Gore - Where to Draw the Line

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Spy_on_the_Inside

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A friend of mine recently warned me that when writing a horror story, I need to be sure not to go overboard on the gore. Because of the subject of the story is going to have some amount of gore, but I need to know where to draw the line and what sort of balance I need for the story.

What are your opinions for how much gore is too much and how to know when your story has too much and little else?
 

cornflake

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Some Al, no Tipper.
 

Imbroglio

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It's your story. Does it need gore?

I find this a little confusing because it's like asking, "How much description should I put in my novel?" Only as much as is necessary to get the point across.

If you sufficiently described something for the sake of the story and then you just keep describing it to be gross, then understand that you've strayed from storytelling and have moved on to something else.

I hope this makes sense. :)
 

Lhowling

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Depends on what you plan on doing with it too. Some markets don't mind excessive gore or splatterporn where others are far more conservative. If you're not familiar with horror stories that are graphic, some research might show you where your own boundaries are.

I've also been struck with that question too with my current novel; there are some graphic elements that I struggle to show with either an air of mystery or completely unadulterated. For me, it has to do with the overall tone of the book, as well as how I want my reader to feel at certain points of the story.
 

Spy_on_the_Inside

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I suppose what I'm most concerned about is that I don't want all the horror to come from gore. There's certainly suspense and uncertainly, but what are some other ways that horror can be conveyed?
 

The Raen

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I tend to think it's about tone. Is the story serious, comical, over-the-top, shocking? Too much or too little can push the tone in the wrong direction, so use whatever feels right.

Also, I always find the violence level is one of the easiest things to tweak in second draft. Once everything is on paper, you can see how the gore fits into the overall mood.
 

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I would echo what others have said. It all depends on the tone. If it's something in the vein of Evil Dead 2 and meant to be over the top, then go for it!

Chuck Palahniuk tends to do over the top gore quite well. 'Guts' springs to mind as a good example from his work. The gratuitous nature of the story itself was the author's intention, so it is likely he 'had' no line to cross to begin with.

I think writing without boundaries is the best mandate to pursue. Second draft, if it reads as too excessive, then tone it down.
 

Okelly65

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Like the others have said its all about the tone your wanting to set.

I guess its just me, but Gore is not horror. it can be used as an element to elevate the horror of the situation but in and of itself its not horrifying.

I suppose what I'm most concerned about is that I don't want all the horror to come from gore. There's certainly suspense and uncertainly, but what are some other ways that horror can be conveyed?
atmosphere, timing, and tension.
 
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marinapr9

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Like the others have said its all about the tone your wanting to set.

I guess its just me, but Gore is not horror. it can be used as an element to elevate the horror of the situation but in and of itself its not horrifying.

atmosphere, timing, and tension.

I agree. The real horror comes from your imagination. Gore, and the overworking of it, just leaves me stone cold.
 

slyelessar

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I think it depends. If you're writing a scene where something is going on, like an attack, then describing some of the gore is fine. I think if you are trying to set the scene up (a crime scene for example), then being more descriptive would be more effective.

I think it works, as long as you aren't slowing down any action. If it is in line with the pacing of the story, you shouldn't have any issues.
 

TGrace

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I think that it also depends upon the point of view of the story. Is it in third person? If so, you might do a broader sweep of the action. But if it's in first person, depending upon what type of person your character is, they might focus in on the bloody details, making it more in character to describe the gore grittily.
 

Underdawg47

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I think the least you say about gore, the more terrifying it becomes. If a person were hit by a train, all you would need to know or see would be a bright glimpse or the actual gore before your brain could process the information. The emotions of the characters and their reaction to the gore would make the reader's imagination paint the more horrible image.
 

Haggis

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Like the others have said its all about the tone your wanting to set.

I guess its just me, but Gore is not horror. it can be used as an element to elevate the horror of the situation but in and of itself its not horrifying.

atmosphere, timing, and tension.

