Help
When I go to look and see who's added my stories to their favorites, next to some of my stories the page only says "added by" and no user next to it. Is something wrong?
No, that simply means no one has added that particular story to their favorites yet. We customized the script ourselves and simply didn't program in the software to say anything different than "added by" when the story isn't on anyone's favorites yet. We're working on it, but in the meantime, no, there's nothing wrong.
What kinds of stories can I post to the LFA archive?
We accept all pairings, all genres and all ratings of fan fiction related to the show. They can be drabbles, or they can be epic length stories. They can be about anything and/or anyone. We don't approve or reject stories on the basis of content alone.
What kinds of story submissions will get rejected?
Works in progress or partially completed stories are not allowed on the archive; only completed stories can be archived here. Works in progress are, however, allowed to be posted on the LFA mailing list. Don't upload parts of stories as "chapters." The site admins will reject WiPs and chapter stories for inclusion in the archive.
We currently can't accept stories in any language except for English for search function purposes.
The LFA is open to stories with original characters in fic, but we won't archive any fic starring an original character that is clearly a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue (or Gary Stu, if he's male) character is a character whose primary purpose is wish-fulfillment and self-insertion into the story for the author. While they are fun for the author, because s/he can have fantastic adventures in the world of Lost through the character, they are usually not nearly as much fun for anyone else and tend to drive down the overall quality of the body of work archived on this site. Click here to see if your OC fits the description of a Mary Sue character. Whether or not a story qualifies as a Mary Sue story is entirely up to the archivist's discretion.
We're sorry, but at this time we can't accept stories about real people/ actors (RPF). Please check the links section for archives and lists where RPF stories are welcome.
We also won't post stories that have clearly not been run through a basic spell check and/or have no paragraph breaks between paragraphs and other eyesores. If you need a beta or someone to help you with grammar, spelling or other mechanics of writing, please request a beta on the LFA mailing list, and you're sure to find one.
We won't be going through every story with a fine toothed comb, but if it's totally unreadable, we won't be able to accept it. The archivists reserve the right to reject any story for any reason; however, if your story gets rejected, we will make every attempt to tell you in detail why that happened and we welcome re-submission once the problem(s) have been addressed.
Finally, due to popular demand, we now accept non-fiction analyses, essays, poetry and songfilks about Lost. We still cannot accept scripts, note-taking, etc., and all submissions must still be a minimum of 100 words (apologies in advance for any haiku writers out there).
Can I submit a story here that's already been archived at LostSlash?
Yes, by all means! We love LostSlash! And we don't claim to have exclusive access to the stories posted here. It's your work - archive it wherever you want!
What if I mess up when posting my story to the archive? Should I just post it again?
No! You can edit or delete your story at any time by going to Your Account>>Edit/Delete Story, even before it's been accepted into the archive.
What's your policy on plagiarism?
Anyone caught plagiarizing another person's work in their LFA-archived story will be permanently banned at the first infraction, and all their stories (regardless of whether or not they contain plagiarized material) immediately removed. If you believe you've been plagiarized by an LFA author, please e-mail the site admins and let us know the author and link to his/her story, as well as a link to your original story if possible.
Can anyone see my e-mail address?
No, your email address is kept private throughout the site.
Am I required to rate my story?
Nope. You can choose the "NR" rating, which means "No rating." It's understood that readers reading "NR" stories are doing so at their own risk, and we can't be held responsible if they come across something they don't want to see.
I want to put a rating on my story, but I don't know which one is appropriate.
For international writers, or writers that aren't sure what the ratings in our archive mean, we refer you to the Motion Picture Association guidelines on which they were based, which can be found here.
Am I required to put warnings in my story?
No, only if you want to and/or feel it's appropriate for your readership.
Do I have to belong to the LFA mailing list to post my stories in the archive?
Nope! Anyone who's read the archive rules can register and post a story.
Do I have to register for Yahoo!Groups to post anything to the mailing list?
'Fraid so, yeah.
What happens if I don't leave the "Post to mailing list" field blank and am not a member of the LFA mailing list?
Your story will bounce and won't get posted on the mailing list. It will, however, still get posted on the archive.
What if I want my stories read by the mailing list, but I don't want to receive all that extra mail?
You can register for the LFA mailing list and set it to "no mail" via the Yahoo! Control panel.
If I change my user information, such as my e-mail address and real name, will that get reflected in all my old stories?
Yep! All those changes can be made by clicking on "Your Account."
I totally don't see my question listed here. What should I do?
Send the site admins email by clicking here.