Low Level/continuous Pain Tips For Writing

Low level/continuous pain tips for writing

Want to avoid the action movie effect and make your character’s injuries have realistic lasting impacts? Have a sick character you’re using as hurt/comfort fodder? Everyone has tips for how to write Dramatic Intense Agony, but the smaller human details of lasting or low-level discomfort are rarely written in. Here are a few pain mannerisms I like to use as reference:

General

Continuously gritted teeth (may cause headaches or additional jaw pain over time)

Irritability, increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, etc

Repetitive movements (fidgeting, unable to sit still, slight rocking or other habitual movement to self-soothe)

Soft groaning or whimpering, when pain increases or when others aren’t around

Heavier breathing, panting, may be deeper or shallower than normal

Moving less quickly, resistant to unnecessary movement

Itching in the case of healing wounds

Subconsciously hunching around the pain (eg. slumped shoulders or bad posture for gut pain)

Using a hand to steady themself when walking past walls, counters, etc (also applies to illness)

Narration-wise: may not notice the pain was there until it’s gone because they got so used to it, or may not realize how bad it was until it gets better

May stop mentioning it outright to other people unless they specifically ask or the pain increases

Limb pain

Subtly leaning on surfaces whenever possible to take weight off foot/leg pain

Rubbing sore spots while thinking or resting

Wincing and switching to using other limb frequently (new/forgettable pain) or developed habit of using non dominant limb for tasks (constant/long term pain)

Propping leg up when sitting to reduce inflammation

Holding arm closer to body/moving it less

Moving differently to avoid bending joints (eg. bending at the waist instead of the knees to pick something up)

Nausea/fever/non-pain discomfort

Many of the same things as above (groaning, leaning, differences in movement)

May avoid sudden movements or turning head for nausea

Urge to press up against cold surfaces for fever

Glazed eyes, fixed stare, may take longer to process words or get their attention

Shivering, shaking, loss of fine motor control

If you have any more details that you personally use to bring characters to life in these situations, I’d love to hear them! I’m always looking for ways to make my guys suffer more write people with more realism :)

Animal of the Day!

Great Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx haastii)

(Photo by Max De Beer)

Conservation Status- Vulnerable

Habitat- Northern South Island of New Zealand

Size (Weight/Length)- 3 kg; 50 cm

Diet- Insects; Worms; Crayfish

Cool Facts- Kiwi’s got the shortest evolutionary stick. The great spotted kiwi is the largest kiwi species. These flightless birds are nocturnal and spend their days sleeping in burrows. Monogamous pairs are aggressive to other kiwi’s and humans alike, attempting to chase them away from burrows. If you thought human pregnancy was difficult, a female great spotted kiwi would laugh in your face. The egg makes up a fourth of a female’s body weight. The female has to survive on fat reserves as she does not eat the entire five month gestation period. As soon as the egg is laid, the male takes over the incubation process. Once the chick hatches, the parents leave it to fend for itself with no regrets. Invasive predators in a mix with habitat destruction have dropped the great spotted kiwi population by 45% in half a century.

Rating- 13/10 (The fruit was named after the bird.)

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goblin-in-the-rain

2 years ago

If you ever need a reference for alien eggs, just accidentally freeze hardboiled eggs 😆