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<  The Ministry of Magic  ~  Question regarding validation of chapters/requested changes

Razzberry
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 1:10 am Reply with quote
Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 82
I'd like to preface by saying that this is not a post that boils down to 'why is my chapter returned for a typo when someone else's is posted with gross inaccuracies and misuse of basic grammar?'

Before I plunge into this, I want to make two things clear: number one, I love the fact that SH is moderated and has quality controls in place, and number two, I firmly believe that the site administrators have the right to set whatever rules she wants because, in short, this is her playground and we play by her rules or go find a new place to play.

That said, I do have a question, and I hope it does not offend.

To what extent are authors obliged to make the 'corrections' suggested by admins?

The reason I ask is this: I've consistently had admins request changes that I simply didn't agree with. Let me assert right now that if someone asks me to correct the spelling of a word I typed incorrectly, or if I confused 'there' and 'their'... Those are errors on my part, and I hate that I let them slip past and I'm grateful to anyone (admin or otherwise) who points them out to me.

I'm talking about requested corrections that are subjective, matters of style/culture or just plain incorrect.

For example-- I've been asked to change from the American spelling of a word to the British. I took a marginal amount of offense at that, because as an American, I use American spellings. It is not incorrect (and I'm not even going to get into the argument about whether American spellings are incorrect or not-- any reliable source I've ever seen says that center is as valid as centre and gray is as valid as grey.)

Or, on the point of stylistic changes. I've been asked to correct the grammar in dialogue. My characters don't speak perfect English, and that's on purpose. I believe it makes them more believable. The correction in question did not alter the meaning of the speech, did not make it clearer, it was purely a matter of grammar. Subject-verb agreement if you care to know, which is a very common grammatical error among English speakers.

I've been asked to make changes that alter the meaning and/or connotation of a sentence. I've been asked to add commas that were not grammatically necessary, but would merely denote a pause that I did not intend within a character's speech.

I've been asked to make a startling number of 'corrections' when my sentence was correct and to make the 'corrections' would have made it incorrect. I run across this particularly in terms of speech attribution that doesn't follow the most common pattern of "Go away," she said.

In short, I've been asked to make a number of corrections that I truly did not agree with, including several which would have changed my correct grammar to something that was incorrect. I'm tempted to say that I'm not complaining, but I know that I am to an extent. More importantly though, I'm asking whether I'm obliged to make every change an admin suggests.
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celisnebula
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 1:53 am Reply with quote
Joined: 31 Dec 2004 Posts: 312 Location: USA
Also, along this vein, regarding submission validations, I too have a question.

Does this site have a standard procedure on how administrators and authors communicate, or is it basically a matter of one admin looking over the work, suggesting the changes he/she believes need to be changed, and then the works is handed over to someone else?

I ask, simple because of a situation that arose when I posted a one-shot on the Burrow. Until I had this problem with my submission to the Burrow, I had pretty much the same administrators validating my work. The changes they would suggest dealt only with misspelled or added words that the normal grammar and speller checker overlooks because technically they are right. I would make the changes, email that administrator my thanks for all of their help (cause honestly the ones I have had rock!) and they would respond to my email. In the case of my Burrow submission, however, the admin made suggestions that were not technically correct, or made suggestions on how the character should act/think that, in the case of this particular character, was based a matter of fanon instead of cannon.

On this occasion, I did not agree with the changes the administrator requested, so I sent that admin an email asking why they suggested them. I did not make any of the changes the admin suggested in the email, other than the comma ones (I am terrible with commas) and a day later my story was validated. While I can appreciate how busy all of you are, I was a little perturbed by the fact that my response email to the said admin seemed to be ignored. In fact, I have AOL, so when you send emails to other AOL members you can check the status of the mail, and this email has still not been read.

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Diana
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:01 am Reply with quote
Head Moderator Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 116
Let me preface this by saying that when it comes to whether or not an author agrees to comply with all suggested changes depends on the nature of the suggested corrections and/or the way we process your story. As an author who has had work validated in the past, I'm sure that you are aware of how we handle our stories.

There are three ways in which an author's submission on SH can be validated.

The first way involves a clear validation. Straight validation is where your story is posted directly from the queue to the archive. In this instance there usually is no email sent to the author and you will know that your submission has been validated once you see it show up on the Recently Added page.

