1. Where do stories go before they are validated?

We think there are no needs for validation, stories should be published instantly. Like Wikipedia articles, users can publish it immediately. If there are some discrepancies, other users can revise or even delete and report it.

2. Are stories automatically validated for some users?

As stated above, we do not need to validate stories. However, only logged user can publish stories.

3. Should it be a nomination process like featured articles?

No need for nomination because the stories are instantly published.

4. Should it work like patrolling?

No need for patrolling, but we are thinking about adding report function. So, if the stories are vandalized or inappropriate, other users can report it and stated the reason.

5. Should it work like flagged revs?

It should not work like flagged revs, the report function that we recommend above should suffice.