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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 8160204" data-attributes="member: 67">Now that both entries are in (but still unread), I wanted to add:The purpose of a title/sub-title is to tell the reader something about what follows. If you’re clever, you can get those sub-headings to carry some of the expository load. Or help save you words elsewhere on descriptive atmosphere. In short, they can actually save you words. In capable hands, they become a tool for efficiency.Thus, like any other part of an entry that conveys information, they get counted in the word-count.In contrast, IRON DM saw it’s first trigger warning in an entry this year during Round 1. After a quick discussion, the judges unanimously determined that trigger warnings should not count against that limit (although the entry in question was under the limit either way).Here’s why: Such a warning is being offered as a courtesy to readers (not necessarily the judges) in a context where the author can never know who those readers will be.Further, the kind of information conveyed is not in a form that can be used to shortcut exposition in an entry.  With a caveat that, if an entry does use a trigger warning to provide that kind of descriptive information, the judges reserve the right to count any such portion of a trigger warning against the word-limit. </blockquote>