The second way involves a type of validation based on conditions. We call this a Yes Letter validation. Yes Letters are sent when we validate a submission, but wish for a few minor corrections to be made to the submission. This is generally minor changes and often times are pure suggestion (depending on the admin handling the submission and/or the nature of the correction). For example, when I'm reviewing a story for submission if I see something that I think will make the story read better in terms of clarity (i.e. using italics for thoughts) I will send a Yes Letter to the author and let them know about my suggestion. Of course, if the author has already met all of the standard SH rules and submission policies, yet they disagree with my suggestion, I simply let it go as the italics are not strictly required for validation. In the case of Yes Letters, while an admin will send an email to the author, the submission is handled in the same way as a straight validation, and will show up on the Recently Added page.

Please note that Yes Letters are also sent for concrete reasons as well. For example, if an author has something that is a blantant break with conventional grammar rules, yet it is only an isolated incident, a Yes Letter will be sent.

The third route to validation involves the submission being left in the queue and the author being given time to fix the corrections that we have suggested. Generally, stories that are left in the queue are not yet ready for validation, but they just need a little work first so that validation can take place. When it comes to this option the story's future depends on a lot of different factors: (1) the admin handling the story. Each and every admin at Sycophant Hex is willing to help our authors out in anyway that we can. We are always open for suggestion and like for communication between authors and admins to be a two way street. (2) the authors response, or lack thereof, to the corrections asked for. Generally speaking, if an author is willing to state why (and provide a solid reasoning for) they do not wish to comply with a particular correction noted, we will drop the issue. (3) the nature of the corrections in question. If it is a matter of not following SH rules and guidelines than the suggested corrections ARE required for validation. If it is a question of stylistic and creative license than the matter is left up to the admin and the author to hash out. However, if a grammar rule is being blantantly ignored, or the spelling is horribly off, the corrections ARE required for validation.

Below I've attempted to answer some of your more specific questions one at a time.

Quote:
I've been asked to correct the grammar in dialogue. My characters don't speak perfect English, and that's on purpose. I believe it makes them more believable. The correction in question did not alter the meaning of the speech, did not make it clearer, it was purely a matter of grammar. Subject-verb agreement if you care to know, which is a very common grammatical error among English speakers.


This is something that has to be taken up with the admin(s) in question. As with a lot of the more subjective corrections offered, it is up to the author and admin working the submission to hash out. Generally speaking, the admins are not so DELETE that we will refuse to work with the author to expedite the validation process. We want to see these stories validated, contrary to popular belief, so generally speaking, if you get in touch with the admin who sent you the original email and state your reasoning, they are more than likely going to work with you on the issue.

Quote:
For example-- I've been asked to change from the American spelling of a word to the British. I took a marginal amount of offense at that, because as an American, I use American spellings. It is not incorrect (and I'm not even going to get into the argument about whether American spellings are incorrect or not-- any reliable source I've ever seen says that center is as valid as centre and gray is as valid as grey.)


In the case that this happens you have to contact the original admin that sent you the email to let them know what has happened. We do make mistakes, and this does happen on occasion. I know because I've done it by mistake before. Our admins are located on both continents. My spelling, for example, is mixed because while I was raised in the U.K., I have lived in the U.S. for many years, working in the U.S. publishing market, and my spelling reflects this. I will say, however, that if the spelling is not consistent in a story, you may be asked to change it to reflect this.

Quote:
I've been asked to make changes that alter the meaning and/or connotation of a sentence. I've been asked to add commas that were not grammatically necessary, but would merely denote a pause that I did not intend within a character's speech.


Again, this is something that has to be taken up with the admin who sent you the original email. Most admins will provide some type of citation on grammar corrections. However, if they do not, you can always ask for the citation and it will be provided. If a grammar rule is being completely disregarded the correction IS required before validation. If the issue is more subjective in nature the admin working your story will generally be much more flexible.

Quote:
I've been asked to make a startling number of 'corrections' when my sentence was correct and to make the 'corrections' would have made it incorrect. I run across this particularly in terms of speech attribution that doesn't follow the most common pattern of "Go away," she said.


Again, you have to contact the admin who handled your submission if you are unsure about something and/or believe that we have suggested a correction that is incorrect. As stated above, if asked for, we will provide the proper citation. Also, if we made the correction in error, we will fess up and apologise.

