Obviously I did something wrong

[MColton84]

Removed

 

[RetroFan]

I wouldn't think so. I've used real and specific locations, including schools in my stories. I think this just goes back to the point of reading through the story and looking for a detail(s) that implies the "possibility" of underage participants. Maybe someone in the room/house that is underage but not necessarily participating in a sex act. I've had one bounced, because there was a baby crying in the neighboring room. The child wasn't in a position to participate in or see anything, but as soon as I removed that detail the story went through.

That's a good point; I've used lots of real places like tourist attractions in my stories and that's not an issue. I was just thinking that maybe Literotica are being cautious with actual brands, companies, schools, colleges and the like. As a hypothetical if I wrote a story about 18-year-old boys and 18-year-old girls who are boarders at separate boys & girls schools in Melbourne Australia and they secretly meet for an orgy, and the schools were fictional schools this would be okay. But if I used actual boys ands girls schools in Melbourne, it might be an issue implying that students from the schools acted like this. Unlikely granted, but still very possible.

As a real example, at the moment I'm writing a story where two cousins who haven't seen each other for 15 years meet up unexpectedly on a plane from Brisbane to Melbourne, and the male narrator is a passenger and the female cousin a flight attendant. The name of the airline is never referenced, and the cabin crew uniforms are not like those worn by any Australian domestic airline. Again, it's unlikely that an airline would see a Literotica story and object enough to call in their lawyers but there's always that un-nerving possibility.

 

[MColton84]

Removed

 

[ElectricBlue]

What I am getting at, is are we sure that it's an age compliance issue and not something else?

The OP said the story was returned because it breached the under eighteen rule, so why bother speculating about something else. The OP has been given several suggestions what to do - basically, review their content for any inadvertent under-eighteen sexual references, and resubmit.

 

[MColton84]

Removed

 

[SisterJezabel]

Someone explained the rule rather well recently and I wish I could credit them- it may be that the age of consent is 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever, but the rules surrounding pornography state that participants have to be 18+ and the owners of this site, in their wisdom, treat writing aimed to stimulate, the same as pictures aimed to do the same thing. It is what it is.

 

[MsNatalie99]

It's been a while since I had one sent back, but don't they usually ask about the age of characters when they send one back? What I am getting at, is are we sure that it's an age compliance issue and not something else?

I have had 2 sent back only one story, the other a poem that was evidently too political. The one time it asked me if my characters were of age. It then goes on to suggest correcting spelling and grammar. I am still going through my story, but it takes place in a retirement community, so I think it's something else. At least for me.

 

[MsNatalie99]

Why thank you. I did see that, and I asked a question. I just figured it might be possible that... you know what? Your right. Thank you. WTFE

Breathe Matt. You'll never get your point across if you pop

 

[MColton84]

Removed

 

[RejectReality]

It's entirely possible that there's a bug in the control panel that's appending the age notice when something else has been flagged. I had one that got sent back for something else, and when I PMd Laurel asking about the age notice, she had no recollection of ticking that box.

So if you have multiple reasons on a sent back story, and the age one is baffling you, it may be nothing more than a glitch. Fix the other problem and resubmit.

 

[MsNatalie99]

Please don't tell me how to breath. I already have people telling me I don't know how to read, I don't need to be told how to breath.

I'm sorry, I am not telling you how to breathe. I wasn’t trying to tell you how to think or making fun of you. I can't see where someone questioned your literacy. I think there has been some kind of misunderstanding.

 

[gordo12]

My first effort, submitted for inclusion in the huge Incest-Taboo category here was rejected with a one-size-fits-none form letter asking if I had any characters under 18 years of age and explaining that those under 18 can't engage in sex.

I don't so they can't.

I resubmitted it with a note to that effect, but it still has that note attached and I am not certain if it was reviewed or not. Obviously I did something wrong, but I don't know what. These are the first 427 words that set up the scene ...

Sunday, March 7, 1999

The three of us pretty much grew up in our mother and father's Italian restaurant on the South Scotio Highway. We graduated from Redville High School a year, and then two years, apart from each other. My parents had wished for me to go to college, preferably ‘The Ohio State University’. But, having pretty much majored in shop, I instead went to work for Mister Tucker who ran a local print shop. It worked out, a few years later I bought it from him when he retired to Florida.

