Fictional website in story

[glynndah]

My story was recently rejected (after a week of being "pending" so I think they really had to think about it) for using a URL or advertisement. The character mentions her cybersex site, but doesn't give a link or address. Besides, I made it up! I'm willing to omit it or change it as necessary but I just can't figure out how to within the context of the story.

I have already contacted a VE and am awaiting her valuable insights, but I thought you might get some down and dirty quick fixes from you guys.

Thanks, Glynndah

 

[Weird Harold]

The character mentions her cybersex site, but doesn't give a link or address. Besides, I made it up! I'm willing to omit it or change it as necessary but I just can't figure out how to within the context of the story.

I'm guessing that you gave her fictional cybersex site a specific, eplicit, name?

The solution is to refer to "my cybersex site" without giving an explicit name to it.

The problem is that whatever fictional name you give to a website can, and probably will, be used by someone eventually -- maybe even by you.

That presents the management with the problem of accepting a story containing a fictional site when they accept it and having to set up some sort of monitoring of all the stories to remove them when a fictional site turns into an advertisement for an actual site. If they don't remove a story because a fictional site reference becomes an actual site reference, they have to contend with "but so-n-so has a site reference in Her story."

 

[glynndah]

Thanks for your insight. That's what I figured, too. I think with an editor's help I might be able to get around that problem.

 

[BlackSnake]

I think that is kind of bad to be rejected because of that. If it is in the context of the story, I think they should cut it some slack. Out right advertising is one thing, but if my character goes to Walmart and buys a pair of Starter sneakers, it shouldn't be seen as advertising of Walmart or Starter. Walmart is a common place and anyone who have shopped there knows that they sell Starter gear. This is only a visual effect.

 

[Weird Harold]

Out right advertising is one thing, but if my character goes to Walmart and buys a pair of Starter sneakers, it shouldn't be seen as advertising of Walmart or Starter.

I think there is a fundamental difference between that kind of color and mentioning websites whether by name or url and whether or not the site is fictional at the time of writing or not.

Walmart and Starter aren't going to one day change from a discount store chain or a sports clothing company, a web reference can change its nature as quickly as day to day. Some stories here have been here for seven years and a website reference could have changed it's nature several times in that span.

For example, a (probably) fictional website "Sally Talks Dirty" at STD.com could be a cybersex site one day, an agricultural advice site the next and a rabid christian site railing against sexualy transmitted diseases the day after that.

Ultimately, it is an editorial choice that I can understand the justification for whether I agree with it or not. I doubt that whining will change it, since it has persisted through several bouts of whining as long as I've been coming to Lit, just as the underage restrictions have generated years worth of whining about rejected stories.

 

[BlackSnake]

I think there is a fundamental difference between that kind of color and mentioning websites whether by name or url and whether or not the site is fictional at the time of writing or not.

Walmart and Starter aren't going to one day change from a discount store chain or a sports clothing company, a web reference can change its nature as quickly as day to day. Some stories here have been here for seven years and a website reference could have changed it's nature several times in that span.

For example, a (probably) fictional website "Sally Talks Dirty" at STD.com could be a cybersex site one day, an agricultural advice site the next and a rabid christian site railing against sexualy transmitted diseases the day after that.

Ultimately, it is an editorial choice that I can understand the justification for whether I agree with it or not. I doubt that whining will change it, since it has persisted through several bouts of whining as long as I've been coming to Lit, just as the underage restrictions have generated years worth of whining about rejected stories.

I guess I should be happy that I found a place to post my crap in the first place. Other sites are not as good as this one as far as I can tell, so I conceed.