What are some unwritten rules of Literotica stories?

[Isabel_Innuende]

I've just started submitting stories to Lit again after many years away, and I've learned a lot over the past few days.

I am learning that there are a lot of unwritten rules from readers about what is not acceptable in Lit stories, and obviously some very controversial categories in which readers have extremely polarizing opinions. (I'm looking at you, Loving Wives!) I'm of course referring to stories that are otherwise well-constructed and well-written with no major grammatical errors, but will be unpopular because of subject matter. I am not talking about stories which are simply bad stories.

I have also seen it mentioned that there are some things that will get a story outright rejected by Laurel and her team, e.g. a Nonconsent/Reluctance story in which the victim doesn't eventually enjoy the violation.

So, what are some unwritten rules about what readers will love and hate in Lit stories? What are some unwritten rules about what will get a story rejected?

 

[NotWise]

ISo, what are some unwritten rules about what readers will love and hate in Lit stories? What are some unwritten rules about what will get a story rejected?

I don't think you can write a story, no matter how good it is, no matter how appropriate it is for its category, that some readers won't hate. If they need to, then they'll just make up reasons to hate it.

I'm not sure there are unwritten rules about what will get a story rejected. Laurel tries to keep that all very consistent, but there are a couple problems: she can't read every story in detail, and (as in law) the clearly-stated rule can have fuzzy edges when applied to real life.

 

[ElectricBlue]

So, what are some unwritten rules about what readers will love and hate in Lit stories? What are some unwritten rules about what will get a story rejected?

Somebody knows where there's a comprehensive post on rejection reasons, compiled from various threads and posts.

In a nutshell:

Basic punctuation, dialogue separated by paragraphs - or at least, not always embedded. This does not, as some people seem to think, mean that only American conventions are allowed. That is simply not true.

No sexual activity under eighteen.

No snuff, no association of sexual activity with killing.

No rapist stories, non-consent only if the victim ultimately gets pleasure.

No bestiality.

No fan-fic where the original characters are under eighteen (eg: no Hermione porn, no Potter pleasure.

No non-con involving celebrities (I think that's right - something to do with celebs, anyway).

No contemporary political references.

No links to other sites (links to Literotica stories are allowed).

One or two others which escape me. Others will jump in and add those I've forgotten.

The site has a set of generic rejections for each basic reason, couched as questions. Nothing specific to a story, it's up to the author to figure it out.

As for the category squicks, others will know better than I, either from experience or deliberately poking the bear. The only one that any of my stories has vaguely encountered is the great homophobic underbelly of Lit. The number of "real men" who continue to get thrown into a tizz which the slightest suggestion of man on man activity is truly astonishing.

 

[Emirus]

I have also seen it mentioned that there are some things that will get a story outright rejected by Laurel and her team, e.g. a Nonconsent/Reluctance story in which the victim doesn't eventually enjoy the violation.

These aren’t unwritten laws but they are in respect of enjoyment and gratuitous violence.

My first story, the rape of a sad, little man (as one reader described him) was rejected because he didn’t enjoy it so I had to change it in order for it to be accepted.

But a recent story, about a rapist who was subsequently raped himself with a strapon as retribution for his crime was originally rejected because although I specified “this story does not contain a rape scene” the word rape was mentioned. I changed it to “sexually violated) and there wasn’t a problem.

I had a story rejected for “gratuitous violence.” There were two murders, one of which was deemed to be gratuitous so I altered it and it went through. The other murder was accepted as being essential to the story. Neither were described in great detail.

My latest story, a Summer Lovin’ competition entry, contains four murders, none of which are described in detail, and got through without a problem.

So my understanding is that rape and murder depend on how they fit into the story and how they are described. I’ve read stories from a few years ago containing gratuitous violence that wouldn’t be acceptable today.

 

[SisterJezabel]

I think the basic one is marriage is between a man and a woman and is sacred and the man is the head of the household. No matter how little he pleases his wife, she needs to be available for him, have huge perky breasts, a small waste (or is it waist, I never remember!) and be so tight that she struggles to accommodate his 3" dick. She also has to enjoy sex 24/7, and if she isn't in the kitchen or laundry, she should be pleasing her husband in the bedroom. Of course he can have dalliances away from home, because, double standards and all.

