by Jenny Powell MD
When I researched for my manuscript about the Apostle Paul, I wanted to know the impact of stones thrown at a body. How did stoning cause death? How far away from a body did someone have to stand to do the most damage? How does the body respond to such repeated insults?
Of course, the scientist in me wanted to know what happens at the cellular level, such as an influx of clotting factors resulting in Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, abbreviated to DIC, which in residency was referred to as “Death Is Coming.” Typing “Effects of Blunt Force Trauma Resulting in Death” in a search engine likely placed me on multiple watch lists. However, having access to medical texts and articles can come in handy when killing off a character.
You know NO ONE suffers a stoning and then gets up and walks back into the town that just stoned him, right? Check out Acts 14:19-20.
Now, I’m not going to detail in the manuscript that the blunt force trauma diffusely distributed throughout the body from multiple contusions will trigger a widespread hypercoagulable state, resulting in micro- and macrovascular clotting and compromised blood flow, which may lead to multiorgan failure. Yet, if this scene were featured in a Fox channel House M.D. episode, a cartoon characterization would illustrate this happening on the cellular level for the viewer. I simply desired a better picture in my head of what would have happened to Paul’s body and to describe just enough of those details to make it undeniably clear to the reader: Paul was stoned to death.
When he dies a second time in the end – oh, sorry, SPOILER ALERT! – I doubt anyone would misunderstand that the beheading killed him. Humans are not chickens.
I am aware that the desire for deathbed confessions or famous last words is one of both writers and readers alike. But, please, if you’ve never watched someone die, understand that the higher functions of the brain will go before the functions controlled by the brainstem. I was raised by an opera nut. Boy howdy, do operatic characters know how to die, belting out their dying regrets on a high note. If your character dies suddenly, they are generally dead before they know what happened. If they die more slowly, the chances are high that they will slip into unconsciousness before the heart stops and the cardiac monitor flatlines.
I was blessed to be present, along with my sister and my daughter, when my mother passed away. She was a week shy of turning ninety-seven and had significant multi-infarct dementia (usually from a stroke or two or seven). This differs from Alzheimer’s dementia in that memory is more of a “Swiss cheese” problem, whereas Alzheimer’s is a constant march toward full memory loss. Mom was mostly unaware of what was going on by the time we arrived at her bedside. We were all sitting on her left side, when Mom looked down at the right side of the foot of her bed and clearly said, “I don’t know. Don’t ask me.” Those were her last words before slipping into full unconsciousness.
Not exactly novel-worthy, but precious to us nonetheless.
When I’m reading, I most enjoy the poisoning scenes (I’m sure there’s a DSM-V diagnosis for that). The very best of which I’ve read is in “A Storm of Swords” by George R. R. Martin. If you want to know how to write a character dead by poison, that’s a great one to study. If it’s a contemporary poisoning, the fastest and most deadly is illicit fentanyl, a tiny amount of which will kill a human rapidly. Learn the places to have it injected where the injection site is less likely to be detected or load a cigarette with it, which will get it in the bloodstream almost as fast as venous injection.
Happy killing-off-your-characters!
Jenny Powell MD is a family physician, thanks to a call from the Holy Spirit, with a unique practice style and two busy offices, available to her patients 24/7. When not writing prescriptions, she works on her unpublished manuscripts, reads a lot of novels, and supports ACFW writers. Visit Jenny on her website and Instagram @jpowellmdauthor.
Comments 4
🤣 This was so helpful! I’m not killing my character, but he will die. This tied up some loose ends. Thank you!
I’ve wondered about Paul’s stoning. (So terrible!) I’m glad you all got to be with your mother as she passed. On a lighter note, “Boy howdy, do operatic characters know how to die,” haha!
I planned to kill a beloved character in the early drafts of my manuscript. However, as I developed him and fleshed him into a multi-dimensional character to make the reader feel the character’s loss, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I cried and struggled over multiple ways to go about having his death play out. An altercation in which a poisoned blade was used was the concept that stuck out, and having him suffer the effects of the poison afterward. Alas, I couldn’t go through with it. However, said “death” was important to the story because it affected the characters and the plot. So, I worked out a compromise. Ambiguity, misconception, treachery, and a few lies. However, I like a bit of irony when dealing with poisons, so I explored a different way to play with those. 🙂
I found this to be one of the most fascinating blog posts I’ve read this year. I appreciate the rec for a Storm of Swords. May God continue to bless you as you finish your manuscripts and I can’t wait to read what you write!