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I may have already discussed this elsewhere and apologize for that if I did. I'm continually writing posts only to discard them without posting, so I never remember what I posted and what I didn't.
Do you find it rather bothersome when an author is utterly vague on what injury they give a character? Never saying where so-and-so was shot/stabbed/clawed until waaaaay later (and then only giving a small hint)? Saying they were shot in the side, but not if it was the upper or lower body, or even telling you which side? Or saying they were shot and stabbed but never saying where?
I'm a sucker for details, especially with injuries. I don't mind it when the details are lacking in order to keep the focus where it needs to be. I do mind it when the details are so lacking I have to assume where the wounding occurs, only to end up totally off. To me, it's kind of like reading those fanfic stories where you have no idea which character it is until the very end. If your guess is right then it's no big deal. If it's wrong then you're forced to go back mentally and adjust accordingly.
The writer doesn't have to be an expert on the injury. They don't have to name the specific bone that was broken or the scientific name for the area of the body where the bullet entered. But I tend to feel a little detatched from the story when the author glosses over the injuries so much you don't even no where the character was injured or if the injury is affecting them. And in some cases, it's just bad writing. There was a story I read a while back where the writer focused only on a single injury, completely ignoring the rest because they didn't want their readers focusing on the character being injured but on the friendship, angst and so on. Problem is, they ended up making it seem as though the character hadn't been that badly injured, even though the character was beaten half to death.
Plus, as a whumper, dang it, I want the details. I want to know why so-and-so is having trouble breathing. I don't want to assume it's because of broken ribs; because for all I know, it could be a bruised trechea or internal bleeding or an allergic reaction. Such details are needed, even if all it is is "and the bullet entered his side just above the hip" as opposed to "he was shot in the side... it hurt." Don't leave me hanging!
I'm a sucker for details, especially with injuries. I don't mind it when the details are lacking in order to keep the focus where it needs to be. I do mind it when the details are so lacking I have to assume where the wounding occurs, only to end up totally off. To me, it's kind of like reading those fanfic stories where you have no idea which character it is until the very end. If your guess is right then it's no big deal. If it's wrong then you're forced to go back mentally and adjust accordingly.
The writer doesn't have to be an expert on the injury. They don't have to name the specific bone that was broken or the scientific name for the area of the body where the bullet entered. But I tend to feel a little detatched from the story when the author glosses over the injuries so much you don't even no where the character was injured or if the injury is affecting them. And in some cases, it's just bad writing. There was a story I read a while back where the writer focused only on a single injury, completely ignoring the rest because they didn't want their readers focusing on the character being injured but on the friendship, angst and so on. Problem is, they ended up making it seem as though the character hadn't been that badly injured, even though the character was beaten half to death.
Plus, as a whumper, dang it, I want the details. I want to know why so-and-so is having trouble breathing. I don't want to assume it's because of broken ribs; because for all I know, it could be a bruised trechea or internal bleeding or an allergic reaction. Such details are needed, even if all it is is "and the bullet entered his side just above the hip" as opposed to "he was shot in the side... it hurt." Don't leave me hanging!
