I can't think of anything clever

─ .✦ If your villain monologues for more than two paragraphs, your hero should've escaped by now or at least checked their phone. Real people don't wait politely for evil speeches to finish. They interrupt, get bored and say things like "okay but can you get to the point I have dinner plans."

─ .✦ Stop having your characters look in mirrors to describe themselves. Your protagonist doesn't wake up and think "I looked at my reflection and saw my shoulder-length auburn hair and piercing green eyes." They think "ugh I look like death" and move on. Find literally ANY other way.

─ .✦ If every sentence in your action scene is the same length it reads like a grocery list with violence. Short punchy sentences for fast moments. Longer flowing ones when they catch their breath and realize oh god that hurt. Variety is your friend and so is rhythm.

Here’s what you’ll need to know! Learn all about the wonders of the human body and add scientifically-accurate drama to your stories.

MALNOURISHMENT

DEATH: average - 21 days (3 weeks), max ever recorded - 70 days (2.3 months)

6 HOURS: grouchiness and hunger due to lack of glucose.

24 HOURS - 48 HOURS: hunger very apparent; pains in stomach; body has entered ketosis and is using fatty acids as energy.

72 HOURS+: muscles begin to get broken down for energy.

You will become: increasingly depressed, irritable, hysteric apathetic; decline in concentration, comprehension and judgement; social isolation and withdrawal; possible self-harm.

If your character doesn’t eat for 5 consecutive days, they are at risk of Refeeding Syndrome. This is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.

recommended reading:

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

Psychology of starvation based on the above experiment.

DEHYDRATION

DEATH: average 3 days; some live 8 - 10 days

for the calculations: TWV = total water volume in body; average adult loses 2.5 litres of water per day.

Assuming that your character does not eat, drink or absorb any moisture.

9 HOURS/2% TWV: thirst, discomfort, dry skin, loss of appetite; 50% loss of performance for athletes; elevated body temperature, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, dizziness when standing, decreased fluid secretion (sweat, urination, tears, etc).

24 HOURS/6% TWV: sleepiness, severe headaches, nausea, tingling in limbs.

36 - 72 HOURS/ 6 - 15% TWV: no urination, seizures, muscle spasms, shriveled skin, fainting, vision dimming, delirium.

72 HOURS+/15% TWV+: Organ failure.

recommended reading:

dehydration on the psychology wiki.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION

DEATH: not known, but can stay awake for 11 days; max chronic sleep deprivation ever recorded (until death) - 6 months.

NOTE: This does not mean you can stay awake for 6 months. It means you can survive that long with chronic sleep deprivation - going days without sleep and then sleeping once or twice.

24 HOURS: mental ability impairment of someone who has blood-alcohol content of 0.10%; everything is worse - emotional control, memory, attention, decision-making, hand-eye coordination.

36 HOURS: hormonal spikes everywhere; losing time; lack of motivation; head buzzing like you’re dehydrated.

48 HOURS: microsleep, regardless of what you’re doing (you fall asleep for 1-30 seconds and then become disorientated);

72 HOURS+: say goodbye to higher mental processes like decision-making and planning. Also, say good bye to saying goodbye because even simple conversations are hard.

80 HOURS+: … and hello, hallucinations!

recommended reading:

this article of a soldier’s experience with sleep deprivation.