that I had uploaded a file in a format that "the robots" did not understand...and that a human would intervene before publication in 72 hours (if at all?). I was further instructed that if I wanted... I could back out of the preview page to see If I wanted to fixthings.... OK... so I backed out... back to the submission page...and tried to cut-and-paste...only to be told that I had already submitted a story "by that title"...

I know I'm a clueless newbie... but I feel like I'm in some story "birthis-interruptus"... This was my first story and I want to know if it indeed might be born?

I do apologise if I've broken any protocols... I'm just looking for some feeback for a "nervous father"

Sincerely,
OttoRank

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Go to your submissions page and check check the listing of already submitted stories you have there. If the story has been sent, then I believe it will be listed there, but as a pending story, not as one already posted.

If it isn't there, I'd say PM Laurel. I might be wrong, so perhaps, if you check and the story isn't there, it would be best if you waited to hear from other lits professionals. Weird Harold is guaranteed to know.

Q_C

 

[dreampilot79]

I always write my stories in Word (or lately in Open Office).... but I do not post the .doc file... instead I copy all the text from the word document and then paste it into the submission screen..... this seems to work best.

 

[OttoRank]

Thanks for your kind reply... I'm sorry I tied up a thread ask such a simple question

 

[Harry Leg]

Thanks for your kind reply... I'm sorry I tied up a thread ask such a simple question

Welcome to the AH

Actually its a very good question and I'm kinda stumped. Quiet Cool gave the advice I would give. And Weird Harold as far as I've been able to tell knows just about everything.
I always copy and paste because its usually faster and unless you have special formatting requirements, its the best way. IMHO

 

[English Lady]

Hello and welcome otto, and don't worry about asking questions, we've all asked a ton of newbie questions in our time.


QC gives good advice. Check your submissions page (go to the story page, click the log in link at the top, go into your member page, click on submissions and then view) and if the story is there, it's been submitted. You can click through on it to check it's ok. If you get the weird error message doing that, send a PM to Laurel. Laurel is the boss and she's very helpful.

If the submission is not there, try cup and pasting again, if it still doesn't work, you know what I'm going to say, don't you? Yes, PM Laurel -she'll sort you out

 

[matriarch]

Dear Authors (I so hope to be one soon!):

II do apologise for starting a "newbie" thread in here... but I am seeking some feedback...

I carefully read the FAQ on story submission... I sent my story to a volunteer editor and enaged that experience... I had converted my story to MS word.doc file and then went to the submission page... I noted that two options were afforded me: "cut and paste" or upload through a browser window. Since I had edited the story in MSWord... I uploaded the .doc file.
Just before submission... in the "preview page" I was informed by the site that I had uploaded a file in a format that "the robots" did not understand...and that a human would intervene before publication in 72 hours (if at all?). I was further instructed that if I wanted... I could back out of the preview page to see If I wanted to fixthings.... OK... so I backed out... back to the submission page...and tried to cut-and-paste...only to be told that I had already submitted a story "by that title"...

I know I'm a clueless newbie... but I feel like I'm in some story "birthis-interruptus"... This was my first story and I want to know if it indeed might be born?

I do apologise if I've broken any protocols... I'm just looking for some feeback for a "nervous father"

Sincerely,
OttoRank

You can write your story in Word, but you have to save it as a Rich Text file to upload. Simply save it as such, and then upload that.

All will be fine.

Good luck, and welcome aboard.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Hey, Otto--

Was this an older version of Word? Or did you possibly use some symbols that the robot didn't understand? I remember once someone used 3 asterisks as a scene divider in a story and the robot rejected it because it meant something weird in robot code.

I've uploaded stories both ways, by uploading the .doc file as well as by cutting & pasting. They both seem to work. People say the cut & paste is faster, but you can't prove it by me.

--Zoot

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

The robot and form message is a standard reply when you upload a .doc file. It just means that the bot can't read it in order to show you what you've uploaded like it can in the cut and paste method. In other words, you can't preview the story to see what it will look like when posted.

An uploaded story takes longer to get posted than a cut and paste one because the editors have to open the document and format it to fit on the site. As long as you know the html coding for italics and bold (if they are used in your story)... cutting and pasting is a quicker method of getting your story posted. Uploading a document works well if you have an illustrated story.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

If you want to cut and paste it, since your Word file wasn't recognized... just delete the old file and start over. You can't submit something with the same name twice.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

If you want to cut and paste it, since your Word file wasn't recognized... just delete the old file and start over. You can't submit something with the same name twice.

If it's been submitted already, it can't be deleted (unless he never hit the submit button and it's still considered "in review".)

Just saying again: I've *always* gotten the format that cannot be read by the bots message when uploading a .doc file. It doesn't mean it won't be posted.

