Constant Content

Hi Folks

I am a new writer here and perhaps it is somewhat unusual to start making suggestions on how to change as your first post. i wanted to do this while it is fresh in my mind and I am approaching it with the attitude of someone new. As a new writer, I have browsed these forums extensively. Forgive me for saying so, but from my own experiences as a newbie and from reading a lot of the posts here, the whole management style comes across as fear-based and not at all person-centred. This style went out decades ago to be replaced by management styles that encourage people to fulfil their maximum potential. People are reporting "submission phobia" and others return forlornly to the forums to report that after a few successful submissions and even some sales, they have had their account suddenly closed.

Yes I agree, the editing function needs to be tight and the writers that simply cannot make the grade identified. But would it not be better to at least give people a chance to go away and focus on developing their writing skills and then come back and have another go? Lifetime bans for plagiarism are more than deserved, but perhaps a 28 day suspension and then one more chance for writers struggling to submit error-free articles, could well make this a much more supportive environment.

I have sold 3 articles so far but I rarely write one that gets straight through the editing process. I have no clue as to how well my writing is being received. I find the whole review process extremely slow, with new articles staying up for days on end unread. I look at those and I wonder if any of them are going to trigger a sudden closure of my account. Not the best atmosphere to continue to be creative in.

Don't get me wrong, before submitting work to Constant Content, I had no idea how much I could acheive in payment for my work, so it is a great platform in that regard. I just feel that some potentially very good writers with some great ideas are getting dropped along the way.

Speaking for myself, I'm unnerved and deeply annoyed at the thought of having my article rejected a third time.

The first time was because of its length; though if you look at the pricing guidelines, they show pricing for articles of similar length.
The second was because my paragraphs weren't spaced "right". I don't believe CC's guidelines regarding formatting are especially clear in this regard and I'm still miffed about that one.

Add to that the indignity of seeing an article that was accepted but contained a typo ("mind-field" instead of mine-field) and I'm pretty much lost as to what CC's going to do with my submission.

I just want to write.
To do that well, I think you have to have to have some confidence in the processes surrounding your work, especially in a commercial and supposedly professional setting. Nobody (and I mean nobody) wants to write for an editor who hacks away at their work and who can't provide some clear and consistent communication of exactly what they're striving to use the writing to do.
If CC wants plain spoken "just folks", with plenty of contractions and pithiness, no problem - tell us. If it's high 'falutin pretence and ten dollar words, bring it on. And if CC wants something in-between that's intelligent, useful and immersive, well - we can do that too.

Nobody (and I mean nobody) wants to write for an editor who hacks away at their work and who can't provide some clear and consistent communication of exactly what they're striving to use the writing to do.

Hugh, Constant Content DOES provide clear and consistent communication and direction. Each time an article is rejected, the editor specifies a reason for rejecting it. It's the writer's job--not the editor's--to figure out how to revise the piece so it sufficiently addresses the reason for the rejection.

Lifetime bans for plagiarism are more than deserved,

Tomkin, I was suspended once for plagiarism. My username is K. Ong. I rewrote an old article of mine that appeared under a different ghostwriting name. The site containing the article has long since disappeared. That's why I decided to slightly rewrite the piece then offload it to Constant Content. It must have gotten cached somewhere, and it triggered CC's plagiarism detector. I politely explained what happened, provided the article's "dead link" (which I would not have if I didn't write the original article), and got my account reinstated. CC is extremely professional, treating everything in a case-to-case basis.

I'm sorry to hear that you were frustrated about the system, but it worked perfectly for me. Waiting for approval/rejection--well, that one is, let's say, a part of life. There's no fun in getting everything instantly handed down to us. Give it more time. Soon, you'll warm up to CC. Best of luck.