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Tips for dealing with a rejected story.

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Lurker
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We all know it's no fun having your story rejected. Authors getting rejection notes and verifiers hate having to reject a story. However, if your story has been rejected, there are a few things you can do to make sure it's not rejected a second time.

1) Don't get mad. If you need to, take a breather before you try to work on things, hate mail and public rants do nothing to help anyone. Lush has certain standards, working to meet them makes you a better writer.

2) Read the rejection note thoroughly. The note will tell you exactly why your story was returned to you and in some cases, outline what needs to be fixed. If you can't understand why your story was rejected, you can always message the verifier who processed your story. Do not try to circumvent editing and immediately resubmit your story in the hopes that someone else will pick it up. This just makes it look like you're a troublemaker.

3) Proofread the entire story before resubmitting. Verifiers can see exactly what has been changed when you re-send a story, granted that you've done it properly and edited the existing file instead of making a new one. You should proofread the entire story and not just the first couple paragraphs.

4) If you've been provided with links, read them. Often, links are included at the end of the story to help edit your story.

5) If you've used some sort of literary device and the verifier did not recognize it, you can simply message the verifier with what it was and why. We're reasonable people, if it really is something acceptable, we'll put it through.

6) If your story was rejected for content issues, e.g breaks the guidelines, do a quick check for grammar, punctuation and spelling before sending it in. Chances are, if the section of your story that breaks the rules is at the beginning, the rest of your story may not have been read yet and might be returned to you for those issues afterwards.


This is the format of a general rejection note:

Hi Pleasant Lush Author


We have removed the "I can't think of a good title so I'll type this"

http://www.lushstories.com/stories/Icantthinkofagoodtitlesoi'lltypethis.aspx


Reason for deletion:


This part of the note is a personal message that the verifier sends to you with tips on how to edit your story so that it can be submitted. It's rare that we get a story so bad that it's beyond fixing and ask the author not to resubmit.


Recommended reading: (These are a few of the links often included to help with whatever issue your story is having)

http://www.lushstories.com/writing-tips/punctuation.aspx

http://www.lushstories.com//forum/yaf_postsm1053976_Formatting-Dialogue.aspx

http://www.lushstories.com//forum/yaf_postsm1001284_Advice-before-submitting-a-story.aspx

http://www.lushstories.com//forum/yaf_postst16278_Proofreading-what-is-THAT-all-about.aspx


If you would like to have the story published, please edit your story to comply with the above and resubmit. If you have been advised the story is not for this site, please do not submit it again.


You can edit your stories by clicking the Account > My Stories in the navigation.


Regards,
Lush Admin
Scarlet Seductress
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Excellent post!

I particularly like the Dialogue Formatting guide by Clum and Principessa - it is an excellent resource.
Mazztastic
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Bear in mind that you can also PM the verifier who sent the message, if you're still not exactly sure what to do next. The mods are a generally friendly bunch!

Have a friend, who can be objective, read your story over for you.

One of the best tips I ever received was to sit and read your story aloud - Things which may not be immediately obvious will become much much clearer, especially punctuation.

It is worth taking the extra time to do these things and to read the forum threads listed above - your story will do much better once it's published.
Scarlet Seductress
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Quote by Mazza
Bear in mind that you can also PM the verifier who sent the message, if you're still not exactly sure what to do next. The mods are a generally friendly bunch!

Have a friend, who can be objective, read your story over for you.

One of the best tips I ever received was to sit and read your story aloud - Things which may not be immediately obvious will become much much clearer, especially punctuation.

It is worth taking the extra time to do these things and to read the forum threads listed above - your story will do much better once it's published.


Anyone else find themselves doing this in different accents?
No? Just me...

Scouse and Welsh are hilarious
Cheeky Chick
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I never get upset at the mods when/if my stories are rejected but I do take the tips they offer me. I think the best advice I was ever given, is to read it out loud. I have a hard time reading it out loud by myself. So, I always read it to Jamie. He can hear me say it, and I see the mistakes myself and he can give me tips on what should maybe be altered or changed. I suggest everyone do this, it has helped me SO much!
Orgasm Aficionado
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Quote by Liz


Anyone else find themselves doing this in different accents?
No? Just me...

Scouse and Welsh are hilarious


Scouse accent? Az if!!
Clumeleon
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I've been guilty of breaking Rule Number 1.

