Story verification times

Quote by Seeker4

Why? Then you're delaying it even longer. I am getting the feeling that 3 days, or maybe even more, is going to be the new normal for members. I'd hate to think how long non-members will be waiting. You could be waiting weeks only to find that it will still take days to clear the queue. Get it in sooner and it will be out sooner. I've got part 2 of my current story in the queue now even though I know it might not see light of day until early-mid next week.

EDIT: Think of those call centre queues where hanging up just sends you back to the start of the line.

Good point. Back in the queue. I'll just harass my GF till it's published or (hopefully not) sent back for edits

Moderators on here do a brilliant job, always encouraging and advising. I hadn't written for a few weeks and hadn't realised there was a backlog.

Patience is a virtue! I won't repeat the rest of the quote!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿X

Twice now my story has been assigned to a moderator only to end up back in the queue after 3 days with no explanation

I know you all are busy but is an explanation to much to ask for?

Quote by MissVixen

Twice now my story has been assigned to a moderator only to end up back in the queue after 3 days with no explanation

I know you all are busy but is an explanation to much to ask for?

I don't recall if your story was one of them, but one of those occasions might have been my fault. I added a couple of stories to my modding queue late Thursday night because I had a half day of work on Friday and the weekend free - or so I thought. My schedule changed and it wasn't until late Sunday night that I realized that I wouldn't be able to get to them so I released them back to the main queue for someone else to grab. If one of those stories was yours, sorry, if not I'm sorry to whoever wrote them.

Quote by MissVixen
I know you all are busy but is an explanation to much to ask for?

The answer is in this sentence.

We do lock and unlock stories as time permits (or doesn't) and we may also do the same if we're discussing an aspect of a story.

Please be patient. We will get to everyone.

I don't even know most of the time if a story is being modded. I did this time but that's not the norm. Usually I hit Publish and then wander off to wait until I get the message that it has been approved.

Quote by MissVixen

Twice now my story has been assigned to a moderator only to end up back in the queue after 3 days with no explanation

I know you all are busy but is an explanation to much to ask for?

This was explained in my post on the previous page.

More often than not my stories take two to three weeks to get reviewed…then again I am no longer a subscriber so that I think is taken into consideration. Since my reader base has dropped to between one and three I suspect the appeal of my work is also a factor. I have given up writing and focused on reading about others nasty habits most of which are fabrications which in some cases have some literary merit.

Hello guys. I am waiting easily 2 weeks now for my story to be published. I bet half of my followers have already lost interest by now and will miss it, when it is published (probably next year or so).🙂‍↕️

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Jen, I think being able to submit stories every day is a luxury writers don’t need on a site this big. Has it ever been discussed to limit submissions to maybe one a week per author? I know I’m not submitting right now, but I’d gladly adhere to that guideline.

I think it's limit one on the queue at a time. When I started writing, I posted a second story quickly and was gently spanked.

One per week is about the max. My last 2 stories (3k words-ish) took several days for approval or rejection. In the past, I've had micro and poetry approved in hours.

Length of story and category makes a big difference I would think.

Quote by deviantsusie

Is the backup cleared?

I've had a story assigned to a mod for a while but I see some people have had 2 stories published in the last day so I'm guessing it's cleared

When this happened to me, twice in a row, it signaled a rejection. 3 days after someone grabbing the last 2 stories, I was rejected for content both times.

No sex in a spanking story was the first rejection, and the second was because my paragraphs were too short.

I fixed the grammar issue and dropped the spanking story entirely. Having her masturbate after would have been the simple 1 minute fix, but I think no sex was a pretext for rejection, and I don't want to get by on a technicality.

Both were in the hands of mods about 3 to 4 days before I got the rejection.

I'm sure that isn't what you have going on, but I'm just letting you know

Quote by CheatingHot

Hello guys. I am waiting easily 2 weeks now for my story to be published. I bet half of my followers have already lost interest by now and will miss it, when it is published (probably next year or so).🙂‍↕️

No. Your followers will get a notice when you publish.