Diana
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Metamuse
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:27 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 475 Location: USA
Celisnebula,

We do have a standard way of operating. Diana listed the basics above; however, I will try to give a more complete description of the process.

An admin will check the queue take the first story and read it. They will sometimes make notes and put in corrections and suggestions as they see fit. Some admins will indicate if it is a suggestion by using a ? next to it or offering some other words.

Once a story is fixed, and the author emails the admins, any admin who gets to the story first verifies that it is corrected, and will then validate it. Different admins work different archives; admins also have a different way of working a story sometimes. Some will offer more input as to characterization, plot and so forth. But we never try to change the author's story on stylistic things, only try to help them dwell deeper into the plot. Some author's like this and some don't.

As for the email, I am not sure what to say about it. I do know we have several admins who use AOL, and of the feature you are speaking of; I have AOL myself. But I also know I have received emails from other users and they will sometimes be put into my spam box and I don't check it regularly for this. On some of my accounts I don't check this at all. If you have any concerns of this, please email me privately and I would be happy to look into it further.

Thanks.

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LariLee
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 12:42 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Kentucky, USA
Well, I have a question that has been on my mind for a while.

I am a relatively new writer, having started in October of 2004. I've always made corrections in a very timely manner. Because I am disabled with sleep issues, I usually stay awake until my chapter is posted. In only two cases out of approximately 33 different submissions, have I been unable to do so.

Where is the defining line between "validated, please make corrections" and "not validated, please correct within 48 hours or your submission will be deleted"?

Lately, I have received the latter several times. The mistakes (which had escaped both the eyes of my Betas and of myself) have not increased in number or severity. I truly appreciate the moderators pointing out my errors because I want my story to look as perfect as possible. This is why I correct mistakes as quickly as I can. I have had only had one instance where moderator requested I correct something which was corrected to begin with. When I pointed this out to the moderator, I received a quick apology and was told not to bother with correction.

But I do grow concerned when I receive the "not validated, please correct within 48 hours or your submission will be deleted" letters. Is this letter totally up to the discretion of the moderator? Should I contact the moderator and ask? Did I inadvertently get on a list of "writers who never correct their mistakes" and if so, how do I get off that list?

I feel hesitant to ask questions due to several reasons. I use Dragonspeak Voice Recognition Software and I realize I will always have mistakes that may get by my Betas because they are getting used to to the homonyms and occasional strange words that come out. I really am appreciative that Syncothant Hex has high standards and is trying to enforce them because I really want to see my story done up to the absolute best of my ability -- and other people's ability. I have received tremendous help and advice from several of the moderators at SH and I don't want to insult anyone by questioning the judgment of the moderators. I realize what an incredibly difficult job it must be to maintain the quality and integrity of the site as large as SH with the number of submissions that are received each day.

So, whereas I appreciate the site and everything the moderators do for me (and for the other writers too, of course) I would still like to know what separates a story from "validated, please correct these errors" and the other category I seem to stumble in now and then. Mods have been very quick to tell me if there's a problem to e-mail them. Another moderator states if there is a question to e-mail the webmistress. As I stated before, most errors are corrected within 15 minutes of the letter being sent out. And I've only refused once to make a correction, which the moderator admitted was his mistake and we worked it out suitably. I really don't want to get on the list of "bad writers to ask questions" (and yes, I am being facetious. I doubt if such a list exists) but I would like to know. Thank you very much!

~Lisa/LariLee
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Diana
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 1:13 pm Reply with quote
Head Moderator Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 116
*Note that I've recently edited this to reflect the fact that I type faster than I think. If anyone has attempted to email me asking any questions, I haven't been ignoring you (promise) but I did give you the wrong email.

I'm actually just about to head out for work so this is going to be a quick post. If you still have any questions please feel free to email me (dbryant0001@hotmail.com) and I will be able to better answer them for you.

Quote:
Where is the defining line between "validated, please make corrections" and "not validated, please correct within 48 hours or your submission will be deleted"?

A full detailed answer to this question can be found in the standard SH rules and submission guidelines. The general number of errors/corrections is three for a Yes Letter; however, sometimes, depending completely on the admin handling the story, there can be a few more and the story will still be validated with a Yes Letter option.

