#InspirationEverywhere - Utilizing illness in your story

I’m sick today, and that sucks. Even though my head feels like it’s filled with slime, it did give me the idea for this blog. After all, what is more human than getting sick? And odds are regardless of the universe you’re writing in, your characters should probably get sick too. In this post, I’m going to be discussing minor to moderate illnesses versus obvious life-threatening diseases - after all, I’m sure we all know how important those are to stories and movies like My Sister’s Keeper, Five Feet Apart, The Fault in Our Stars, and so many others.

Force interactions between characters

Someone being sick is a great excuse to get characters together. Love it or hate it, in Breaking Dawn Bella being sick while pregnant forces two different species to congregate and form a temporary truce. In teen romances, one neighbor often has to go next door to assist if someone falls ill. And in the Netflix Asian rom-com’s I’ve been obsessed with lately (Strong Girl Bong-soon anyone?) getting sick is the perfect excuse to shove the protagonists together and make them fall in love.

Trap or lure characters

In the second book in my series, I plan to write about characters who are suffering from radiation exposure, making them very sick. Because of this, they’ll be trapped in a key location. This will force my main crew of characters to visit the sick individuals and discover all sorts of plot important information. Alternatively, falling seriously ill can trap your characters in a dangerous location, setting up ambushes, dramatic rescues, or a heart wrenching goodbye.

Make your characters more human

Sickness makes characters more three dimensional. Often in superhero or action movies like the Jason Bourne franchise, people jump off buildings, get shot, or fight off half a dozen pursuers and are able to keep going like it’s no big deal. While this is definitely badass, it isn’t very realistic. Jason Bourne doesn’t have to deal with sprained ankles, colds, or old wounds. But your characters probably should. We can all relate to a runny nose, headache, or a fever.

Add to your world building

Even if your story isn’t set on Earth, I’m sure there are illnesses that run rampant across your world. Think about Frodo in Lord of the Rings when he gets stabbed with a Morgul-blade and is poisoned. Is getting shanked the same as getting sick? Not really, but it’s still a good example. This illness leads to a dramatic chase scene where Arwen must take Frodo to the Elves to save his life. We also learn key plot information about the Nazgûl, who they are, and why they’re after the One Ring. This helps us get grounded in Middle Earth and its history without an information dump.

Using illness as a plot device can add a ton to your story, from character development to world building to romance. If you’re at a loss with how to force the characters forward in your story, consider sickness as a tactic! Using it in your writing is much better than real life - I’m going to keep chugging tea and see if my cold finally gives up on me.