Kate on Gore

When I began writing the blogs about Whispers on the Hill I had a list of things I wanted to blog about. At least half of them contained something gorey or bloody and the other half, well, they have been shoved under the carpet for being too boring.
One or two have gone on the backburner due to recent events as I thought them an inconsiderate thing to post about. They may resurface at a later date.

I now have to create a new list so I am calling this the halfway point of blogs relating to my current work. Which also in a way gives me a deadline for completion of my manuscript.

As a writer, and I assume as with most writers, directors, producers, musicians and artists, I hope my work has an effect on the reader. My intention is for some parts to make you curious, others to make you feel sympathy and others to perhaps make you turn away in disgust and yet turn back to keep reading.

Now where gore is concerned I, as a reader and viewer, like plenty of gore. I do not like it overdone or underdone. By this I mean I prefer some of it to be left to the imagination and that the amount of gore is appropriate to the scene.
I don’t like to see someone get stabbed only to realise that there is no blood on the blade or in contrast massive amounts of spurting blood from a little nick. Both, I find, make the story less believable and instead of drawing me in it can make me lose interest.
Obviously if the rest of the story is great I may overlook it once or twice but please at least try to remember where the person was injured.

As a result I have tried, when I write, to give the appropriate amount of gore, taken note of whether there should be arterial spray or not, whether it is appropriate for a decapitated head to be still blinking its eyes or the way in which the blood may be transferred to the assailant.
I believe that no matter how gory the story might be the blood, guts and brains elements should be appropriate to the scene.

Gore rule exception

Yes, there are exceptions to this.
If, for example, the story is aimed at a younger audience I don’t believe the blood is necessary or perhaps not so much.
If the story is of a comedic nature then excessive amounts of blood and guts can add to the humour.

My book is not aimed at a younger audience, in fact if it was a movie I would give it an 18 rating and no its not particularly funny either.

I do however hope that there are some parts that make you go “Eugh” or even “Oh no!” and I suspect that there will be some of you saying things more along the lines of “Yes please, more of that”. However I don’t want to put words in your mouth, simply images in your brain.

What levels of gore do you find acceptable in the movies and stories you read and watch?

Now if you’ll excuse me I must crawl back down into the dark place and continue writing, if I don’t my characters may chain me to the desk and refuse to feed me until I have finished.

Kate xxx

Update: 

Whispers on the Hill can now be bought on Amazon under the pen name K.T.McQueen