✨Content Tagging Guide✨
disclaimer: this is not directed at anyone, nor was it sparked because I've seen anyone mistagging anything. I just like lists and I'm going to make it everyone's problem :)
So you wanna write a story with darker themes, but are mayhaps a little uncertain about all the different content warnings you've seen.
Not to worry! Hopefully this quick guide will clear things up. To illustrate each level, I'm going to use macaroni and cheese as the content example. Without further ado...
^^this warning is very general. It tells the reader the content will show up at some point within the text, but doesn't specify the detail, use, or extent.
cw: macaroni and cheese (mentioned)
They drove through town, past the busy main street, and the factory where the local brand of macaroni and cheese got its packaging.
This warning tells readers the content will be mentioned; maybe in dialogue, or in a description, but not explored in detail.
cw: macaroni and cheese (discussed)
"I'm lactose intolerant," he said. "So I can't---well, I shouldn't eat stuff like that."
"But you did anyway?" they pressed. "I'm sorry, just... How did it feel? After?"
"Awful. I really should've listened to my common sense and ordered something besides mac and cheese."
As you'd expect, this warning tells the reader that the content will be discussed, either in conversation, or through a character's thoughts. Discussions can involve the moral implications of the content, how the content fits within the world, philosophies relating to the content, and the emotional or lasting effects of the content on a character.
cw: macaroni and cheese (referenced)
He tapped her shoulder. "Hey, I didn't see you after work yesterday, you okay?"
"Fine now," she said, shrugging. "I just had a bad batch of mac and cheese for lunch."
Very similar to "mentioned", this warning often implies a non-explicit, non-graphic mention of the content.
cw: macaroni and cheese (implied)
He frowned down at the bowl, then averted his eyes, appetite lost by the gooey yellow mass inside, and the heavy, creamy smell wafting off it.
This warning tells readers that the content is not outright stated, but the character's reactions and actions imply what's going on. If you could remove the context from the scene/paragraph in question and make it look like something else is happening, you probably have implied content. Note that there is a difference between simply "implied", and "heavily implied".
cw: macaroni and cheese (fade to black)
She took her seat at the table, queasiness building in her stomach. Her least-favorite food was to be served, and while she knew it would be rude to decline it, she wasn't looking forward to lunch. As the dreaded bowl was placed before her, she picked up the fork, and plunged it in.
Similar to implied, but instead of carrying on through the scene the content takes place in, fade to black builds up to the moment, and stops, often transitioning to the next scene before the content is given any kind of detail.
cw: macaroni and cheese (non-explicit)
For lunch, he was served a bowl of mac and cheese, one of his least favorite meals. He choked it down anyway, and hoped he wouldn't get an upset stomach.
This tells the reader the content will be present in some form, but not described in detail. It may have some active bearing on the character or plot, but won't be particularly graphic. While the character may be emotionally affected after the fact, the content itself is glossed over.
cw: macaroni and cheese (explicit)
The bowl was placed in front of him, steam still rising from the substance inside. He knew what it was before he looked. Mac and cheese. And he'd have to devour the entire bowl of it. He lifted the first forkful, strands of yellow cheese trailing from squishy curved noodles, all the way back into the bowl, even as he raised it to his mouth. Damn, it was extra cheesy. He knew his lactose intolerance just wouldn't hold up.
This is often used as the heaviest warning, telling readers that the content and the characters' reactions to it will be described in detail.
Again, this was something I mostly just wrote for fun, and to dramatize mac and cheese but I do hope someone out there finds it helpful. Let me know if there's a type I missed! :)
