Content Rules Question

[alohadave]

I don't think that's necessarily the case -- I think it has to be that the major association is with them as an adult. Harry Potter is the obvious example; the main characters all appear as adults in an epilogue and in a sequel. But HP fiction isn't allowed, even if it is specifically set in the world of that sequel.

Harry Potter has been specifically stated as not allowed.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

People are constantly asking where the line is, which means people are trying to push it, or they're genuinely asking for clear advice.

It's better to advise them, you can't say much, not much at all. Back when I started writing, I had a couple of stories rejected, that finally required but a single sentence to change tenor. That's the point I try to make - if you have a clear separation of age from sexual content, you have no problems whatsoever getting content published. If you squeeze in against the line, your story might get rejected. Leave a wide gap, it won't.

I'm not on holy crusade, I'm saying to new writers who ask this question, if you don't go into detail, and get the kids out of the room and at least five-hundred words away, you will never have an issue.

As do I. Did you go into much more detail than the sentence given here? Probably not.

You know that because you know the rules - these new writers don't, that's why they're asking the question. Some of the threads started, there's no way the content as they describe will get a pass; and by the same token there's content as you describe that would get by. But all it needs is one clunky sentence, and there's another thread started, "What's the under-age policy again?"

Clear cut advice might be better than a response saying, there's nuance, because a lot of people don't know what nuance is. In any event, we're both giving (slightly) different advice; mine's more black and white because I had to lose a paragraph from a story which fucked up the benign essence of it, but I saw the site's point. So I changed a sentence.

Yes, we're basically in agreement. I stress that context weighs heavier than content, but acknowledge that context is open to interpretation more so than content.

I too have had to modify content. Having the guy "playing with himself" in front of the 14 year old was acceptable over him masturbating in front of her.

Erotic "hints" and teasing scenarios void of the details involving under aged characters have never been an issue for many on this site. It's not the content, but the skill in which it is portrayed. That is what I believe new authors need to understand.