Now, if she does decide to cheat, she needs to be physically assaulted and will never be entitled to any of his vast fortune. She will be slut shamed and her life will be a living hell. Meanwhile, he will meet a teenager beauty, take her virginity and they will live happily ever after.

 

[SamScribble]

Judging from some of the feedback I get, there are a fair number of readers who believe that it is their right - and their right alone - to decide when a story may end. And it's always way, way beyond where I think the story should end.

A blind man walks into a bar. 'Oh, bugger! That hurt. You might have told me that it was there.'

 

[SamScribble]

... she needs to be available for him, have huge perky breasts, a small waste (or is it waist, I never remember!) ....

As we battle global warming, etc, etc, there is much to be said for a wife with a small waste.

 

[Salacious_Scribe]

I think the basic one is marriage is between a man and a woman and is sacred and the man is the head of the household. No matter how little he pleases his wife, she needs to be available for him, have huge perky breasts, a small waste (or is it waist, I never remember!) and be so tight that she struggles to accommodate his 3" dick. She also has to enjoy sex 24/7, and if she isn't in the kitchen or laundry, she should be pleasing her husband in the bedroom. Of course he can have dalliances away from home, because, double standards and all.

Now, if she does decide to cheat, she needs to be physically assaulted and will never be entitled to any of his vast fortune. She will be slut shamed and her life will be a living hell. Meanwhile, he will meet a teenager beauty, take her virginity and they will live happily ever after.

And the problem is?

looks around nervously to make sure wife doesn't see this...

 

[Isabel_Innuende]

Somebody knows where there's a comprehensive post on rejection reasons, compiled from various threads and posts.

Yeah, I feel like I came across a thread like this while browsing the other day and foolishly did not bookmark it. Now I can't find it.

In a nutshell:

Basic punctuation, dialogue separated by paragraphs - or at least, not always embedded. This does not, as some people seem to think, mean that only American conventions are allowed. That is simply not true.

No sexual activity under eighteen.

No snuff, no association of sexual activity with killing.


No bestiality.


No links to other sites (links to Literotica stories are allowed).

One or two others which escape me. Others will jump in and add those I've forgotten.

Okay. I've separated your reasons into two separate parts. The above reasons are all explicitly stated in the Submission Guidelines. I was only interested in "unwritten rules".

No rapist stories, non-consent only if the victim ultimately gets pleasure.

Yeah, I've seen this stated a lot in the forum, and I've read a few noncon stories and noticed the victim always ends up loving it in the end, regardless of how preposterous.

No non-con involving celebrities (I think that's right - something to do with celebs, anyway).

That makes sense! They wouldn't want to get sued. Interesting that it's not explicitly stated in the submission guidelines, but then again it does just seem like common sense.

No fan-fic where the original characters are under eighteen (eg: no Hermione porn, no Potter pleasure.)

Yeah, I've definitely seen this written somewhere as a rule, I just can't remember where! You'd think they'd put it in the submission guidelines. It's another common sense one, but I'm sure people would still try it!

No contemporary political references.

Really? That's kind of a weird one. Do you mean, if someone expresses any clear political point of view, the story will be rejected? That makes sense to me. It's funny you said that because I literally just came across this story, which has the quote, "Yet, unlike their male counterparts, women don't keep count of their lovers. Begging the question, one would be curious to know not only how many sexual affairs President Trump has had but also how many lovers Melania Trump has had too." I guess it doesn't necessarily provide a political comment, but still...

The site has a set of generic rejections for each basic reason, couched as questions. Nothing specific to a story, it's up to the author to figure it out.

As for the category squicks, others will know better than I, either from experience or deliberately poking the bear. The only one that any of my stories has vaguely encountered is the great homophobic underbelly of Lit. The number of "real men" who continue to get thrown into a tizz which the slightest suggestion of man on man activity is truly astonishing.

Oh, brother! I can imagine. Now I want to write a bisexual FMM story for the Group Sex section just to see what kind of hate I get!

