itfeelslike have all failed me. My POV character gets shot. But it can't be very serious - I need her back on her feet and ready for more abuse fast, like a day or two, no more. She's getting banged up too much, I don't want her to be the Coyote in a Roadrunner cartoon. It also can't be "shot in the leg" because she's gotta do some serious physical stuff two chapters from now and she's gonna need her legs.
I thought I read somewhere once that you can get shot in the chest, but the bullet deflects off the rib and all you get is OW, blood and maybe a cracked rib. Impressive looking, nicely painful, but no major organ damage and she's back in a couple of days.
And although it won't work for this story, I also remember something similar for getting shot in the head - if the bullet strikes the skull at just the right angle, it ricochets off. LOTS of blood, big headache, very upsetting for the bystanders, but no serious damage.
Bottom line: she's gotta get hit, be hurt, some blood and pain, but remain functional. Ideas? Thoughts? Comments? What the hell are you doing to your poor characters?
God forbid, if anyone has actually BEEN shot and is willing to share what it feels like, I'll gladly take it. Here, on private email (elizabethdonald at yahoo dot com) and/or on
itfeelslike, a far-too-quiet community that could probably use some participation from this so-lively group.Cross-posted to my journal. Thanks to all.