However, I did make the edits requested.
Matriarch
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Great post OWA! =d>
CurlyFries
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I agree. Great post!

I'll admit, I took my first rejection to heart. It certainly stung my pride a little, but I picked myself up by my g-string and read the attached links. Glad I did, because I think they really helped to improve my story. Everything has been copacetic since then.

Thanks for all the help!
Lurker
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Thanks smile

I had a story rejected when I first started writing too.
Lurker
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my first poem was rejected. mostly due to formatting & editing.

I read the links and resubmitted it. It was accepted the 2nd time and I like to think I am a better writer for that rejection
Lurker
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I feel this is important:

Give it a break - walk away for a while.
Sometimes what you need is distance and time before reading it, again, in order to catch your errors. If you attack it with irritation, or are intent on resolving spelling/grammatical errors or accidental tense shits (where you go from past to present, etc) - you might miss other things like fragmented sentences, misused words, poorly constructed sentences, and so on.
Active Ink Slinger
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Quote by Liz


Anyone else find themselves doing this in different accents?
No? Just me...

Scouse and Welsh are hilarious


I realised quite early on that reading some of Mazza's poems in a scottish accent makes them work even better
Warning: The opinions above are those of an anonymous individual on the internet. They are opinions, unless they're facts. They may be ill-informed, out of touch with reality or just plain stupid. They may contain traces of irony. If reading these opinions causes you to be become outraged or you start displaying the symptoms of outrage, stop reading them immediately. If symptoms persist, consult a psychiatrist.

Why not read some stories instead

NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber
Her Royal Spriteness
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Quote by overmykneenow


I realised quite early on that reading some of Mazza's poems in a scottish accent makes them work even better


you should try reading them in Spanish. oh, my *fans self*

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

Active Ink Slinger
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Quote by sprite


you should try reading them in Spanish. oh, my *fans self*


I'll never look at chupa chups in the same way again!
Warning: The opinions above are those of an anonymous individual on the internet. They are opinions, unless they're facts. They may be ill-informed, out of touch with reality or just plain stupid. They may contain traces of irony. If reading these opinions causes you to be become outraged or you start displaying the symptoms of outrage, stop reading them immediately. If symptoms persist, consult a psychiatrist.

Why not read some stories instead

NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber
Lurker
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I thought this was an interesting thread. I seldom venture into Forum because I am so busy writing but I liked the content in this subject line. I don't know how many stories I have on Lushstories because I am too lazy to count but I do know I have had over 60 stories rejected for one reason or another. Some of them more than once. I think it is because I sometimes get into a storyline and lose track of the nuances of the guidelines. Most of the stories were eventually posted after revision of the story. I never take exception to criticism because I find it is generally well founded. I have done a count and find I have about 100 stories not on Lushstories because no matter what I did they did not fit into the guideline. Most of those I didn't even try to submit because they stand a chance. haha. Strangely, I am revising all 600 odd of my stories to conform to other criteria and a number of the revised stories bear little resemblance to the original. My original stories of "The Voodoo Queen" and "Vampire Erotica" have been combined into a single story called "Mardi Gras Erotica" It is nine chapters in length and will be about 25 chapters when finished. I eventually stopped submitting a story to Lushstories when I suspected it would create a problem for a moderator. Their job is difficult enough without my contribution. haha Good Luck to all writers with rejected stories. Revision is the best option. HL
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Many thanks to OWA for her topic subject and her most valid points.
Additional kudos to Mazza for her comments, especially about reading it aloud.

If I might add the single most important thing I have learned at Lush is to allow sufficient time after writing a story before attempting to edit it... This prevents the mind from auto-correcting the grammar errors and allows you to read it fresh; I have found this to be as valuable as having a friend read it. Although it is difficult to wait, I feel this has helped me to reduce my own rejections.

I am left with one question regarding OWA's #3) Proofread the entire story before resubmitting. Verifiers can see exactly what has been changed when you re-send a story, granted that you've done it properly and edited the existing file instead of making a new one. You should proofread the entire story and not just the first couple paragraphs.
Could you clarify this a little? I usually edit my original Word document 'off-line' and then copy/paste into the box. Does this create a entire new document to the verifier who must then re-verify the complete story?
Lurker
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Quote by Michael
Many thanks to OWA for her topic subject and her most valid points.
Additional kudos to Mazza for her comments, especially about reading it aloud.

