Can 17 yr olds kiss?

[redgarters]

I have a problem to fix. For narrative purposes I need a couple's first kiss to happen at 17, just before christmas senior year in high school. I've referenced romantic moments like that before and gotten away with it, but it's not just referenced here, it's written out. Very tame, but still a kiss under 18.

So, can I get away with that, or do I need to rewrite or write around it (like not stating their age explicitly)?

Any thougts?

 

[TheLobster]

It's not just referenced, it's written out.

That’s gonna be a problem. You can reference underage sex in passing and without mentioning any details, but any descriptions of it will get your story rejected.

 

[redgarters]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Guess I'll have to rewrite.

 

[caleb35]

That’s gonna be a problem. You can reference underage sex in passing and without mentioning any details, but any descriptions of it will get your story rejected.

Is it still sex if it’s ONLY a kiss?

 

[Z_TheWriter]

Don't know if that feels satisfying to you, but some people do end up older than the rest of their class. Because of the exact time of year they were born, because there was some issue with starting school when they were kids, or because they took a break for some reason between say middle and high school.

As long as you put in a reference to this being the case here, you're golden. Without having to do extensive rewrites.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I have a problem to fix. For narrative purposes I need a couple's first kiss to happen at 17, just before christmas senior year in high school. I've referenced romantic moments like that before and gotten away with it, but it's not just referenced here, it's written out. Very tame, but still a kiss under 18.

So, can I get away with that, or do I need to rewrite or write around it (like not stating their age explicitly)?

Any thougts?

A simple sentence should be okay, but don't go into excessive detail.

Also, when you submit, add a Note to the Editor drawing attention to the paragraph (because that's all it will be, right?), and point out how benign the content is.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Is it still sex if it’s ONLY a kiss?

The rule does not stipulate (it should) but I would think that if there's any tongue at all or if there is any notion of intimacy it's rejected. I would not even bother trying to post it here if it were my story. I'd take it somewhere else.

 

[StillStunned]

This was approved without any issue:

I recognised her as soon as she walked into my treatment room. Tammy Allen, visiting the spa where I worked and coming to me for a massage. All through the last two years of school she'd lived in my dreams and made my life a nightmare. She was the one who gave me the nickname Lezzica. From Jessica.

And from that one time I kissed her, and she kissed me back, and we giggled, and then did it some more, and it felt right and thrilling and it confirmed to me that this was what I wanted. And then the next day she told everyone I'd assaulted her and that wonderful moment became all twisted up in the horror of teenage bullying and teenage shame and years of loneliness and anxiety and... Well, all of it.

- from Tammy, Jessica, Yuliya

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Seriously?

There is absolutely no aspect of the "no sex involving minors" restriction that would encompass underage characters simply kissing on the lips.

None

Does anyone here ever read anything on this site that they haven't written themselves? There are hundreds of stories where high school kids meet, date, hold hands, kiss, and even make out (excluding graphic details) before they are 18.

Anyone who considers kissing as sex gets what they deserve.

 

[Z_TheWriter]

Seriously?

There is absolutely no aspect of the "no sex involving minors" restriction that would encompass underage characters simply kissing on the lips.

None

Does anyone here ever read anything on this site that they haven't written themselves? There are hundreds of stories where high school kids meet, date, hold hands, kiss, and even make out (excluding graphic details) before they are 18.

Anyone who considers kissing as sex gets what they deserve.

You're totally right that it shouldn't trigger that restriction, and that there are examples already posted on the site.

However, as people have repeatedly told me that the content guidelines seem to be very fluidly enforced, I bend to the more experienced members' understanding of current trends. I would personally try to avoid the risk in the first place.

 

[Bamagan]

I have a problem to fix. For narrative purposes I need a couple's first kiss to happen at 17, just before christmas senior year in high school. I've referenced romantic moments like that before and gotten away with it, but it's not just referenced here, it's written out. Very tame, but still a kiss under 18.

So, can I get away with that, or do I need to rewrite or write around it (like not stating their age explicitly)?

Any thougts?

There are probably ways you could write such a thing and fall on opposing sides of the stipulation. If the kids sound like they're getting turned on, or are described in a way to suggest the reader could feasibly be getting aroused, it could skirt too close to the forbidden zone. Or if you hint that they subsequently run off and canoodle each other. But in and of itself, describing the act shouldn't necessarily have to be sexualized or sexualizing, so I believe it can be done.
It'd probably be wise to call it out in a note to the editor and tell them roughly where it occurs and why you think it might be caught by their (presumed) filtering for underage content, even though you believe it falls within the guidelines.
Or, if you prefer sarcasm: "No, kids don't develop saliva until their 18th birthday, don't be silly. No kissing."

