Would you add a graphically disturbing scene unto your writing, if you felt it would raise more awareness for victims?

Sometimes recently I've been thinking that some abuse, whether it's child abuse, rape, drugs, self harm and so on, doesn't always seem to have a great amount of awareness raised - especially in Christian communities. They're very real situations that I think we sometimes shy away from.

If you felt that adding a graphic scene into your book would in some way (depending on how it was written I guess) raise awareness for victims, would you be willing to write it?

I've been thinking about some of these things lately, because my most recent WIP involves a lot of uncomfortable things; and the nature of the story I think is going to be drawing those things out, and giving those who read the story a (hopefully) authentically honest vision of [violence, sexual issues arising from abuse, and general hopeless (or seemingly hopeless) circumstances. Interestingly, my thoughts were never to raise awareness so much as to be an encouragement and friend to those who experience those things, or things like them. I want an abused teen or young adult, or whoever, to read my story, connect with my MC, and follow her on her journey, learning and growing with her as they go.

At the same time, there is an aspect of it where I want people to be aware that things aren't perfect. That people are not perfect. And that there is an answer to the mess we find ourselves in. All of this would draw from pointing out to people the real facts of abuse and human depravity.

All of that to say, yes. XD Really, I wouldn't be willing to do otherwise, if it seemed to me to be the story I was writing. But I don't go trying to think of dark things to write. It just comes naturally.

I think there's a fine line between writing honestly, and writing graphically. I think it's possible to portray an MC's struggles (whatever they may be, and however dark they might be) without being graphic. I think a good example of this would be "Piercing the Darkness" by Frank Peretti. In it, the MC had been through some horrendously dark stuff, however it was written in such a way that it didn't downplay the struggle, but also didn't imprint graphically disturbing material on your brain.

So... my answer is probably more along the lines of yes, and yet no. Not sure how much help that is...

Huh. Yeah, I agree with Bush. I just realized I was thinking very abstractly about something that's supposed to be concrete. What else is new. But yes, I still am writing graphic scenes, but not for graphicness' sake. I don't mention every spot of blood, but I do try to make sure people get the impact of what happens when you shoot someone. And the same applies to the other things I said previously.

I have that same question as Elanor's (though mine is more in the historical fiction context). When you're writing about a war scene, how far do you paint a picture of the details without it becoming graphically disturbing (or too graphically disturbing)? We all know that war scenes aren't pretty to look at, much less to read if you have an active imagination. How far should we go in telling what happened, describing the details so that the reader fully captures the situation, yet in a way that won't have a negative effect on the reader?

I think first you need to decide what is morally acceptable, and then figure out who you're writing for (age group, etc.), and then try to make it clear what one is getting into before they read the story. And then it's still inevitable someone will be bothered by it. But you have to leave that to God and His working.

*hopes those thoughts help somehow* Another thing you can do is recommend people who can't handle violence (or whatever) not read it.

Why are people disturbed by graphic descriptions? I'm a well... uh... different type of individual in that regard, but I don't understand why graphic descriptions both people. Blood, gore, dark "things", and other genuinely horrifying things happen every hour - albeit I haven't seen them. Do these things bother you and why do they bother you?