How on earth do you describe physical pain

Sup people. Onto the point:

There is this theme contest I want to enter and it is about physical pain. Now, being a peaceful person, I have little to no experience describing physical pain (or even use it in a short story).

Got any tips you can spare?

Hmm.... if you have any very violent friends you could see if they would hurt you so you can experience it. Somehow I don't imagine you're going to go for that idea. So... try just doing some imagining. Or ask someone that you know whp has gone through physical pain.

If you're already writing it, put in lots of screaming and crying (depending on the extermity of the pain).

Hope I helped.

"The pain seared through him, agonizing." (maybe too close to purple prose there though...)

or for less extreme:

"He felt pain as (insert something painful here)."

Pretty simple really.

At first I thought this was a philosophical question, which I would like to pose now; how DO you describe the actual sensation in words? Difficult... and as soon as it's over you forget what it was like, except for the fact that it was displeasurable... weird. I had to pinch myself to remember what it felt like.

Disclaimer: I am not emo.

It depends on the pain.

There are several kinds of pain: throbbing, searing, stinging, sore, et cetera, so you want to tailor the pain to fit the context.

Pain is really the hardest thing to describe, once you get rid of all those articles up there. Really, the best thing you can do is describe what the pain does- does it make him double over in pain or cough up blood? Does it make her faint? Did that pain from his foot arrow all the way up to his spine?
.
(My two favorited words to describe "shooting pains" are "arced" and "arrowed".)



Hope that helped!

sumi

I wouldn't admit I'm an expert at this, but being that I've written some things that made people cringe and want to go throw up, I guess that I know what I'm doing.

You have to describe it well, but you can't be bland. You have to choose your words properly, and try to relate it to something that the reader can actually feel. I'll go try to find some quotes to give you examples...

Ivan took the cigarette from his lips, the tip smoldering brightly, and pressed it firmly onto Lucas’ upturned wrist. His flesh singed under the cigarette’s tip, and though Lucas felt like the cigarette would burn right through him, he [blah blah blah]...

See how I used the word singed, rather than plan old burn? Burn is unspecific, singed is more grafic, it even has a sound to it, in my opinion. Singed, it hisses, just like the feeling. And then I describe how it feels like the cigarette would burn right through his arm, it explains how the burning tip feels like it could melt the skin and fall right through the other side.

You just have to be specific, but without being overly so, because then you just drown the reader in too much description. I'd always say that word choice is very, very important. And you have to write it so that the reader can feel it. Use sensory image, the way things look or smell, depending on what kind of pain it is, really. I probably could have used sent more in some cases, but burning flesh would smell a certain way. And the sound of the cigarette burning, then dying out on his skin? Anything that would make them feel like they were there.

As for never experiencing pain, I don't know then. I have felt a lot, honestly, I'm just good at being creative ^_~ Perhaps try to find some violent things to read XD Or don't, because that my not be good for your sleeping.

If you have any other questions on this I would love helping you out; I could even read over the pain inducing scenes and give you some tips. Also, what contest is this? I might want to join, hee hee!

Lol yea, that's what I was about to say. Get hurt. =]

Haha, no don't...that's not a good way. But I have no other suggestions other than first hand experience either so....yea...pointless post..

Don't actually describe the pain- I usually try to do this just because if I say anything about pain 'searing' or 'tearing' or 'coursing', I lose the entire chapter to the Mush Monster.

So- what's your character's reaction to the pain? Is she hunched over, clutching her stomach? Or hopping about on one foot, uttering curse words? That's usually a lot more illustrative (ooer, I love saying that word. XD) than sitting down and telling us all about it.

Argh. I also have this problem. I've never broken a bone, but my characters go through some very painful events.

And I have no idea how to describe it. Just know I share your pain, Squallz.

Ah! Puns!

Stab yourself (not really)

On a more seroius note, hmm......

I never seem to have uch trouble describing pain. But I find that references to blood helps. For a broken leg I would describe things like jarring sharp pains.

I never seem to have trouble describing physical pain because I experienced so much of it, lol! I'm a walking target for injuries, and some mind you, that I should have spoke with a doctor at least but I come from a rugged family. Our motto is basically, "If you can't suck it up, then we'll go to see a hospital." This means I would have to be unable to cope with any type of pain because my life is at stake.

From just injuries alone, the single most painful was severally bruising my sternum. I was litterally realing in agony. I couldn't sit up, turn left to right without yelping. It felt like some ungodly force was crushing my chest, and internally, some little viper was ripping my flesh. It litterally felt hot and sticky inside like I was bleeding internally. I was on the ground for thirty minutes, and finally the neighbor decided to call my mom. With two people, they lifted me into the car. It was one of the few times I insisted on getting in touch with a hospital.

From the time I was born I've had battles with Chronic Asthma. If you ever want real life experience with slowly suffercating and severe dehydration in terms of examples, I'm your person. That time in my life was more pain than I can describe in a single paragraph.

Don't describe how it feels... describe what is happening.

For example:

The Beating


The first blow caught me sideways, my jaw
Shifted. The second beat my skull against my
Brain. I raised my arm against the third,
Downward my wrist fell crooked. But the sliding

Flood of sense across the ribs caught in
My lungs. I fell for a long time,
One knee bending. The fourth blow balanced me.
I doubled at the kick against my belly.

The fifth was light. I hardly felt the
Sting. And down, breaking against my side, my
Thighs, my head. My eyes burst closed, my
Mouth the thick blood curds move through. There

Were no more lights. I was flying. The
Wind, the place I lay, the silence.
My call came to a groan. Hands touched
My wrist. Disappeared. Something fell over me.

Now this white room tortures my eye.
The bed too soft to hold my breath,
Slung in plaster, caged in wood.
Shapes surround me.

No blow! No blow!
They only ask the thing I turn
Inside the black ball of my mind,
The one white thought.

-- Ann Stanford

XD

Even easier.

...and much more fun.

It depends on the event. If you haven't feel the kind of pain you want to describe, ask yourself "How would I react to it?" or describe the sensation as it would best fit the character. In my case I got a scar on my face when I was four due to a strike by a metal swing. So I kinda know how bleeding on the face feels like. Here are some tips for physical pain:

Deep cuts like scratches usually throb, harder if it's near a vein .
Wounds on the face burn a lot (I even shivered).
Burns well... burn. XD
And bruises hurt only when you touch them.

For emotional pain it mostly depends on the writer.

" There was a numbing sensation going through out his entire body. The chains that enwrapped his body cause his skin to burn and peel like old paint. It was so intense that even tears could not pour from his eyes. He tried to move but the pain caused his body to freeze. He just stared at the wires coming from his chest and connecting with the gun. Brocks mouth began to foam."

Well isn't that painfull. I hope it is a good exsample for you! Tazer guns are evil...