Don't worry. Anticipation is a good thing.

😘

Quote by Vampire_vixen

I think it's limit one on the queue at a time. When I started writing, I posted a second story quickly and was gently spanked.

One per week is about the max. My last 2 stories (3k words-ish) took several days for approval or rejection. In the past, I've had micro and poetry approved in hours.

Length of story and category makes a big difference I would think.

Yes, only one story in the queue at a time.

The length of the story can be an issue. I often mod stories when I'm on my lunch break so I look for a couple of 1500k-ish stories. If there's an 8k word story sitting there, it might sit there for a bit because of the time commitment (we're all volunteers!), and when the queue is backed up, it usually makes more sense to do four 2k stories in that same time. That's how I approach it, other mods might have an entirely different way of doing things.

I don't think the category matters too much. I have the ' ' filter turned on, so I don't see any of those stories, but other than that, it doesn't really matter to me. I'd much rather read an honestly written story in a category that I don't enjoy at all over an AI-written story in a category I love. If anything, for me personally speaking for myself and not the mod team, AI written stories go right to the bottom of my list of stories to mod.

That's really interesting to know. I did not know about AI stories. I thought every story was a real author. Thanks for all the work you and the other Moderators do. I'm sure it is a thankless task at times. Patience is not a virtue it seems while waiting for your story to be published. I'm aware ratings and numbers matter to many. Just don't get too hung up on it.

Quote by Shyexhibitionist

That's really interesting to know. I did not know about AI stories. I thought every story was a real author. Thanks for all the wo you and the other Moderators do. I'm sure it is a thankless task at times. Patience is not a virtue it seems while waiting for your story to be published. I'm aware ratings and numbers matter to many. Just don't get too hung up on it.

AI and AI-assisted stories are unfortunately common. People think they're getting away with it because those stories are currently being published, but we're aware of the situation and keeping an eye on it. I don't want to tip my hand to what's going on behind the scenes, but anyone who thinks they're fooling us is sadly mistaken.

How truly disappointing. I'm either naive or ignorant or both. I'm pretty sure my favourite writers on here are human. Although I try to read others from time to time, I keep coming back to my favourites. Guess I'm a creature of habit!

In my opinion, rejected stories waste everyone’s time and should rarely happen. We all can read the site rules, so let’s submit stories that follow them. We can all run spell and grammar checks before submitting, right?

And Her Royal Spriteness has told us all more than once that this is a sex site, so submit something with sex in it.

Maybe don’t submit every day if you know the queue is backed up. Ask yourself what if every author did that.

I don’t think it’s just up to the mods to keep wait times down. It’s up to the authors, too.

Take AI-written stories elsewhere, please! The mods know who you are! Not fair to steal queue spots from the authors who pour their heart, soul, sweat, and tears into their stories.

Totally agree!

Quote by KimmiBeGood

In my opinion rejected stories waste everyone’s time and should rarely happen. We all can read the site rules, so let’s submit stories that follow them. We can all run spell and grammar checks before submitting, right?

And Her Royal Spriteness has told us all more than once that this is a sex site, so submit something with sex in it. ;)

I don’t think it’s just up to the mods to keep wait times down. It’s up to the authors, too.

Take AI-written stories elsewhere, please! The mods know who you are! Not fair to steal queue spots from the authors who pour their heart, soul, sweat, and tears into their stories.

Everything here times 1000

Quote by KimmiBeGood

In my opinion, rejected stories waste everyone’s time and should rarely happen. We all can read the site rules, so let’s submit stories that follow them. We can all run spell and grammar checks before submitting, right?

And Her Royal Spriteness has told us all more than once that this is a sex site, so submit something with sex in it.

Maybe don’t submit every day if you know the queue is backed up. Ask yourself what if every author did that.

I don’t think it’s just up to the mods to keep wait times down. It’s up to the authors, too.

