If a character doesn't die, it seems like any other physical injuries are irrelevant. Just rip a piece of clothing and tie it up, right? :P There are so many problems with this notion. *very long eyeroll* To me, there are many alternatives I'd rather have explored in stories. (Particularly as dying is the easiest road for a character. But more on that another day.)
Now, if you have a character that is physically and mentally able and is heavily independent if they should suffer an injury that leaves them unable to care for themselves or forces them to accept help from others, that can be a difficult blow to deal with. It would explore frustration and despair in your character. It will force them to engage different parts of their personality and enable you to recreate a new reality for them.
If you carry this idea a step further, if you disable a character that was to be relied on, take this chance to see how the change in them can affect the characters around them. If they are unable to think or act for themselves, how is this changing and influencing your other characters? Just a thought.
Injuries, usually of a physical kind, are a means of knocking down pride and humbling a character. Use that time to develop your character's inner strength. We as writers might HATE it, but as readers, we love it!
Mental injuries are also a way of making a relatable character. We don't want to leave a character in despair but allow this member of your plot to create a chance for another character to share and support the burden. It makes both characters deeper and better sculpted.
Here are a few examples:
Pollyanna experiences a wee bit of depression after her injury. But, this allowed the members of the town to step in and show Pollyanna what kind of positive influence she'd had on them. Using this storyline, enabled other characters to strive to fill the gap making the entire situation complete for many characters.
Hiccup, in How to Train Your Dragon lost his leg. That's a HUGE life adjustment and can be fairly scary. But he didn't need to fear, Toothless and his entire village was there for him.
When Ivanhoe was lying wounded, in Ivanhoe, not only was the man forced to stay out of battle and endure the agony of watching his countryman fight for what he believed in but the circumstances led to an impassioned conversation between Ivanhoe and Rebecca. :) In short, I don't think he made a very good patient but it made for an excellent scene!
Hope this babble was in some way understandable.
Yours truly,
Cordy
Totally understandable. And so good. As always.
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about disabling a character who was to be relied upon and exploring how that effects the people around them. That's a super good point. And it's setting my brain to work. I want to use that idea in a story now! :)
*clapping* yes, do, do. Use it in a story! :D
DeleteThis is so helpful, Cordy!
ReplyDeleteHaving a character be a bad patient makes for an interesting story, but I will agree that it needs to be used sparingly. Movies tend to be the more unrealistic ones when it comes to injuries, it just moves too quickly. With a book, it's easier to control that.
Catherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
Thank you, Catherine! :)
DeleteVery few movies handle the situation properly in my mind. Thank goodness for books that try to keep the record straight. Hahaha.
Oh, good tip, Cordy!!! I really enjoy these posts and use all the tips!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, MovieCritic!!
DeleteOohhh, yes!!! This is super, super helpful!!! I hadn't thought about this much but you have some really good points!!!
ReplyDelete*bows* I do the best I can, Rae. :)
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post.
This is such a good post and I heartily agree. :)
ReplyDeleteIn one of my WIPs, the plan from the beginning was to kill off a certain character. But, half way through, I realized it would be much more unique and moving if he was mentally injured instead. So now I have to completely rework my thinking concerning this novel...but I think it's going to turn out better for it. :)
Well thank you very much. :)
DeleteWhat an excellent idea! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to feels the way I do about this kind of thing. Most of the time I think I'm just writing these posts because I want to rant about something. Hahaha. I hope it all works out for you! :D
Thanks for that. It may be the answer for which I've been looking--I have a character whose death is a possibility, but serious mental, and/or physical injury may provide a better solution.
ReplyDeleteAt least it's a different option to consider and a potentially interesting idea to explore for your character. :)
Delete