Rolling With Them Punches.

Injuries In Lit And You.

I like a good romp as well as the next person, dear reader.

Tales full of daring do are the chocolate to my peanut butter, the peanut butter to my jelly, and the jelly to my jell-o shot.

Such stories often bring a sense of risk and danger, a confirmation that greatness cannot be obtained without risk. This often manifests physically in a character sustaining injury from either the hands of their enemies or perhaps even from nature itself.

One might go so far as to call a character’s receipt of such damage upon their person as worthy of recognition if not outright comment, yes? How odd, then, that many an author has chosen to largely ignore the injuries their characters have sustained throughout the course of their story.

Looking At You, Disney (Walk It Off, Champ)

Fight scenes are, of course, based in reality so shouldn’t the wounds generated therein be as well? All too often it seems characters are able to shrug off all save a mortal wound with no more inconvenience than a sharp gasp, perhaps as a way to show a character’s toughness, or their sheer determination to achieve a task.

Sounds good, right?

Well, let me ask you this: when was the last time you stubbed your toe- and I mean really jammed that little bastard- and were able to immediately continue on with your day with a wink and a smile?

How about the last time you rolled your ankle? Did you feel like dancing a jig right after?

Why then would any mortal character do the same?

I’m all for showing some grit and pushing through some pain in order to achieve a goal, especially at a pivotal moment, but if you get beaten to within an inch of your life and jump right up and act like nothing happened I get ripped out of the story.

Now, no one wants to constantly listen to a character bitch, but it’s also hard to buy a character walking across a desert with half their face hanging off is all I’m saying.

I Know That’s The Problem

So how do we cure this particular set of ills?

Simple!

Imagine if yourself sustained said injury. How fast would you be to stand up? What would be the immediate vs long term pain experience? Would there be swelling or stiffening of joints? How would that play into something as simple as the character walking?

Sprinkling comments throughout the novel referencing difficulty walking or wincing as pressure is put on a particularly wounded limb is a good way to remind the reader that the character is injured without overplaying it, and that you recognize that actions have consequences.

Because what is risk without consequences? Well it’s not really a risk at all, is it?

A story without risk is bland, dear reader. Forgettable. Boring.

And don’t your readers deserve better than that, dear reader? Hell, don’t your characters? Don’t you yourself?

Don’t sell your audience short when it comes to the grit and the grime. Give them the good stuff. It makes for a good time!