My brother went to 'Sand State', a community college, where he got a two-year degree in Hospitality Management before going off to work for some big conglomerate over in Chicago. Our parent’s marriage had been falling apart for years. But, it finally imploded the day after my sister, the youngest of us, graduated from high school. Disagreements over the amount of work done, and the relative value of that work, led to the restaurant being sold and the assets divided.

My sister went on to college in the midst of a most uncivil war, then dropped out after getting married in the summer after her first year. After too much time spent living with roommates in crappy apartments I bought a tiny condominium out in ‘The Lakes’ which is rather nice neighborhood on the edge of town. As the name implies it’s on a lake. Dad loaned me some of the money for the down payment, which I pay back to him in the form of forgiving his rent. So, back then we were sorta like two bachelors sharing a pad.

Dad opened a little pizzeria in the neighborhood, and my sister went to work for him. She spent a lot of time over at my place, because her husband, a top salesman for some big company, spent a lot of time traveling for his job. She didn't like to be alone in their condo when he was out of town. Some days it was almost like being back at the house I grew up in, except neither mom nor my brother were there.

We were watching ‘The Sopranos’ on cable, and in this particular episode, Boca, Uncle Junior was furious with his girlfriend because she had told others did he went down on her and was really good at it. Apparently from the point of view of the other Mafioso, performing oral sex on a woman was a most un-masculine thing to do. I started to laugh, but my sister cut me off.

The following 5000 odd words are a conversation between brother and sister over what they like in terms of sex and the shortcoming his relationship with his girlfriend, and her relationship with her husband have, and supposition about their parent's relationships after their marriage. The discussion is explicit, but no actual sexual activity occurs between them in this what was to have been the first chapter of a journey. Given the category it isn't hard to guess the destination.

You're assuming the issue lies in these words. It isn't the complete story and may not be the issue at all.

 

[yowser]

I had a story sent back for underage issues, which completely mystified me since the characters were all middle-aged married folk. Kids were mentioned but weren't within half a mile of any sexual situation. I still haven't the faintest idea how it got caught, but it did, and so there can be errant rejections.

Others' advice is good (keep minors away from even being aroused or interested, check your work carefully, etc.) I had an editor take a look, got confirmation that there was no underage issue, and resubmitted, word-for-word the same story with a note saying 'no underage sex' or the like and it got through.

One of those things.

 

[gordo12]

I had a story sent back for underage issues, which completely mystified me since the characters were all middle-aged married folk. Kids were mentioned but weren't within half a mile of any sexual situation. I still haven't the faintest idea how it got caught, but it did, and so there can be errant rejections.

Others' advice is good (keep minors away from even being aroused or interested, check your work carefully, etc.) I had an editor take a look, got confirmation that there was no underage issue, and resubmitted, word-for-word the same story with a note saying 'no underage sex' or the like and it got through.

One of those things.

One of those reasons I include a note with the submission that the story includes children but they are nowhere near any sexual situations.

 

[AvroAnson]

My opinion which follows is printed with permission from the author, whom I believe has lost interest in pursuing the matter further.

I read the 5500 word story. My first question was "why is this story being submitted to 'Incest-Taboo' category?"

Don't get me wrong, I have described my first effort 20 years ago as a 'trainwreck'.

But after the set-up in post #1 this story is a long single conversation between two good friends who are both of age and are discussing / kvetching about what they have and what they lack in their relationships with their significant others, followed by the formulation of a plan to help them get what they want from those existing relationships.

The two happen to be 20-something-year-old siblings but there is no 'sex-scene' per-se and the events described are between them and their unrelated significant others.

All the supposition here is just wheel spinning, the answer is in the opening of the post "My first effort"

New writer, the category where it seems most common for people to try to slip under age material in, and a reference to High school. It was booted without so much as a 10 second glance.

Ding, ding, ding, ding ... we have a winner (in my opinion). And that mention of 'high school' (words 25 and 26 of a story laid out in a "completely linear progression that is totally devoid of flashbacks") merely states that everything in the tale happened after high school. (PS: March 7th 1999 was the date 'The Sopranos' episode 'Boca' referenced as the impetus of the conversation first aired.)

