“They felt sick.” — Vague.
“They threw up.” — Sometimes, but not always.
Illness isn’t a switch you flip. Fever and nausea creep, spike, ebb, lie to you, then come back worse. They live in the body first, and that’s where your writing should live too.
Below, I've written a lil' cheat sheet for you. Reblog so you can come back later.
THE BODY LANGUAGE OF FEVER & NAUSEA
Skin & Temperature
Skin alternates between clammy and burning
Deep internal warmth
Sudden chills while sweating
Clothes feel wrong, either too heavy, too tight, too warm, not warm enough, etc.
Goosebumps even in a warm room
Face flushed, ears hot, neck damp
Head & Senses
Head feels pressurized or stuffed with cotton
Eyes ache when moving
Nose stuffed (on either one side, or both)
Ears ringing or deaf on one side
Lights are too bright/sharp
Sounds blur together
Food smells gross
Room feels tilted or surreal
Focus slips mid-thought
Food/water has an aftertaste
Stomach & Core
Nausea that comes in waves
Swallowing feels deliberate, effortful
Dry swallowing, dry throat—dry everything
Saliva thickens or pools suddenly
Abdomen tightens
Hunger exists but is nauseating at the same time
Body curls inward without thinking
Mouth & Throat
Tongue feels coated
Taste turns metallic, bitter, or flat
Lips dry; licking them doesn’t help
Gag reflex hair-trigger sensitive
Breathing through the mouth makes it worse
Movement & Posture
Barely any movement
Sitting becomes slouching, then curling
Standing too fast triggers instant nausea/dizziness
Hands brace on thighs, counters, walls
Feet shuffle; balance checked constantly
Body seeks cold surfaces or firm pressure
Voice & Speech
Voice dulls or drops in volume (due to plugged nose and raspy throat)
Words come slower
Sentences trail off unfinished
Irritation spikes easily (even if people are being nice)
Delayed responses
Apologies come out automatically (“Sorry. Sorry.”)
NOT ALL “SICK” FEELS THE SAME
Fever (infection-based):
Comes with chills + heat
Mental fog, slowed reaction time
Body aches feel deep, joint-based
Thirst increases, appetite drops
Sleep is restless, sweaty, unrefreshing
Colds / Flu:
More head pressure, sinus heaviness
Heavy cough, sore throat
Heavy fatigue
Fever may be mild or absent (especially colds)
Chronic Illness Flares:
Pain is familiar but still intense
Less panic, more resigned
Symptoms stack (fatigue + nausea + pain)
Character may ration movement and speech
Recovery expectations are lower
Menstrual Cramps:
Pain pulses rhythmically
Heat helps
Nausea tied to motion and smell
Sensitive emotions (more prone to snapping, saying things they regret)
Body feels heavy
Stress-Induced Nausea:
No fever, no chills
Jaw tension, shallow breathing
Nausea spikes during stillness
Relief when distracted or moving
These differences matter. They change how a character reacts, not just how they feel.
So yeah, hope that helps. You don't need vomiting on the page every time. Sometimes being sick is feeling off-key, or sometimes it's quiet recovery. It varies. The symptoms are one part of your story, the rest is up to characterization and plot. Why is illness relevant to your story? Why is this character sick, and how is it different from another character? You can have a lot of fun with this.
Written by a human with a headache and too much experience lying very still, hoping it passes. If you liked this post, buy me a coffee... or cough medicine. 😔
i would like to share this because it tickles me so much
archive.org is a magical place full of magical books, a lot of which are in the public domain!! some highlights ive found while researching/getting inspo for Pitt things:
US Army Medical Course Modules (2016?)- love the pictures, love that it comes with a key so if you want to test yourself...
Nebraska State Medical Journal (1942) - there are a ton of these ?? They're all charming
The London Medical Student (1893) - fun and strange as hell
Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine Manual (2016) - learn about (mostly) current emergency medicine in 1k pages! (not a doctor)
Emergency department cases (2006) - thinking about writing casefic? This could help!
Practical forensic medicine : a police-surgeon's emergency guide (1911) - FASCINATING read.
Emergencies (1890) - one of the earliest american books I've found on emergency medicine. so interesting. (also used for my robby drawing lol)
Cure yourself! Quick cure at home emergency doctor books (1898) - just as wild as you think it'll be.
Emergency and hygiene notes for the militia (1894) - extremely quick read. basically a pamphlet. super interesting tho
La pratique de la chirurgie d'urgence (1872) - in french, frankly fantastic read though if you are able - and beautiful illustrations, besides.
and finally, my most beloved:
Medical notebook (1868) - don't let the first few pages put you off - this is a handwritten collection of notes from a young doctor in south carolina as a medical student. My favourite bit is where he practices his MD signature and writes poetry. absolutely magical experience.
i hope they can help someone for fic writing, illustrating, or just to peruse!! they're just so interesting!!
I often get asks about the logistics of a royal travelling somewhere, either abroad or just to the countryside. So this post is going to focus on how those journeys would be planned, how they would prepare, who would come with them and others nitty gritty details.