 

[redgarters]

Is a romantic kiss a sexual act? This is the question. Personally I'd say no, but the gatekeepers on Lit might see it differently. I have a quick description of a kiss between 15 yr olds (a character telling another about it) in two of my stories, those went through no problem. Here, however, the kiss is the central driving point of the story. Without it there would be no story to tell and it's described more vividly. It's still just a kiss, an obviously romantic moment but not explicitly sexual. It feels like it could pass, but I don't want to take a chance if it's a risk.

 

[Off_base]

A very tame kiss? I'd keep it in and submit that way. You've nothing to lose.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Why mention numbers at all?

'A few years ago ...'


'They remembered when ...'


'Some time back ...'

 

[Off_base]

I mentioned two girls having kissed their first boyfriends behind the ball field dugout, with no problem.

 

[Off_base]

Ummm,
How do you edit a comment?

 

[Z_TheWriter]

Ummm,
How do you edit a comment?

 

[Off_base]

View attachment 2580220

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is a romantic kiss a sexual act? This is the question. Personally I'd say no, but the gatekeepers on Lit might see it differently. I have a quick description of a kiss between 15 yr olds (a character telling another about it) in two of my stories, those went through no problem. Here, however, the kiss is the central driving point of the story. Without it there would be no story to tell and it's described more vividly. It's still just a kiss, an obviously romantic moment but not explicitly sexual. It feels like it could pass, but I don't want to take a chance if it's a risk.

Only one way to find out, and that's to submit it. From what you've described so far, I think you'll be fine - especially if you put a note to the Editor.

My most recent story got bounced back by a word bot three minutes after submitting. I suspected the word "schoolgirl" acted as a trigger, so I added a note to explain the context, and the story went live two days later. I reckon if I had put in the note the first time, it wouldn't have been rejected.

 

[redgarters]

I went with the safe option, since I found a way that doesn't change that much for the narrative. Thanks everyone for chiming in, very helpful!

 

[pink_silk_glove]

You're totally right that it shouldn't trigger that restriction, and that there are examples already posted on the site.

However, as people have repeatedly told me that the content guidelines seem to be very fluidly enforced, I bend to the more experienced members' understanding of current trends. I would personally try to avoid the risk in the first place.

Agree. This could get approved or could get rejected, or also very possible that it gets approved and 6 months later some prude reports it and Laurel takes it down with no warning and you're not gone get it back up. Just too much bull around the whole thing. Write the story that you feel that you should write. Don;t change a thing. Just publish it somewhere else where they are clearly okay with 17 year olds kissing/making out.

 

[AchtungNight]

I’ve referenced people getting together for dates and kissing prior to 18 without issue, even mentioned the jailbait wait, but any hint of explicit sexual tension or attraction in the scene with characters under age 18 gets my story sent back. Playing things safe is a smart move.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

You're totally right that it shouldn't trigger that restriction, and that there are examples already posted on the site.

However, as people have repeatedly told me that the content guidelines seem to be very fluidly enforced, I bend to the more experienced members' understanding of current trends. I would personally try to avoid the risk in the first place.

I agree that there are areas where people's interpretation of the content guidelines give the impression that enforcement is "fluid", as you call it, but I haven't seen it.

All things being equal where the context of an underage couple kissing is concerned, there is likely zero chance that the content would be viewed as a violation of the rules.

When someone tries to get clever (sneaky) and includes the kissing aspect into a more graphic sexual context, that is when the rejections occur. They can claim it was "just kids kissing", but with multiple stories here with underage characters exploring romance and physical intimacies prior to having sex after they turn 18, I think that I speak with experience when I assure you that what the OP described would not be an issue getting published.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I went with the safe option, since I found a way that doesn't change that much for the narrative. Thanks everyone for chiming in, very helpful!

From an award winning story that has been published here for over a decade involving underage characters:

Bobby was at a loss for his own words because of the words Patty had written. Looking into her eyes left him no doubt that the words were true, and now he had to let her know that he felt the same.

When Bobby motioned with his head for Patty to look up, she noticed for the first time that there was a sprig of mistletoe taped to the top of the doorway they were standing under. Bobby pulled her into his arms, smiled, and while looking into her eyes, tried to beam to her the same feelings that her eyes showed him.

To make sure she got his message, he whispered, “I Love you PattyKat”, and then he kissed her. He kissed her the way he had wanted to kiss her for months, with his lips, his tongue, his hands, arms, and whole body, and she met him point for point.

 

[Voboy]

I've mentioned underage kisses aplenty. No problem.

I don't think it's ever gone any further than a mention, though. I don't recall those kisses being especially meaningful, and they certainly weren't titillating... I mention that last bit because I think it's the crux of the whole "underage" rule. Your audience can definitely read about kids kissing; they cannot get off by reading about kids kissing.