How To Describe Pain In Writing
What's the worst pain you've ever felt? And how would you describe it?
Describing physical pain in writing is a challenge that most writers face at one time or another. A character might have a headache, give birth, or get injured in an accident or a battle. (By the way, if you're reading this, you might also want to check out my writer's guide to serious injuries and calamities.)
When I was writing my book The Equinox Stone , I did a lot of thinking about ways to describe pain since my characters get pretty banged up over the course of the book. Near the end (spoilers), one of them has several injuries, and I wrote: "His adrenaline was burning off, leaving him in a symphony of pain, one part of his body screaming, the other parts answering with agony of their own." I really liked the "symphony of pain" idea.
Since so many writers look for ways to describe pain in creative writing, I figured I should do a master list of words and phrases to use. I've also suggested ways that the character can react to the pain, which you could use whether you're writing from the point of view of the person in pain or the point of view of someone with them. Some of these could probably be adapted to emotional rather than physical pain.
In most cases, you probably won't use these ways to describe pain verbatim (although you're certainly welcome to, even with the longer phrases.) You'll adapt it for the paragraph you're writing. You might also combine one or two ideas. Like all my master lists, it'll probably make you think of even more ideas.
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she braced herself for the pain
a dull ache
a deep ache in his bones
a throbbing ache
his head throbbed
pain filled her head
pain squeezed her head
a jab of pain
a burst of pain
a flash of pain
prickles of pain
a blaze of pain
fresh pain
a stinging pain
a spike of pain
white-hot pain
a sharp pain
a shooting pain
a stabbing pain
a piercing pain
a corrosive pain
a crippling pain
a searing pain
a grating pain
a grinding pain
a drumbeat of pain
pain shot up her leg
pain surged through her body
pain lashed across his lower back
pain ripped through her chest
pain branched across their back like lightning
pain lacerated her shoulder
pain twisted his belly
a cramp seized her foot
pain exploded behind her eyeballs
the pain flared in his leg
a flaming pain in her wrist
a burning pain in her neck
pain coursed through his body
pain like a sharp knife in his gut
pain lanced through him
pain went through her like a sword/spear
blinded with pain
dizzy from the pain
disoriented from the pain
the pain blossomed in his midsection
the pain spread through her bowels
a wave of pain rolled through her
pain crashed through his body
he let out a gasp from the pain
she panted with pain
she hissed with pain
he grimaced in pain
he managed to grin through the pain
he winced at the pain
she cringed at the pain
they strained against the pain
she curled up in pain
he doubled over with agony
she writhed in pain
he moaned in pain
she sucked in a sharp breath at the pain
he howled in pain
she grunted from the pain
he let out a cry of pain
she bit back a cry of pain
she yelped with pain
he let out a shriek of pain
he screeched in pain
she screamed in pain
the pain brought tears to his eyes
he quivered with pain
he was wracked by pain
she trembled from the pain
she was shaking from the torment
she convulsed with pain
his breathing was shallow
the pain took her breath away
they tried to breathe through the pain
she tried to focus on something other than the pain
he clutched his head in agony
she clamped her hand around her stubbed toe
he cradled his wounded arm
he grasped her hand tightly as the pain hit
she gritted her teeth against the pain
he clenched his teeth when the pain hit
his face was drawn with pain
her face was twisted with pain
she stiffened with the pain
he went rigid with agony
her back arched off the bed with the pain
she spoke haltingly from the pain
his voice was tight with pain
her voice was rough with pain
it hurt too much for him to speak
pain like he'd never felt before
the pain robbed her of rational thought
he was out of his mind with pain
she was delirious with pain
he prayed for an end to the suffering
she wished for the release of death
he blacked out from the pain
the pain abated
the pain eased
the drugs softened the pain
the pain faded
the pain diminished
the pain evaporated
the pain dissolved
the pain released her
the pain subsided
the pain dulled
the pain drained out of her body
Okay, I could do this all day, but I'll stop it here! Do you have other thoughts about creative ways to describe pain? Let us know in the comments!
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How To Describe Pain In Writing
Source: https://www.bryndonovan.com/2021/01/25/how-to-describe-pain-in-writing/
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