Please keep in mind that this situation depends entirely on the admin handling the story and/or the nature of the suggested changes. In my own personal experience I let the nature of the errors guide me completely. For example, if the author has three minor spelling errors that need to be corrected in addition to maybe one small punctuation error (generally a forgotten quotation mark or something very similar, i.e. a typo) than I will send a Yes Letter and validate the chapter. At the same time, if there are three spelling mistakes in addition to a rather glaring grammar error than I will leave the story in the queue and send a fix notice to the author.

Quote:
But I do grow concerned when I receive the "not validated, please correct within 48 hours or your submission will be deleted" letters. Is this letter totally up to the discretion of the moderator? Should I contact the moderator and ask? Did I inadvertently get on a list of "writers who never correct their mistakes" and if so, how do I get off that list?


I will say that this is not completely up the discretion of the admin looking at your submission. We have guidelines that we follow when working a submission just like authors have guidelines for submitting. There is minor admin discretion, yes, but overall it is pretty cut and dry.

We do not EVER discriminate against an author for past mistakes. EVER! If you get a notice for fix instead of a straight validation or Yes Letter it just means that we are convinced that your story is good enough for submission on the condition that the errors be fixed. If you ever have a question about the nature of a particular suggestion feel free to email us and ask. There is more on this in the SH rules and guidelines.

Quote:
I have received tremendous help and advice from several of the moderators at SH and I don't want to insult anyone by questioning the judgment of the moderators. I realize what an incredibly difficult job it must be to maintain the quality and integrity of the site as large as SH with the number of submissions that are received each day.


Please, don't ever feel that you are insulting us by asking a question regarding our suggested corrections, or pointing out where we ourselves have made a mistake. We always appreciate when our authors take that extra step and stive for the same quality that we wish for SH. In other words, if you ever have any questions, about anything regarding your story or our handling of the story, feel free to email us.

Also, if there is ever a reason why you can't get something corrected within the time frame given, a simple email to the admins always goes a long way to keeping your story from being deleted from the queue.

As I said above, I don't really have the time at the moment to go into more detail about the issue, but if you would email me (email address is above) I will try to answer any of the questions you may have as soon as possible.

Diana


Last edited by Diana on Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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celisnebula
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:42 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 31 Dec 2004 Posts: 312 Location: USA
Thank you Diana and MetaMuse for the clarification.

I must be one of those DELETE-retentive types, because I constantly check my junk mail for things that should not be there, and try always to answer any legitimate email I get, even if I haven’t the answer. I can appreciate that not everyone does this, and it gives a legitimate reason why my response email has not been read/looked at.

As far as the Administrators go, it is very helpful to know that the one who initially looks over a submission for validation might not be the same one who validates it. I was under the mistaken impression that once a particular admin snagged the most recent chapter in the queue that they were the only administrator to work on it. The clarification on how each administrator might look at a particular work is also enlightening. I don’t mind when I get an email making suggestions that enrich a particular aspect of a chapter, in fact I think those suggestions often enhance what I’m trying to say in a manner I might not have realized, and I am eternally grateful that there are such gifted and giving people serving as administrators.

So again, I thank you both for your answers on this subject.
Very Happy

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dopeydora
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:28 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 04 Mar 2005 Posts: 2
I submitted a short 100 word drabble to Occlumency and on 25 Feb I got the following e-mail :-

Quote:
Thank you for your submission to Occlumency. I have validated it and posted it to the archive. There are 5 places where commas need to be added. They are indicated below.
As the fic is already posted it would be great if you could check on
this as soon as possible.


I was very pleased and excited so I immediately went and made the changes. Then four days later I get this e-mail:-

Quote:
After multiple Admins reviewed your drabble, "Cherished Memory:
Valentine's Day" we decided that we are unable to accept your story because
the language and plot development of the story does not match the
standards we desire to host at Sycophant Hex.

Although your drabble is charming and did meet our 100-word minimum
requirement, we believe it is not developed to the level that our readers
have come to expect. We are also unfamiliar with the challenge you
mentioned in your author's note.

We encourage you to develop the plot with more original ideas and
expand on the language used within the story.

We also encourage you to find a beta reader with the qualifications in
characterization and plot development.

Thank you for your understanding.
Senior Admin, Occlumency


Now to say that I was extremely disappointed would be an understatement! How am I meant to develop the plot in a 100 word drabble???
Also does it matter where the challenge came from?

