This was a very interesting thread to read. I personally review every story that is published to see what the moderator changed. I'm not a professional writer and continue learning from those on this site that have far superior skills than I do.
I'd like to publicly tip my hat to all moderators for their time and effort of verifying so many stories each week. I thank the moderator on every story I submit for their time.
Well, Kimmi is a lover, not a fighter, so I typically won't make a complaint public unless I have exhausted all means of trying to resolve it privately. I think based on the moderator's responses, they were unaware of the grievances. My experience has been nothing but positive. I have been rejected ... several times ... and the reason was kindly explained each time. While I may not agree, (for example, I saw nothing wrong with my whore spider's spider babies graphically devouring men's flesh who wandered into her cave (lol)) if I publish on this site I need to abide by their rules. As for edits, numerous times a moderator has checked with me about something first before changing it. I'm closing in on 150 stories, so I think I have dealt with about every moderator here at some point. As with most things, kindness from both ends, along with communication (they can't fix something they don't know is broke) will keep most authors and moderators happy. And ... someone made this point ... I write in "Notes to the Moderator" if I have something in my story I definitely do NOT want tinkered with and have never had any issues with that request.
Sassy Red-haired Beach Kat/Dune Goddess
I've been publishing stories on Lush for 12 years and I've never had an issue with any story mod. I'm grateful for the mistakes they catch and have never had anything changed in my stories except a verb tense. I've had a couple of times where my story danced too close to the rules line and I was informed, politely, what wording was causing the issue in the story. In both cases, I agreed, changed the wording, and resubmitted the story without any issues. My experiences communicating with mods have all been pleasant.
I first began posting stories here back when the mods were tougher, when OK was NOT okay, and the comma Nazis reigned (I miss ChrissieLecker). I'm glad I joined Lush back then because their strictness made me a much better writer, and I apply everything I learned from those early rejections to everything I write now. Looser modding may be the current trend, but I don't think it does aspiring writers any favors. I'm truly grateful for all I've learned here, and I employ that free education quite often to help novice story-writers get their early efforts past the mods when they come to me after being rejected over and over. So, thank you, Lush, for making me a better writer and editor.
Well personally-speaking I have been a member of this site for some seven and a half years now and I have 580 stories out there. I have, from time to time, had a word or two changed and been corrected in my punctuation more times than I care to admit, but I am learning.
I have only had a "problem" with a Mod one time and it turns out I wasn't alone in having trouble with that person (who is no longer a Mod, BTW). If you write to them and talk to them in a calm, rational, and understanding way, I have yet to find a Mod that will not try to help you - sometimes going out of their way to help you.
I have asked opinions on pictures, on story content, and yes I have had a few - very few - stories sent back for one reason or another. But that was my fault... I like to ride the boundaries a lot and sometimes I step over them!
All in all, I think our Mods do a fabulous job and I would give each one of them Moderator of the Month if I could!
Jonathan
I am still finding my feet here, and still working out what is acceptable and what is not in a Lush story. Some issues are going to depend upon the subjective judgement of the moderators - which may vary. But there is clearly a preferred underlying "house style" - which makes itself evident in the sorts of stories which tend to win competitions. That may annoy me at times - but I figure that if I join a club I need to try to follow the house rules and not get too annoyed if someone tells me to button my shirt and put on my jacket before entering the premises.
My first story was at first rejected by the lovely Curvy, and further edited by the charming Chris M. One area they had trouble with didn't surprise me: I guess I was rather cheekily hoping they wouldn't notice - but damn, they did. The other area of contention took me completely by surprise, and rather annoyed me at the time. Either way, changing my story to fit their demands wasn't too onerous. If I had really objected, I could have gone elsewhere - but I reckon that Lush is the best of literary smut sites, and I am honoured to be here.
Since then, Curvy and Chris and all the other moderators I have come into contact with have been utterly lovely: supportive, encouraging, and doing their best to be fair within the rules of the site. If they sometimes cramp my style a bit, it is probably a price worth paying for being part of a community of some of the best writers there are in this genre.
So, thanks, guys!
Grusha
I have never had a problem with the mods, it can be annoying when a story gets rejected or changed but the explanations have always been clear and reasonable. I value what the mods do and I have learnt so much from them in my writing style and grammar.
I have to say that I've had nothing but a positive experience with the moderators. They are all different, and I've found that some have a slightly different take on how things should be, but overall each one has helped me with my stories. The moderators are good people, if you have an issue with an edit, simply asked them why, and explain why you think it should be different.
I posted my first story and it was edited and i did not like that the editor considered the term "white trash" when used to describe a person the editor deleted the "white" because it was deemed as racist but other than that i had no issue with the editing.
