Chronic illnesses are more common than you think, yet the representation they receive in books is often lackluster at best, and offensive at worst. It mostly stems from a lack of knowledge and understanding, since a lot of authors don’t do enough research. This article can’t fix everything, of course, but it can provide a few general tips on writing about characters with chronic illnesses that should be a good starting point.
Research the Illness
This one should be obvious, but it’s not. Researching an illness involves a lot more than just knowing the name and a few common symptoms. It’s a good start, but there’s so much more to living with chronic illness than just that. Does it affect them all the time, or just sometimes? Do they have to carry medicine or equipment everywhere they go? Do they need — or are qualified for — a service animal? What are some of the complications that could arise from their condition?
Knowing absolutely everything about a chronic illness isn’t necessary. Not only would it involve a lot of deep, time-consuming research but even experts don’t know everything. However, understanding the basics of an illness and how it would affect someone’s life is paramount when creating a character with that condition. If nothing else, remember this: it’s better to know too much than not enough.
Characters Aren’t Their Illness
A character may have to make several accomodations for their illness, depending on what they have and how severe it is. But that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to them. They have their own ambitions, likes, dislikes, thoughts, feelings, etc. Labeling them as just a person with an illness is disrespectful.
Instead, explore what makes the character who they are. Illness can affect their daily lives, definitely, but there is always more to someone than just one thing. Find out who they really are, and work with that and their condition to create a compelling, wonderful character.
No Romanticizing Allowed
This is so common yet it’s not addressed as much as it needs to be. Romanticizing an illness makes it seem desirable, as if it’s something everyone should want and aspire to. And the illness is often not portrayed accurately, as it would hinder the story. To be frank, there is absolutely nothing romantic about having a chronic condition, about being sick, or anything related to the sort.
That isn’t to say that people and characters with chronic illnesses can’t — or shouldn’t — fall in love. It would actually be great to show that more in media. But it needs to be accurate, and it can’t focus solely on the illness that one or more of them have. It’s true that a romantic relationship between one or two sick people won’t be the same as one with healthy people. But that doesn’t mean that the illness should be romanticized.
Understand that Chronic Illnesses Affect Different People Differently
Symptoms, severity, how they live their life — these are all different for different people. One person may be heavily impacted by their illness to the point where they can’t complete tasks such as cooking or taking a shower. But someone else with the same condition may be able to do all those things without issue. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have the same underlying problem, but rather that they aren’t affected the same.
This is especially important if more than one character has the same illness. It’s not impossible for two people to have similar symptoms, but they shouldn’t be the exact same. Not only does it look like lazy writing, but it’s also unlikely. Instead, try to find out how that specific condition can affect people in different ways and then apply that knowledge to your writing.
Don’t Only Include Their Illness When it’s Convenient
This is one of the worst ones. Let’s say a character experiences chronic pain, to the point where doing everyday tasks hurts. They can still do what they need to, but it’s painful. Yet halfway through the book, they do something difficult, like moving heavy furniture, with little to no issue.
Not only does this bring the author’s credibility into question, but it also undermines chronic illness by portraying it poorly. Unfortunately, chronic conditions don’t just step back whenever it’s convenient — in fact, that seems to be when they flare up the most. Just keep in mind that chronic means it either persists for a long time or keeps coming back, not just when it’s convenient for storytelling purposes,
This isn’t everything one should know before writing a character with a chronic illness, but it’s a place to start. Happy writing!
Click here for more articles about chronic illness.
Check out Bookstr Team Recs shelf on Bookstr’s Bookshop page.
