A New Project

WELCOME BACK!

It’s been too long since I posted here. I’m not much of a blog person, and I’m even less of a marketing person. But I have a new project that I’m super excited about, so here I go!

I’m writing a Writer’s Guide to Medicine. It’s a reference book for writers wanting to write about modern medicine, covering everything from how CPR actually works to what a radiology suite looks, smells, feels and tastes like. Wait, you didn’t know that the iodinated contrast used for CT scans gives a metallic taste when administered through the IV? See – you learned something already.

The general idea is to help writers more accurately depict the realities of modern medicine. It isn’t a comprehensive inquest, just an overview to help writers get started. Medicine is an intimidating field, full of alien acronyms, strange settings, and confusing conditions. There’s a high barrier to access, as many parts of the hospital are off-limits to the casual researcher, and medical journals are full of jargon and often not accessible without expensive subscriptions. Yet medicine is an integral part of so many stories, ranging from car crashes and gunshot wounds to deadly cancers and mental illness. How can writers get the details right if they don’t have the right tools?

 Thus, the Writer’s Guide to Medicine was born!

I’ll talk more about the specifics of the book – the series, actually – later. For now, I want to hear your questions.

What do you, as a writer, want to know about the world of medicine?

Email me, and every week, I’ll pick one question to answer on this blog. If I don’t know the answer, and can’t find it using my personal resources, I’ll point you to someone who can. Sound fair? Please remember – I am no longer a practicing physician. My aim is to help writers write about medicine, NOT to give medical advice. To give you an idea, here are some questions I’ve already received:

• I need to kill my character off slowly over 9 months. What diseases could do that?
• Can people with dementia sometimes remember things, but sometimes not?
• What does the inside of an operating room look like?

You get the picture. Email me your questions (info is on contact page) and I’ll do my best to answer. All right, let’s do this! I look forward to hearing your questions.