Letoria: Blog

Anybody who posts a story on SOL or any other erotic story site needs an editor. To my mind, editors are not optional, unless you don't care whether or not you look like an illiterate fool. Taking that a step further, you won't generate much of an audience if readers think you're an illiterate fool. No one can edit his or her own writing -- even Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Gertrude Stein had editors.

It's clear to me that most erotic story writers don't use editors. Most of the stories I've read, especially on other sites, are ghastly. If you can't be bothered with commas, periods, or proper spelling, why should I be bothered with reading your story? Punctuation and spelling have a very useful purpose -- they keep everything from jumbling up in the reader's head like some chain reaction collision on the Interstate. It's not my job as a reader to unjumble and reinterpret what you might or might not be trying to say. It's your job to properly convey your idea/vision to me in the first place.

I suspect much of the really poor erotic writing one sees is a kind of premature ejaculation on the page. The author gets a wild and hot fantasy churning in his or her head, and they just have to spill it out while it's still hot off the neurons. This fine, but it usually doesn't translate well without fixing up. That's where the editor comes in.

SOL editors are volunteers. They don't charge a dime for their services, which makes it all the more inexcusable to not have an editor. Some editors do more than others. Some will only proofread (look for spelling and grammatical errors), others might offer suggestions on improving readability, and still others are willing to help out with story flow/progression, plot management, dialogue, and any number of more advanced needs. To find out what services each editor offers (usually), enter "Find a Volunteer" on the "Authors/Editors" homepage. There, you'll see what themes the editor will or won't work with, what his or her credentials are to be an editor, and under comments, what they're willing to do with a story. Then simply submit a request.

I have a not so idle thought for volunteer editors. If you're going to offer your services, it behooves you to avoid egregious spelling and grammatical mistakes in your "Comments". This is not an isolated problem. For example i use office xp to edit stuff im a brit so you may want to emphasize which terminoligy you want used. Problems? All lower case, misspellings, no apostrophes, commas or periods. Not someone I'm going to trust proofreading my story. Or this one: I'm a preaty good stickler when it comes to spelling and grammer, I enjoy a good story and find errors to be a distraction and too many will ruin a story for me.I will proofread just about any type of story but will only critique those that aren't about t ... My oh my.

In my own experience, other annoyances I had when looking for an editor were the ones who simply listed "Availability", or didn't offer credentials, or comments on what they were willing to do as editors. And puh-leeze, when you put down "Gay" under turn-offs, indicate whether that includes "Lesbian" too. Since my themes are Ff and FF, the distinction matters. I've seen authors list "Lesbian" under acceptable themes, then list "Gay" as unacceptable. Don't make me guess whether "Gay" means MM only, or MM and FF.

So, if we all work together, the writers will look like better writers, and the editors will get whatever rewards editors get. I have a wonderful SOL editor. He makes me look like a better writer than I probably am. He didn't touch this blog, and it probably shows. But then, that's why I need an editor -- and so do you.

I must have touched a nerve with my previous blog, at least the bit discussing manners and polite communications. I have received more feedback on that small rant than I have for all my writing combined. It's clear from the comments that my experience with rude, even vicious attacks from people who claim to be educated and gifted writers, is hardly unique. It seems as if amateur, first-time posters are attacked to see how we respond. I bite back. I didn't see a rule in the TOS that said that I, as a first time amateur poster, had to bow down and kiss the ass of "authors" who have an inflated sense of their skill. I don't care if it's Annie Proulx -- rude attacks are not acceptable.

A lot of the comments I've received are along the lines of "Don't let the jerks discourage you" or "Don't let them scare you away, most of the people here are nice." I'm not going away. The kind comments I've received far outnumber the rude and crude. It occurred to me rude, nasty attacks are the kinds of things the very insecure resort to. Any established author who's threatened by me, an amateur without much formal education, has much bigger issues than whether or not I'm worthy of the title "author". I'd suggest they reassess their view of themselves.

Speaking of manners and being polite, I do get a fair amount of feedback on my story offerings from the three other sites I post on. Any time a reader is moved enough by my writing to contact me, then I take the time to write back thanking them. It's important to me; it's basic manners. I hope I never forget those basic manners my mother taught me before I ever set foot in elementary school.

Education. Over 25 years ago, my grade for Freshman Comp -- 3.8 -- was posted. I never again took a formal writing course. I was in school to be a nurse, not a journalist. Now, a quarter of a century later, at my spouse's behest, I'm enjoying the new hobby of writing erotica. From what some tell me, I do a decent enough job. I'm not sure what that says either about me or about the value of college writing courses. I suspect it doesn't say much about either.

Audiences and Naivete. Naivete can be a good thing. It keeps kids believing in Santa Claus, the basic decency of people, and the fairness of life. But it can also set one up for disappointment. I first started posting my stories on a site which seemed a safe bet, given the theme/plot of my offering. I somehow convinced myself that the other contributors and much of the audience were female and gay or bisexual. It took a while to figure it out, but the scales were lifted from my eyes. Not only were most of the contributors, pen names notwithstanding, men, but so were even more of the audience. Even harder to swallow, the readers were nothing more than a slightly literate version of the guy who surfs video porn sites, whacking off as he does. So much for my pretensions.

Manners. I think the thing that shocked me the most when I started posting stories was the apparent truth that the more educated and self-important a commentator is, the more they need a lesson in the manners a 5 year old grasps with ease. Apparently posting a story on a site means we've shed an expectation that people ought to be civilized when communicating with us. I wasn't prepared for established "authors" to send me email comments without even the most cursory introduction, raking me over the coals for a misplaced comma, or a poor word choice, or for having the audacity to offend their tender literary sensibilities by my presence. Rake me over the coals, by all means, but please do it politely. Does it cause physical pain to at least be courteous? Basic rule of thumb: If you wouldn't walk up to a stranger on a city sidewalk and say it, then don't say it in an email. That's cowardly. And I would say that to your face if it were the case. Politely.