Writing Rapid-Fire Fits?

[AceOfSpades]

Hi there! 

I have a character that sneezes in really fast fits— the type that makes it difficult to catch a breath in between sneezes. However, I’ve never really been into fits, nor have I ever sneezed like this myself, and so I’m not exactly sure how to go about writing it.

To folks who do frequently write this kind of sneeze, how do you describe it? And how do you spell it out, if at all?

[SnzDreams]

I actually just recently dabbled in this exact thing in one of my fic wips! As far as spellings, I found it easier to like... spell out just a few of the sneezes and describe the rest as they keep coming with narration. Spelling out every single sneeze in the case of those rapid fire, prolonged fits just didn't feel productive to me and interrupted the flow of the story. But that's just my experience and thought process- there are no hard rules when it comes to writing! I hope this helps at least give you a place to start- happy writing! 

[AceOfSpades]

On 4/11/2024 at 8:43 PM, SnzDreams said:

I actually just recently dabbled in this exact thing in one of my fic wips! As far as spellings, I found it easier to like... spell out just a few of the sneezes and describe the rest as they keep coming with narration. Spelling out every single sneeze in the case of those rapid fire, prolonged fits just didn't feel productive to me and interrupted the flow of the story. But that's just my experience and thought process- there are no hard rules when it comes to writing! I hope this helps at least give you a place to start- happy writing! 

Ooh, that does give me a good place to start, actually. Thank you!

[Wig_Powder]

Assuming these rapid-fire fits mean short, fast sneezes, I'd personally suggest one of two options.

Option 1: Write sneeze spellings that all look fairly similar, adding some variety while also suggesting regularity and rapidity. Alternatively, you could just have the same sneeze spelling repeated four or five times, suggesting the sneezer is stuck in a cycle.

Example: “Eshh! Shh! Tchh! Eh-gshh!”

Option 2: Put hyphens between the sneezes (which one again should either be identical or very similar to each other), which makes it look like it's all one word. Maybe make the last sneeze in the set a different spelling, size, or format like bold or italic to make it sound a little more intense.

Example: "Hatchh-hatchh-HACHHT!"

Either way, I'd probably only write out four or five of those sneezes, then mention in the narrative that the character proceeded to have a fit of eight, ten, whatever number you prefer. That way, it doesn't all feel samey to read.

Hope that's a style that works for you! Good luck with the writing!

[AceOfSpades]

On 4/13/2024 at 2:29 PM, Wig_Powder said:

Assuming these rapid-fire fits mean short, fast sneezes, I'd personally suggest one of two options.

Option 1: Write sneeze spellings that all look fairly similar, adding some variety while also suggesting regularity and rapidity. Alternatively, you could just have the same sneeze spelling repeated four or five times, suggesting the sneezer is stuck in a cycle.

Example: “Eshh! Shh! Tchh! Eh-gshh!”

Option 2: Put hyphens between the sneezes (which one again should either be identical or very similar to each other), which makes it look like it's all one word. Maybe make the last sneeze in the set a different spelling, size, or format like bold or italic to make it sound a little more intense.

Example: "Hatchh-hatchh-HACHHT!"

Either way, I'd probably only write out four or five of those sneezes, then mention in the narrative that the character proceeded to have a fit of eight, ten, whatever number you prefer. That way, it doesn't all feel samey to read.

Hope that's a style that works for you! Good luck with the writing!

That’s exactly what I meant, yeah!! Excellent advice that I will be implementing, thank you!!

[aceblues]

There's a fic with really good writing for an extreme rapid fit here on the forum.. I'm just not sure if i'm allowed to link to it or not lol but if you look it up, its on the forum as "Harry Styles and The Interview Incident"

I'm personally into rapids and allergies and that fic continues making my heart pound years after reading it the first time lol. not sure if its helpful or not, but happy writing!