Explicitly Undecided
OK, so when I submitted my latest manuscript for publication Lulu added a check box for me to indicate whether or not my work contained explicit material. I've seen that indicator showing up more and more and wondered how I was supposed to handle it. I'm certain it is used to tell the reader the level of adult material contained in the book that might not be appropriate for younger readers.
But here's the thing. I've already indicated that my book is intended for an adult audience. In reality, I think my book appropriate for anyone over thirteen years of age. Although, I would always defer to a parent to make that decision regarding their child. It is a fantasy novel and deals in some very adult themes and relationships. It may not be appropriate for a teenager with an overactive imagination.
So let me describe the level of explicit content. Profanity is very scarce in my books. The "f" word everyone seems to focus upon is never uttered. It doesn't exist on Verdan. Through the first six books you can probably count the number of profane words used on the fingers of one hand. That includes even mild profanity. Certainly, the characters in the book utter curses, but with the exception of a villain I intentionally wanted to depict as vile and vulgar, profanity wasn't necessary.
In the final three books the situation changes dramatically and profanity is used more liberally. Very liberally if you count the surrogate word used in place of the "f" word. Think Battlestar Galactica and their use of "frak". No, that's not the exact word I use, but the meaning will be very clear and I even provide context behind how the word was created historically in Verdan. But does that make the content explicit? Maybe.
Sex? Adult relationships and sex seem to go hand in hand. How can sex not be referenced when one of my main characters is half-nymph? Yet, I don't think the sexual innuendo or sex scenes described in my books will end up in the pages of an adult magazine. Yes, if they were ever translated to a visual medium I am sure they would be R rated. But does that make the writing "explicit"? When describing sex I focus more on what the characters are feeling and less on trying to describe the physical aspects. So I'm just not sure.
Violence? There certainly is a lot of violence and blood shed in my books. The severing of limbs and the use of torture are described with a fair amount of detail, yet I still find it difficult to say its crossed the line of what one might see in any current horror picture. Maybe this does qualify as expicit? And then I go to Amazon and other sites to see how books similar to mine are treated and I can't find them labeled as explicit. But I still think it's a fine line and how someone views this will be based on their past experience and level of tolerance.
So here's my warning. Adult themes are the focus of my books. If I was using a movie type rating system I would rate my books PG-13, but certainly someone with an active imagination could take the situations in my books and turn them into R rated scenes. But does that make them explicit? I may change my mind, but for now I'm going omit such a label.