If I might add the single most important thing I have learned at Lush is to allow sufficient time after writing a story before attempting to edit it... This prevents the mind from auto-correcting the grammar errors and allows you to read it fresh; I have found this to be as valuable as having a friend read it. Although it is difficult to wait, I feel this has helped me to reduce my own rejections.

I am left with one question regarding OWA's #3) Proofread the entire story before resubmitting. Verifiers can see exactly what has been changed when you re-send a story, granted that you've done it properly and edited the existing file instead of making a new one. You should proofread the entire story and not just the first couple paragraphs.
Could you clarify this a little? I usually edit my original Word document 'off-line' and then copy/paste into the box. Does this create a entire new document to the verifier who must then re-verify the complete story?


Thanks smile

When you make edits, a verifier can see what was fixed and what wasn't. It's highlighed so that we don't have to re-read an entire story and basically double-verify it. This is one of my stories that I edited using the Lush edit box:



That makes the verifier's job easier and it takes less time for the story to be re-read, meaning less time you have to wait before your story is verified.

But when you copy it from a different processer:



The second one is fine if it's a large amount of edits and it's easier to do it in word, but if it's just one or two typos, it's easier on everyone if it's fixed in the original (on Lush) file. I know it can sometimes be a hassle editing in the edit box, but for small typos, we prefer if you do it that way.
Gingerbread Lover
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Quote by Michael
Many thanks to OWA for her topic subject and her most valid points.
Additional kudos to Mazza for her comments, especially about reading it aloud.

If I might add the single most important thing I have learned at Lush is to allow sufficient time after writing a story before attempting to edit it... This prevents the mind from auto-correcting the grammar errors and allows you to read it fresh; I have found this to be as valuable as having a friend read it. Although it is difficult to wait, I feel this has helped me to reduce my own rejections.

I am left with one question regarding OWA's #3) Proofread the entire story before resubmitting. Verifiers can see exactly what has been changed when you re-send a story, granted that you've done it properly and edited the existing file instead of making a new one. You should proofread the entire story and not just the first couple paragraphs.
Could you clarify this a little? I usually edit my original Word document 'off-line' and then copy/paste into the box. Does this create a entire new document to the verifier who must then re-verify the complete story?


I make my edits in the Lush document, and then copy/paste the verified version into my Word original, even though that's where I began writing it. That way, both documents have the purest version (if "pure" is the right word to use around here...).
Ut incepit fidelis, sic permanet.

***
********************************CLICK THE BANNERS TO BUY THESE WILLY-STIFFENING BOOKS!********************************
Cocolicious
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Quote by Shylass


I make my edits in the Lush document, and then copy/paste the verified version into my Word original, even though that's where I began writing it. That way, both documents have the purest version (if "pure" is the right word to use around here...).


Great minds think alike! I do this.

This is an excellent post. I will add that actually reading the links that are provided helps. They should be read before contacting the moderator that rejected your story, often times once these links/threads are read the author sees their problems immediately which may or may not eliminate the need contact the mod.
Clever Gem
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Just had to post this somewhere!

Classified
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Of all our inventions for mass communication,
pictures still speak the most universally understood language.

Walt Disney
God Empress of Lush
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I know I was guilty of 1 the first time I had a story rejected outright - oh how I ranted! Luckily a couple of my wiser Lush friends calmed me down, and in the end I went back to the editor, explained why I'd written what I had, and asked them to reconsider. I got such a nice note back, saying that the mods had taken on board my explanation, and decided to allow my story.

I then felt a bit silly for having got so worked up in the first place.

And I wish I could say I'd learnt not to over-react to things like that...but I still do. Just not so much on Lush lol!

