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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42236
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42236
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **Don't give a trigger warning in a book!**

Unless you're writing an actual nonfiction guide for rape survivors, a warning like that would be not just unnecessary but apt to get you ridiculed. It's simply not done.

People who are themselves survivors, or who don't want to read about violence, or kids who are reading adult books, use reviews and word-of-mouth to find out the content of a book (or movie) before reading (seeing) it.

That being said, a violent act can be very difficult for a reader, even one who doesn't limit their reading choices. Or it might be something someone wouldn't want to read on the train on the way to work, for example. Instead of warning, just drop hints that something bad is coming.

It will give the scene more impact. You don't want the impact to be the shock value; you want it to be emotional. So a bit of foreshadowing works well here. This is true whether it's murder, being beaten at school, or a tornado wiping out the town. Sometimes the shock is necessary (like a kidnapping perhaps), but usually not.

For example, your book is about someone who has difficulty in romantic relationships and maybe the focus of the book is her as an adult navigating one or more of these relationships. Eventually she tells her story to a trusted partner or friend or therapist, or she has a full-on flashback, or she confronts her father or another family member who didn't stop things.

Whatever it is, you can lead up to it. Maybe you show bits of her nightmares, or have her tell her partner vague things about why she woke up screaming. She can talk about her views on sex, which are generally a bit off in survivors (in a way readers who are survivors will recognize). You can show her in a sexual encounter (which might be as simple as kissing) and then suddenly (she is triggered) and all her desire fades and she may even be fearful.

None of these needs full descriptions. Let the reader figure it out over time. Then you can include her story. By then the reader should have an emotional connection with the character (hopefully) and will have empathy for her story, even if it is difficult to hear.

Original score: 5