I've been working on a short story that gets much more explicit than I am accustomed to. And, I am not sure that the idea is entirely mine. Perhaps if I go through it and see if some ideas can be inferred? Perhaps that is what real, professional writers do? I think it was Arthur C Clark that said there are only a few stories?
Explicit Content, where is the line?
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Stolen, Taken or something.
The other day I got part of a story in my email that was quite pornographic. I read it, and found it was well written, but more sexual than I would usually read.
What now?
I am sure it will be great
I've been working on a short story that gets much more explicit than I am accustomed to.
Thats great, ‘explicit’ is deffinitelly up to the eye of the beholder sorta thing. Some people see a guy running around topless to be explicit & vulgur (prudes), while others have no limit and will not even consider something explicit unless it is ‘ghastly & raunchy sex’.
I am not sure that the idea is entirely mine.
That does not matter hun. Almost every story here has come with an idea and or a mixture of other ideas, from others. Like look at all the stories based around a prince turned princess, or the blackmail route or so many other things, that are recycled, innovated etc on. If it is your work, then its yours dispite any ‘ideas’ from others.
If you have ever watched The Walton’s; Ben once borrowed John~Boy's poem and submitted it as his own & was worried he plagerized when he won, but it was found that he had altered it with his own idea’s making it his own, John~Boy himself said it was his because of that.
Perhaps if I go through it and see if some ideas can be inferred?
Do what you feel is right, thats what matters. A writer is never completely satisfied with their own work, you may begin scrapping the whole thing if you get a bit over the top inferring’ it.
Perhaps that is what real, professional writers do?
Every writer & or story teller, has recycled other ideas, used a round of gossip to concoct their own version of event s etc. There is nothing wrong with it. Thats why if you go around Greece many know the mythes but each area has a slightly different version, that is because different storytellers all made bits of it their own. Even that guy that wrote the Narnia Chronicals, he was taught by Tolkein himself & recyled almost everything Tolkein did for the Narnia series.
I think it was Arthur C Clark that said there are only a few stories?
Not sure, tbvh, I do not believe i have ever heard of him. But if you mean there are very few truly original, as in no ideas from anyone else that gave the story a foundation the answer is slim to none hun.
Your a great writer Gwen, trust your instincts.
To be very honest i find that BCTS does have a limit on boundaries over acceptable explicite content, while FM has like none.
With Love and Light, and Smiles so Bright!
Erin Amelia Fletcher
If you can't trust
John-Boy, who can you trust?? :-))
If you don't know who Arthur Clark is, your Science Fiction education is seriously lacking. Take thee to the library immediately. He was one of the greats of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. He wrote 2001, a Space Odyssey, Rendevous With Rama, and a vast number of other science fiction and non-fiction books. His story, The Nine Billion Names of God, is a mustread.
He published a paper in 1945 about using satellites in geostationary orbit for world-wide communications. The geostationary orbits have been dubed the Clarke Orbits or the Clarke Belt in recognition of his early contributions to the field.
Along with Issac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, Clarke was part of what was called the "Big Three" of Science Fiction.
Back to the origional topic, Robert Heinlein stated on numerous occassions that there were no new ideas in fiction. At one point he is reported to have said of story ideas: "File the serial numbers off, slap a fresh coat of paint on it and it's yours."
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Depends on the targeted readers
Most of my stories are adult focused. I write the way people speak not the way my English teachers tried to teach me. Working around men in construction the language got pretty rank. I'm sure some of them trying their best to embarrass me. The people I worked with in the military had a lot more class and I never heard fowl language from any of them.
Thus I guess one would have to use their own experience of the kind of location, people, and if one is trying to stay close to true to life even in a fictional story.
Hugs Gwen, be true to yourself.
Barb
Life is a gift, treasure it.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
o crap
i dont know anything
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Hello Gwen,
I think that as long as a story is signposted in advance that it contains content that some may be troubled by (the same as we do with suicide, etc.) you can be as explicit as you like. I wouldn’t worry about alienating your audience: most people will respect the fact that you want to try something different and they won’t flounce.
Regarding the old “how many stories” conundrum, I’ve heard it said there are as few as two! (Low-high-low is one and high-low-high is the other.) I wrote a blog post about story archetypes a while back, if anybody’s interested.
Loved Arthur C. Clarke – although the Rama sequels with Gentry Lee were a bit of a miss!
Best wishes,
B.
Sugar and Spiiice – TG Fiction by Bryony Marsh
The number of stories
The number of stories
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots
The shape of stories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ
Your friend
Crash
Explicit Content, where is thy sting?
I struggled with this question myself -- about how far I should go. One of my stories I wrestled with for ten years before writing it, until I realized that if I didn't get it out of my head and onto paper it was going to keep bugging me.
Also, the CAUTION tags are a wonderful thing. If someone complains about explicit elements in your story, you can point to the CAUTION tags and explain that they have only themselves to blame for reading it.
- io
Had one writer
Explain to me that when she used the "Caution" tags she got fewer reads. I suggested that perhaps the source of some of her negative reviews might be found in her extra readers that she tricked into reading her stories by not using the tags regarding explicit content. No reply.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
I agree completely
I use the CAUTION tags as both a warning and as a license.
It puts me in mind of a night long ago, when co-workers used to go out for a drink or two after work. On one somewhat special occasion, one of the lads gave us a location, but didn't bother to tell us that the meeting spot was a cigar bar. The person who chose the venue was pleased as can be, as were one or two others, but the rest of us left VERY quickly. But not quickly enough: Not only did our clothes stink from the bar, our cars stank from our clothes for days after. Our families complained about the stink.
If you want to meet in a cigar den, say up front that it's a cigar den. If you want to write steamy, seamy stuff, say so.
Know before you go.
- io
Subjectivity
If you don't prefer explicit content, but it does not bother you, have at it?
If you are upset personally by explicit content. probably don't include it?
In regard to the behavior of your characters, you're certainly talented enough to include allusions to sexual encounters without being explicit. But if it doesn't bother you, perhaps a 'beta reader' or two just to gauge how well your intended meaning comes across?
Love, Andrea Lena