Sophinisba Solis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophinisba) wrote2005-08-03 03:42 pm
sophinisba) wrote2005-08-03 03:42 pm
warnings
What are your feelings about warning labels on fics?
How specific do you think they should be? Do you ever get to resenting them as spoilers, feel that the warning is giving away something about the fic that, as an author or as a reader, you would rather keep a surprise? Have you ever had readers complain that there was something in a fic that they weren't prepared for? Have you ever felt that way yourself and resented the author for not having warned you?
Heh, and have you noticed that I tend to ask these questions without giving my own thoughts on the matter? I'm not sure if this is more something intentional like not wanting to shape other people's thoughts too much or make them reluctant to disagree, or if it's more just me being a wimp.
I have mixed feelings about it all. When I started reading fanfic I thought it was a helpful and considerate idea, and sometimes even made it easier to find the things that I wanted. (I don't think most people here will hate me if I say that sometimes, yeah, I'm in the mood for a story with some violence, or a character death, or for something unusually kinky or a PWP.) Also, there aren't many warning labels that will keep me from trying out a fic, but sometimes I'm glad to know the disturbing thing is coming, to be more prepared for it. I don't think I squick all that easily and the things that could really bug me are probably too specific for me to expect authors to put up labels about them.
I should also say though that some of my favorite fics, including monster WIPs which I've spent many, many hours reading, come with no warnings at all, or only something as vague as "potentially disturbing elements" or "lots of angst". And nothing in these fics has made me wish I hadn't read them, but I can see how other people could get upset.
Do I worry too much?
How specific do you think they should be? Do you ever get to resenting them as spoilers, feel that the warning is giving away something about the fic that, as an author or as a reader, you would rather keep a surprise? Have you ever had readers complain that there was something in a fic that they weren't prepared for? Have you ever felt that way yourself and resented the author for not having warned you?
Heh, and have you noticed that I tend to ask these questions without giving my own thoughts on the matter? I'm not sure if this is more something intentional like not wanting to shape other people's thoughts too much or make them reluctant to disagree, or if it's more just me being a wimp.
I have mixed feelings about it all. When I started reading fanfic I thought it was a helpful and considerate idea, and sometimes even made it easier to find the things that I wanted. (I don't think most people here will hate me if I say that sometimes, yeah, I'm in the mood for a story with some violence, or a character death, or for something unusually kinky or a PWP.) Also, there aren't many warning labels that will keep me from trying out a fic, but sometimes I'm glad to know the disturbing thing is coming, to be more prepared for it. I don't think I squick all that easily and the things that could really bug me are probably too specific for me to expect authors to put up labels about them.
I should also say though that some of my favorite fics, including monster WIPs which I've spent many, many hours reading, come with no warnings at all, or only something as vague as "potentially disturbing elements" or "lots of angst". And nothing in these fics has made me wish I hadn't read them, but I can see how other people could get upset.
Do I worry too much?
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However, there are all sorts of things that squick people, and I've discovered on various lists and groups and here that if I have non-con, het, child abuse, extreme medical detail, or anything else "unusual" that I'd best put a warning on it or I'm going to piss an awful lot of people off. There are many more people upset by lack of warnings than by spoilers posted, and I have a lot of people on my flist that I *know* avoid certain things.
Maybe if I didn't know these people personally, I might not be as good with warnings, but I do it in an attempt to spare my flist from things I know they'd prefer not to read. And I think warnings are really common courtesy to people.
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I just that... grrrr. I mean, for example, I haven't considered writing anything about child abuse, but if I did I might want it to be a secret the character was holding onto, and I might not want to reveal that until quite a ways into the fic. I definitely see the reasons for putting the warnings up, but sometimes it bothers me that it's necessary in fanfic when it's not in movies or in published books. Other times I prefer the fanfic custom, because it means nobody gets a nasty shock they're not prepared for.
Yeah, I'm a flipflopper. It's good chatting with you, Lily.
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(Anonymous) 2005-08-07 05:20 am (UTC)(link)I guess I do it because I know my flist personally, and their likes and dislikes. When I first started writing, I don't think I put as many warnings on stories. NC-17 graphic sex or non-con was about it--and the non-con only because I had a sensitive list mod on one group who about went cuckoo at the story.
You're right, really---people get their knickers into all sorts of twists when they read fanfic without warnings, while pro novels have none. Nor do magazine articles or newspaper articles... so I guess I have no idea where this came from. I think it's an Internet thing. Perhaps it's because there are so many younger people on the Internet, we writers of the "hard stuff" fear we're corrupting young minds without warnings. Or because we hear about all the crap on the Internet, and we want to LABEL our stuff, darn it, so others don't get misled and group us all into a bowl.
Very interesting. I may post a question about his on my LJ, too.
I always love chatting with you!
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And Warsaw, in case you were wondering, is lovely.
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