Warning strong enough for intense story?

Feedback for Non-consent story

Hey everybody,

Long time reader, first time writer here. My first story just got approved and I was wondering if the captioned warning at the top might be not strong enough, suitable, or not needed and spoiling. I'm just noobish and not sure about the standards on content around here.

Also any feedback, opinions, advice, or criticisms would be helpful and greatly appreciated.

I am really addicted to the creative process now that I have started and I'm afraid I might not be able to stop.

http://www.literotica.com/s/krites-earthly-fantasy-ch-01

Thanks for your help!

Howbizarre said:

Hey everybody,

Long time reader, first time writer here. My first story just got approved and I was wondering if the captioned warning at the top might be not strong enough, suitable, or not needed and spoiling. I'm just noobish and not sure about the standards on content around here.

Also any feedback, opinions, advice, or criticisms would be helpful moving forward.

I am really addicted to the creative process now that I have started and I'm afraid I might not be able to stop.

http://www.literotica.com/s/krites-earthly-fantasy-ch-01

Thanks for your help!

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I didn't read the whole thing, but your warning seems more than adequate for anything likely to get through moderation at all.

I'm against disclaimers up front. It breaks the dramatic tone of your story before it even starts and, frankly, makes a writer sound tentative and insecure. Worst of all, they don't really work: People offended by your themes are, if anything, *more* likely to read (and complain) if notified, or even just skip the reading and go straight the complaining.

Get rid of the "warning" entirely. Readers are grown-ups, they don't need their hands held.

I liked the warning. I always appreciate it when an author warns about non-consent when the story is not in the non-consent category. I thought your warning was written well and interesting.

I've found that the warnings are read and ignored. Ideally the tags should be sufficient to indicate if someone may not like a story, but I think they are mostly ignored, more so than warnings.

TamLin01 said:

I'm against disclaimers up front. It breaks the dramatic tone of your story before it even starts and, frankly, makes a writer sound tentative and insecure. Worst of all, they don't really work: People offended by your themes are, if anything, *more* likely to read (and complain) if notified, or even just skip the reading and go straight the complaining.

Get rid of the "warning" entirely. Readers are grown-ups, they don't need their hands held.

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I disagree. I know quite a few people who appreciate trigger warnings for stuff like NC and use it to avoid stuff that's problematic for them.

Sure some people ignore content warnings, especially in NC and LW, but what evidence is there that it encourages people to read stuff they hate?

TamLin01 said:

I'm against disclaimers up front. It breaks the dramatic tone of your story before it even starts and, frankly, makes a writer sound tentative and insecure. Worst of all, they don't really work: People offended by your themes are, if anything, *more* likely to read (and complain) if notified, or even just skip the reading and go straight the complaining.

Get rid of the "warning" entirely. Readers are grown-ups, they don't need their hands held.

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Amen to that.

Howbizarre said:

Hey everybody,

My first story just got approved and I was wondering if the captioned warning at the top might be not strong enough, suitable, or not needed and spoiling.

Click to expand...

Many authors use disclaimers and headings to both warn and communicate with readers; others do not. It's personal preference. I think there's something to be said about the fact that you're breaking the tone of the story, but then, a lot of people would prefer to be forewarned before getting into something that's a turn-off, both in terms of the narrative and the good stuff.

In this case, because you put your story in the Sci-fi and Fantasy category, which is itself quite broad, I think a disclaimer warning about particular fetishes is definitely acceptable. It's different if you go and put it right in Erotic Horror, or BDSM, which makes the author's intent more clear from the get-go. Fantasy can potentially include everything from magical mind control to quite horrifying situations, so I'd go as far as encouraging a fair warning if that stuff is involved. Tags can also be useful for the same purpose.

In the end, it's your choice. Do whatever makes you comfortable and what you think works the best.

Krite was an unparalleled legend among his kind, having banged intelligent females of damn near every civilization across the Milky Way Galaxy.

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I was laughing right from the start. It's funny - you put all that work into the warning but it's totally clear what sort of story this is right in the second paragraph. Left a comment for you.

After reading the entirety of the story, I can confidently say that you made the right choice by including a disclaimer.