Thursday, July 16, 2009
Writing and Flank Pain
I spend forty hours a week in a sterile environment. Life and death situations are as close as my fingertips. I’m conditioned to anticipate the next instrument to place in the surgeon’s hand, it doesn‘t mean I’m always correct, but you have to allow for the man factor. Most of the time I hand them what they need and not what they ask for, it works to both of our advantage. Surgical procedures are performed in steps, and unless some unforeseen occurrence happens, they move as precise as the hands on a Tag Heuer watch.The more I write, the more I discover the correlation between my day job and my writing process. When I‘m experiencing a good day I imagine a new idea for a story. On a bad day, a patient experiences a sharp pain in their flank area, and a desire for pain medication. Before I start a story, I immediately gather information by research, and brainstorming. When a patient arrives in the emergency room, the admitting doctor obtains the patient’s medical history. After brainstorming, I develop a starting point for my story. The ER physician compiles lab and x-ray data, discovers a kidney stone and consults a urologist. Based on the size of the stone, the urologist decides whether to perform surgery. The patient receives a preoperative medication to relax them before surgery. I put on my pajamas, grab a glass of Diet Coke and get comfortable in my desk chair. The patient is placed on the surgery table; I put my desk chair in the swivel- rocking position. The nurse preps the patient with an antiseptic solution; I prepare my highlighters, and adjust my keyboard. The nurse places the patient’s legs in stirrups while I visualize how I can incorporate a set of stirrups in my story. The surgeon enters the room to perform the surgery; my hero takes center stage and commands the scene with an overconfident swagger. The surgeon confidently performs an x-ray with contrast, visualizes the stone, inserts a small basket into the patient’s ureter, curses when he drops the stone the first time but removes it on the second attempt. My hero scopes out my heroine, attempts to understand her, and finds himself running into her just on general purpose. He lassoes her heart, but not before he drops the ball on an important occasion, but in the end he delivers a happily ever after.
You’re probably wondering why I’m comparing writing to the removal of a kidney stone. Even though I made a small satire out of the two comparisons, it alleviates a lot of my writer anxiety. There are many gray areas in writing. Yes, there are specific rules one can follow, but I’m a person who feels comfortable only with experience. In my early years as a surgical nurse, I sweated the small stuff. I’ve learned the most by experiencing a situation in a swim or drown fashion. I had to rely on my own instincts, and thankfully, I had enough nursing experience in another field to carry me through the process. My writing experience has followed the same path. I wrote my first story by the seat of my pants, because I had no idea what I was doing. I totally relied on the passion I felt for the characters. I continued to write because of the encouragement I received from my peers. I continue in the field of nursing because I find reward in the healing process. If I haven’t learned anything else about writing, the most important thing that pulls me out of the darkness is my belief in what I want my characters to achieve. A part of me always feels every struggle, every tear, and every triumph that I create on the page.
The hardest and darkest points in my life have been about doubt in my ability and regretting not doing more when I had the chance. The most shining moments in my life have been about believing that good follows all the strife and effort I have experienced in this world. The more I write, the more I believe that good will come.
Does your day job in any way compare to your writing process? What lifts your spirit when you experience a dark point in your writing life?
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25 comments:
Wow, Lis! This is an amazing blog. :) Thank you so much. :)
My day job (mommying) doesn't really compare to my writing process. And for now I've blocked my real career (teaching) from my mind. LOL!!
But I can address your second question. You folks lift my spirit when I'm having a dark point in my writing. Last week I ranted about being in a stuck spot and I got such good and supportive advice that I started pushing forward again.
Great comparison, though. Writing like a kidney stone. I wouldn't have ever gotten there. LOL!
I would agree with Marnee - day job isn't too much like writing process to me BUT I am so incredibly glad I met 2nd Chance and she introduced me to this site.
The pirates here are exactly what I needed to get going and I know I can stop by everyday and get some encouragement!
I heart you Lisa.
Truly ingenious blog.
When I'm feeling the writer blues, I have you guys. You've listened to me plenty in emails Lis. Blogging helps with the blues as well (at least I think) because it gives me an excuse to get my mind off my writing troubles and focus on another area of writing for a few minutes.
