Homosexuality and mild innuendo= 15 rating?

I just love the taste of cherry and @!#$, don't you?

I just love the taste of cherry and tihs, don't you?

The above two weren't written by me just in case any one didn't guess. Seb.

we know.

combat28, I can't furnish you with a list of the words that activate the swearing filter, cos if I did, someone unscrupulous might deliberately try to write a piece of filth that didn't include any of the words in a bid to get through the filter system. Sorry. Sector28, that's wasn't good form - the ratings are there to make sure that people don't read anything inappropriate for their age group and so we don't get the Daily Mail-esqe response that Andrew mentioned. We have to err on the side of caution because bad press doesn't just affect us, it could also affect The Big Issue and The Body Shop because of our founders. Re: the story, as Andrew said, it was a gray area (I wasn't the one that rated it either). It was nothing to do with the story being about someone gay. Had it been written about someone straight having their first sexual experiences/first accepting their sexuality, it would still have been a 15. It's a beautiful piece of writing. It just contained adult themes that we felt are more appropriate to a slightly older audience. Hope this helps Cheers Emily

M, 0028 Forum Agent at your service. Thanks for your comprehensive response. I am definitively not in the filth market. See previous 'older thread' entitled "Critical Bypass" by my pseudo pen-pal Thom, where a previous editor was attempting to rectify some sort of censorship anomally. It's quite the opposite for me, really in writing and speaking. Working with children I am very aware and sensitive to what activates the parental language filter, although I did say "flipping motocycle" today in my National Poetry Day assembly. The only reason I entered this thread was in reaction to Seb's initial "moan". I have no problem's with filtering, on the contrary... Concerning the story i aint really read it properly, rather have a pint of Strongbow with arrows innit or read the detective Forum exploits of Bill & Ben (M&M) aka mississippi & martin t, at least i think therefore i am who they are. Thanks again 'M', and big handshake for your promotion. This message will self-destruct in real time. ship shape

This is just a stupid and irrelevant question: Can a 15 year old write an 18-rated story? That would be kinda funny, seeing he can't read his own work!

Yep - I've always had that question about the porn world; Age of consent=16* Age to watch an adult movie= 18 Therefore, someone could star in a porn movie they couldn't watch... Cheers Em *OK, heterosexual age of consent but it should be the same for everyone.

A 16 year old can't star in a porn movie!! I've heard of several cases where a minor appeared in a porn movie, lied about her age, and the company got fined big time (it keeps our taxes down)! The laws might be different over in the UK, though.

Brits dont make porn movies....they dont even have sex actually. :o)

Well, not as often as they'd like, anyway... Or as often as they boast about.

what is this thing you ladies talk about?

Washing up, Stormy.

American women don't have sex much either. (Well with me, anyway!)

Not quite comme il faut, Sector, I don't think...

So! This is how you get your work read! All I have to do is complain about the age rating and then somebody will post it on the threads for everyone to read! Neat! One of my stories got a 15 age rating. At first, I couldn't figure out why; I think I originally set it to PG! But I figured out that it was given because there was a violent part at the end involving Charlton Heston and a bazooka, and then Andrew Pack tells me not to use the word "bastard" so much. So here's a new equation: Bazooka + Bastard = 15 age rating I wonder if I add a part about Marilyn Monroe and Adolph Hitler having sex, they'll bump that up to an age 18 rating. Let's try...

Once upon a time there was a mad fella in Rhyl. It'll never catch on. What words are now needed to get the censors reeling. Can the Editors or 'M' herself furnish all & sundry with a comp' list of all words/topics(slash)subject matter that trigger the language filter. Who really has their finger on the trigger? *&$&$":LRF%WZ$£^

why get so worked up? if you want kids to read your work you shouldn't write on risque subjects or swear - even though most under elevens are more than capable of telling you where to stick your farking bazookas and pieces of paradise mister. if your writing is aimed at adults - as mine is, even though many of my pieces are rated 'u' - then it doesn't matter what rating it gets does it? I don't care if an under 15 can't read my work. I would only seek their opinion if I was writing for their audience. which I'm not. I would guess that most, but by no means all, readers and writers here are over 18 anyway. from the way you have written the piece, Sebastion, are you really aiming at this teen market? I notice you have a piece entitled 'homosexuality' that has been rated a 'u'. it seems to ba aimed at adults though. would it matter if this piece were given a 15 too? probably not.

Not aimed only at the teen market no OP but It was meant as a message to all people who have felt in some way oppressed or isolated in our culture, that sadly includes a lot of under 15 year olds. I also don't think homosexuality is a 'risqué' subject but rather one that applies to a lot of people many of whom feel very alone as I did when I was under 15. And I may be wrong but I don't recall any swearing at all in the story. In regards to the piece 'homosexuality' I'm glad out of principle that it got a 'U' and also that means that individuals who are not a member of ABCtales can still stumble in off the cyber street and read it. I'm not saying it was wrong for it to be rated as a 15 but I would just like to know why.

Just to let people know that I have emailed Sebastian about these issues. In general, opinionated bastard is right. Bottom line is, this website is here for writers but we also have a responsibility to readers, some of whom are under 15. The age-rating is a clumsy system and not ideal for films, but it's the best any censor has come up with. I think if you're writing a story and want it to go in the 12 age range or under, then you have to be a bit sensible about language and content. I don't want anyone's story run in the Daily Mail as 'website filth peddled to kids'. This does not apply to Sebastian's story, which I felt (though I didn't grade it) could either have been a 12 or a 15. It was a grey area story, not because of the subject matter itself, but because of the intensity and complexity of the emotions. Could a 12 year old really take that on board ? Grey area.