Being a Better Writer: Writing About Injuries · 10:03pm Mar 27th, 2018
Hello readers, and welcome to … Topic. List. Eleven!
Okay, so it’s probably not such a big deal for those of you who are newcomers or aren’t sitting on my end of the keyboard, but on this side knowing that I’ve made it through tenof these sheets of paper with Being a Better Writertopics on them is a little awe-inspiring. This marks the fifth year of writing these, and from the look if it, I’m not going to run out of topics anytime soon.
So then, let’s talk injuries. Specifically, writing about them, why we write about them, and some of the different ways we can use them in our writing, for good or bad.
Actually, we’re going to tackle this in not quite that order. First up, why write about injury? Why should we be concerned with keeping track of our characters pains and aches, especially if they’re not “important” to the story?
Well, as you can probably guess by the quotes around “important” in that last paragraph, I’d disagree entirely, regardlessof the type of story that we’re writing. That’s right, injury and pain are just as important in a story that’s a Regency Romance as they are in a story that’s an action-adventure novel. Do you know why?
Because pain and injury, minor or major, are a part of life. They’re as much as it sounds strange to say it this way, a unique flavorthat’s a part and parcel of the experience. Ask yourself how many times you’ve stubbed a toe, burned a finger or palm, or suffered a cut or scrape across your arm. In all likelihood, you probably can’t even remember a large number of those times … but you still know that they happenedbecause they’re part of the experience of life.
One downside of writing accurate portrayal of injuries is that most readers will not believe it.
I once depicted a very realistic gunshot wound from a small-caliber pistol. I've done my research here. Hell, I've been shot. I've worked for a bullet company. I've cut bullets out of a great many animals shortly after putting those bullets into the animals, and shortly before putting those animals on the grill.
But do readers believe it? No. "Why is he still alive?" or "I googled that body part, he would have bled out in thirty seconds, so unrealistic!"
Heh. This might make another good topic. When you do enough research that your portrayal of things is too accurate and Hollywood-conditioned readers find it unbelievable. Like the actual sound of horse's hooves.
Hey, that's a good one! Added to the list!
And yes, I've run into this issue numerous times with my own works (just look at the comments for Beyond the Borderlands asking why Equestria just didn't stage a military invasion of the Ocean to get Blade back) and with others. I've seen a lot of misinformed people hit the wall that is the trope of 'Reality is unrealistic.'
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Truth is stranger than fiction.
Because fiction is required to be believable, and truth is not.
Wow, that was great stuff. Can't wait for the next one!