Boilerplate warnings
"If you really don't want to post actual warnings, a generic 'I don't warn' statement is better than nothing. Though, please always warn for mpreg and watersports. That way I can find stories I want to read. I mean avoid. Umm, yeah."
--Not giving credit on this one, for obvious reasons.
Below, a slightly edited version of my response to Jane Carnall's post about the warnings issue. Only likely to be of interest to folks in the fan fiction community.
o--o--o
I think that the use of warnings depends on context. When I open a book at a bookstore (the example that K. S. Langley uses), I don't expect warnings because bookstore literature is usually pre-censored. In the few cases where it isn't, the publisher generally plasters warnings all over the book, either through blurbs (I agree with K. S. Langley that this is the best way to warn readers) or by a notice that the book is adults-only (which is publisher-ese for saying, "Triggery stuff ahead!"). So I'm afraid that the "bookstore versus fandom" analogy doesn't work for me, because fandom is inclined to post stories with very touchy content that is unpublishable.
I'd really like to know how the warnings tradition developed in the fan fiction community. When I did a survey of readers many years ago, I found that 50% of them read warnings to find out if the story has something they'd like to read. And that is exactly how the erotica community uses story codes. I think this issue would be regarded a lot less negatively if fandom hadn't chosen to use the word "warnings" to describe its form of story codes.
I decided early on that (1) I wouldn't spoiler readers, and (2) there are ways to give warnings to readers who need them that don't involve spoilering. For the most part, I use this warning. It covers the triggery scenarios in most of my stories without giving away whether any of those activities will actually occur (because in far too many of my stories, the lack of a character-death warning would be a sure-fire indicator that the death-endangered character would live). I think that a boilerplate warning like this (which I link to whenever I post a fic at community blogs) is all that most readers need.
By the way, you'll notice that I warn for love and respect. I really do think that positively wording one's description of the type of stories one writes is the best way to approach such matters.
So I end up taking the middle road on this. If an author doesn't want to give warnings, I'll defend to death their right to not do so. But it seems to me that the amount of energy that some writers spend in saying, "It's against my rights as an author to create warnings!" could be better put to use in creating a one-paragraph, spoiler-free, boilerplate warning . . . or simply saying, "No warnings given," which will alert the reader to the fact that the author doesn't give warnings.
o--o--o
What I didn't mention in my reply is that I do have triggers. My online triggers are all visual. So when I visit a blog where somebody hasn't LJ-cut their art, guess what? I'm often triggered. That can have nasty consequences.
As an Internet addict, I also have the "hey, would you like another drink?" trigger. It goes like this:
Friend: "Hey, did you know that metafandom is having a really interesting discussion of warning labels?"
Me: (*Zips to the computer and spends the next twelve hours online*.)
So I do understand the perspective of folks who say that it's not quite as simple a matter as "Just put the story down if you find you don't like it." By the time you put it down, it might be too late. And friends and recs aren't always the most reliable way to discover what type of story you're going to be reading.
The most reliable way, I've found, is to know beforehand what types of stories the author usually writes. That's why I recommend a boilerplate warning that says something along the lines of, "I just love to write fluffy stories about people who have no problems!" (*image of Dusk hitting the back button*). Or, alternatively, "I kill off characters with frightening frequency!" (*image of Dusk checking carefully to see whether the deaths are gratuitous*). I sure as heck wish a lot of mainstream authors would give such warnings.
--Not giving credit on this one, for obvious reasons.
Below, a slightly edited version of my response to Jane Carnall's post about the warnings issue. Only likely to be of interest to folks in the fan fiction community.
I think that the use of warnings depends on context. When I open a book at a bookstore (the example that K. S. Langley uses), I don't expect warnings because bookstore literature is usually pre-censored. In the few cases where it isn't, the publisher generally plasters warnings all over the book, either through blurbs (I agree with K. S. Langley that this is the best way to warn readers) or by a notice that the book is adults-only (which is publisher-ese for saying, "Triggery stuff ahead!"). So I'm afraid that the "bookstore versus fandom" analogy doesn't work for me, because fandom is inclined to post stories with very touchy content that is unpublishable.
I'd really like to know how the warnings tradition developed in the fan fiction community. When I did a survey of readers many years ago, I found that 50% of them read warnings to find out if the story has something they'd like to read. And that is exactly how the erotica community uses story codes. I think this issue would be regarded a lot less negatively if fandom hadn't chosen to use the word "warnings" to describe its form of story codes.
I decided early on that (1) I wouldn't spoiler readers, and (2) there are ways to give warnings to readers who need them that don't involve spoilering. For the most part, I use this warning. It covers the triggery scenarios in most of my stories without giving away whether any of those activities will actually occur (because in far too many of my stories, the lack of a character-death warning would be a sure-fire indicator that the death-endangered character would live). I think that a boilerplate warning like this (which I link to whenever I post a fic at community blogs) is all that most readers need.
By the way, you'll notice that I warn for love and respect. I really do think that positively wording one's description of the type of stories one writes is the best way to approach such matters.
