Fic Talk > General Discussion
NC-17 Stories Have Plots!
Tri:
--- Quote from: mare on October 07, 2007, 06:05:56 PM ---^ When I see NC-17 I tend to think graphic sex scenes. When I see R I think sex but without the explicit details if that makes any sense?
--- End quote ---
Actually, Mare, you were the first one to enlighten me about the fact that there is a stigma on NC-17 stories. lol. Honestly, before that, I never knew! You even gave me this suggestion about the rating: "I would say if your story is less about the sex and more about the plot, maybe it would be a good idea to change it. You can try to see if it makes a difference?"
I don't know if you've read Any Other Way or What the Heart Wants, but I'm curious to know if you think the same way now. I obviously don't want to be berated for attaching an incorrect rating to my story. That's why I'm asking and putting the question out to the general public.
By the way, you made that post here back in August: http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=512.15.
Teri:
An alternative? That's like saying separate but equal...and as history has shown us Separate but equal IS NEVER equal so really it boils down to either you're fair to everyone or there shouldn't be recognition period.
mare:
--- Quote from: Teri on October 07, 2007, 06:07:07 PM ---Most people don't even know that we discuss on the forum sadly. I try to come here as often as I can. I'm lol usually a lurker just because I don't have time to post. I do read everything on here and it's fun alot of times. And yeah some writers on AC aren't the best, and it is hard sometimes to know before you open up a story. Even some of the best writers on AC have stories the frustrate the hell out of me, but sometimes that's exactly their point too. It just appeared to me that there were these preconceived notions about a particular rating, that were being applied to mine and a few others I read and it's not true for us. And not to say that you personally have said it but OTHER authors have said that to me and it gets to me because it's like "did i make a mistake in being honest about my rating?"
--- End quote ---
I get what you mean. That's why i'm staying out of your arguments because they are vaild. lol I know it's annoying and you are right. I mean like I had no clue myself what the difference was between a visual and a NC-17 story. That's why I asked and i'm glad you guys had cleared that up. I do think it might scare some people away because then you also get that box that pops up and says are you sure you want to read this? lol well not in those words but you know what I mean?
I do think that a great story is a great story though and when your stuff is read it will be appreciated by the people who read them and from word of mouth you will get more readers who will be willing to give you a chance.
I thikn fanfic nowadays is a hard thing to get people to read. Seems like the popularity of it has decreased over the years and that's sad.
Jamanda:
Uh, are R-rated not allowed to be featured? Because six of them are. A lot of those contains deaths, rape, graphic sexual content, and violence as well.
In my opinion, R is basically the same as NC-17. I don't think there's this big, gigantic difference.
RokofAges75:
Wow, I missed a lot here! LOL
I've kinda skimmed through this thread; I haven't read every post word for word. That said, here are my thoughts...
I completely understand Chaos's reasoning for setting the rules of the site up the way he did. I know, from personal experience, that most kids will ignore the warnings, say they're 18 or over, and read whatever they want. But... if their mommies and daddies find out they've been reading material they deem inappropriate and complain to Chaos about it, Chaos can honestly say that his site has warnings and measures to keep that from happening and that the little angels ignored those warnings, lied about their age, and read anyway. It looks better than if explicit material was just posted freely, without any warning, for anyone to read. Yes, it's the internet and pretty much anything goes and we have the freedom to post what we want, but that doesn't mean a webmaster can't choose to set limits on his own site. If you have a problem with the rules of AC, there are plenty of other sites where you can post your stories.
On that same note, I understand why the mods choose stories that are R-rated or below to feature. They don't want to leave any readers out, nor promote underage readers reading material that, according to the ratings, they probably shouldn't be reading. I realize that, in doing that, they're probably leaving out some great stories that deserve to be featured. But that kinda brings me to my next point...
You, as the writer, determine what content goes into your story. You also determine its rating when you post it on AC. I don't believe there are strict guidelines for ratings, as far as what a story needs to have to be rated R, NC-17, etc. What separates an NC-17 story from an R-rated story? The amount of sex? The degree to which the sex is described? Where do you draw the line? It's not clear; it's pretty much up to the author. No one says you have to rate your story NC-17 just because it has some sex scenes. According to Tri, she decided to give hers that rating because they do have a lot of sex, and she wanted to warn younger readers. How is that much different than the mods not wanting to feature stories with a lot of sex in them for the sake of the younger readers?
I personally have nothing against NC-17 stories, and I don't think they're all sex and smut. But I feel that if you, as the writer, put enough explicit sex in your story to warrant an NC-17 rating, you're facing the risk of alienating readers who don't want to read that or whose parents wouldn't want them reading it. It's the same stigma of slash and visual writers. It comes with the territory. If you don't think your story is that inappropriate, change the rating and make it more readily available to all readers.
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