Historical Writing Category
The Writer’s Guide to Infections and Complications
Posted on December 5, 2025 Leave a Comment
Writers often focus on the immediate drama of a character’s injury in fiction: the sword strike, the fall, or the gunshot. But some of the most dangerous threats come later, when the wound that seemed survivable turns deadly because of infection and complications. From battlefield fevers in medieval sagas to post-surgical sepsis in sci-fi, understanding […]
The Writer’s Guide to Torn Ligaments and Tendons
Posted on November 21, 2025 2 Comments
Not all dramatic injuries involve swords, bullets, or fire. Some of the most debilitating and narratively useful injuries are the ones that don’t look dramatic at all: torn ligaments and tendons. A character may walk away from a fall, jump, or sudden movement looking fine, only to discover their body won’t support them when they […]
The Writer’s Guide to Heatstroke and Dehydration
Posted on November 7, 2025 Leave a Comment
Extreme heat can be just as dangerous and narratively rich as any battlefield injury. For writers, depicting heatstroke and dehydration accurately can raise tension, add realism, and create both physical and emotional challenges for your characters. Whether your setting is a scorching desert, a futuristic mining colony, or a medieval battlefield in midsummer, understanding the […]
The Writer’s Guide to Frostbite and Hypothermia
Posted on October 24, 2025 Leave a Comment
From alpine fantasy quests to crash-landed astronauts on an icy moon, cold exposure is a rich and dramatic source of conflict in fiction. But to write it convincingly and avoid falling into Hollywood tropes, you’ll need to understand the real dangers of cold, especially frostbite and hypothermia. The Difference Between Frostbite and Hypothermia Though they […]
The Writer’s Guide to Blunt Force Trauma
Posted on October 10, 2025 Leave a Comment
If you watch any police procedural shows, you have probably heard a ME tell the investigator that the cause of death is blunt force trauma. But what is it? Blunt force trauma is one of the most versatile and dramatic injuries in fiction. Whether your character is in a car crash, hit with a baseball […]
The Writer’s Guide to Internal Bleeding
Posted on September 26, 2025 Leave a Comment
Internal bleeding doesn’t always look dramatic on the outside, which is exactly why it can be so dangerous. Unlike cuts or visible wounds, internal bleeding often happens quietly, only revealing itself through subtle symptoms until it becomes life-threatening. For fiction writers, it’s a powerful device for tension and realism, the hidden injury that escalates when […]
The Writer’s Guide to Eye Injuries
Posted on September 12, 2025 Leave a Comment
Eye injuries in fiction are uniquely visceral. They invoke immediate vulnerability, suggest loss of perception or awareness, and dramatically affect a character’s abilities and psychology. From minor irritations to permanent blindness, these injuries can serve as powerful narrative turning points, but only when handled with realism and respect. In this blog post, I will explore […]
The Writer’s Guide to Amputations and Severe Limb Injuries
Posted on August 29, 2025 Leave a Comment
Amputations and severe limb injuries are high-stakes narrative moments that can dramatically alter a character’s role, psychology, and relationships. From the battlefield to the back alley, these injuries evoke visceral emotion, but they also come with real-world implications that fiction often glosses over. This article will guide you through the essential elements of realistically depicting […]
The Writer’s Guide to Venom
Posted on August 15, 2025 Leave a Comment
Venom is a biological weapon with bite – fast, deadly, and often misunderstood. Nature has used it for millions of years to paralyze, kill, or subdue prey, and it makes a powerful storytelling device in fiction. Whether your character is battling a serpent in the jungle, stung by a sci-fi insect, or cursed by a […]
The Writer’s Guide to Poisoning
Posted on August 1, 2025 1 Comment
From Shakespearean tragedies to spy thrillers to medieval murder plots, poisoning has long been a favorite tool for fiction writers. It’s stealthy, dramatic, symbolic and, when done well, devastating. But writing poisoning realistically requires more than tossing a mysterious powder into a goblet. Readers today are savvy, and sloppy depictions can break immersion fast. This […]
Rebecca Shedd - Author 