Ever find yourself going back and altering your warning codes?

[Valley Vixin]

Author question.

Do you ever find yourself going back after you have posted a few chapters into a longer story arc and having to add to the warning codes?  I mean, I start out a fairly classic superheroine peril story, I put the warnings for what type of content is going to be in it and start writing.  So far so good.

Two chapters in, I'm like.  Oh crap, and that code, and this one.  Change the MF to MMMF.  Four chapters in I am like, what is the code for that again?  Oh and that, I better update to include that, and the other thing.  Wow.  Am I a degenerate or something?

I am a pretty conservative woman, but when I finish my stories and go back to check the warning codes, I realize Larry Flint wouldn't have dared publish most of it in Hustler back in the day, and that was the standard of OMG SMUT!  Back when when porn meant paper.

[Writers Bloque]

Author question.

Do you ever find yourself going back after you have posted a few chapters into a longer story arc and having to add to the warning codes?  I mean, I start out a fairly classic superheroine peril story, I put the warnings for what type of content is going to be in it and start writing.  So far so good.

Two chapters in, I'm like.  Oh crap, and that code, and this one.  Change the MF to MMMF.  Four chapters in I am like, what is the code for that again?  Oh and that, I better update to include that, and the other thing.  Wow.  Am I a degenerate or something?

I am a pretty conservative woman, but when I finish my stories and go back to check the warning codes, I realize Larry Flint wouldn't have dared publish most of it in Hustler back in the day, and that was the standard of OMG SMUT!  Back when when porn meant paper.

Sometimes I have to alter them as I write, because I write a story, expecting it to fit the story codes, but then some element does not work, so I have to edit it out. I generally use broad reaching codes, its easier to cover ones ass with, like M+ or F+, Spank, Hum, WS. WS is my go to, because its not just about pissing to me, but if you have a woman who is a "squirter" in your story, its easier to just slap the WS tag, because I don't know anyone who would stop fucking if she sprang a leak.

[Valley Vixin]

Good point. Maybe I need to use broader stroke warnings. Less specific so if the story goes a little sideways I am still covered.

[Pornhubby]

Story codes are only intended to alert new readers concerning the subject matter of the story. Some rape victims cannot stand to read rape stories, etc., so the only purpose is give fair warning of subject matter areas, not to tell every detail.

Where I notice most mistakes is codes concerning age and gender. M is an adult male. m is an adolescent male 13-17. b is a boy 12 and under. If a moderator sees a b or g in the story codes, red flags go up.

Read more here:

http://www.kristensboard.com/forums/index.php?action=post;quote=311601;topic=14051.30;last_msg=620143

[Hilda]

Story codes are only intended to alert new readers concerning the subject matter of the story. Some rape victims cannot stand to read rape stories, etc., so the only purpose is give fair warning of subject matter areas, not to tell every detail.

A short summary at the head of a story is also helpful.

I can, however, see the problem with story codes for developing stories. PornHubby's "fair warning" hits the nail on the head. I feel cheated if a story turns in an unexpected and, for me, unwelcome direction.

[HistBuff]

Yes, it sometimes happens. Once I've developed the characters enough, they tend to "act on their own volition" and do things I might not have thought of first. In this case, it's extremely important to change the codes right at the start of the thread to give a good heads-up, and not at the beginning of chapter XX. If I run out of space in the title, then I'll write the most important codes next to the title, and the very first line of text will be the complete list.

If I have "nc, MMM/F" (several men gang-raping a woman) and I have a one-on-one rape later on, I think it's also important to mention the "M/F" as well.

[LtBroccoli]

I run into this a few times, and it's part of the reason why for my longer stories over at RavishU, I'll put codes for each chapter.  I'll have a general disclaimer at the top of the story and with some shorter ones I might just have one series of tags at the beginning. But there's times I'll have to go back and recode them and redo the disclaimer.

For example, I have a story called Lake Hiawatha.  When I wrote the codes, I didn't know how fucked up I was going to make one chapter, I just knew it was going to be pretty fucked up.  500 screenplay pages later, and I wrote the most fucked-up sex scene I've ever written.  Cannibalism was not one of the original tags I planned for in the story, and there's a couple things in that scene I'm not sure how to tag, like 'is it necrophilia if they're killed while fucking the antagonist?' and 'spraying someone with the remains of their boyfriend going through a woodchopper, is that watersports, gore, or both?'  After writing the chapter, I had to stop, take several deep breaths, take a shower to wash off the filth, then go back and retag that section of the story and put some warnings in it.

I try to give warning ahead of time, and if something comes up once or twice I'll use the tags for the chapter.  But if it becomes a recurring theme, I'll put it in the disclaimer to start the story.  I also like to have fun with the disclaimer.  I will put a disclaimer for things like racism, bigotry, unhealthy behaviors, excessive drinking or drug use, going to church, smoking, and veganism.  "The author does not condone any of those activities, except for the occasional veganism.  It wouldn't kill you to eat a god damned salad once in a while, and no, Taco Salad does not count."

[Shiela_M]

Story codes are only intended to alert new readers concerning the subject matter of the story. Some rape victims cannot stand to read rape stories, etc., so the only purpose is give fair warning of subject matter areas, not to tell every detail.

I can't handle a lot of the non-con stories.

I feel as long as you have the most taboo or most controversial topics added as a code it would be fine. Have a character masturbate but not having the code isnt really going to be a big deal, especially with this crowd, but when it escalates into "darker" fetishes, that's when new codes should be added.

[Army of One]

I think I have altered my codes in the past, when I've either given the wrong codes altogether (as an example, Young Lust), or because I've realised I ran out of room when I gave them in the title (usually the result of long titles and short header fields working in tandem); in the case of the latter, I always state the remaining codes are in the main post.

Rarely have I had to add to them...actually, I don't think I've ever added to them, although, should I finish writing Liana, I'll definitely be adding to them. Usually, the places where I'm adding to them is with anthologies, and I usually have the foresight to state that individual codes are present for individual stories (although I make sure to put common codes at the top).