Writing Category
The Worldbuilder’s Toolkit: Mountain Ranges
Posted on February 13, 2026 Leave a Comment
I will do a deep dive into the topics that I covered in my world building series two years ago. This article is the first in a new series on geography and topography. Mountain ranges have always been alluring to writers and storytellers. They are places of mystery, beauty, and danger where one can feel […]
The Writer’s Guide to Realistic Healing Timelines and Scarring
Posted on January 30, 2026 Leave a Comment
In fiction, injuries often happen at the speed of plot. A hero is impaled one day and sword-fighting the next. A broken arm is forgotten by chapter three. But realistic recovery doesn’t just make your story believable, it deepens emotion, develops character, and adds tension through limitation. Healing takes time. It also leaves traces, not […]
The Writer’s Guide to Healing Herbs and Other Treatments
Posted on January 16, 2026 Leave a Comment
Before antiseptics, antibiotics, and modern surgery, healers relied on the natural world to treat wounds and illnesses. Herbs, roots, resins, and animal products formed the foundation of medicine from ancient Egypt through the 19th century, and they still appear in fantasy, historical, and even post-apocalyptic fiction. When written accurately, herbal medicine can lend authenticity to […]
The Writer’s Guide to the Long-term Effects of Injuries
Posted on January 2, 2026 Leave a Comment
When a character survives an injury in fiction, that’s often where the story ends. The hero limps off into the sunset or awakens in a hospital bed, battered but triumphant. Yet for real people, recovery doesn’t stop when the bleeding does. It continues for months or years afterward. The long-term effects of injury – chronic […]
The Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma from Injuries
Posted on December 19, 2025 Leave a Comment
The broken bone, the blood, and the fever often take center stage when a character suffers a physical injury in a story. But many survivors of serious injuries will tell you that the psychological aftermath lasts far longer than the physical wounds. For writers, portraying the emotional impacts, PTSD, and character reactions realistically not only […]
Rebecca Shedd - Author 