Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Reading Excuses => Topic started by: Renoard on May 01, 2009, 12:38:57 AM
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These ratings are a good idea, although I don't find them intuitive. Some people are more offended by it than others and it's a subjective standard but helpful. I thought it might help with deciding what material to submit if members were to post a short note saying which of the content ratings are a no go. If you won't read Sexual content, etc., and would like to notify other members ahead of time then post here.
No spam please.
I will read most anything that I get from the group. However if there is gratuitous sex, language or violence, I'm not likely to do more than skim, and your critique will suffer. By gratuitous I mean that it's not needed there to promote the plot or characterization, it is unnecessarily crude, or it's obviously intended to titillate the audience more than the characters.
The meaning of these tags and their uses in located in "The Rules of Reading Excuses" under the section "Content".
http://www.timewastersguide.com/forum/index.php?topic=6233.msg131728#msg131728
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:( I keep on forgetting to tag my submissions with these ratings. Anyway, I won't read more than cursory sexual content but I'm generally fine as far as violence and language. It hasn't really been a problem so far.
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First time I've heard of these ratings. What are they and what do they stand for?
Also, I will read almost anything, though excessive language (i.e. the "F" word being substituted for almost every single word in a sentence, noun, adjective, and verb... :P) will cause me to say that there is too much of it. I will not read graphic descriptions of sex and/or torture. Sex is sex- everyone knows what happens and that it (generally) feels good- Hollywood has seen to that. I will, however, read descriptions of the aftermath of torture (i.e. crime scenes, hospital/morgue scenes).
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Raven check content in this message.
http://www.timewastersguide.com/forum/index.php?topic=6233.msg131728#msg131728
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In my mind stories have to earn their graphic content. If there's a very good reason for it, I'll read it; otherwise I'd just as soon pass.
"Schindler's List" passes this test. "Kill Bill" does not. (Those are examples on the extreme ends of the spectrum.)
I'll read stories with explicit language if it's either kept to a minimum or adds to the story (this is rare - here (http://escapepod.org/2008/08/01/ep169-how-i-mounted-goldie-saved-my-partner-lori-and-sniffed-out-the-peoples-justice/) is an example of profanity used extremely effectively and well).
I'm not very tolerant of explicit sex - like Ravenstar said, we know how it works, so spare us the details. However, it can add to the story - see the beginning of Neil Gaiman's Stardust.
Graphic depictions of violence are more tolerable in written than in visual forms, but again, authors should choose their details carefully. Too much, and it looses its impact and becomes a sideshow (like pretty much every horror movie made in the past 20 years). Too little, and the impact is lost. I think Brandon Sanderson handles violence tastefully and well in the Misborn series.
To summarize: if you're going to subject me to unpleasant content, you need to make it worth my while or I'll quit on you.
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I'm with what seems to be the majority here. I'm fine with any sort of content, in terms of reading it; if I think it's excessive, I'll skim the bits that bug me and call you out on it later.
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Well, I am of the opinion that less is more on all of these counts. I don't like the graphic or the nitty gritty so I appreciate the warning tags just so I know what I am getting into, but I generally look at all the submits regardless and make my own opinion. For the most part it hasn't been a problem and there has only been a few that made me cringe/skim. ;)
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Raven check content in this message.
http://www.timewastersguide.com/forum/index.php?topic=6233.msg131728#msg131728
Aha. Thanks Reonard- I'd forgotten about that little section. I figured out the VL and S on my own, but the D had me puzzled.
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Just trying to keep this thread alive.
For future reference.
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I wish a moderator would see fit to pin this topic so it doesn't drift down. :/
These ratings are something I never considered when I was outlining or drafting El Shaddu. Having to apply them is making me think about my writing and about the characters themselves in new ways, some not so comfortable. It's been good though to see that maybe my villains are not so thin or sanitized as I had first thought.
Anyway, I don't think I'd like to have to rate and censor TV. It could really skew one's perspective.
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We already have quite a few pinned topics. :/ Should probably reorganize those as some point so we don't have so many, they kinda lose their meaning when there are a million of them. (Okay, five, but still. ::))
There's a list in one of those threads of "other threads you should check out", maybe it would make more sense to link that one there.
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I'm not sure I understand the point of this thread. It seems to me that if the author tags their work 'here there be dragons' and you don't like dragons, don't read it. I'm not sure it is beneficial to the author to have to keep track of who is offended by certain content or not. That's almost a passive form of self-censorship, and belies the point of a reading group.
Tag early, tag often, and let the buyer beware.
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No the point wasn't the force anyone to keep track. I was curious, because if people weigh in, you know your audience with regard to this group. If no-one will read violence for instance, then including submitting a project that includes a serial killer would be a wasted effort as you will receive no critique.
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I wish a moderator would see fit to pin this topic so it doesn't drift down. :/
I'm thinking about reformatting and condensing some of the pinned topics, because I think they could be written a bit clearer now that Reading Excuses is on its feet. A lot of those topics had debate about the rules, and I worry that it confuses potential members.
(In the mean time, I suppose this post will keep this thread up for a while)
I'm not sure I understand the point of this thread. It seems to me that if the author tags their work 'here there be dragons' and you don't like dragons, don't read it. I'm not sure it is beneficial to the author to have to keep track of who is offended by certain content or not. That's almost a passive form of self-censorship, and belies the point of a reading group.
Tag early, tag often, and let the buyer beware.
Karl! Fancy seeing you around again. ;)
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Karl! Fancy seeing you around again. ;)
Rumors of my demise have been greatly exagerated!
I suppose this should fall under the Progress Report thread. I've moved (just across town), been without phone or internet for a while, been on vacation to the mountains of North Carolina with my girlfriend, and finally returned to a home that is in shambles.
However, I can gladly say that I'm only one ring and a bent knee away from an engagement!
Oh, and I'm working (slowly) on a prose short story. Yep, no script this time!
And hopefully I can start reading again for y'all soon!
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That's awesome news, Karl. I was wondering if you just abandoned us or something ;). Haha. Good news about the soon-to-be engagement, though! That's always exciting.
Good to have you back, man.
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Congrats Karl!
Fortunately, I still have your entire script sitting in my inbox somewhere (*tries not to look guilty*) so I can still read it. :P
I've also been wanting to clean up some of the pinned topics; just been too swamped to get around to it. I think we have too many pinned topics, and they become sorta pointless.
What I want to do is in one of the pinned threads include some sort of "other potentially useful/funny/somehow supposedly relevant threads" list. This is one of those threads that I'd see going in said list.
I think the tag and beware system works pretty well, but if people want to use this thread as a sounding board I can see how that has its uses too. *shrug*
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I'm very comfortable with reading all kinds of language, sex, and/or (most especially) violence. I think that they are an intregal part of life and, when it comes down to it, we read for the drama, escape, and entertainment value, don't we? As long as I come away edified by the story I'm pretty comfortable with about everything. That isn't to say, that slipping something of the like in to your story where it doesn't belong just for shock value or whatever is a good idea. In my opinion, it cheapens the experience. On the other hand, leaving something real and important out because you're afraid of it? Doesn't make any sense to me. I think people need to do more exploring of the darker or more primal part of human nature... Its a brave thing to do. ;D I will make sure to stalwartly use the LSVD codes as to not offend anyones more tender sensabilities... I am here to make friends after all.
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I don't offend easily. I will read anything. However, I do try to limit extremely explicit stuff in my own work. That is my personal preference.