How to Write Gore
I’ve talked before about the emotions of horror. Now, let’s take a closer look at another important emotion: Disgust.
If you haven’t read it already, or if it’s been a while, be sure to read my Visceral Horror post for a more general overview of the topic!
Disgust is a primal emotion. It’s a different sort of fear, one deeply rooted in us to drive us away from things that are not necessarily obviously threatening but that still pose some kind of danger to us. We’re often disgusted by the types of things that would make us sick: infected wounds, blood, feces, rotting flesh, dead bodies etc. We may also experience a parasympathetic response to the sight of blood and guts – some people faint at the sight of blood, whether their own or someone else’s. (Some scientists postulate that this is a defense mechanism, similar to how an opossum will “play dead.”)
So. Why would you want to invoke feelings of disgust in your readers?
One, because a lot of things that are horrifying are, by extension, also disgusting. A grisly murder scene with blood and guts everywhere is gross. Rotting zombies shambling around the neighborhood are gross. It’s just the nature of the genre.
Two, because disgust taps into that visceral horror response, and that can be a really powerful tool in making readers uncomfortable (and scared), which is of course your goal.
Which leads to the important question: How do you write gore in a way that is scary?
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