The Mindful Migraine

Migraine Stories

My aim for The Mindful Migraine Blog, is to validate what people with chronic pain go through; I see you and understand you – I AM YOU.

I also aim to help people who DON’T have migraines and other chronic pain conditions “get it”.

On Instagram I occasionally post AI images to try to express the nightmare of chronic migraine, and it recently occurred to me I might also be able to do it with fictional short stories.

I have always loved the gothic genre (and was briefly, long ago, a Goth). That’s why I decided to write gothic-styled short stories that highlight the horror story that is a life lived with chronic pain.

[Image source: a much younger me!]

So, if you want to get a fictional (but oh so real) taste of migraine terror, or informational posts that include fictional writing elements, here’s a carousel of some of the short stories that I have published on the blog – click on the one that tweaks your interest, and the blog will take you there (most stories take between 7 to 10 minutes to read):

Because my stories have been well received – I’ve had a go at fashioning longer projects. Below is my free ebook “A Gothic Migraine” which includes 11 short stories, and a final chapter which explains what was going on in some of the more cryptic scenes of the other stories.

As such – spoiler alert – read the last chapter last.

There are also narrative Easter Eggs mixed into the short stories, so try to keep an eye out for recurring character names, themes or motifs to expand your reading experience.

[NOTE: if you click the file name on the left, it opens it as a PDF on another tab, or if you hit ‘download’ it will drop the file into your Download Folder. You are NOT subscribing to any newsletter or updates, and the website does not require your email or any personal details – we live with enough spam as it is, you won’t get any more from me.]

Oh! And if you want to print out the PDF to read it as a hardcopy – probably don’t print the front and back cover pages – they’re almost all black and you’ll lose all your toner!

Let me know what you think in the comment section below – BUT – don’t include any details that might ruin surprises for other readers.

Thanks for reading – it means a lot to me!

Linda xox

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MAJOR UPDATE – NEW STORY INCOMING!

OK, so after writing some Migraine Gothic short stories for Halloween in late 2024, I had another, more recent, sojourn into creative writing when I turned my attention to the creation of a short story / novella with an eco-gothic vibe… I’m calling it “UNCANNY: Every story has more than one side“.

I posted the first couple of chapters as blog posts that appear on my main page, but they’re not totally in keeping with mindfulness healing. So, thanks to your encouragement, I’ll keep writing chapters (7 all up) as time permits, but instead of posting them to the blog, I’m going to keep there here for you to read instead.

If you click on each chapter link below, it will open a new tab on your computer, where you can read the PDF file online – or download it to print if you prefer reading a paper copy.

ENJOY!

All done – thanks so much for taking the time to read my creation!!

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Want more? Keep checking the Migraine Gothic tab (here) for short stories as they come out. L xx