The Mindful Migraine

Migraine Stories

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

It has also aimed at helping people who DON’T have migraines and other chronic pain conditions “get it”.

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

I have always loved the gothic genre (and was briefly, long ago, a Goth). That’s why I decided to write 13 short stories that highlight the horror story that is a life lived with chronic pain. The first story was written as an early experiment for the blog, and because it was well received, I was encouraged to explore the idea further in another 11 stories. The final chapter 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.

[Image source: a much younger me!]

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: in downloading the file, you’re not subscribing to any newsletter or updates, and the website does not require your email or any personal details – the PDF will just drop into your Download Folder.]

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

PS – If you’re not keen for a full ebook download and want to stay reading on the website: here’s a carousel of some of the blogposts that include short stories and creative writing experiments:

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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 – one day I might write another installment of what happens next – thanks so much for taking the time to read my creation!!

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