Unless there's something glaring in the ensuing conversation or you're not being totally honest here, there's no reason for it not to pass.

I'd submit it again, and put in the notes field it was rejected for under age, but there isn't any underage activity in there. She'll give it a closer look at that point, and you should be good to go.

This was my second choice in terms of advice. My first choice was to combine it with a second chapter he says he is 'polishing up' to make a longer piece. I have not read this second chapter, but apparently it contains an actual sex scene -- a plus in erotic literature -- that fits the genre the story is submitted to be in.

5500 words is only a-page-and-a-half, and I think its a bit of a tease to submit a story without an incest element. My sister had always been my confidant, I don't consider siblings discussing their sex live to be the least bit taboo, and many I-T readers are unaware of that -T after the I.

These threads always lead to off-topic discussions such as the age policy itself. There is nothing in this story that a human being could remotely consider to be underage content. Out of curiosity I boogled the place names, there is no Redville or Sand State University in Ohio. The others were so generic as to have dozens of hits.

One thing I really disagree with -- and the reason I took the time to ask his permission to post this -- was the author's takeaway. That nobody cared enough to actually read what he wrote before rejecting it, or to give clear instructions, or to provide a logical and relevant reason for rejecting his submission.

"If it is this much trouble to get my first submission in ... it will only get worse, so why bother."

The site provides a free but far from perfect avenue for new amateur authors to put their words before a wide audience. You get far more than you pay for here. There are plenty of people here who are willing to spend their personal time to help guide new authors through the admittedly arcane process.

Of course I grew up dealing with farthings, tanners, the two bob bit, ha'pennies and thruppence, Crowns, and 160 ounce gallons, so what do I know?

 

[soulhouse]

Of course I grew up dealing with farthings, tanners, the two bob bit, ha'pennies and thruppence, Crowns, and 160 ounce gallons, so what do I know?

And Avro Ansons were in still in service?

 

[ElectricBlue]

One thing I really disagree with -- and the reason I took the time to ask his permission to post this -- was the author's takeaway. That nobody cared enough to actually read what he wrote before rejecting it, or to give clear instructions, or to provide a logical and relevant reason for rejecting his submission.

"If it is this much trouble to get my first submission in ... it will only get worse, so why bother."

The site provides a free but far from perfect avenue for new amateur authors to put their words before a wide audience. You get far more than you pay for here. There are plenty of people here who are willing to spend their personal time to help guide new authors through the admittedly arcane process.

Unfortunately, that seems to be a common take away, based on a misunderstanding how the site works. It's clear that many new writers think there is a squad of editors reading every word, instead of one person scanning quickly and maybe using automated text readers looking for key words.

It's also a regular thing that new writers come into the AH and either ask a sensible question and get help, or fire a shot and wonder why they get savaged.

It may look like an arcane process, but the rest of us have figured it out, and with some patience, so can everyone else. Those who ask valid questions and who follow the answers generally do so, those who don't give up far too easily, and I guess we all miss out on the next great American novel.

 

[AvroAnson]

And Avro Ansons were in still in service?

Oh yes. "My father ... built, rebuilt, and did civil conversions on airplanes as a vocation, and an obsession. In point of fact, my screen name comes from the very first airplane that I ever owned. Back when I was three-years-old he titled an Avro Anson that he acquired at a disposals auction in my name." (from https://www.literotica.com/s/halfway-wa)

It was an early mark. He replaced the 'W'-glued mainplane in the late 1950s and flew it into the 1980s when he retired. Sweet airplane.

 

[Athalia]

That would be my guess. I just submitted a story about a woman who mentioned in passing that she'd had disappointing lovers in high school. It passed without delay, but that may have been because I've had a few other stories on the site by now.

And I had some characters in my stories who, after engaging in incestuous brother-sister sex, were reminiscing about how they slept together as children, before they had become aware of sex. It also went through.

 

[SisterJezabel]

It's all very well to mention what we have 'gotten through,' but it perhaps does not help the OP.

What might be another suggestion for the OP, if they are still a little confused, is to read other stories in the genre and see what other authors write and what gets published.