 

[Isabel_Innuende]

These aren’t unwritten laws but they are in respect of enjoyment and gratuitous violence.

My first story, the rape of a sad, little man (as one reader described him) was rejected because he didn’t enjoy it so I had to change it in order for it to be accepted.

But a recent story, about a rapist who was subsequently raped himself with a strapon as retribution for his crime was originally rejected because although I specified “this story does not contain a rape scene” the word rape was mentioned. I changed it to “sexually violated) and there wasn’t a problem.

I had a story rejected for “gratuitous violence.” There were two murders, one of which was deemed to be gratuitous so I altered it and it went through. The other murder was accepted as being essential to the story. Neither were described in great detail.

My latest story, a Summer Lovin’ competition entry, contains four murders, none of which are described in detail, and got through without a problem.

So my understanding is that rape and murder depend on how they fit into the story and how they are described. I’ve read stories from a few years ago containing gratuitous violence that wouldn’t be acceptable today.

This is interesting! I have seen others on the AH say that you aren't allowed to have a rape scene or mention the word rape, but a quick search in the "stories" section yielded a list of 125 stories in the Nonconsent/Reluctance section that had the word, "rape" in the title of the story. I clicked on a few out of curiosity, and many of them have extremely explicit, detailed and violent rape scenes! Here is an example: Tuesday Night Rape. It's very violent! Sure, the victim ends up "loving" it in the end, but up until that point it's a very violent rape scene. I'm not sure how this could get by the editors, but your stories were rejected.

I often see people talking about Laurel as if she reads every single submission ever, but that's not possible, is it? Could it be dependent upon who reads the story, and some people will be more strict than others?

 

[Isabel_Innuende]

I think the basic one is marriage is between a man and a woman and is sacred and the man is the head of the household. No matter how little he pleases his wife, she needs to be available for him, have huge perky breasts, a small waste (or is it waist, I never remember!) and be so tight that she struggles to accommodate his 3" dick. She also has to enjoy sex 24/7, and if she isn't in the kitchen or laundry, she should be pleasing her husband in the bedroom. Of course he can have dalliances away from home, because, double standards and all.

Now, if she does decide to cheat, she needs to be physically assaulted and will never be entitled to any of his vast fortune. She will be slut shamed and her life will be a living hell. Meanwhile, he will meet a teenager beauty, take her virginity and they will live happily ever after.

Damn. I have forgotten my place one too many times. Now I see the error of my ways.

 

[CuttingEdge]

I think it is pretty easy to filter out the people that just make nasty comments because it is easier to just be nasty then say something nice about the story, from the people that give true constructive-criticism.

One unwritten rule I have found is a person being injured.

I am not talking violence here.

I wrote a story where a man was injured while removing a tree and a female came over to render aid that soon moved to sex, but several people mentioned that even though it fit well in the storyline, they could not get past the fact that the main character got injured.

I am not saying people being injured cannot be written about, I am just very, very careful about injured characters in my stories now to prevent reader's disconnecting over it.

 

[RetroFan]

I've written political themed stories on the site before and there's never been a problem.

For example I wrote one set in 1978 about a fictional philandering US Senator where his fed-up wife has an affair with a young college student who works at their country club. Another is set during the UK Miners' Strike in 1984 where a young striking miner and a posh outspoken girl who is a member of the Young Conservatives squabble like cat and dog when they meet, then decide they would rather fuck than fight. Again, no problems.

I have other stories that mock political correctness, woke culture and left wing ideology and haven't had any issues with them either. Some readers didn't like them, but I couldn't care less.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yeah, I feel like I came across a thread like this while browsing the other day and foolishly did not bookmark it. Now I can't find it.

Okay. I've separated your reasons into two separate parts. The above reasons are all explicitly stated in the Submission Guidelines. I was only interested in "unwritten rules".

The only rules for rejection are Laurel's rules, which have been written down somewhere over the years, so in that sense there are no unwritten rejection rules. In any given two or three year period I think there's a degree of consistent application (for extreme content, anyway), but as some people repeatedly like to point out, what passed ten years ago might not pass today - as if that's some sin against humanity.

