Are visceral reactions emotional pay dirt or a fast track to melodrama? The answer of course is: both!
But let’s back up the cliché truck. The word “visceral” is thrown around quite a bit, but not everyone understands what it means. A visceral reaction is an instinctive, gut-deep bodily response to a stimulus or experience. Without getting too complex, neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in our brains) determine what emotions we feel and force a physical response. Raw and uncontrolled, these visceral reactions are something all people experience, making them a valuable tool for building reader empathy. Some examples would be shivering, adrenaline rushes, the heart rate and breath speeding up or slowing down, the stomach tightening, a flash of nausea, a flush of heat, and sweating.
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Using visceral reactions as a way to convey a character’s feelings can make a scene more intense. These deep internal sensations are immediately recognizable to readers, and will evoke a strong reaction because of that shared commonality. However, there are two dangers to drawing from visceral reactions as we describe a character’s emotions. First, unlike body language indicators, internal sensations are limited. And second, because of the intensity of a visceral reaction, using too many will create melodrama.
Why visceral descriptions can be clichéd
The great thing about showing emotion through body language is that all character will express themselves uniquely, giving writers endless opportunities to describe through gestures and movement. Visceral reactions, on the other hand, are shared by all and therefore limited. This means the path to fresh visceral description is littered with clichés (see now why I’ve been playing around with them in this post?).
To keep visceral description fresh, know the clichés (such as, “a shiver running down the spine”) and think around them. Be aware of the most commonly described internal sensations, like ones involving the heart or breath. Minimizing these is half the battle. Remembering your body’s own instinctive reactions to an emotion can be helpful, and honing in on a lesser explored visceral descriptor can offer something new and powerful to the reader.
Similes and metaphors can also work to freshen, but only if they are tight and precise. Because visceral responses are a sign of intensity and often stress, flowery language or images may feel out of sync or nudge the scene toward melodrama.
The slippery slope to melodrama
Because visceral sensations are strong and compelling, it’s natural to draw on them during high emotion. Unfortunately when we get caught up in the moment, we send heartbeats and rushing breath and trembling fingers and pounding pulses cascading across the scene like kibble from a tipped over bag of dog food. (Can you feel the melodrama?)
With visceral description, a light touch is all that is needed. Utilize body language as much as possible, because action pulls the reader in and shows them the scene. Then use thoughts and a few well-placed internal indicators to complete the emotional experience!