I do not want to be seen as 'being difficult', but I feel that the reasons for turning my drabble down, were not valid!

Cathy (who hopes that this will not jeopardize her future submissions)
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Metamuse
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:55 am Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 475 Location: USA
Dopeydora,

I apologize about the confusion with your drabble. But since the Admins had concerns they did as they thought best for the archive. You made reference to a challenge, but we didn't know where the challenge came from. Challenges do matter because otherwise we might be swarmed with tons of 100 word challenges and they do eat more bandwidth than a story that is 600 words long even. It is one of the main concerns we have, even though we allow them we try to have them follow strict rules.

I know this can be frustrating, and I can only apologize really.

And I promise you, asking us a question on an action we take will never influence us on another submission you post. If you ever think it does though, please email me immediately and I will look into it as soon as I get it.

Thanks.

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liquidscissors
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 5:52 am Reply with quote
Moderator Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 164
Quote:
How am I meant to develop the plot in a 100 word drabble???


In eactly the same way as you develop plot and characterisation in every other form of writing - who, what, when, where and how.

Drabbles - a terrible word that should be discouraged, as the proper way of refering to fiction writing under 250 words is flash or micro - are a condensed form of a short story. To set up a short story, you deliver as many set-up points as possible (who, what, when, where, how) in your first paragraph. In flash fiction, you cram as many of those as you can into your opening sentence.
If you don't set up WWWWH in the opening paragraph of a short story, you have roughly 3,000 words without any plot or meaning. If you don't add them to a flash fiction, then you have 100 meaningless words.

Quote:
'No one at Hogwarts would rightly consider Severus Snape to be a pleasant man.'

A good sample of a working micro fiction.You know his name (who), his character (what), and a place (where). Fourteen words upon which to hang your plot, leaving you with 76 words in which to resolve it. Easy-peasy.

To write micro fiction and write it well, you really have to concentrate of adding those vital elements. If you don't, then you've just wasted a hundred words and a minute of the readers time. Contrary to popular belief, the smaller a piece of fiction is, the harder it is to write it well. Smile

- Lara
(currently writing an article on the evolution of micro fiction, and could jaw your ear off about it)


Last edited by liquidscissors on Sat Sep 10, 2005 3:25 am; edited 1 time in total
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azazello
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:12 am Reply with quote
Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 183 Location: Northern UK
I'm going to chime in on this; I saw this thread yesterday, but did not have time to formulate a proper response.

This is the response of Az the idly passing, btw and not Az as the voice of the site though I shall be partially spouting rules.

Generally, where the admins are human there are going to be inconsistencies. That's inevitable. Fiction Alley has a similar submission standard to us, but they run their submitted fics through a grammar programme first. That programme is not perfect, either. We do not use such programmes (though I always paste all fics I vet into a word doc and spell check, which is clearly more than a good many submitters do), all fics submitted to SH are read by human beings.

In the first place, we do not actually have to get into specifics as to precisely why we have rejected a fic. We have a standard letter of rejection, and that's the minimum submitters are entitled to. Most of us add to that and customise - where possible, I try and do a line beta (though if a fic is error-rich It will only be superficial - I don't have time for more) though if I reject I always urge writers to get a beta reader of their own. And as a sideline, why oh why do so many writers think they do not need one? You all do, take it from me. Everyone needs a bloody beta, get one first, save the grief.

I always advise rejectees to feel perfectly free to contact me if there are any issues in my rejection they do not agree with. I've had comeback in a number of ways. Usually thanks (they got a free beta read, after all), sometimes argument - and once or twice I have gone back, re-looked and changed my mind, and on two occasions full on abuse. One was so entertaining, I sigged it on the admins forum.

We cannot and will not comment here on individual fics. There are writers whom I have received complaint about. No, I'm not going to say who they are, or who complained. If I (or any other admin) receive enough or sufficiently serious complaints, we have a system whereby we can revisit admin decisions. This is a lot more proactive than any archive with similar standards, by the way.