Take AI-written stories elsewhere, please! The mods know who you are! Not fair to steal queue spots from the authors who pour their heart, soul, sweat, and tears into their stories.

Amen! I grow frustrated when I've spent time reviewing a story, give meaningful advice with my return to the author, and have them submit the story again with many issues still unresolved. People SHOULD know the rules, but even if they didn't bother to read before the first submission, after the return with specific things to fix, it should be a no-brainer.

I never mind working with an author who is truly making an effort to make corrections and appreciates my time. But it seems like there are folks who just think we mods should approve their stories with the plethora of mistakes because “who really cares if my verb tenses agree?”

It's disheartening to spend time on an 8-10k word story only to have the author say, “Thanks but I don't feel the need to fix what you call mistakes. I will just submit my story on another site.” 😳

We don't expect stories to be perfect. We do overlook mistakes here and there if they don't detract from the story. Its an erotic story site, not an English 300 level essay. But when people keep submitting stories with the same mistakes, it makes the whole process slow down for everyone.

Back in the day, there was a 24-hour waiting period before authors could submit another story. We've been asking authors to do this voluntarily to help keep the queue more manageable.

As for the worry that people will lose interest in a series while they wait for the next part, many authors engage with their readers during the wait with teasers or asking them to check out other stories of theirs. I do this a lot. And its fun to see an older story read by new eyes!

Anyway, thanks, Kimmi, for being the voice of reason. I know authors get frustrated when they have to wait, but you're right! Careful proofreading and attention to detail BEFORE a story is submitted helps move things along for everyone. 💋Kat

Thanks for your insight on the work you do. I've had stories returned a couple of times. I always appreciate the advice and encouragement. I always read and re-read my writing and put it through a spell and grammar check more than once. Errors can still creep in though. Recently I've left several days between submissions, for the most part. Not sure what the answer is….. Perhaps a weekly limit? I agree if it is part of a series, that faithful followers wont tire of waiting. I think posting on your profile and interacting with fellow Lushies while waiting for a story is part of the appeal in this site. I often see some of my older work being read and commented on.

While it has been a long time since I was a mod, I'll second everything the Tech Moddess (best user title on Lush, by the way) said. And Kimmi, too. People need to use the fact that the site has standards to challenge themselves to do better, not to figure out ways to skirt the rules.

Quote by Shyexhibitionist
faithful followers wont tire of waiting. I think posting on your profile and interacting with fellow Lushies while waiting for a story is part of the appeal in this site.

Yes. Without trying to derail the thread, I've spent time producing social media content for businesses who have nothing to say but want to say it anyway for fear of not publishing every day and not being in the faces of everyone's feed. All it does is clog the internet with dross.

Entire industries have cropped up around advising people on the exact best times to post, how often to post, things to include in your subject lines, what your first 80 characters should contain, what picture to use for maximum engagement, yahde yahde.

And they're 100% bullshit. Snake oil.

Good quality content that is engaging will attract readers and followers, regardless if it's posted at 11pm on a Wednesday or 7am on Friday. People will read and share good quality content, without needing to be asked or begged or coerced. Because it's good.

With judicial use of the forum, profile walls, chat and connections, the time between publications can be used, as Shyexhibitionist says, for promotion, encouraging more people to whet their appetites with chapter 1 and, heck, taking advice instead of complaining that it's been a week already and you fear nobody will remember your writing.

Our aim as moderators is to get as many stories published first time as we possibly can. Authors can vastly affect this aim by being mindful of other authors to give everyone a fair shot at the moderators' limited resources. Use a spell checker. Perhaps a grammar checker in conjunction with our Writing Tips. Learn the craft. Read/absorb work from some of the incredibly talented authors we have on this site, as well as listen to—and apply—feedback from moderators.

If you're submitting a story that a moderator has taken the time to critique, please don't throw a hissy fit, delete the story and resubmit your original or (worse) generate a completely different pile of generic garbage and submit it half an hour later, then shoot your mouth off about how slow/evil we are. That behaviour helps nobody.

