I totally get that there are degrees to which you dislike something. I think that's true for everyone. There's stuff that will absolutely ruin a fic for you and stuff you don't like but will read anyway, sure. My problem is: what use is this information to your author. With DNWs, the message is clear: don't, under no circumstances, write it.
But what's the point of a 'I don't usually like' list? You say it's 'please tread carefully', but unless you explicitly say how this careful treading should occur, as a writer, I have no idea what you want there. Are there any special circumstances under which you will like it (and if so, what are they), or do you just mean 'the majority of fic that contains this sucks, but if you write good fic with it, I'll be happy'?
I get why you're tempted to do this, but it really is unhelpful. If you are willing to roll the dice on those things and let an author "convince" you they can write a fic with them that you like, then just don't mention them at all. If you don't want to risk it, put them in your DNWs. But don't make a list that essentially amounts to "I'm giving you free reign to write them but if you fuck up, I'll reserve the right to say 'I told you so'".
Re: Letter Anti-Recs
I totally get that there are degrees to which you dislike something. I think that's true for everyone. There's stuff that will absolutely ruin a fic for you and stuff you don't like but will read anyway, sure. My problem is: what use is this information to your author. With DNWs, the message is clear: don't, under no circumstances, write it.
But what's the point of a 'I don't usually like' list? You say it's 'please tread carefully', but unless you explicitly say how this careful treading should occur, as a writer, I have no idea what you want there. Are there any special circumstances under which you will like it (and if so, what are they), or do you just mean 'the majority of fic that contains this sucks, but if you write good fic with it, I'll be happy'?
I get why you're tempted to do this, but it really is unhelpful. If you are willing to roll the dice on those things and let an author "convince" you they can write a fic with them that you like, then just don't mention them at all. If you don't want to risk it, put them in your DNWs. But don't make a list that essentially amounts to "I'm giving you free reign to write them but if you fuck up, I'll reserve the right to say 'I told you so'".