(Solved) How much can I get away with without the 'gore' content warning.

[Yminnod]

Let me preface this by saying I'd rather not use the gore content warning, because it might alienate some viewers or make others disappointed when they realize that there isn't much bloody stuff. Obviously the story isn't gory or even that bloody, and, for the most part, the only bloody thing is, well, blood. Other than that, I use only the most vague descriptions of injuries possible, and ESPECIALLY no mention of anything inside the body. And ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY no mention of anything that's supposed to be inside the body going outside the body at any point EVER. At MOST, I've written something simple like "X bone is broken." Which, I'm pretty sure is fine.

So, anyways, I'm writing an action scene right now, and, in that scene, a character gets their nose broken real bad. They feel their nose, and they mention that there's a crunch.

That's it, honestly. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it's enough to make me squirm, but, I also want that to happen because, y'know, fighting is gross, and I want that to be portrayed to the reader. But, I also don't want to make some reader unnecessarily uncomfortable, especially when the absence of a content warning is essentially a promise that I wouldn't do that.

Should I rewrite the scene entirely, taking it in an entirely different direction?
Just add a content warning at the beginning of the chapter, breaking immersion?
Should I suck it up, mark the content warning, and deal with the fact that some will be alienated and some will be disappointed?
Or am I in the clear?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I highly doubt that a broken nose should require a gore content warning.

 

[Echimera]

Definitely not gore.
I've seen authors add short content warnings at the start of chapters as authors notes. That way it's present but distinguished from the chapter itself, so at least for me, it doesn't take me out of it.
If you think your readers would want that, you could go with that. Just a short "CW: description of pain and injury" or something should be more than enough, and even then only because you make it sound like it's a noticeable, one-time departure from the general way you handle that in your story.
You could add a poll at the end if your readers think it was needed, too, though I think that would make it a bigger deal than it would have to be.

 

[Yminnod]

Alright, thanks, guys. I think I'll still add a short warning at the beginning of the chapter, to be safe, but I'll keep everything else as is.
Now... is there a 'solved thread' button? Eh, I'll just edit the title.

 

[MissPaige36]

Let me preface this by saying I'd rather not use the gore content warning, because it might alienate some viewers or make others disappointed when they realize that there isn't much bloody stuff. Obviously the story isn't gory or even that bloody, and, for the most part, the only bloody thing is, well, blood. Other than that, I use only the most vague descriptions of injuries possible, and ESPECIALLY no mention of anything inside the body. And ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY no mention of anything that's supposed to be inside the body going outside the body at any point EVER. At MOST, I've written something simple like "X bone is broken." Which, I'm pretty sure is fine.

So, anyways, I'm writing an action scene right now, and, in that scene, a character gets their nose broken real bad. They feel their nose, and they mention that there's a crunch.

That's it, honestly. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it's enough to make me squirm, but, I also want that to happen because, y'know, fighting is gross, and I want that to be portrayed to the reader. But, I also don't want to make some reader unnecessarily uncomfortable, especially when the absence of a content warning is essentially a promise that I wouldn't do that.

Should I rewrite the scene entirely, taking it in an entirely different direction?
Just add a content warning at the beginning of the chapter, breaking immersion?
Should I suck it up, mark the content warning, and deal with the fact that some will be alienated and some will be disappointed?
Or am I in the clear?

This… is a good warning… I might’ve gotten too gorey at one of my chapters…

 

[BlackKnightX]

I think you should just look at the everyday life. A shallow cut from a knife is trivial. A concussion is more serious but is still trivial in the sense. Bruises after getting beaten up by a gang of hoodlum is also still common in everyday life.

Now let’s look at this; Yamato swung his sword and cut his enemy‘s stomach open. The enemy’s entrails poured out of his opened stomach, followed by the gushing blood like a broken dam. The intestines fell onto the ground and permeated the air with the horrid smell that made Yamato’s nose go numb. He winced and turned away.

Just now isn’t what you see in your everyday life, is it? So if you didn’t write something like that, then don’t worry about it. You don’t need a warning tag.

 

[jacobpaige]

For me, as long as entrails don't enter the picture, you're probably fine. Dismemberment and most forms of torture would also be off the table. Though, if you're trying to avoid traumitizing content, then I'd just avoid torture period.

For the specific case of a broken nose, I'd only call it gore if you spend a paragraph or two describing it in bloody detail.