Old Shmoe's FAQ

Why isn't my story listed?

Old Shmoe's guide is a purely personal opinion and is not an official policy statement from anyone except Old Shmoe himself. 

Mostly I just pick one story for each author. Whichever I think is a good one to introduce readers to that author. I'll add a few words of description to try to give you a feel for whether this is your type of story, without giving too much of the plot away - often this is the summary the author has given for the story.

If your story isn't listed here it might be because I haven't seen it or it might be because I didn't like it. I don't flame stories I don't like but I don't publicise them either. If you disagree then go write your own guide.

Here are a few tips on what Old Shmoe likes:

Spelling and Grammar

• Spell check it.
• Add line breaks every 75 characters or less. Internet Explorer doesn't do word wrap on text files and I can't be bothered messing about trying to make a story readable.
• Add paragraph breaks with a blank line between paragraphs like everybody else does. A massive block of text on the screen just makes me want to skip to the next story.
• Check out Diana's Writing Tools and use them - all of them.

Don't be Boring.

Some authors can make the wildest adventure sound as boring as a shopping list. "She did this. He did that. She did something else". To interest me in a story you have to tell me why they did it and what they felt. The tale of psycho killing a hundred people (or a nympho bonking a hundred people) gets boring after about the third or fourth unless you tell me what it feels like to be the psycho, the nympho or one of the victims.

Miranda Mars has told the same story 272 times (as of 2002). I haven't read them all in sequence but whenever I dip in to read a few I never feel I've wasted my time. What makes these stories worth reading is what she tells us about the characters, what they want, what they feel, what they see. You can learn a lot from Miranda. (If you are more into hot ff action than character development then check out the Finding Aid on her web site for short cuts to chapters dealing with your favorite fetish.)

How do you decide which page to list the story on?

The different pages are for different types of story. While the pages have labels related to the story content the feel of the story is often more important. What aspect of the story does the author give most attention to. For instance: where would a story about a girl wrestling a boy then making love to him go?

• If the story emphasized the romantic attachment between them then the story could go on the 'Strong and Sexy' page with the other romantic stories.
• If the story went into great detail on the pain and humiliation inflicted by a much younger girl the story could go on the 'Psycho Schoolgirls' page.
• If the story paid more attention to the wrestling match it would go on the 'Battle of the Sexes' page.
• A story which talked more about how she controls and looks after him would go on the 'Lift and Dominate' page.

Can I submit my story or suggestions?

You can email me at oldShmoe@despammed.com if you have any suggestions for stories you think I might like. If you want my comments on your story then you can post it somewhere on the web it and email me the web address. If it is in plain text and not too long you can even email it to me at the address above. When I get time I will look at it and offer any suggestions or comments. If I like it a lot may even put a link to it on these pages.

Old Shmoe's Guide

 Dec 2002