As for the writer who reviewed your work, it may be worth you establishing your facts on this share in Dreemport before drawing fallacious and unsubstantiated conclusions. If you took the time to re-read what place your reviewer took in the winner's circle, and your own message of congratulations to her, you would know this.

This is completely right, I got confused as to what this post was in reference to, and I hold my hands up to that mistake. Seriously, I'm sorry about that!

It comes down to personal choice, and I don't remember seeing any such warning coming up (about content having to be PG13) when I submitted the first of the 'Red Days' series, but I might have just been knackered and not seen it. But I did know about it quickly enough when someone came and informed me personally in a comment, which was fair enough. I honestly still think that PG13 stipulation is a bit much, but it isn't my choice, it isn't my platform, and at the end of the day I've ended up having a big argument in a few comment threads here based on a mistake of my own.

Personally, I have read many brilliant pieces of fiction, quite a few of them classics, as well as many that made the BBC or NYT bestseller lists, and the authors did not need to lean into f-bombs or gratuitous violence to garner literary appreciation and esteem with the public or reviewing bodies. They relied on good writing. Full stop.

I will say categorically in response to this comment though, that you are representing only the side of things you wish to highlight. There are many authors who write fantastically (including within the NYT bestseller lists, like R A Salvatore) who write gory battle scenes within the action of the main narrative of their stories. There are many other writers who drop f-bombs, as you put it, like Chuck Palahniuk for example, who are amazing writers...

They also rely on good writing. Full stop.

But, beyond this argument of taste and semantics, I apologise (and feel a little embarrassed) for the fact I was arguing a point that has nothing to do with this competition, and in fact, was to do with something I should have raised months ago if I was going to raise it at all.

Sorry again.