Do you know if there are any in-depth guides to archive warnings and ratings for Ao3? The archive has descriptions in the FAQ, but it’s pretty minimal. I’m asking this because I have trouble looking at stuff in my wips and trying to decide if something constitutes as graphic violence, or if i put something that should change the rating from T to M. Ao3 says use your judgement, but I’d like to know what the norm is from more experienced writers (and readers). Thank you for running this blog!
I can’t say that I have one, but perhaps others out there do? Blog? Can anyone help out?
I think this might be a case where a beta reader would be more help than a guide. For example, maybe instead of using the archive warning for violence, you could use the additional tag “canon typical violence” - or maybe you should use both.
Use of tags varies from fandom to fandom, so getting someone who currently reads/writes for the same show/book series etc. is going to be your best bet to make sure you’re tagging the way your readers are used to. And if you don’t want someone to read the whole fic, you can still have a conversation with them about the types of things you’re putting in and get feedback based on that.