When posting fan-fiction online, there are certain rules of “netiquette” that are generally observed. These include the use of summaries, tags, ratings, warnings, and disclaimers.

Summaries

A summary is simply a short description—usually not more than two to three lines—on what your story is about. Think of it like the blurb on the back of a paperback. Some writers like to choose an intriguing line or snippet of conversation from the story instead. Since the primary goal of your summary is to draw readers in, if you can find a compelling enough snippet to accomplish the task, then go right ahead. Most writers do use short descriptions, however.

Summaries should not contain spoilers (see below).

Ratings

Authors frequently ascribe a rating to their fan-fiction based on content, much as the MPAA ascribes ratings to films. Some archives require that all posted stories be rated; others do not, but it’s generally good form to include a rating. Most fan-fiction writers use either the MPAA guidelines or those found at Fictionwriters.com.

MPAA Ratings

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ascribes ratings to films based both on subject matter and on how the subject matter is presented.

G: Suitable for all ages. Language may be unsuitable for polite conversation, but there is no profanity. Violence is minimal and there is no nudity, sex scenes or drugs.

PG: Parental Guidance suggested. The subject matter may require a higher level of maturity. May contain coarse language, some violence, and brief nudity. These elements are relatively minor and fairly tame. There is no drug use.

PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned that content may not be suitable for children under 13. A PG-13 work may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but is not extreme enough to warrant an R-rating. Any depictions of drug use or use of a sexually-derived expletive requires at minimum, a PG-13. There may be nudity of a non-sexual nature. There may be violence, but it would either be minimal, or depicted unrealistically.

R: Restricted. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements.

NC-17: Not suitable for children under 17. May include hardcore violence, nudity, sex, or profanity².

Fictionratings.com ratings

Fictionratings.com uses ratings that are similar, but not identical to the MPAA.

K: Intended for general audiences 5 years and older. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.

K+: Suitable for more mature children, 9 years and older, with minor action violence and without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes.

T: Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.

M: Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16, with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of a sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA.

MA: Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes³.

Warnings

Warnings are often conflated with tags. They are used to alert readers that they are about to read potentially upsetting material.

Trigger Warnings

A PTSD trigger, or “triggering content” is material that can affect someone who has gone through trauma (examples: abuse, assault) in a way that sets off Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A squick may denote “upsetting content,” but it is not a psychological trigger. Whether content is triggering, squicky, or benign frequently depends on the reader⁴.

Common triggers and squicks, which should be warned for, include: rape, abuse, eating disorders, torture, child sexual abuse, incest, graphic violence, sexual kinks, forcible confinement, suicide, dubcon⁵, uncomfortable power dynamics (such as employer/employee, teacher/student, etc)⁵.

"So... wait. You want me to tell people not to read my story?"

No. But there are some themes and plot points that can be traumatizing for certain readers, due to past experience. A trigger causes an abuse or assault survivor to experience what they felt while they were being victimized. It's not just something a person reads and doesn’t enjoy. It's a feeling of helplessness and fear, often so intense that the victim cannot stop reading. This problem is not rare or trivial . Including potentially triggering content in your story doesn’t mean that you’ve written a bad story, and it definitely doesn’t make you a bad person for writing it, but it could be that at this particular point in time, your story may not be a good thing for this particular reader to view.

Keep in mind that, in some instances, it’s not so much the content as it is the fact that your reader isn’t prepared for it. If you believe that you’re about to watch a romantic comedy, only to find yourself viewing a horror film, you may find the experience more upsetting than you would have, had been had you been prepared for horror.

"If this is such a big deal, how come regular books don’t come with warnings? And movies may have ratings, but they don’t go into that kind of detail."

This is true. However, it is relatively easy to find book and film reviews online that go into greater detail. Finding such information about a specific work of fan-fiction is much more difficult.

"Okay. But suppose that the potentially-triggering material needs to be a surprise for the reader? I mean, I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I don’t want to announce right at the beginning that I’m killing off a character."

Well, there are a few ways around this.

Some archives allow the use of spoiler cuts. By placing your warnings under a spoiler cut, they will not be visible unless the reader actively clicks on the cut. A similar effect can be achieved by typing your warning in text that is the same color as your background, rendering it invisible unless the reader mouses over it. Should you choose this option, make sure that you announce it to your readers so that they know where to find your warning!

Indicate at the beginning of your story that you have chosen not to warn for potentially-upsetting material. Viewers should read at their own risk.

Indicate at the beginning that your story contains dark themes and invite your readers to contact you via email or PM (often part and parcel of the archive site functionality) for specifics.