Admins are human beings. What this amounts to in practice is that if a writer has a fic where an admin suggests a change or rejects, and is then rude, abusive, or spends time on public forums suggesting that this site is rubbish, and the admins are all useless (waves to one or two people, they know who they are...), they are not helping their cause, which is to get their fic looked at again. Loud shouting of "I am a published writer!" cuts no ice whatsoever with me. If this is the case, what is that person doing here? I am of the opinion that if they were a successful published writer, they'd be working on that. I've not screened any submissions from Jo Rowling, or Stephen King, lately.

The most recent issue I had of rejection was when a fellow admin rejected an error laden fic, by a soi disant published writer. Well, pigs might fly, and the band played "Believe it if you like." I came in as the second opinion, and upheld the admin's decision. On the evidence of the submission , I have no idea where this writer could have been published, "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is the most likely. It was rubbish. My letter of confirmation of rejection met with the most childish tantrum I've ever seen.

If a writer is a professional, remember we on admin do not know that. I've seen fanfic by writers who I know have published articles and short stories and they DO have errors. That's why publishers employ editorial staff. I've seen published fiction containing small errors. That's because there is no way to proof fiction adequately by any other means than human readers. I'd therefore argue that saying X is a pro and says you are wrong, is not the case winner.

What I would suggest is that disgruntled readers and writers take the following approach:

1. If you READ a fic and consider it not up to standard, mail an admin, or the admins at the appropriate email shown on the site. If you feel an admin might have a personal stake in it (they are known to be a friend of the writer, say, or they beta read the writer in question) then approach the admin mistress, or webmistress. They do not often vet fics, and therefore can be trusted for an impartial view. I assure anyone looking these things are taken seriously, though do bear in mind also, that you may not get the result you seek. We need to protect writers against malice, too. We've had whinge about whether fics are appropriate for certain archives, and it was just bitchery.

2. If you are rejected and/or asked to make a specific change that you disagree with, politeness is paramount. Email the admin and politely explain precisely what it is you disagree with and why. Dollars to doughnuts, you never got a rude rejection letter (we post all rejection letters on our admin forum - there's no secrecy) so reply in kind. A response along the lines of "You stupid bitch, how can you reject me, I'm better than you!" is not conducive to the admin wanting to help.

All writers make mistakes. There's no exception to that, and generally, we are here to help as best we can.

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LariLee
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Kentucky, USA
Thank you so much Diana and azazello for taking time to explain things. It is very comforting to know that we can ask questions in an open forum and not be penalized in our submissions (besides for the quality of the submission, of course Laughing )

If I understand correctly, if one wanted to appeal a moderator's list of errors to be corrected, the first step would be to talk to the moderator via e-mail. If there's still a question, then contact the webmistress? I will assume there's some sort of review process at that point, even though I know that assumptions are not a good thing.

And I certainly hope everyone understands that by asking questions and trying to understand the process, I am not knocking any administrator or moderator in any way, shape or form. I am very proud to say that my stories are at Sycophant Hex.

Thank you again!
~Lisa/LariLee
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azazello
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:24 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 183 Location: Northern UK
Quote:
if one wanted to appeal a moderator's list of errors to be corrected, the first step would be to talk to the moderator via e-mail. If there's still a question, then contact the webmistress?


Or the Admin Mistress, Estrilda. I'd recommend contacting the admin who originally requested the changes, first. I'd certainly never be annoyed by a polite request for me to think again. I'm not perfect - who is - so why would a reasonable person mind. The end product will be a better fic, one way or another.

The Admin Mistress, and the Webmistress can then act as a court of appeal if this cannot be resolved.

And in final defence, we are a helluva lot more approachable than Fiction Alley. I queried a decision in October 2003. I still await a reply (well I've given up, but you know what I mean).

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dopeydora
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 2:15 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 04 Mar 2005 Posts: 2
I would like to thank MetaMuse, liquidscissors and Azazello for their responses. Looking back, maybe I should have personally contacted the person who rejected my drabble, before bringing it to this forum. For this I apologise.
I have taken onboard everything that has been suggested, and I will endeavour to use these pointers in my future writing.

Thanks
Cathy/dopeydora
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azazello
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 2:22 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 183 Location: Northern UK
Cathy:

There's actually no need to apologise. I think you are more than entitled to ask a reasonable question, and I suspect this opportunity for us to explain ourselves has been very useful for other site users too!

And hell's teeth, we are nice, and easy to ask things, too!

_________________
Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony ~ Monty Python and the Holy Grail
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