Well here is my two cents worth again ----Grammer and formatting is important---but if you read the in the authors forum how stories are published here you will see that some of the formatting is beyond the authors control ---especially a new author ----so it is like this before I really come down on a author ---I look at how many stories he or she has writen---
Hey guys cut a new author a break ---I have seen some review just come down so hard on new authors ---if you do constructive critism that is fine like hey your story was good but the spelling errors distracted from it ----then the author learns from it and is not put off or gives up ---
Next I have seen where english was not the authors first language ---and they were jumped on for grammar errors---spelling----and if they wrote the story in their language they get it for not posting in english ---those authors can not win---
I try first to look at the story ---does it flow ---am I intrerested it the subject and does it hold my intrest----That is the most important part of any story ----Grammar and formatting can be fixed ---a poor story can not
now lets take it like it really is ---this is a free site ---the stories are free ---the authors work for free----if you really want literary masterpieces go to your local library or to one of the pay sites where authors get paid for their work ---if you pay for a story and it is full of grammar and format errors ---Then Bitch you head off ---other wise you should give the poor author a break ---not all of us are english teachers --and most people read the stories to get off anyway ----so grammar and format is not that important ---lol
Yes we have some super authors ---their grammar is perfect and so is their formatting ---but if you look most have posted a few stories too---People are not born to write they have to learn ----I see a lot of story updates come thru correcting spelling and grammar errors ----and I see alot of new authors that never submit another story ---they got put off by such harsh reviewes
Can you read the story ---do you understand what the author is trying to say ---is it interesting ---those are the main points in my reviews of a new author ---and experienced author ---I do look at a little harder ---I do expect more from them
I have read some of the great litary Authors early works ----I am talking about well known authors ---and quite frankly some of it does not look any better than the new authors we have here
and to be truthful some of the good authors today would be lost without spellcheck and a good proof reader --- My publisher sends my work back to me sometimes with big red circles ---and suggestions in the margins ---in the novels I have submitted for publishing ----sometime it take two or three submissions before I get one published ---but by the time the readers see it --it is damn near perfect ---what you are seeing here is authors work in the raw