There are certain standards that Lush adheres to as a site. Lush is known for good quality, and there is a reason for that. People have a choice about whether they want to submit here and adhere to those guidelines, or not.
We see some utter dross cross our paths, as well as some spectacular work. For me, as a verifier, it's all about the author's attitude. Their story might be awful, but if they have a genuine desire to have their work read and scored, I feel that it's reasonable to expect them to want it to be in as good condition as possible. If, that is, they have any pride in it.
We can't be good at everything, because other people would feel inferior. But if we want to be good at a craft, particularly if it does not come naturally, we have to work at it. We can take joy in the results of producing something that others can enjoy. Even if they don't enjoy it, we can still be proud of ourselves for working hard.
But there is pride, and there is arrogance. I regularly go out of my way to help writers who struggle. I don't care about their schooling or ability to spell correctly, or stick an exclamation mark in the right place. I care about their desire to have their story read as well as possible. Time allowing, I often edit work for people even before they hit the queue for verification. But those struggling authors have earned my time, and more importantly, my respect. I also shout at them for bad habits, and I have seen them improve. I respect them even more for that.
Attitude is everything. I've got no time for people who live up their own bottoms, but I have all the time I can find for somebody who wants to work hard, and is humble about it.
Ut incepit fidelis, sic permanet.
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I just posted this in another forum section but I think it belongs in this thread.
My first effort was wonderful, or so I thought. It got rejected several times before I resorted to reading the guidelines and the advice the moderators were sending me. (So, I am a stubborn bitch) Now I have to admit that the first story was not good, and what is more, I now know why it was rejected and agree that it should have been rejected.
I cannot thank the moderators enough for their time and patience. As a result of the advice, from them and from reading the writers' forum posts, the next story I submitted was published after only one rejection and that was over a single sentence which came close to breaching a site rule. The next was published (yesterday) with NO rejections or editing needed.
Thanks sincerely.
I have had stories rejected for grammar reasons when there was nothing wrong with it, except that I was using English grammar rules and not American. On the rejection, the person checking my story was American and didn't like how I constructed my sentences. When I challenged her, she threw her dummy from the pram and banned me from the site for 14 days. Not a very adult thing to do in my opinion. I did complain to the site but received no joy, much as I expected. 15 days later I re-posted the story, which this time was apparently checked by someone who understands English grammar the way we Brits use it and the story was duly published with no problem.
There are 1637 pages of stories to read on Lush, with twenty stories/poems on each page. That is over 32,000 stories that have been read and edited and improved by volunteer story moderators over the four or five years this site has been available.
Perhaps the bar has been set higher than it was a few years ago, but that means that you all are reading more literate stories. Moderators offer advice and resources for those who need help to meet an acceptable standard of spelling and grammar. We are not critics and do not judge the content of the stories and poetry other than to insure that it complies with Lush guidelines (e.g. ). Deciding on the merit of work is up to the readers.
I am really dismayed that this work is taken for granted. It seems that some writers feel entitled to have editing services to clean up their stories for them or deny that there are any issues if they are advised to do the work themselves. I remember a story that was accompanied by a note from the writer asking that we excuse the mess her story was in as it was just a first draft.
Please understand that we do this to improve your work and its literacy and so that Lush remains the best site of its kind. Perhaps a thank you after you have been helped or your story is posted may be too much to hope for, but the complaints that I have read here from some are really inappropriate.
As Buz said above, there is no such thing as British grammar and American grammar. There are one or two differences in the use of punctuation but that is about it. Of course, there are differences in spelling and some words (e.g. lift/elevator), and both are acceptable here.
Writers who assert that UK and US grammar are entirely different are incorrect. They seem to be looking for a reason not to accept that they are making mistakes and that these have been pointed out to them. There is such a thing as standard English usage that applies everywhere. The story moderators are from numerous places in the English-speaking world and understand both the similarities and differences in usage among them.
When you reach the level of Margaret Atwood or Martin Amis or some other respected writer, you can have a style. Until then, the standard rules of grammar apply.
I looked into the difference between British English and American English a little. From what I can tell, almost all of the differences are to do with vocabulary, with a few related to punctuation.
Sure, Brits might turn a phrase a bit differently from a Yank, and the colonials have their own way of saying certain things, too. However, English is still English the world over and if it doesn't make sense in American English then you can bet your sweet ass it doesn't make sense in British English either.
Do you think fixing technical errors makes the story better? I think it just fixes technical errors. A bad story sucks no matter how wonderful the grammar may be. All you are doing is making the story more easily understood.
Now if you (OWA and Liz) feel this makes a story better then you can feel free to pat yourselves on the back. But don't expect me to thank you for anything but helping me with the technical aspects.