22 February 2024 - How about a quick plug for one of my filthiest recent stories? It's all in the title - Naked Pool Party Swingers | Lush Stories Please read, comment and maybe give it a ❤️ - or even a⭐ if you really enjoy it! Thank you! Annie xxx

Lurker
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Bump due to recent story rejections.
Her Royal Spriteness
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just a note:

we are member just like everyone else who have taken on the responsibility of making sure that the stories on this site are quality stories. this is for the benefit of both readers and writers. hey, you don't always have to agree with us, but if you approach us with the same respect we show you, like Annie said, we will usually be open minded about figuring out a solution - at the very least, we will explain the issue.

that all said, too often people DO throw tantrums and blow things out of proportion which doesn't help anybody. seriously, if you don't like a mod's decision, talk to them like an adult - this IS an adult site. don't go bad mouthing them or voting down their stories. really, it's not helping your case. trust me, i try really hard to keep our writers happy to the point of bending over backwards for some of them when i can. we've had for too many nasty responses lately to content or technical issues this week - if you're getting a story back, it's for a good reason, people, not just cause some power hungry mod has nothing better to do - you DO realize that every time we reject a story, it's doubling our work load, right? because it means we have to mod it a second (or third, fourth, sometimes fifth time!)!

thank you

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

Internet Philosopher
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Quote by sprite
just a note:

we are member just like everyone else


This is so true. I, as is true for most Mods, are writers first. We've been through the pain of rejection and the frustration that goes along with it. Even now our stories must go through the same vetting procedure. We cannot verify our own work and must submit it just as everyone else does. Often, and for me virtually always, changes need to be made. If they are minor, the mod might edit it for me. Other times my stories have been sent back. I even had one rejected outright as unsuitable for lush. I understand how difficult it is to hear that my story isn't good enough, or that the subject matter won't fly here. When it happens, I seek to learn what I did wrong.

The point is we get it. The up side is that this process has forced me to become a better, more complete writer. I still have much to learn, just as most of us do. To that end, the site has provided forums and resources that are comprehensive enough to help us all.
Her Royal Spriteness
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how NOT to deal with a rejected story: verbally assault the mod who rejected it either in public or in private. apparently that is a new, and very disturbing, trend here.

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

Active Ink Slinger
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Quote by sprite
how NOT to deal with a rejected story: verbally assault the mod who rejected it either in public or in private. apparently that is a new, and very disturbing, trend here.


I hope SPRITE will forgive me for this, but here is a copy / paste of an email I sent to her (Sprite). I could very well say the same thing to another mod here also, and be just as sincere. She kinda "Shy....", so I won't mention her name.

Sent to SPRITE: "..Once upon a time so to speak...you 'rejected' some of my writing and made me work on it some more before accepting it. What REALLY surprised me was that you "scored/commented" with a "4"... AND YOU EXPLAINED, PUBLICLY (in the comments section), WHY I didn't get a "5". Truth be known, I'm a little surprised that mods. score / comment on stuff they approve.

Sprite...That experience sealed the deal as far as I was concerned...SPRITE is somebody super nice and special. I have 'valued' those remarks / explanation FAR MORE than a higher score.

Thank you for all the work you team of Mods do for a site such as this. I know its got to be a pressure packed job in a very 'intense' environment."

========

That's all I've got to say about that. (Forrest Gump??)

Rick
Lurker
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ALL of the story mods I have dealt with are really incredible people and helpful. If you've got your spelling and grammar usage in order and still get rejected after fixing and re-submitting, ask them what the problems may be. Sometimes it's the rules they have set up for specific site reasons. Work with them (but don't pester) and they will work with you when possible. And when you get something accepted, thank them! Be polite with all your messages. Not everyone is cut out to be a writer though so bear that in mind.
Her Royal Spriteness
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Quote by asleep


I hope SPRITE will forgive me for this, but here is a copy / paste of an email I sent to her (Sprite). I could very well say the same thing to another mod here also, and be just as sincere. She kinda "Shy....", so I won't mention her name.

Sent to SPRITE: "..Once upon a time so to speak...you 'rejected' some of my writing and made me work on it some more before accepting it. What REALLY surprised me was that you "scored/commented" with a "4"... AND YOU EXPLAINED, PUBLICLY (in the comments section), WHY I didn't get a "5". Truth be known, I'm a little surprised that mods. score / comment on stuff they approve.

Sprite...That experience sealed the deal as far as I was concerned...SPRITE is somebody super nice and special. I have 'valued' those remarks / explanation FAR MORE than a higher score.

Thank you for all the work you team of Mods do for a site such as this. I know its got to be a pressure packed job in a very 'intense' environment."

========

That's all I've got to say about that. (Forrest Gump??)

Rick


lol - usually when i give 4s, i get yelled at *hugs* btw, i told you that you'd get better, and you proved me right smile

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.