(This material is pulled from a FB live I did for Owl Hollow Press. I talk about realistic injuries in minutes 5:45-9:45.)
Almost every book I read or edit involves a character hurting him or herself at some point, and if there are any fight scenes, there are (hopefully) serious wounds. The dilemma I’ve found that authors often have is trying to make their main characters sustain injuries–both to show their mortality and the reality they can’t fend off every blow–but the injuries can’t be too serious because what happens to the plot when the main character has to heal from a broken back? It slows WAY down. We don’t want that.
One counterexample: In the movie The Dark Knight Rises, Batman (Christian Bale) breaks his back and has to recover in the prison where Bane was born, and it turns into a super interesting way to learn about Bane’s back story.
Often an injury occurs, but then the next day the MC is back in the action, and this feels very unrealistic for the reader.
The Ghost and the Wolf by Shelly X Leonn
When I was editing this manuscript, the MC Penelope breaks a rib in one scene , and later in the same scene climbs onto a roof. That night, she bound the rib and then kept up with her friends (who investigate abandoned buildings…) while popping pain killers. I queried–it felt like too much. Shelly researched rib injuries and made changes by adding in more mentions of Penny’s pain as she’s was going about day-to-day actions, reminding the reader that yes, she broke a rib, and yes, she’s dealing with pain while doing everything.
So, as you strike the balance between fallible MCs and slowing the pace down, ask yourself the following about your characters’ injuries:
-Can the character realistically accomplish what is needed to move the plot forward with this injury? If not, consider adjusting to a more realistic injury—or get creative, like in The Dark Knight, and see if you can make their down time recovering intriguing
-Do your research: how long does it take to recover from this injury? Is that recovery time accurately expressed in your story? If not, how do you explain their fast recovery?
-What type of pain is expected during recovery? What actions will feel different to the character—walk with a limp, or feel lightheaded, etc. If possible, talk to someone who has experienced the injury, or have them read the scene and give feedback on the believability of the character’s actions with that injury.
Go forth and injure realistically!