Lush is a community. Sharing content using a shared, limited resource of hard-working volunteers, with a vision to help curate and publish better-than-average erotica compared to many other sites that will publish anything because "it's just porn and nobody cares".

We care. Please be respectful, and help us to help everyone by not flooding the queue.

Absolutely. I only joined here in February. I may have been lucky enough to have over 40 stories published, but that doesn't make me an expert. I am very much a novice, taking on board the advice I am given and responding to those kind enough to comment on my stories. I listen to the feedback and really enjoy interacting. In between lulls in stories I try to post humour and thoughts for the day. Yes Lush is primarily about stories, but it offers so much more if you forget about numbers and rankings and being noticed. As WW says your work will speak for itself.

Here endeth the lesson. Sermon over! 🙃

Quote by Shyexhibitionist

Lush is primarily about stories, but it offers so much more if you forget about numbers and rankings and being noticed. As WW says your work will speak for itself.

Here endeth the lesson. Sermon over! 🙃

Stories are how Lush seems to have started. But it's much more of a social networking site than just a place to publish sex stories.

I have some suggestions for how our authors can help each other and to help the mods get through the queue when it gets backed up.

-- Proofread. When you're done, proofread again. When you're done, proofread again backwards, from the last paragraph to the first, because we all get tired and lazy toward the end. Proofread out loud. Our ears catch things our eyes missed.

-- Know what to do. Read the story and site rules. No means no. Don't beat people. There's no growing up, only grown-ups. The mods shouldn't need to take the time to explain any of that.

https://www.lushstories.com/forum/writing-resources/before-you-submit-a-story

https://www.lushstories.com/writing-tips/unacceptable-content

https://www.lushstories.com/legal/acceptable-use-policy

https://www.lushstories.com/writing-tips

-- Don't submit a new story the second after your last one is published. I certainly feel the same rush as you do, but think of your fellow writers and the rush they're missing out on. Wait a day. Wait two days. Proofread it again.

-- If you see that approval times are getting long, hold off for a little while before submitting your edgy story. We love seeing stories that push the limits and challenge our readers, but they often challenge the mods' time. The edgier the story, the closer it gets to that Line of Acceptability (TM), the more we have to engage the other mods, which means your story gets a lot of our time that we could use for other writers.

-- I can recognize an AI-assisted story, but I can't prove it, so I still review it. Do the writers here the honor of not submitting AI stories. If you must use one (not that I'd understand why), could you wait a week or two between submissions?

-- Have I mentioned proofreading? If your skills are a little rusty, try using the free versions of any of the available grammar checkers. I rotate through a few of them. We all read what we thought we wrote, not what's on the paper.

What I'm saying in my usual long-winded way is that if we show some discipline (I know a lot of you like that) and restraint (again, I know a lot of you like that, too), we can all help each other out to get every story published as quickly as possible.

Quote by dronette56

-- Have I mentioned proofreading?

Haha—talk about dedication! When I posted this, I misspelled "proffreading" as a gag, and one of the mods fixed it for me. I love you for looking out for me!

Quote by dronette56

-- If you see that approval times are getting long, hold off for a little while before submitting your edgy story.

Thank you, dronette56, for sharing this. 😊 However, I have one question made because of the above point...

Is there a way authors can know how long the current approval times are?

I was thinking the same thing. I held off for a week when I first heard. Last one only two days. If I'd known the waiting time, I would have waited.

Quote by wxt55uk

Thank you, dronette56, for sharing this. 😊 However, I have one question made because of the above point...

Is there a way authors can know how long the current approval times are?

Not really, no. There are too many variables. It depends on how many stories are in the queue, how long the stories in the queue are, the availability of the mods etc. There are often times when we're modding a story and come across a situation (in terms of story content, for example) where we need to ask other mods for guidance and need to wait to hear back from them etc.