So I end up taking the middle road on this. If an author doesn't want to give warnings, I'll defend to death their right to not do so. But it seems to me that the amount of energy that some writers spend in saying, "It's against my rights as an author to create warnings!" could be better put to use in creating a one-paragraph, spoiler-free, boilerplate warning . . . or simply saying, "No warnings given," which will alert the reader to the fact that the author doesn't give warnings.
What I didn't mention in my reply is that I do have triggers. My online triggers are all visual. So when I visit a blog where somebody hasn't LJ-cut their art, guess what? I'm often triggered. That can have nasty consequences.
As an Internet addict, I also have the "hey, would you like another drink?" trigger. It goes like this:
Friend: "Hey, did you know that metafandom is having a really interesting discussion of warning labels?"
Me: (*Zips to the computer and spends the next twelve hours online*.)
So I do understand the perspective of folks who say that it's not quite as simple a matter as "Just put the story down if you find you don't like it." By the time you put it down, it might be too late. And friends and recs aren't always the most reliable way to discover what type of story you're going to be reading.
The most reliable way, I've found, is to know beforehand what types of stories the author usually writes. That's why I recommend a boilerplate warning that says something along the lines of, "I just love to write fluffy stories about people who have no problems!" (*image of Dusk hitting the back button*). Or, alternatively, "I kill off characters with frightening frequency!" (*image of Dusk checking carefully to see whether the deaths are gratuitous*). I sure as heck wish a lot of mainstream authors would give such warnings.
I got into fandom from the Japanese anime side of things...so there ain't much that I haven't been exposed to (tentacle porn anyone?).
When I was informed what the 'big' thing going on Metafandom was about, I scoffed it off. I understand both sides of thing but really everything needs to be taken in context. What type of fandom and writer you have kinda lets you know in which the story is going to go.
Like say in certain fandoms I'm in, gratuitous death in a horribly painful matter is actually canon. So of course you would expect certain things to happen. You would also expect a warning for something that is widely seen as 'out of context' for the characters. A murder fest suddenly turning into a carebear huggy fest? That definitely needs an ooc/au/something warning (unless there is a deeper plot at work and that is spoilery).
I don't think we need a long list of 'warnings' for each fic. It's long, dull and I usually just skip it (like I said, I have few squicks now). Generally something that addresses the issue and type of fic like hurt and comfort, trauma, murder fest, dub-con/non-con, torture, you know the BIG warnings, are needed and not all the little bits of warnings. Typically you can pick up what type of story it is as you read it and if you feel iffy about something...you can usually stop in time.
Still, I've been surprised a few times and decide to stop reading. Usually it's the grammar and spelling or it is just a horrible written story. I've come across a few squicks but that is usually personal choice of pairing (some pairings are just NOT meant to be).
But like I said, I'm from the anime side, we typically learn what to stay away from by trial and error like the rest of life. Sometimes when you see warnings and think it isn't your cup of tea and avoid it you later learn you should have read it when you had the chance because you missed out on a great story.
As I often comment when the whole "should slash be warned for?" fracas starts up again, I hang out in places where het has to be warned for.
"Sometimes when you see warnings and think it isn't your cup of tea and avoid it you later learn you should have read it when you had the chance because you missed out on a great story."
And that's biggest argument against warnings, to my mind. But the same is true of blurbs or anything else that advertises a story - they can often mislead you as to whether you would like a story.
I don't know why fandom doesn't get riled up about what I think is the biggest problem, far bigger than warnings or lack thereof: Lack of good blurbs. Ninety-nine percent of stories that I pass up have poor blurbs. Ninety-nine percent of the stories I decide to give a try have good blurbs. I'm glad that so many folks in the fanfic community have learned to write good blurbs, but I just sigh when I read a blurb that's along these lines: "Hi! This is boy-on-boy stuff - hope you like it!"
Like, "I can't write good summaries so just read it. K. thx."
At the "boy on boy stuff" summaries let you know that you might like it.
If it's in a small enough fandon I'll check it out...in HP no freaking way.
Oh, yes, that's a classic. :)
Probably because everyone's too aware that they write bad blurbs to throw stones. Certainly, I'm aware I write hopeless blurbs - I'm way too close to my own story to be able to blurb it effectively - so I wouldn't complain about other people writing bad blurbs. Or non-existent blurbs.
I was thinking more along the lines of authors who wanted help writing blurbs being able to turn to the fanfic community for that help.
I assumed that you were including me, but I in no way took offense - it's a perfectly fair criticism!
I wish they had a different approach, but I realize that some people, for whatever reason, prefer not to write blurbs.
*headwobble* Well, I'm not good at blurbing my stories - I know that whenever an editor has asked me for a blurb, she's usually ended up, er, writing her own instead of using the one I sent her. That's a pretty good cluestick.
I recognise that good blurbs are added value. I think bad blurbs detract from the story. I know I write bad blurbs.
I don't think this is a situation where "the fanfic community" could help, because, IMO, most people do write bad blurbs...