I/T and LW in Mature?

[Rob_Royale]

So I'm chewing on an idea and it's a good one I think. It's a stepmom/stepson story but in this case, there's only about ten years between them. 28/38. But it's also about their best friends, who have a fiery fling. The woman's husband had an affair years ago, and as part of their reconciliation, gave her a free pass. She doesn't think about it much, until she meets a young man and then it's all she can think about. So I'm mixing taboo with non-monogamy.

But, and it's a big butt, though they are step-relatives, they barely know each other at first, as he was off serving in the armed forces. So the taboo part really isn't a key element in the story. I'd much rather have this story in the Mature category, but I know Laurel will set it in I/T. I'd rather not change the story, because in my mind, all the pieces fit, ya know?

Edit - Thanks guys. I've decided to scrap the idea entirely and focus on my current project more. Appreciate the help.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Where's the taboo in a step-family relationship? That's a dime a dozen plot line.

Ten years is not much of an age gap, so why Mature? Stick it in Erotic Couplings and be done with it.

 

[SimonDoom]

Before you worry about category, I'd recommend that you ask yourself this: what's the main sizzle in the story? I can't tell, from the way you've described it. You set it up as incest, but you downplay the taboo/incest angle. There's an age gap, but it's not enough to fully sell the mature angle. So where's the sizzle, exactly?

If I were in your shoes (I'm not, admittedly) I would do one of two things:

1) I'd play up the taboo angle, emphasizing her role as the step mom, and perhaps having her try to be a "mom" figure to the young man when they meet. Maybe the real mom has passed away, so she wants to be a mom for him. Making him cookies while the air crackles between them.

OR

2) Deemphasize the mom angle but increase the age gap to sell it better as a mature story.

You will get more readers in either Mature or Incest than Erotic Couplings. My general attitude is to steer clear of Erotic Couplings unless you really can't think of any other place for it to go.

 

[Rob_Royale]

2) Deemphasize the mom angle but increase the age gap to sell it better as a mature story.

You will get more readers in either Mature or Incest than Erotic Couplings. My general attitude is to steer clear of Erotic Couplings unless you really can't think of any other place for it to go.

Good idea. That works. Thanks.

 

[Rustyoznail]

If you add a note to Admin (Laurel) stating your reasons for not going in I/T, that should be fine, but I agree that a ten year gap, and one only 38 (!) is hardly going to go well in mature.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Where's the taboo in a step-family relationship? That's a dime a dozen plot line.

I'd agree but Laurel has some this before to me.

 

[RejectReality]

They're too much in the same stage or at least similar transition periods of life to really tickle the age-gap kink. He's staring down the big 3-0, and she's staring down the big 4-0. For 10 years to work as a gap, the younger one more or less has to be 18-21. If you're not lighting up that kink enough, then the whiffs of incest begin eating into your readership. It's not a huge percentage of the readership in Mature, but enough of them get the heebie-jeebies from step-family and former step-family that — absent a strong age-gap — it's going to make a dent.

I can possibly see a scenario where you're focusing on them hitting those transition periods, playing off that, and really hammering how much things have changed in 10 years where you could increase the age-gap appeal, but it doesn't necessarily sound like that's the plan now.

It honestly feels like EC if I were making a decision. It sounds to me as if you're locked in on what's exciting you about the story. I wouldn't change that just to get a better category, unless some suggestion here makes your muse perk up and get just as/more excited about a different angle.

Then again, with the transient readership in EC, you could do just as well or better in Mature with a story that doesn't necessarily meet the expectations. It's that much bigger of a category. Meter your expectations, and that's just as valid a choice. Step-family isn't forbidden in Mature either. I've seen some with step in the title and description line before, and I've put a few former step-family stories in there. As long as you're not focusing on that, and probably down-playing it, those can go through in Mature without any special pleading, or even an incest warning attached.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Thanks guys. I've decided to scrap the idea entirely and focus on my current project more. Appreciate the help.

 

[TheLobster]

Thanks guys. I've decided to scrap the idea entirely and focus on my current project more. Appreciate the help.

 

[Lifestyle66]

So I'm chewing on an idea and it's a good one I think. It's a stepmom/stepson story but in this case, there's only about ten years between them. 28/38. But it's also about their best friends, who have a fiery fling. The woman's husband had an affair years ago, and as part of their reconciliation, gave her a free pass. She doesn't think about it much, until she meets a young man and then it's all she can think about. So I'm mixing taboo with non-monogamy.

But, and it's a big butt, though they are step-relatives, they barely know each other at first, as he was off serving in the armed forces. So the taboo part really isn't a key element in the story. I'd much rather have this story in the Mature category, but I know Laurel will set it in I/T. I'd rather not change the story, because in my mind, all the pieces fit, ya know?

Edit - Thanks guys. I've decided to scrap the idea entirely and focus on my current project more. Appreciate the help.

I have one story ("Chasing Her in the Wild") which I know Laurel would have placed in "Humor." It's very obvious that is where it should have gone.

I added a "Note to Admin" asking that it stay in Loving Wives because I just wanted to jerk their chains, and the Admins left it in LW.