Destinations
Royals were actually commonly on the move around betwen various palaces and homes across their kingdom. Because of all of the homes available, it was not uncommon for a royal to get permission from the momarch to travel to a certain estate or palace, either owned by the Crown or a noble to stay or live for a while. Royals would sometimes undertake tours in foreign countries, living as the guest of neighbouring royal courts or visiting on behalf of their nation to improve relations. Royal families would go on holidays, usually into the countryside or to palaces by the sea but some would go off on foreign holidays to visit relatives in other countries, though this was usually a rare thing.
Packing
Royals didn’t pack light, not unless they wanted to make a swift getaway. Their ladies/maids in waiting/lady’s maids or valets would pack their things for them into trunks, suitcases and chests and it was up to the royal themselves to designate what would be worn or brought. Sometimes if the royal household was travelling in a large capacity, they would even take whole furniture sets with them or tapestries from certain palaces to furnish their rooms. If a royal was travelling for a social event or diplomatic event, they would bring along some bling and no royal would travel without a set of mourning clothes in case somebody. Now, if a royal is only heading somewhere overnight, they probably wouldn’t take a lot of stuff with them.
Staff
Royals would not travel alone. They can’t hop on a horse or train and motor down the road without a companion or a guard. Official tours and travels would see a royal accompanied by guards, personal body servants, companions, people to take care and unload lugguage, people to drive and take charge of horses or cars, their households etc which would total to about fifty or so people. But of a royal was just going privately, they can get away with taking a few guards, one personal servant. Royals travelling even in cognitio under a false name amongst the public would never venture out alone because to do so would risk their lives and reputations. There is no exact number of what is appropriate or what would be seen as too much. It is mainly a show of luxury and power to have as many servants as possible and to impose their care upon your guests.
Transportation
Royals would travel by all means. Trains, planes, automobiles, zepplins, horseback, in carriages and sedan chairs. These routes would all be vetted first, swept for bombs or assassins, their routes double checked for any traps or adverse conditions that could put them in harm. No royal is getting into a carriage and speeding off without everything being cleared beforehand or a plan in place from security.
Hey guys! I'm doing some "author uplifts" where I take an author photo (if they want) and pictures of their works (with links where to buy) and make posts and YouTube videos talking about each one. I'm hoping to start a back log so I can set up a schedule to release them regularly (still deciding on once a week or once every other week).
This YouTube channel is basically going to be posting about writing How To's, author uplifts, profession connection (where I basically post about cover artists/models, writers looking for cowriters/commissions, etc. to connect them together), writing resources, writing prompts/submissions (I'm hoping people will tag me or submit their pieces based on the writing prompts I post so I can read them - with their permission and links back to the original pieces - as a means to get better at narration for when I want to make my own audiobooks).
I'm not charging or anything like that for author uplifts. I figure if I'm trying to build a community centered around something I love, I can also bring attention to authors/writers who deserve all the love and share the spotlight.
Would anyone here like to send me a link to their works (and a photo of themselves if they so desire - not required) so I can make a post/video about them? I'm just starting out, so gaining traction will take a while, but you know what they say: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago but the second best time is today.
I had a bit of a rough Friday. I ended up needing to go to the hospital for an asthma attack (I’m doing much better now and well on my way to 100%, thank you for asking!) and got an IV. Stressful, yes. But the silver lining is that I walked away with a bruise.
So, I thought… well, why not document it for when I need to write bruises? And I have a Tumblr, so… you are in the boat with me.
Let's study my IV bruise and how it changes every day for more accurate writing.
(Images and warnings under the cut)
Two warnings before we start:
This is NOT medical advice: I am not a doctor, and I am definitely not qualified to give medical advice. This is purely a personal documentation of an injury I happened to sustain. Please consult a professional if you have your own medical concerns!
Skin Tone Context: I’m not white. I am biracial and have fair skin, usually matching the 2nd or 3rd shade of a neutral to neutral-cool foundation, depending on the brand and how much sun I’ve been getting. I mention this because bruising colours show up quite differently on different skin tones, so keep that in mind when using this for your own character descriptions.
1) The IV Placement:
It hurt when it was inserted, but not terribly (but it was aching a bit the whole time it was in, which makes me suspect it poked something it shouldn’t have).
Yes, I have very juicy veins, you'll see it when my arm isn't covered up. I’m a vampire’s favourite dish and a nurse’s easier patient.
2) 8-10 or so later
This was about 10 to 12 hours after the poking. You can see it’s starting to bloom. I thought it was as bad as it would get and I was wrong.
It hurt quite a bit, especially right at the insertion point and a little lower, where I think the tip of the needle ended up. Because they insert it at an angle to follow the vein, it’s a very delicate spot.
One thing I noticed was how much it bled once the IV was removed. Even with the cotton and tape, it soaked through in a circle about 2cm wide. It closed up on its own eventually; I was able to remove the bandage in the shower (about 40 minutes after the IV was out), clean up the last bit of blood, and it was fine.
3) 24 Hours Later (Day 2 – Today)
It is very ugly, to be honest, it has darkened significantly. It is tender right at the insertion point, but even more so at the bottom, where it’s darker, where I think the needle wasn’t supposed to go.
I tested the surrounding area by poking my other elbow; it also hurt a little, so I’m attributing the “ouch” factor to the muscles themselves simply not liking being squeezed. They are entitled to that, they are just doing their jobs.
And that’s where we are! Since I’m still currently living through Day 2, we have yet to see the rest.
I’ll be back with another update eventually, so you’re welcome to stick around.
