Considering that EA has always been free and volunteer operated, I have never been particularly critical of the archives - although there have been issues for both readers and authors over the years. For instance, during one period of time the last paragraph or so of submissions would sometimes get chopped off without the author knowing about it until it was posted, and then there was no way to fix it. About three stories I posted back then just end abruptly, some mid sentence.

Since the temporary shut down, I have been waiting patiently to see how, or even if, the archives would return. Until this thread, I really wasn't aware that there is a behind-the-scenes project to edit and clean up the stories. With 8,000 plus stories, that is a massive undertaking. So far about half of the stories that I submitted have reappeared. Presumably the others will show up in due time.

EA is hardly recognizable as the same site I first discovered back in 1996. BBoy would be proud and everyone who has had a hand in its transformation should be as well. Any of the ill mannered whiners who carp on its "imperfections" would do well to keep that in mind.

J.A. Loftin aka Intrepid

Cainanite (imported) wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:25 pm 1. Are there any Fiction Archive contributors out there, and what do you think of the new look of the Fiction Archive?

I have not contributed yet.

Cainanite (imported) wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:25 pm 2. If you've had one of your stories return from electronic limbo, what do you think? Did the editors keep your intent? Is your story just ruined now? Did my spell correcting your story destroy your words? (Okay, you can complain a little about formatting, That might be something I can fix as an editor.)

See above

3. If you are a regular contributor, how have you been dealing with the temporary loss of new submissions? Are you contributing stories elsewhere? How therapeutic is sharing your stories to you?

See above

4. If you are a long time READER of the Fiction Archive, have you been able to discover any lost Gems? Have you read any stories you've skipped before? Have you re-read any old stories you've loved? Are they better, worse, or about the same as you remember?

I haven't just stumbled across any lost ones, but have found some with the help of the editors, and have discovered lots of old faves as they've come back.

Cainanite (imported) wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:25 pm 5. What would you like to see for the future of the Fiction Archive? (Remember, people are volunteers who are working on this. You may not get what you want, but you can be fanciful in your dreams, we won't judge you.)

Hmm, I'm not sure what to suggest, just that I hope to see it keep growing :

Cainanite (imported) wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:25 pm )

6. What are your general comments or concerns? This is the place to share your ideas. (Just remember, the people who you want to listen have been putting in long hours for no pay to give you the new Archive. Be respectful.)

The index titles should be self explanatory but I'm a little curious what the thought process is about what makes a story fit for a certain audience. Maybe a description could be put with them. As there a place for stories with a female theme?

Other than that a search feature would be nice.

i've written like 13 stories here and some have been deleted , like

"teen celebrities change over " my stepmother demaled me, and a few others i can't find .

i am disapointed my creative work was killed off,

but the new forma is ok to me

Teen Celebrities parts 1-3 are waiting along with about 7000 others for the proofreaders to get to. We did not delete them. As for "My Stepmother Deballed Me", are you sure that is the title?

tal - the guy that goes out of his way to kill off creative works.

Glad to see the Archives are back and aapreciate the enormity of the job done by you volunteers. Still hoping to see the rest of Byzwriters' stories, probably about 10 of them, and "The Life of a Slave," a 4-part story by Missing/Missing 2. Know of any other stories of this type?

andro-phil (imported) wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:48 pm i've written like 13 stories here and some have been deleted , like

"teen celebrities change over " my stepmother demaled me, and a few others i can't find .

i am disapointed my creative work was killed off,

but the new forma is ok to me

Your work hasn't been "killed off" It just hasn't been edited yet. I can and do take requests especially if they are polite.

As of your posting this, I decided to have a look and see what I could do. It has taken me almost an hour to edit just TWO of your stories.

I've edited Teen Celebrity Changeover and Teen Celebrity Changeover, Plus - Part 2

These were among the most difficult to salvage I have seen. Extreme spelling problems, no clear sentence breaks, capitalization errors, no paragraph breaks, and embedded in an old version HTML page like a tick under the skin.

Normally I can get through about 10 to 20 stories in an hour of editing. I got through two of yours in that same time. If I continue to edit your stories, (which I will now that I've started) some other worthwhile stories will have to wait.

I've finished I Was Demaled by My Stepmom part 1 and 2 for you, as well as Teen Celebrity Changeover 3

Give me the names of your other stories, and I'll continue to see what I can do.

bearded1 (imported) wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:55 pm Glad to see the Archives are back and aapreciate the enormity of the job done by you volunteers. Still hoping to see the rest of Byzwriters' stories, probably about 10 of them, and "The Life of a Slave," a 4-part story by Missing/Missing 2. Know of any other stories of this type?

I've found what I can of Byzwriters' stories ( I think I found them all.) and edited them for you. Also you will get The Life of a Slave - Chapters 1 to 4 back in the next update.

The WayBack Machine has 19 of Byzwriter's "Byzantium" stories listed. And if I recall correctly, there was a 20th before the Fiction Archive went down. Anxious for the day when new fiction will return. Keep up the good work in the mean time. /B]

bearded1 (imported) wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2011 1:28 am The WayBack Machine has 19 of Byzwriter's "Byzantium" stories listed. And if I recall correctly, there was a 20th before the Fiction Archive went down. Anxious for the day when new fiction will return. Keep up the good work in the mean time. /B]

Unfortunately in our editing set-up, which is very simple, I can only search by the name of the story, not the author. I too have to use the Wayback Machine, if I want to search by author. I find which stories they've written (titles), then I can edit them. The Wayback Machine is current to May 27th, 2011 which is pretty much when the whole thing went kablooie here at the EA. I think I've got all Byzwriter's stories now, at least I can hope.

Asking me to edit all of an author's stories won't help me. Telling me the titles WILL.

If there is a title you are missing let me know. I'm happy to help if I can.

I have immense gratitude and respect for the volunteers who are restoring the Archive. It was the soul of this place, where people could bare their innermost feelings through fiction, in ways they never could or would directly. My wish is only to see the entire Archive restored, and new work being posted. Think of this as confession or therapy, and even the most poorly written story becomes a precious peek inside someone's soul.

One idea might be to anthologize the contents, grouping stories as you've already begun to do, or in other ways people might suggest. The anthologies could perhaps be published as e-books, bringing in much needed revenue to EA, and even paying royalties to authors. Some might say the content was too esoteric or that mainstream taste would be offended. Yet look at what has been published with success about other hidden corners of sexuality. Ozzie and Harriet have already been offended. A best-of selection might even go into print. Just seek out the publishers who have worked other unconventional beats. The Archive contains imaginative treasures, and some good writing.

It goes without saying that the Archive will not be perfected until the stories I published under another name appear again! Just in case, I still have them on my own computer. (Laugh.) I imagine most authors feel the same. It's thrilling to see your own work on-line.

Don't underestimate the cultural importance of what you're doing. People all over the world with strong feelings about castration and eunuchism are affected. I don't know if there's any comparable resource. So you are literally reviving the voice of a forgotten people. Thank you.