Guidelines For Stories

 

As my site is open for viewing to all, including minors, without restriction, I feel I must place some common sense rules on what I will post here.

Anyone who wishes their story on the Bookshelf needs to read the following guides and then just send me an email and ask.  Put “Story Request” in the subject line to help pick it out of the SPAM.  It’s just that simple.  You do not have to wait for me to come to you first.  I welcome new material both furry and non-furry, stories and poetry.

I will not post stories with graphic sex, also, no stories in which sex is the sole reason for its existence.  Keep the yiff at "warm" or below.  Highly detailed stuff is not necessary.  When left to the reader’s imagination and written properly, just a hint can be quite steamy.

Also please keep the language under control.  I do not mind the occasional usage if it helps the story along and is fitting for the character but to try and see how many "four letter words" can be packed into a story will force me to deny posting it.  The level of language allowed will depend on the necessity to the story line.

No extreme graphic violence, torture, rape and the like.  It can happen and be mentioned, just don't describe it in detail.  And please put a warning at the start of the chapter to let readers know about the subject matter.

No stories that present drugs or drinking in a favorable light.  These are a big enough problem without someone convincing a young impressionable reader that things like this are a good thing to do.

If your story contains someone else's characters, please do them the courtesy to ask if they have any objection to the posting.  I will assume that you have secured permission for their use before sending me the story.  If the copyright holder of any characters in your story contacts me and asks that the story containing them be removed, IT WILL BE AT ONCE.  So make sure to get that permission.

If an author wishes their story to be removed then I will do so.  I will be sorry to see it go but your wish will be honored.  If you just have a bad writers block and don’t know when or if you will continue then try leaving it up for a while.  Maybe tomorrow the block will break, you never know.

Any story that has gone for 18 months with no new material added or submitted for editing, shall be removed from the shelf and placed in storage.  If something new is received then the story will be taken out of storage, the new material added and put back on the shelf again.

If everyone behaves in a similar responsible manner I will not have to deny placing their story on the shelf for the readers.

I am trusting that the authors who post to the Raccoon’s Bookshelf have read the Guidelines and those who are thinking of doing so will read or have read them as well.

I ask that you please think about the future of your story carefully. I prefer not to be in a position to need to censor any of them and would rather that job be done by the author.  If your story is within and will remain within the guides I welcome it here.

If it does not or is such that it may not remain within them, then I must ask that in all fairness to the readers that you post in a place appropriate for it.  Now that Kinsfire’s Adult Bookshelf is up, there is a place for some of these and he may be willing to accept them.

To begin to post on my shelf and then have a chapter required to be posted elsewhere is not fair to the readers.  You may have gotten some readers who are not old enough to join KAB, and would be left hanging.  If I have a story that becomes too difficult to hold to the guidelines I will ask the author to move the entire book and I will contact Kinsfire to see if he will take it.  Again it could leave some readers hung out to dry.  This is something I do not wish to happen and would prefer the book never to start here if there is any question of its future suitability.

Any authors I have on the shelf now, I will work with to keep them here and their work available to all their readers.

The authors have already displayed a commitment to keep things in line.  I can’t tell you guys how much I appreciate that.  Your efforts also help keep the Bookshelf where it is.

 

Thanks

Mike Regan

The Old Gray Raccoon

Rev. 7/13/03