and related stories. Many sound impossible. Is there any reason for this? Is this reason related to the poor grammar, spelling, and narration of too many stories posted here? Many stories sound as if teenage boys wrote them.

Sexless,

You seem to forget that the story board is fantasy. One of the aspects of Fantasy is that it does not have to be possible. Science Fiction is useful for such stories because all the author needs to do is to create a world in which his fantasy is possible. Apart from science fiction there is also a lot of historical fiction too, here time serves as the blurring factor.

Without that there could be no stories on the board except reports of actual incidents and even with those, there would be no guarantee that what was recorded was accurate.

As far as bad grammar is concerned, you must realise that whilst most stories are in a form of English it is not the mother tongue of all the authors who post. With regard to spelling perhaps you should see Paolo's post where he 'rants and raves' about it and the poem which I posted in answer to him. Spelling, in English, is a minefield and the differences between American English and British English only serve to make the matters worse. (Personally, I hope that Webster is eternally roasting in Hell).

Many of the authors will have posted very few stories and so it is only to be expected that there are some which, as you say, "sound as if they had been written by teenage boys".

AT LEAST THEY HAVE HAD A GO, even if it is not very good. There are many 'lurkers' who neither post stories to the story board or reply to posts on the message board. What they need is encouragement. Constructive criticism can help, but the key word is constructive.

May I suggest a little more charity from you? After all, No one is forcing you to read them. Just be thankful for the ones you enjoy.

LOL

It is easy to put down others when no contribution is being made. I can tell you it take alot of courage to write a story, and have someone take shots at it. Grammer aside, I enjoy most of the stories I have read on the Archives. Most authors have a real imagination, and make there stories enjoyalbe to read. I figure you think I am trying to be an ass. Especially since our own miss understanding, but I am not. I just want you to realise the time, and energy these writers put into there work.

Hi torture,

Thanks for your response. Having read most of the stories on the Archive, I agree that many writers exhibit real imagination in their stories and even those whose tales are a bit pedestrian should be encouraged.

I can understand Paolo's frustration with writers who fail to use spell checkers since he has to read and pass almost everything that reaches the board. Members, such as you or I, have the luxury to discard a story if we find it tough going or the subject not to our liking.

The problem with spell checkers is that if the author has not had the best education, or English (of whatever variety) is not their first tongue they may not be able to discern what the spell checker is objecting to. You only have to read the posts made recently to see that many people have difficulty with 'There', 'Their' and 'They're'. Spell checkers will not tell them when they have made a mistake.

If they have a grammar checker then this can make the confusion even worse. When I was doing some pre-viewing of T3B for Master Waddie, the grammar checker often objected to perfectly acceptable sentences and what it offered as a substitute was frequently ludicrous.

The stories I find most difficult are those which are presented as a single slab of text - often without any punctuation. Even so, I think that all authors are entitled to thanks, just for trying.

LOL

I know that I don't have much of a sense of humor. I don't have much imagination either.

Thank you for not being to critical of us sexless. I hope we can be friends. I hope we can still chat some.

Of course, we will. Good stories.

This might raise the wrath of some readers but it ought to be discussed. Aside from the question of spelling and the variety of English used, I feel a major question ought to be discussed about

"boundaries".

As many of you know I have written for the site and use the chatroom and the boards so i am not speaking from the "sidelines". The EA can be extremely positive and helpful and a very cool place to meet, discuss and read and to learn.

When it comes to the most sinister fiction though, especially where I see the word "snuff" at the top, I never read any further.

Should fiction including such extreme results be printed?

Its a valid question. The headings give the reader an idea of what may occur and I know in the US you have the 1st Ammendment and all that, but, isn't that a "red herring".

I wish the site to be UP and positive not putting itself in

danger or any individual - fiction is fiction, I know.

I have opened a minefield here but your discussion may help the moderators. I'd appreciate people's viewpoint.

One thing I have always believed about the fiction archive of stories here at EA is their theraputic value. If someone wants to write a castration story where somebody dies, well, look at it this way - if he/she/it is sitting at the PC writing, then said person isn't out hurting anyone else or perhaps is even getting over a problem by venting it out. In short, it's good for ya!

There is a current trend out there in the governments of several countries, not only the USA, to want to pass laws making acts of the imagination illegal. Computer generated child pornography in graphical area - movies or pictures, and stories even!!! Hell, if this passes, then it's GOODBYE "Romeo & Juliet" and several of the other classics. Watch out, Huck Finn did give that girl a look and we all know Becky was a real slut in "Tom Sawyer." And "Oliver Twist" and "Nicholas Nickelby" and such are just dripping with pedophilia ... that Dickens guy should be dug up, resurrected, and shot!

In the end, I encourage people to write what they will. Just use the tags, so that someone who doesn't want to see death or destruction won't have to. Such is the case, albeit more mild, with the end Chapter of "XY-n". Someone who lives near a warzone probably didn't want to see that, hence the warnings.

One of the problems about setting 'boundaries' is that someone will have to set them and police them, in other words become a censor. I now some sifting takes place but the very essence of a board such as this is its liberal attitudes towards sexual literature. A change to a more intolerant regime would be regressively dangerous. It's surely better just to keep censorship personal by simply not reading what you know you won't like!

PUEROS