on Fiction University:

Put yourself in a scene before you put your characters there.

Years ago, there was a bit of a scare in the Hardy household. Our oldest cat took a tumble and hurt his hind leg. He was fine (he just limped for a few days), but until I knew he was okay, I was a basket case. For the rest of the day, I was a nervous Momma, and that continued until my little guy was back to his old self.

In the grand scene of things, it was no big deal.

To me, it was a huge crisis. Someone I loved was hurt.

Even worse, someone vulnerable I loved was hurt and needed my help.

When bad (or even good) things happen to your characters, put yourself in their shoes and look at how that particular moment will affect them.

As the writer, you know if the situation is just a minor blip or major deal, but the character doesn’t know that. To them, it might be the worst thing to ever happen, or something that consumes them while it’s happening. If it’s a good thing, it might distract them from warning signs or things they ought to be noticing or paying attention to. Consider: