Right on, Kortpeel!! I couldn't agree with you more.

Jemagirl that quote about Censorship and steak was pretty good. Sounds like something Twain would say.

Chemdaddy: How long did you wait before assuming your stories were rejected? Sometimes it takes several days for a story to be posted. One of the few stories I posted here took, if I remember correctly, 15 days before it showed up.

Also, check the "stories awaiting approval" number on the stories page before you submit your story, then again after you submit it. That was how I knew my story was probably still awaiting approval -- the number was the same and/or went up over the 15 days, but no new stories had appeared. So I knew the editors were just busy.

Quick question (probably for Paolo):

When we submit a story, we get a "temporary link" to see the story before the EA Editor(s) approve it. If a story is rejected/deleted by the Editor(s), does this link stop working?

I was just thinking, this might be a way for authors to see if their stories were rejected. Just try the temp link every few days. If it stops working, you know your story was rejected...

Prudence,

As I understand the code that runs this place, once the story is deleted via my control panel, then the confirmation link SHOULD stop working, as it would be a link to nothing. I have not tried this, however.

With the volume of stories submitted (there are 11 in the tank right now, and that's one day's worth), I don't have the time to inform every single poster that their material was either accepted or rejected. As I've told others, I spend about 2 hours EVERY DAY on the Archive, whether you see my name on the active list of members or not.

My only suggestion is to be patient. If you posted something and it was never accepted, a friendly inquiry via PM or email would be the best way to nicely ask about it.

I also belong to a few other sites with story archives and bulletin boards, and let me restate for the masses - if you think EA's poorly run, or there's a lot of banning going on, or that it's hard to get a story accepted, boy do you need a reality check!

Now, as for this semi-literate and obviously delusional judge, well ... I've yet to see a headline news story about any little boys (or grown men, for that matter) getting castrated because the person assaulting them used the excuse "I read it on the Eunuch Archive."

thanks paulo for all your hard work, i love it when you say you S canned something.

maybe you could make the S canned stories available to read in a reject folder.

I think the larger issue here is about transparency. If an author has a story rejected, they should be told why. If it has to do with grammar and the like, perhaps they could resubmit after some editing. If it is because of content, the explanation should be specific to offending material so the writer does not repete the same mistakes over and over.

It must be frustrating for authors to be anticipating their work being posted and then nothing at all happens; no post, no rejection letter, no recomeendations... like wandering down a pitch dark hallway looking for the restroom in the middle of the night.

Sit down and take the time to talk to Paolo and Krister on the telephone. You find these guys to have real hearts. These two are not the real internet police. They are trying to make a good place for all of us to have clean fun. Talk to them. You will be surprised how fair these guys are.

What's really frustrating is to continually find stories in the tank that are simply unreadable, and I simply do not have the time to clean up every single submission in the tank.

For example, I just spent half an hour here at the MOM struggling through a German story that just wasn't making sense to me. It apparently didn't make sense to Google, either, because all I could get back from that was gibberish. But I TRIED.

Also, there simply isn't time to contact every single author who submits something that is unacceptable. For what it's worth, sorry ... but that's the way it is because it has to be that way.

And in reply to a question I was asked, "No," I do not enjoy "flushing" stories from the holding tank. Believe it or not, I know that it probably hurts someone's feelings. One should have enough common sense, however, to write us up an email or a PM and ask, "What happened to my story?" That, or ask for a beta reader on the Story Help Forum, and keep a copy of the story just in case.

I mean, if you can't politely ask for help, then what DO you expect?

Let me point out that no journal, magazine, ezine of book publication in the literary world commits to any more than "Sorry, we reject your story" ... Most say "Your story does not meet our needs." or "We have no use for your story in our current or future issues."

In Fact, some places that accept entries by email do not even reply. Once they acknowledge that they have received the story or novel or book proposal or outline, they say "if you don't hear in six months consider it rejected." Now that aggravates everyone, but that's their rules.

He who owns the gold, sets the rules. Sorry, that's a fact of life in the literary world. It is harsh out there. The trick is not to take it personally otherwise it is soul-crushing.

Here are a bunch of rejections without any more change than my removing their names or identities. They don't give much encouragement, do they?

Unfortunately we won't be using this piece, but thanks for thinking of us.

Thank you for submitting. I'm sorry to tell you that we hav chosen to decline "XXXX" in favor of other tales that better suit our needs at this time.

We regret that the manuscript you submitted does not fit our current editorial needs.

Thank you for sending me your work. Sorry I cannot take XXXX. All the best with placing elsewhere

Thanks for sending your story for consideration at XXXX..., but it has been consigned to the Lake of Fire. Have a pleasant day. Minion, editor from hell

Thank you for submitting to XXXX. Though I enjoyed reading "YYYY", I'm going to pass. Although I can't use this story, please feel free to send another.

Thanks for sending us your story "YYYY," but I've decided not to take it for XXXX. I'm afraid this one just didn't connect with me, but good luck to you placing it elsewhere.

Thank you for submitting “YYYY” to XXXX.

Unfortunately, y

Dave (imported) wrote: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:16 pm our story does not meet our needs

at this time. Yours is one of many high quality submissions we received, and we encourage you to try us again if you have another story that you think would be a good fit.

That last one was the brightest ray of sunshine I ever received from an e-zine.

...

Dave (imported) wrote: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:25 pm a bunch of rejections without any more change than my removing their names or identities. They don't give much encouragement, do they?

I had to smile at Dave's posting. I have a drawer full of letters exactly like that.

There are two lessons to be learnt by any wannabe writer:

1. You gotta be able to handle rejection. If an editor don't want your masterpiece he don't want it and you just have to accept that. More importantly you have to keep on trying. You haven't failed until you give up.

2. Study your markets. Writing is a business same as any other. You have to tailor your work to what the Editor (your would-be customer) is looking for. If it is what he's looking for he'll buy it and actually pay you for it !(usually some months after publication).

Note too that the things that Paolo's always moaning about: spelling, grammar and punctuation go without saying. Don't even try to submit anything until you've mastered that.

Writing stories for this Archive is very good practice. It gives you access to a readership and if you get any reaction at all know that you are doing well.

Keep on trying.

Kortpeel