I agree. The real horror comes from your imagination. Gore, and the overworking of it, just leaves me stone cold.
What they said. Gore is not at all required in horror. Which is not to say that it cannot sometimes be useful. But too often it's overdone.

Don't write about some person being devoured by a monster, write about that person's fear of being devoured by a monster. Don't show me the gore, make me feel the fear instead.
 

Jackx

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A friend of mine recently warned me that when writing a horror story, I need to be sure not to go overboard on the gore. Because of the subject of the story is going to have some amount of gore, but I need to know where to draw the line and what sort of balance I need for the story.

What are your opinions for how much gore is too much and how to know when your story has too much and little else?


Your focus should be on characters, not the gore. Horror stories don't NEED gore, and a lot of writers get caught in this trap where they feel they have to put it in, but they don't. If the story calls for gore or violence, then by all means go for it. But if you're just throwing in blood for the sake of doing it when it doesn't serve the story then all you're doing is writing porn and your story will suffer for it.

Remember, horror fiction, like all fiction, is all about the characters.
 

engmajor2005

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You should use just enough gore to still create an unsettling effect for the reader.

Different readers will have different tolerances, true, but keep in mind the kind of reader who dabbles a bit here and there. They read a mix of two or three different genres. Unless they read lots of horror and/or crime thrillers (two genres that tend to be gore heavy), they're not going to be numb to gore: reading a scene that involves viscera will still get to them.

It's hard to quantify, but that's the sweet spot of using gore--if the story necessitates it at all.
 

Ravioli

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Horror is about scaring the audience, less about grossing them out. Horror is when you feel something stalking you and feeling its hunger for your tripe. Horror ends when it strikes, identifies itself, and starts eating you. Horror isn't so much about seeing the horrible thing actually happen, it's a lot more about being afraid and sure that it will.
If you go overboard on gore or violence in horror, it becomes a mere slasher thing.

Horror is very difficult to write and convey. So many resort to horrible. Compensating for the lacking feeling of fear by just throwing as much blood as possible at the audience. But a lot of things are horrible and things people don't want to see or be put through - that doesn't make it legit horror. Finding your cat slashed open, is horrible, now feeling the presence of whatever did that haunting your house, THAT is horror.

Keep in his mind there is gore on your butcher shop's display. But is it horrifying? Only to vegetarians.
 

Jackx

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What are your opinions for how much gore is too much and how to know when your story has too much and little else?

Less is more, and only if you can add it in a way that enhances instead of overwhelms the story. Otherwise you're just writing torture porn.
 

Neegh

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Be explicit, don't shirk away from describing what you actually need; but don't try and impress your readers by showing just how well you can describe the slow mutilation death of a coed.
 

Medea

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I think the least you say about gore, the more terrifying it becomes. If a person were hit by a train, all you would need to know or see would be a bright glimpse or the actual gore before your brain could process the information. The emotions of the characters and their reaction to the gore would make the reader's imagination paint the more horrible image.

This.

Also, while it depends on the style/sub-genre of the story, if what you're going for is terror, excessive descriptions of gore can sometimes take the reader out of dread, suspense, and tension into just grossed out.
 

EricPonvelle

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The more gore, the worse the effect on the reader. If the entire book is covered in descriptions of blood and guts dripping off of every surface, the reader will be desensitized to just about everything you throw at them. They need to be subtly dragged through it, with the character, and then some truly horrific scene of gore will shock them at the end.
 

JJ-Kitts

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I absolutely love horror movies. I don't read so much horror. But horror I've read and enjoyed is not of the gory type. Peter Straub's Ghost Story is an example.
In movies I would rather see psychological horror. That affects me much more than viewing flat out gore. Something you can't see but know is there or the suspense of something you know is going to happen but not when. Or when the monster or evil is there right out in the open. Sometimes the scariest monsters are normal looking. And I love or should I say I get so scared when someone is standing in the shadows and the MC not knowing, turning around and they are gone. Spook me! Also creepy little kids!!!
 
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