Spoiler Warnings

Spoiler warnings are used when you are referencing canon events which may not be familiar all fans. Anime fans in Japan are often able to watch new episodes before they air in North America. North American programming is rarely simulcast overseas. Not every reader purchases a new book the day it becomes available, and some people read faster than others. This means that some people will be writing fan-fiction based on the newest plot developments, while others will have not yet read or watched the installments in question. And just like many people don’t enjoy having the ending of a book, film, or television show “spoiled” for them before they view it, many fan-fiction readers don’t like having the canon spoiled for them by writers who just couldn’t wait to incorporate the latest canon events into their storylines.

That doesn’t mean that you need to wait for a period of time before writing your fan-fiction. But it is common courtesy to include a spoiler warning either in your summary or at the head of your story.

Correct:

Warning: Contains spoilers for Season 5.

Spoilers: Reference to events mentioned in the season finale.

Spoiler alert: Batman 652.

Incorrect:

Spoiler warning! Alice is having second thoughts about Bob’s proposal to her at the end of last night’s show.

Warning: I’m ignoring the fact that Greg is now in jail for driving his car into Lisa’s living room.

Carol mourns. Spoilers for Dave’s death.

Although some writers don’t feel that older material requires a spoiler warning, others correctly point out that new fans can come along at any time. Older shows are being released on DVD, attracting legions of new viewers. Another generation is now reading Harry Potter for the first time—and does not yet know which characters are still alive at the end of Book Seven. These readers may not want to read a summary that begins, “Harry is still reeling from the loss of [Character Name].”

Some writers prefer to include a “timeline” reference in their headers:

Timeline: Immediately after the events presented in Nightwing 89.

Set between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Minor spoilers for “Space Seed.”

When Warnings Are Inappropriate

Warning for something in fan-fiction implies that a reader may be about to read triggering content. For this reason, the term “warning” is considered offensive when listing such elements as same-sex pairings, presence of minorities, interracial parings, etc. Instead, use “contains.”

Correct:

Warning: Graphic Violence, Profanity. Contains: M/M

Incorrect:

Warning: Interracial Pairings, Bondage, Abuse

Disclaimers

A disclaimer is an acknowledgement that you are playing in a world that you did not create. While not precisely required, disclaimers are so common in fan-fiction that they are considered a basic courtesy. Your disclaimer should contain three key points:

Recognition of the creator of the property for which you are writing.

Acknowledgement of the owner of the property. Sometimes the owner and creator are the same, but not necessarily.

Statement that you are not receiving any financial payment for your story, which contains copyright-protected and/or trademarked characters.

So long as they contain these elements, disclaimers can be serious or humorous.

Sample Disclaimers:

Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and is the property of DC Comics. I am receiving no financial remuneration for this work of fan-fiction.

Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and is owned by Marvel Comics. This story was created by me, and it’s mine. Sadly, Spidey is not—or he’d probably still be married to MJ, and I would be making money off of this story. But, unfortunately for me, he’s Marvel’s, so I wrote this for love and not for money. (Which means that if Marvel tried to sue me... they’d kind of be shooting themselves in the foot, because I’d have to give them the money that I’m now spending to buy their comics. I’m babbling, aren’t I? Sorry. Okay, in a nutshell, the characters are Marvel’s, the story’s mine, subject closed.)

Note:

Posting a disclaimer does not protect you, should a copyright owner decide to file legal action.

¹ Note that a romantic relationship is indicated by a slash (/). If you fan-fic is tagged as: Alice; Bob, you are indicating that Alice and Bob are both present in the story, but that they are not in a relationship. Conversely, tagging your story as Alice/Bob would indicate that Alice and Bob are a couple—or will be by the time the story is over. There is no clear consensus on whether pairings need to be listed if an established canon relationship is not the thrust of your plot. In Harry Potter canon, Vernon and Petunia Dursley are married, and thus, in a relationship. However, if your story is telling about Harry’s summer away from Hogwarts, it’s fair to say that the relationship between Vernon and Petunia is not your focus. Tagging your fan-fiction as: Harry; Vernon; Petunia, would be acceptable. On the other hand, in the case of an action/adventure story with a minor romantic Harry/Hermione subplot, use the Harry/Hermione tag.
² “What each rating means,” MPAA, accessed June 28, 2012.
³ Fictionratings.com, accessed June 28, 2012.
⁴ “Trigger,” Television Tropes & Idioms, accessed June 29, 2012.
⁵ Dubious consent. Indicates that it is not entirely clear whether a sex act was consensual. Rape (also referred to as ‘noncon’ is far more explicit.)
⁶ “Spiletta42’s Fan-fiction labeling policy,” Spiletta, accessed June 29, 2012.

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dragonbat2006

Playing in Someone Else's Sandbox: Summaries, Tags, Ratings, Warnings, and Disclaimers