Its not always that idyllic. I have a string of night shifts coming up. So writing will be on hold. But I have about six chapters of choppy sequel right now. S
Thank goodness my dog understands me. At least he keeps me company while I prune buckthorn and saw the overgrown honeysuckle. It's a lot like editing. Every time I think I want to add something to the yard I realize how much more editing it needs. Then I come inside for a hot chocolate (this time of year), sometimes an Irish hot chocolate, and get back to work.
Its not always that idyllic. I have a string of night shifts coming up. So writing will be on hold. But I have about six chapters of choppy sequel right now. S
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It feels good to be writing again. I am outlining a stand alone sequel that takes some of the themes from Alan and Jerry's conversations and goes on the road. Think miscommunication/lost in translation/timing off/travel comic disasters. And that's all I will say wihout giving too much away.
http://smashwords.com/b/229691 Happy to announce that ROOM FOUR is now available via smashwords and other channels in pretty much any format you can come up with for an ebook, I have lost track. Phew. Formatting work done, time to get back to the real work, writing!
Thanks to Bill Thompson for a great interview on www.thebookcast.com
His website is an excellent source for finding your next good read and he was a lot of fun to talk with. I have been on hiatus from writing and blogging to take the family to Costa Rica. Zip lines, snorkels, horses, surfing, jungle hikes, and coffee table in the hotel did me in on the last night of the vacation.....one bad toe sprain that still has me hobbling. More time to write. I'm thinking a lost-in-translation type book with an Alan character. Not necessarily a sequel but rather taking someone a little neurotic and There is a fine line between cliche and characters that people can relate to. Yes, interns are awkard, idealistic, and yappy. I've been all of that. Veteran docs can be cynical. That's not me all the time but sometimes, OK at 3am with the umpteenth drunk patient of the night, definitely. But I hope my characters are more universal than cliched.
The goal is character rather than cliche. But when the guy with the mullet and the "born to lose" tattoo rolls in hand-cuffed for medical clearance after he got tased....man, the stuff writes itself. Yes, facebook may be full of pictures of people's cats or what they cooked for dinner but technology can still do something good for humanity. And the ability to download ROOM FOUR from anywhere with an internet connection is definitely good for humanity.
It's the little things in life. So Room Four is now out on Amazon. I have never been more excited to see a colorful little rectangle show up on my computer screen. I thought it would come with a trumpet fanfare, maybe a fly over my house just now when I was outside watering the new pachysandra. But no, just checked the computer and there it was.
Phew. But now I have to really start on the next book. There are four different ideas percolating and I have been waiting to see which one floats to the surface and wins. Most logical would be to edit my second book (Room Four is my third. The first is in a drawer never to see the light of day. It's that bad. The second is not as bad but now I know what work it needs. A lot. That's why I may just start fresh. That's the way it goes.) But first a celebratory cup of coffee. It's funny. From working on an ambulance in Chicago to medical training, to time in the Army, to practicing now in Wisconsin I have been in well over a hundred hospitals. Friends who have read ROOM FOUR and have worked with me in various places have said "Dr. Maglio is totally Dr. So-and-so" or "I KNOW you based True on Nurse So-and-so," and it's fun to hear the guesses. They aren't based on anyone in particular but of course are inspired by many, many different people I've come across.
True is the uber-nurse. Overworked and underappreciated. Maglio...you mean doctors come across as know-it-alls? And the interns: well, we've all been there. I've tripped over my own feet more than once. Once, I even needed stitches as a result. Now, more importantly, will somebody please clean out the d%mn work fridge? There was an elderly gentleman admitted to palliative care who actually did die on the ER bed. I overheard the argument (not quite as heated as in the book) between the two docs about who had to fill out the paperwork and thought, hmm, what if bureaucracy was so bad it could literally hold up your SOUL?
The other side of Jerry is the patience and grace of so many tough old folks coping with the various indignities and discomforts of getting old and being sick....I wanted to show that but also give them a voice, give them permission to gripe about it. So while Alan is more neurotic about his worries, Jerry has a wiser attitude of "F*#k it!" What if there is nothing good about this situation yet here we are, may as well have fun. He's more wise than cynical. Last night the neighborhood kids were all playing a game of lacrosse/football/wiffle ball into the basketball hoop before breaking off into a mad game of dragon tag. "Don't run with that stick!" to the four year old. "It's OK, it's not a stick. It's a wand," was the reply.
Creativity is alive and well. It's all around us. Snooki is publishing her autobiography. Think of all the marketing effort to keep certain stories in front of us. The media may not tell us what to think but too often it tells us what to think about. Visit your local library or independent book store. Read a new author. Inspiration is out there. |
AuthorER doc, army doc, busy mom, dog walker, author of ROOM FOUR, working on a sequel and an unrelated screenplay... Archives
April 2017
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