As for readers' squicks and personal "requirements", I think, "What bit about being an adult on an adult website don't you understand?" and give them short shrift. But then, I generally don't write content in those areas where the "category police" seem to thrive, and don't get much outrage.

 

[Emirus]

This is interesting! I have seen others on the AH say that you aren't allowed to have a rape scene or mention the word rape, but a quick search in the "stories" section yielded a list of 125 stories in the Nonconsent/Reluctance section that had the word, "rape" in the title of the story. I clicked on a few out of curiosity, and many of them have extremely explicit, detailed and violent rape scenes! Here is an example: Tuesday Night Rape. It's very violent! Sure, the victim ends up "loving" it in the end, but up until that point it's a very violent rape scene. I'm not sure how this could get by the editors, but your stories were rejected.

I often see people talking about Laurel as if she reads every single submission ever, but that's not possible, is it? Could it be dependent upon who reads the story, and some people will be more strict than others?

Laurel scans/speed reads/jumps through every story but doesn’t read them. So it’s just the general indication she gets in her mind although I think everyone would agree that writers whose name she recognises, and who she doesn’t remember as being troublesome, get through without hassle.

The story you’ve quoted, Tuesday Night Rape, was published seven years ago and there’s another one, also from several years ago, that contains this passage:

“He was in the fetal position, clutching his badly damaged testicles. She leapt on top of him and punched him in the nose with her big, leather-gloved fist, breaking it. She rained several more punches down onto his face, sending blood and teeth flying.

Finally, she climbed off of him and placed her semi-conscious victim in a sitting position against the wall. She then began kneeing him in the face. She worked calmly and efficiently, ignoring his cries of pain and the blood that was flying everywhere. She simply continued ramming her knee into his face again and again, slowly pulping him to death as her relentless knee strikes weakened, then cracked, then shattered his skull bone and penetrated deep into the remnants of his brains. She finally stopped long after she had killed him. She turned towards me, covered in blood.”


Personally the viciousness of this description (it wasn’t gratuitous violence because there was a good reason behind her killing him but you have to read the whole story to understand why) doesn’t bother me. It’s only fiction. Which some readers don’t seem to understand. I haven’t given the title because recently someone started a thread about a particular story and it was very quickly removed by Laurel, presumably because some self righteous w****r, or maybe a one-troll, complained.

Laurel’s attitude has changed since then which is why stories like these will be rejected now. That’s a pity because I think the rejections should be more in line with mainstream books. The proper ones not the crap.

 

[Emirus]

I think the basic one is marriage is between a man and a woman and is sacred and the man is the head of the household. No matter how little he pleases his wife, she needs to be available for him, have huge perky breasts, a small waste (or is it waist, I never remember!) and be so tight that she struggles to accommodate his 3" dick. She also has to enjoy sex 24/7, and if she isn't in the kitchen or laundry, she should be pleasing her husband in the bedroom. Of course he can have dalliances away from home, because, double standards and all.

Now, if she does decide to cheat, she needs to be physically assaulted and will never be entitled to any of his vast fortune. She will be slut shamed and her life will be a living hell. Meanwhile, he will meet a teenager beauty, take her virginity and they will live happily ever after.

I think most women would like to have a small “waist” because many men prefer a woman like that but she must have a large “waste” in order to accommodate his cock which is as thick as a Coke can otherwise it will hurt and she won’t be able to moan in ecstasy.

Huge breasts within which to hold his cock which is so small she cannot squash it or feel it.

She should be available for sex in the kitchen or laundry in the same way as she should every other area of the home. Even if he wants her to ride him while he’s sat on the toilet. If the thought of that doesn’t put you off then nothing will, but it could be he’s a complete ****house himself.

 

[Handley_Page]

electricblue66:-
"Basic punctuation, dialogue separated by paragraphs - or at least, not always embedded. This does not, as some people seem to think, mean that only American conventions are allowed. That is simply not true."

However, it DOES help if the author puts in a Note to the effect that the language is from wherever (Aus, UK, etc..)

