Feb 27 2010
Writing Gross Things
I’m looking at certain stories and realizing there are some very gross and sensitive issues that might have to be addressed, STDs, incontinence, hemorrhoid relief, picking at scabs, the effects of meth abuse, vomiting; these are all things which gross me out to a certain degree, but at the same time I realize that you do a disservice to your potential readers if you shy away from covering certain things. While the detail doesn’t have to be excruciatingly graphic unless you’re really trying to hammer home a point, merely speaking of the effects of certain abuses on a person’s body is enough some times to say what you’re trying to say.
Certain characters while being heroes, in a sense, have tragic flaws, and those need to be emphasized otherwise the hero becomes too unbelievable. Just because you have an angelic soul attached to you doesn’t mean you get off free to abuse your body with no consequences. Meth rips apart a person’s body, aging them, changing their brain chemistry and while angelic nature might delay those affects, once the angel is gone the person would be screwed.
These are all things to take into account.