Otherwise I shop. And when I shop I spend lots of money. And I shouldn't spend money if I'm going to go to Chicago later this year and which, I will be kidnapping you Lisa. I can't sleep in a bed by myself. *whining* Seriously, who am I going to feel up in the middle of the night if it isn't you?
And I loathe the thought of thinking about my day job. I'm so glad it's Friday. There are too many distractions in the office to be compared to writing, though home life is pretty distracting. LOL If I had to compare my job to my writing, there would be a lot of preparing not a lot of actual writing. LOL
Marnee, Thank you, but this is one of those blogs that I pulled outta my tootie because I had nothing:) It's amazing that those are the ones everyone admires.
I couldn't agree with you more. My writing friends, and my work friends are my biggest cheerleaders. They always come through for me, and I always have the good Lord to rely on, he's pulled me through so many valleys in my life.
I think education would definately compare to writing. You have to prepare a lesson to teach and execute that lesson on a blackboard...think writing and storyboard:)
Sabrina, I'm glad you found us. The more on board the better the rum flows:)
Sin, I double heart you.
Your day job is more like writing than you think, but is your like me, I accomplish a lot more at my day job.
Retail therapy is a must. It can bring me out of the worst day with a smile and a destroyed credit card. A new purse and new shoes could cure world peace in my opinion.
I'm sure that Lorie will snuggle with you in Chicago:) I know that you enjoy spooning with me, but it's time I cut the cord...
My day job as a pirate or my day job as an "Academic Advisor"?
Yeah, actually I can make a correlation between my AA job and writing. My AA job requires me to process applications for admittance into the program. This job is usually only satisfying AFTER you've completed it, rather like writing is. Most of the time we enjoy the act of having had written and not writing itself.
And with applications, you can just leap into admitting people. You have to make sure the folder is complete--much like trying to write a book without having a sense of who your characters are. If you don't know who your characters are, how do you know how they're react when you give them a very bad day?
Once you've got the folder (character) sorted out, you get to enter them into the database. This can be tedious most days because most days your phone rings or a faculty member pops his head in the door or a student stalks you and asks about his application for the 40-billionth time. Nothing gets done. You practically forget how to do a fucking folder. And you just dont' bother doing them because you'll only get interrupted again--and it's any use if you're only going to do ONE folder and not the whole slog of them. The folders pile; the deadline looms; the interruptions still happen.
Then you pick a day where you stay late--and everyone else is gone--and you do folders (write). It's great. You get it done. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel; you're in the zone. You finish and think, "Folders aren't that bad. There is something rather cool about doing folders." You brag to everyone how many folders you got done.
Then the process repeats itself the next day.
Ooooooh, no. You think you're going to wiggle your way out of this? I will come to your house and stalk you babe. If you don't go, I will either room by myself, or.. well, I'll have to do the unthinkable and consider truly not going.
But I've been nursing the retail therapy for about a month now. My CC is bleeding. LOL But I tell myself it's for a good cause because I can clean out my closet and donate everything to the womens shelter. See, everyone wins during retail therapy time.
Hellie,
Beautiful correlation! Thank you for that comparison.
Life as a pirate definately compares to the life of a writer. Pirates scope out the next ship to seize, just like a writer plans or contemplates the main points of a story. The pirate drinks lots of rum in the process, and so does the writer:) The hero gets the girl, and Hellie gets Jack Sparrow and lots of loot from the seized ship.
Sin what weekend is the Chicago trip? I have a nursing conference the last WE in September.
It is the last weekend, I think. I will stalk you at the nursing conference, you wench.
I can't wait until the last weekend of this month. Work conference for me. I'm going to sit by the pool and veg. It will be so nice.
I miss Jack. I need a good shag...
Great blog Lisa! I guess my day job does relate to writing, since my day job *is* writing.
So let's see. The boss says, "Hey, write a chapter for this book on the history of our field." So I spend a year (literally) researching the history of our field. I read 900 pages worth of dry, boring, academic journal articles. Then I condense and summarize all that information into a 75 page chapter.
Then I go home, gripe about how much I hate my job, sit down at my computer to write the real stuff (i.e. the romance!) and heave a huge sigh of relief that I at no point have to think about the Vietnam War protests affected the creation of new University courses in peace.
Can anyone else tell how much I hate my job? I think that in itself is a huge part of my motivation to write fiction. If I can just sell a book or two, I can quit. Ah, just the thought...
