RATINGS

Let me say up front that a frank discussion of ratings is likely to be somewhat controversial.  I don't claim to be an expert - even the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) avoids putting their reasoning in writing.  This is just my stab at offering a guide, particularly for people who have never had any reason to be exposed to the MPAA's ratings system.  For the rest, I have no doubt that some points may not feel right to everyone.  You're welcome to e-mail me about it.

The MPAA's  own definition of their ratings is:

G           GENERAL AUDIENCES
     All ages admitted
PG          PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED
    Some material may not be suitable for children
PG-13     PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED
     Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
R           RESTRICTED
      Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
NC-17   NO ONE 17 AND UNDER

These are not very enlightening, and do not include the vital ratings of Adult and Adult/Slash, which are so needed in fanfic.

A little philosophy behind the use of ratings, particularly in America - The three major issues behind the American dependence on ratings are sex, violence, and foul language, each of which is obviously subject to an immense range of interpretation.  I have added another issue, based on my research - angst.  In order to best determine a rating for your story, you need to imagine yourself an American parent.  Not easy, of course, if you are neither, or only one.  But that is primarily who the rating system is aimed at.  It might help non-Americans to remember that our country was settled by puritans with some extremely rigid ideas about sex, whose descendants then took the continent from its native inhabitants by violence.  Americans tend to view sex as obscene and violence as natural, where much of the rest of the world tends to view violence as obscene and sex as natural. (Shameless oversimplification of some very complex issues, but there you are.)  Also, many people who are not offended by material with sexual situations, are still very offended by depictions of homosexual sex.  So the "Adult" rating in fanfiction, which is generally used instead of "NC-17", needs further refinement if the story includes same sex relationships.

Sooo,

G   ( for "General Audience") - This story should have no language stronger than "darn", should not even hint that sex exists, and should only include violence of the silliest or most outrageous kind, which never ends up with anyone being really hurt.  Wile E. Coyote can fall off endless cliffs and be smashed by countless boulders, but he's always fine the next day.  Bank robbers can be socked in the jaw, but they just fall over and get up later, rubbing their faces.  The fight scenes in Hercules or Xena would be another example of G-type violence.  Death can occur, but only to the bad guys; never to anyone we care about, and never in a very graphic way.  No angst.  That's what got "Bambi" in trouble.

The death of Bambi's mother was very upsetting to children.  Littlefoot loses his mother, too, in "The Land Before Time", but there was something more disturbing about Bambi's loss.  It seems to have traumatized half a generation of kids.  There's a difference between losing a mother as a literary device to hurl the hero into the story and losing a mother in a tragic, wasteful way, which leaves the hero orphaned, starving, alone, and miserable.

In the movies, G -rated shows are usually written for kids, which means the plots are not extremely complex and the stories do not deal with uniquely adult issues.  If your fanfic is complex and deeply philosophic, a G rating may not be appropriate even if there is no sex, violence, or strong language.  Remember that parent looking for suitable stories for their child - they would also like to find a story their child could enjoy.

PG (for "Parental Guidance Suggested")- Complex plot and adult motivations are appropriate here. Strong language is allowed, if it is very sparse and fairly ordinary.  What does that mean?  Maybe a single swear word under stressful situations, here and there throughout the story, but nothing more creative or colorful than "damn", "fuck" and "shit".  If you start using "cunt", "prick", "motherfucker", or "cocksucker", you are moving up to PG-13.  If you have a character who swears in every other sentence, you should probably use PG-13.  Sex can exist in the world of a PG story, we just can't see it, and it shouldn't be a main emphasis of the story.  However, homosexual sex is still very problematical at this level.  Any story with a same sex relationship in it should probably be rated no less than PG-13.  (Your Mileage May Vary)  Realistic violence is okay here, with real results to people we care about, BUT it still can't be very graphic, gory, or glorified. Angst is okay if it doesn't get real heavy.

PG-13 ("Parents Strongly Cautioned") - The "13" is intended as a rough guideline for an age cutoff. Sometimes you might use the unofficial "PG-15" rating, if you feel even thirteen year olds could be traumatized by the contents.  The best description I have found for PG-13 is to say that everything goes except for the real extremes. Foul language can be pretty foul and pretty frequent, violence can be pretty graphic and nasty, and sex can be talked about, obsessed over, and even shown, so long as it does not include descriptions of full frontal nudity or descriptions of "what goes where".  People can be shown rolling around in bed, or lying companionably after sex, so long as the scene would not be useful as "whacking material" (Sorry, but that is exactly what differentiates a PG-13 or R sex scene from an Adult sex scene).

R ("Restricted") - This rating is all about extremes.  All the extremes which disqualify a story from being PG-13, but which are still not requiring an "Adult" rating.  Extreme violence, extreme foul language, extreme angst, and the breaking of taboos like incest, cannibalism, and rape - these fit in the R category.  An R rated story could be dark, gory, scary, and with lots of swearing.  The presence of explicit sex and/or descriptions of full frontal nudity are the only things which would force an otherwise R story into the Adult category.

Adult (or NC-17) - If your story has explicit sex anywhere in it, it must be rated Adult.  What is explicit?  Narrations describing the actual mechanics of the sex act.  If the scene gets you hot and
bothered, it's Adult.  If you describe someone's anatomy and include their sexual organs, even through the use of euphemisms, it's Adult.  If I say "They went home and had really good sex." that could be rated R or even PG-13.  If I say  "His searching hands roamed up the inside of her quivering thighs, until they reached the furred haven of damp delight" it's Adult.  Also, even if the sex doesn't happen, but pursuing it, or fantasizing about it is a main point of the story, then it's probably Adult.

Adult/Slash - This is an Adult story which includes explicit sex scenes between two members of the same sex.  The word "slash" has nothing to do with sharp edged objects, just the "/" between their names or initials.  Thus, DM/M is a story with a sexual relationship between Duncan MacLeod
and Methos.  Occasionally the "slash" designation is used for heterosexual Adult scenes, such as DM/Dr.A.  "Slash" could be stuck on the end of, say, PG-13, to indicate the presence of a same sex relationship, though the story is otherwise PG-13.  But these are individual nuances, not standards.
 
 
 

Feedback, even flames, will be accepted graciously, especially if it helps me refine these definitions.  Vent here.

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