 

[Kumquatqueen]

electricblue66:-
"Basic punctuation, dialogue separated by paragraphs - or at least, not always embedded. This does not, as some people seem to think, mean that only American conventions are allowed. That is simply not true."

However, it DOES help if the author puts in a Note to the effect that the language is from wherever (Aus, UK, etc..)

Laurel has no problem and doesn't need a note. However as an unwritten rule, it's worth giving the readers a note at the top of a story, to stop one-bombers whinging it's 'not even in real English'.

And definitely the male-homophobia. Bisexuals are great - oh, didn't think that would mean men getting it together - yuck!

The bulk of interest in gay male, lesbian, and BDSM is from those who haven't dared try them and want to see first-time fantasies fulfilled. It's not that stories with realistic experienced people can't do well, but they'll put off a lot of readers and if not given a heads-up, some will downvote. Including all of the above reduces readers to a trickle.

Maybe I should claim my next group of kinky bisexuals are related, and stick them in Incest to see if they find an audience there?

 

[ElectricBlue]

electricblue66:-
"Basic punctuation, dialogue separated by paragraphs - or at least, not always embedded. This does not, as some people seem to think, mean that only American conventions are allowed. That is simply not true."

However, it DOES help if the author puts in a Note to the effect that the language is from wherever (Aus, UK, etc..)

I've never put a note, not in close on a million words. The key is to have correct grammar and punctuation - stating your nation doesn't give you that, being a competent writer does.

You do not need to note that you're not American.

 

[sirhugs]

I think the basic one is marriage is between a man and a woman and is sacred and the man is the head of the household. No matter how little he pleases his wife, she needs to be available for him, have huge perky breasts, a small waste (or is it waist, I never remember!) and be so tight that she struggles to accommodate his 3" dick. She also has to enjoy sex 24/7, and if she isn't in the kitchen or laundry, she should be pleasing her husband in the bedroom. Of course he can have dalliances away from home, because, double standards and all.

Now, if she does decide to cheat, she needs to be physically assaulted and will never be entitled to any of his vast fortune. She will be slut shamed and her life will be a living hell. Meanwhile, he will meet a teenager beauty, take her virginity and they will live happily ever after.

shouldn't she also please him in the kitchen and laundry?
Or is that why he prefers the teenage beauty, because she'll do ANYTHING?

 

[Isabel_Innuende]

Laurel scans/speed reads/jumps through every story but doesn’t read them. So it’s just the general indication she gets in her mind although I think everyone would agree that writers whose name she recognises, and who she doesn’t remember as being troublesome, get through without hassle.

The story you’ve quoted, Tuesday Night Rape, was published seven years ago and there’s another one, also from several years ago, that contains this passage:

“He was in the fetal position, clutching his badly damaged testicles. She leapt on top of him and punched him in the nose with her big, leather-gloved fist, breaking it. She rained several more punches down onto his face, sending blood and teeth flying.

Finally, she climbed off of him and placed her semi-conscious victim in a sitting position against the wall. She then began kneeing him in the face. She worked calmly and efficiently, ignoring his cries of pain and the blood that was flying everywhere. She simply continued ramming her knee into his face again and again, slowly pulping him to death as her relentless knee strikes weakened, then cracked, then shattered his skull bone and penetrated deep into the remnants of his brains. She finally stopped long after she had killed him. She turned towards me, covered in blood.”


Personally the viciousness of this description (it wasn’t gratuitous violence because there was a good reason behind her killing him but you have to read the whole story to understand why) doesn’t bother me. It’s only fiction. Which some readers don’t seem to understand. I haven’t given the title because recently someone started a thread about a particular story and it was very quickly removed by Laurel, presumably because some self righteous w****r, or maybe a one-troll, complained.

Laurel’s attitude has changed since then which is why stories like these will be rejected now. That’s a pity because I think the rejections should be more in line with mainstream books. The proper ones not the crap.

Oh my! That scene is intense. I don't know the full context, though. In a horror story it seems like it should fit perfectly. In a noncon story in which the point of the story was "snuff" I can see how it would get rejected. Would it be outright rejected, even if the category were horror?