But when I need motivation for writing, when it gets sucky, I generally whine here and get all the encouragement I need to push forward!
Hellie, I'm with you on the shag...
Sin, Hope you enjoy the conference. You deserve some R&R. You can stalk me anytime. *wink*
Hal, I admire your occupation tremendously. What a golden opportunity to learn about locations, cultures,politics and history to weave into your fiction. Your wealth of knowledge astounds me. I've often thought about using my medical knowledge to write medical romances, but I don't know if it would make my writing life too much like my work life. I like the separation.
It does help, to be able to mix the two. And it's not mostly knowledge I already have, but sources I have because of my day job. Like last month, I needed a safe house in a neighborhood of Belfast that was Protestant but would never cooperate with the police. So I called up one of my boss' friends who's a reporter from Belfast, and he ran through all the different neighborhoods and helped me pick the most likely for this particular scene.
Medical romantic suspense is hot right now, if you want to write it. But I could see how keeping things separate would get difficult. On the bright side, you could turn the doctors you don't like into evil villains harvesting organs for the black market or what not. That part would be fun!
Having a number of sources at your fingertips is so beneficial. I have a few close surgeon friends who would gladly lend me a scenario,or medical knowledge.A few surgical scenarios I've witnessed could definately be written as a thriller. LOL
Lisa, I would really like to see you try to distill the humour from your hospital experience and transfer it to your writing.So much of a hospital experience is serious, with patients understandably worried, that we forget that there can be a humorous side. I'm sure that you could find it and capture it in words!
We had a wonderful comedy series on the BBC a few years back called 'Surgical Spirit'. The surgeon 'Sheila Sabatini', divorced from an incredibly sexy Italian doctor, eventually marries her anaesthetist 'Jonathon' after some hilarious episodes.
My favourite was when a patient wanted to avoid conventional anaesthetic and use a hypnotist for pain relief. Jonathon was very interested and arranged for a consultant to travel to the hospital to perform the hypnosis. When the patient was prepared, Sheila poked her scalpel into his arm and enquired if it hurt. Negative response. She then prepared to slice into his insides, when he sat up saying he had changed his mind and recited some mumbo jumbo about planets being in alignment so that the omens were bad. If you get a chance to watch it I think you would love it!
I'm a bit of a fraud on this site, as I only write for fun and relaxation. My spirit is always lifted when I read these fascinating blogs though, and if any of you ever get published, my ambition is to be counted among your greatest fans!
Lovely Blog :D
Oh dear!
Please replace 'if any of you ever get published' with 'when you all get published' :oops:
LOL Q!
Those pirates might make you walk the plank for that one!
Great blog! My day 'job' is school. I am a student. A student that has changed her major more times than she(or anyone else) can count.lol. I don't think my continual trudge through academia and utter skill at vacillating compares to my writing. Well, my characters are young...and my actual writing process is a bit of a trudge. So perhaps my writing life compares perfectly with my 'job' life.*g*
*blows kiss to Q* It's okay Q. Have a Scotch. It's Friday. Of course it's WHEN we get published, but at the rate we seem to be traveling, IF also works. *LOL*
*squeezes Q*
You always have the lovliest comments:)
I must Google "Surgical Spirit." Maybe I could catch an episode on the internet. It certainly sounds like a hoot! I'm currently enjoying a series on HBO called "Nurse Jackie" The humor and situations remind me of the craziness that happens in the operating room. I really have considered writing humorous medical romance. My peers at work certainly encourage me to do so. Foe some reason they think I'm hilarious. *g*
No woriies, as much non-writing as I have accomplished in the past year I'm considered a fraud as well. I may be in a wheelchair when I publish, but I'm totally okay with eating a bran muffin while doing book signings.
Kelly,
Thanks for stopping by! The fact that you write while going to school is quite an accomplishment. I can't imagine doing both.
Lisa - you would rock at humorous medical romances. You do funny well -- you have that sarcastic comment down to a science :) (I mean that in a good way!)
Lisa, I saw the stone and almost got sick. I've had one too many and they are painful. I'd much prefer to be on your end. As far as the day job, I'm a stay at home mom, delivered two of them 100% without drugs. My pregnancies were difficult but the labor was easy. Once they were ready, they were ready. I hope my writing is somewhat similar. The creation of the story is difficult, but once it's ready, it's ready.
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