Other than resubmitting? (Ch 2 rejected)

[WalterAndOliveAnn]

'Day 0001' (published) is Olive Ann's 18th birthday -- where Aphrodite, her brother and sons introduced her to sexual feelings (no actual sex, just the feelings or desire).

'Day 0005' (rejected with a note asking if there are underage characters) had Charles Darwin, the Buddha, two Presidents and four signatories to the Declaration of independence in her head recommending her cousin. John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham were also there wresting with the utility of that choice to fulfill her desire. The only other "real" character in the story was her friend who stated that she (the friend) "is older and wiser" (than Olive).

I see from reading past posts there is but one arbiter. People get older, not younger. I'm looking for useful tips. Is there anything that can be done other than resubmit the story with a note saying "No, there are no underage characters here (see Day 0001). She was 18 four days ago."

There are more "Days" in the pipeline if I can get this one published.

 

[Payne_Hall]

You do have to resubmit a rejected story.

The easiest way to fix this, however, is to write an author’s note in italics at the beginning of the story that says all characters are over the age of 18. That way it makes it clear to everyone and isn’t just in the notes. Sometimes people coming onto new chapters don’t know the past chapter and if it isn’t made clear, it comes across as questionable.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Read through your text to make sure you've not inadvertently raised age issues. In particular, every time you mention any age, check the words around it. You might be triggering a word bot with connectivity you didn't intend. Then resubmit with a Note to the Editor. Putting an 18 year old disclaimer in the story intro is no guarantee of success - you have to scrub the words to make sure, because it can come down to a misconstrued phrase or sentence.

 

[Payne_Hall]

Read through your text to make sure you've not inadvertently raised age issues. In particular, every time you mention any age, check the words around it. You might be triggering a word bot with connectivity you didn't intend. Then resubmit with a Note to the Editor. Putting an 18 year old disclaimer in the story intro is no guarantee of success - you have to scrub the words to make sure, because it can come down to a misconstrued phrase or sentence.

Oh, yeah. Thank you. I forgot about the bots somehow :/. The experiences I’ve had have just been easily fixed with a well placed sentence, so I’ve never run into a trigger phrase thing.

 

[gunhilltrain]

This is why I'm also on a site that has - well, a lower age of consent than Lit. As much as I admire Laurel and what she has accomplished, if I want to write a coming of age story about teenagers, I don't want her breathing down my neck. (Sorry, Laurel, you are indeed very cool.)

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Using words like boy, girl, youngster, etc. will trigger the bot.

Change those references to man, woman, young lady, etc.

It also depends on the context.