Honestly Marcus, this was quite a disturbing experience! I did try my best to stay cool, calm and open to what she was initially saying. The initial story itself, in my opinion, was fine anyway. I believe it did make sense. It was similar to other stories I had published in her publication but it was based on historical fiction, and a mother having to put her children into care, while she went into a mother and baby home have her illegitimate hild.

I was quite shocked at her response to that. She was talking in a very dismissive tone - saying the story was "all over the map" and alleging that why would a woman put her child into care unless she was mentally ill. This seriously shocked me, but i tried to stay objective, thinking I hadn't made it clear the historical period that women in 1960s faced, especially in rural life, with low income, no government support, etc. So I completely rewrote the story adding a disclaimer about the historical period.

Then her 'private notes' started again. Not just one or two, or a few, but multiple notes. Admittedly I had made a mistake through some of the story, and got the protagonist's names confused, as I changed them from the first story. However, if she had been following and understand, she wouldn't realised it was a simple error, easily corrected. I certainly had no issue with that and was grateful I realised I had made an error.

Other things she pointed out in her 'notes' were about quotes, etc. I could've overcome these and even all the notes - had it not been for her 'attitude' to the whole story. From the outset she already had a very negative and dismissive tone about women and despite my great efforts to explain how it really was then, she still didn't accept it. It was TWO of her notes that made me realise she didn't like this story whatsoever.

Those two notes were very dismissive and undermining. Almost like she was deliberately trying to make the pregnant woman in the story out to be crazy and saying she wasn't coerced and forced to give her child up. The fact for my own situation is that was the case then, and for thousands of other women. The force and coercion (and so-called 'consent'), or lack of it, were all part of the bigger picture of abuse that prevailed.

Then she went on nit-picking about the 9 months the woman stayed at the mother and baby home and argued about that too. Saying that it couldn't have been 9 months, if she stayed with her sister first, blah blah. At that point I felt she had a prejudice against the whole story from the start, and it was beginning to upset me, as this story was deeply personal and emotional for me. Also I know what did happen in those times, and how the women were treated. So I couldn't carry on communicating with her.

There were numerous notes and I went through them step by step. Some were logical and pointed out obvious mistakes, such as having the protagonists names wrong, but others were based her own opinion and lack of support for the story and background to it, and she also wrote notes on other things also. I felt she really wanted to control my story and make it hers, so I had enough and blocked her.

It was after that that she removed me from the publication. I never intended writing again for her publication, as I didn't feel she was respectful of me, and I deleted other stories (only two) I wrote, which I won't republish. People read and commented on those stories, so it's sad I had to remove them, and they were good stories but I didn't want them in her publication. So it was a nightmarish experience with that publication and editor. I had another before that, which was also a negative experience, and I removed myself from that publication. Some of the publication owners and editors like to play God and seems they thrive on the power of 'correcting' people in a disrespectful manner. Sorry for the LONG reply!