I still am confused as to the rules of what is and isn't allowed in a noncon story, and this is relevant because I've just submitted a noncon story in which a sister "rapes" her brother and then he likes it. I have been looking at a lot of other stories in the category to try and gauge what is and isn't allowed. I would say my story is a lot "softer" than a lot of the stories I've seen on here, but it does use the word, "rape".

There are numerous examples of the term "rape" being used in recent stories, like here: Taken As a Young Wife. The term "rape" is in the tagline to the story and repeatedly used within the story. It was submitted yesterday. So... I guess it's permissible on Lit sometimes? The writer does have 31 stories, so maybe Laurel gave her a pass because she knows her work already.

There's also this story, in which the word "rape" isn't used, but it's clearly rape, and the victim hates what is happening to her and does not enjoy it at any point: Just The Tip. So... I guess that's also permissible on Lit sometimes? This story was also submitted yesterday, and it's a brand new author, so I don't think it would be the case that Laurel would give them a pass for knowing them. This is their first story.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see if my story gets rejected. Will I be given notes, if this happens, on why it was rejected, or do I just have to guess and try again?

 

[Salacious_Scribe]

This is interesting! I have seen others on the AH say that you aren't allowed to have a rape scene or mention the word rape, but a quick search in the "stories" section yielded a list of 125 stories in the Nonconsent/Reluctance section that had the word, "rape" in the title of the story. I clicked on a few out of curiosity, and many of them have extremely explicit, detailed and violent rape scenes! Here is an example: Tuesday Night Rape. It's very violent! Sure, the victim ends up "loving" it in the end, but up until that point it's a very violent rape scene. I'm not sure how this could get by the editors, but your stories were rejected.

I joined under an Alt in 2009. BAck then rules were somewhat looser than now. If you look at some of the stories from Lit's early days there are a lot of stories that violate the current rules. I found stories from 2000-2001 with Brady Bunch family orgies and Full house family orgies, yes Michelle included. I reported those.

Others contain content that is now banned but was aceptable at the time. Those I didn't report.

I often see people talking about Laurel as if she reads every single submission ever, but that's not possible, is it? Could it be dependent upon who reads the story, and some people will be more strict than others?

IMHO Laurel doesn't read any story. My guess is she has some kind of bot or program that scans stories for keywords and if too many of her no no words pop up she sends it back.

Case in point, I helped anouther author who kept getting rejected for underage content and there wasn't any in his story. There were three references to his MC's past. Twice reffering to when he was 8 and once in kindergarten. Those happened several paragraphs before clothes came off any character.

I had my Story Mom the Unwilling Slut rejected for Rape/Violence. While th sttory is defintly rape by any definition, The mom 'enjoys' being forcibly sodomized by her son. I provided two quotes from the story to show she 'enjoyed' it and it was approved.

The fact is Laurel is the only one who approves or rejects stories. No one else. Laurel does stories and Manu does the webmaster shit. No one else is involved.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I guess I'll just have to wait and see if my story gets rejected. Will I be given notes, if this happens, on why it was rejected, or do I just have to guess and try again?

You'll get a generic note, couched as a series of questions, but nothing specific to your story (other than the core reason for rejection). You have to figure out what has been spotted and either tweak it or argue your case. I think the screening might be a combination of key word searches (a bot) and a quick human scan.

Once you and your content get known, and you don't push any lines, I think your stories go up faster. My last one went live in two and a half days, and I've had short pieces go up in two.

 

[Isabel_Innuende]

You'll get a generic note, couched as a series of questions, but nothing specific to your story (other than the core reason for rejection). You have to figure out what has been spotted and either tweak it or argue your case. I think the screening might be a combination of key word searches (a bot) and a quick human scan.

Okay, good. I'll just wait and see what happens.

Once you and your content get known, and you don't push any lines, I think your stories go up faster. My last one went live in two and a half days, and I've had short pieces go up in two.

My first two stories (from this account) just went up, and it only took a day and a half, though? Is that not normal?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Okay, good. I'll just wait and see what happens.

My first two stories (from this account) just went up, and it only took a day and a half, though? Is that not normal?

That's quick, especially for a newbie. Laurel might have spotted you here, doing your homework.