 

[matriarch]

The robot and form message is a standard reply when you upload a .doc file. It just means that the bot can't read it in order to show you what you've uploaded like it can in the cut and paste method. In other words, you can't preview the story to see what it will look like when posted.

An uploaded story takes longer to get posted than a cut and paste one because the editors have to open the document and format it to fit on the site. As long as you know the html coding for italics and bold (if they are used in your story)... cutting and pasting is a quicker method of getting your story posted. Uploading a document works well if you have an illustrated story.

That's why I send mine as rich text, then there is no embedded coding.

 

[OttoRank]

Everyone has been very kind. I appreciate the dialogue. According to the submission page, my submission is "pending". Since the title of the piece was just as carefully selected as the narrative I chose to submit, I'd rather not "re-submit" using the cut-and-paste methodology, and sacrifice the title.

Should the child be born, it should have it's proper name. I will bear the "up to" 72 hour gestation, and should bots and gods militate against me... then I shall inquire with the Laural.

Thanks kindly for the advice and validation.

 

[rgraham666]

Everyone has been very kind. I appreciate the dialogue. According to the submission page, my submission is "pending". Since the title of the piece was just as carefully selected as the narrative I chose to submit, I'd rather not "re-submit" using the cut-and-paste methodology, and sacrifice the title.

Should the child be born, it should have it's proper name. I will bear the "up to" 72 hour gestation, and should bots and gods militate against me... then I shall inquire with the Laural.

Thanks kindly for the advice and validation.

Since you uploaded a file rather than pasting, the wait will probably be closer to a week.

Sorry.

 

[OttoRank]

Since you uploaded a file rather than pasting, the wait will probably be closer to a week.

Sorry.

Well... I guess I'll have to get back to real work.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Since you uploaded a file rather than pasting, the wait will probably be closer to a week.

Sorry.

It's getting close to that for cut and paste stories too. Probably because of the Valentine's contest. The entries are getting top priority.

 

[English Lady]

Well... I guess I'll have to get back to real work.

Oh, good Lord -NO! There's plenty to do here, without having to do that W word stuff

 

[OttoRank]

I've been checking my "view" page for a couple of days now...
My story is still pending... but it's been "viewed" twice... does anybody know what this means?

anxious in limbo...

 

[Pure]

It might be mentioned that submitting a .doc file is said to slow the process of acceptance. RTF, pasted, is supposedly the fastest.

Probably you know how to make an RTF file, should this submission not go through??

I hope this experience is not making you re live your primal trauma.

 

[OttoRank]

I hope this experience is not making you re live your primal trauma.

No... thanks.... but I have a new appreciation for labor pain.

 

[matriarch]

I've been checking my "view" page for a couple of days now...
My story is still pending... but it's been "viewed" twice... does anybody know what this means?

anxious in limbo...

I always assumed that means the pre-posting readings, vetting and all that. I've had stories that have had up to 10 'veiwings' before being postings, but I've also been told, that every time you go in and see the story's progress, that's classed as a 'viewing', so it could be that those two viewings are actually a record of your activity on the submission. *shrug*. Not sure which one is true.

Like they said, with the Valentine Competition taking priority at the moment, other submissions are going to take longer. There have been times in the past, when its been so busy, I had to wait almost 2 weeks for my story to post.

You'll just have to be patient.

Good luck.

And once it's up, don't forget to post a link to the page on this thread, so we can all read it.

 

[OttoRank]

Thanks kindly for the information. Patience is indeed... a virtue

 

[hotchkiss]

You still waiting then? Patience is a virtue, I'm not that virtuous!

Good luck with the submission, hope you gets loads of votes

HK

 

[OttoRank]

Like they said, with the Valentine Competition taking priority at the moment, other submissions are going to take longer. There have been times in the past, when its been so busy, I had to wait almost 2 weeks for my story to post.

You'll just have to be patient.

Good luck.

And once it's up, don't forget to post a link to the page on this thread, so we can all read it.

My (First!) New Story: Morocco

I know this is shameless... but I'm so happy. My first "baby" got published today. I'd like to invite anybody and everybody to take a peek:

Morocco

my tip of the hat to Lady Cibelle and Techsan for giving me some editorial considerations.

obviously, I wouldn't have shared this if I wasn't interested in comments, feedback, bouquets or brickbats.

 

[Harry Leg]

My (First!) New Story: Morocco

I know this is shameless... but I'm so happy. My first "baby" got published today. I'd like to invite anybody and everybody to take a peek:

http://english.literotica.com/stori...y.php?id=239488

my tip of the hat to Lady Cibelle and Techsan for giving me some editorial considerations.

obviously, I wouldn't have shared this if I wasn't interested in comments, feedback, bouquets or brickbats.

Morocco

I couldnt get your link to work. This one you can copy and put in your signature if you like.