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All my writing (writings?) from social media and financial services articles to science fiction novels and short stories.

Self-Review – A Chance Encounter in Time

Review – A Chance Encounter in Time

One of the more notable things about A Chance Encounter in Time is that it represents the first appearance of character Sharon Ensley. I grew to really like Sharon, and would love to create a series for her.

I wrote this short story during second quarter 2021. This was a year when I was writing every single day until November, when I switched over to NaNoWriMo.

Background

While I was not exactly looking for another way to use the Obolonk universe, it almost chose me. So, in a way, this story is a way to find other uses for that universe. After all, it’s far too well-developed to just forget about it.

I also was not necessarily looking to write a story about the West Islip Public Library, but here we are anyway. With my mother’s death in 2023, any writing about WIPL is kind of special. It was her last employer.

Plot

Time traveler Sharon Ensley seems to be stuck in August of 2001 when her temporal disc cracks. But when she meets Tim Parker and he offers to try to solder her disc back together, the two start to work together.

But then Sharon uncovers a major change to the timeline which is clear proof that someone has tampered with the events of 9/11.

Characters

The major human characters are Sharon Ensley and Tim Parker. There are some more minor human characters who are Sharon’s colleagues. The only one with any real screen time is Marlon.

Obolonk characters are They Say This One is Very Efficient (her assistant) and They Say This One Holds Time Close. The latter runs the time travel organization.

Sharon mentions a temporal sensitive like Josie James, but never identifies that person.

Memorable Quotes {Sharon Explains Hawhoa to Tim}

“The disc creates the field after I give it a command. And then away we go. But no matter what, I should tell you about Hawhoa.”

“Ha-what?”

Sharon smiled for a second. “We don’t use pure water anymore, not really. We use Hawhoa. “

“Use?”

“Yeah—to drink, bathe, flush, water the plants, you name it.”

“But don’t we need water to survive?”

“We sure do. But see, there’s a ton of space in atoms. And…”

“Excuse me? Aren’t atoms really tiny?”

“Yep. But there’s empty space in them. Hawhoa takes the two hydrogen atoms and the one oxygen atom in regular water, and it crushes everything together slightly.”

“How slightly are we talking about?”

“Smaller than bacterial flagella. To use the technical term, teeny weeny. “

“Technical, heh. Why is that done in the first place? “

“The very slight increase in density makes it possible to use fewer water molecules to accomplish whatever you want to do, like wash your socks.”

“Wait, so this is a form of recycling?”

“More like cutting waste, but yeah. It makes it possible for more people to live in one space or another.”

“So, the future is crowded?”

“Yep. And Hawhoa is a bit more viscous than regular water. Don’t want you to try to take a shower and think it’s just clear jelly coming out of the showerhead.”

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways

I really love some of the inventions that I came up with to move this story along, including multiphasic glyphs, Hawhoa (pronounced hey-whoa), and the Sapient Timeline Theory. Oh, and Carter Bando’s Rules of Time Travel. There are also a transportation disc (I also call it a temporal disk), a utility disk, and an information disc.

The transportation disc is fitted with a semi-living organism that helps to direct time travel. In a way, it ends up giving more depth to the time travel technology which I showcase in Time Addicts. Since Sharon is from a lot later than Josie (I may change that), it makes sense that the tech would change.

I like Sharon a lot and this is a great story to use as a springboard to maybe an entire series about her. We’ll see.

But the Obolonk universe is a mighty big tent. It would be a shame to waste it.


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Self-Review – A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

Review – A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

In the quest to write the ultimate ‘fish out of water’ story, I wrote A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults.

I wrote this story during second quarter 2024.

Background

I love the idea of someone just kind of being tossed into an odd situation not of their own making. Because that is precisely what happens to both Flora and Thomas.

Plot of A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

When Flora Levy receives her inheritance, it’s just a stack of books. But one of them is Fairy Tales for the Skeptical Adult.

And when she starts to read the book out loud, a sudden crash alerts her to the fact that this has somehow summoned a character from the book.

Can a modern woman and a character from a book fix problems in two very separate worlds?

Characters

The human characters include Flora Levy, Florence Levy (her great-grandmother), Prince Thomas, King Richard, Queen Catherine, and Constance Selene. Animal characters include Auburn, Robert, Brownie, Quicksilver, and Swift.

Much like a lot of other fantasy tales, the animals talk. And to make them a bit like I suppose the Disney version of Cinderella, the animals even help out. Therefore, you see Auburn (a red fox) arranging Flora’s hair for a banquet. Robert the mouse is a scribe and does calligraphy.

In fact, the animals are considerably more trustworthy than a lot of the humans turn out to be. #spoileralert

Memorable Quotes

Flora cautiously crept toward the source of the crash. It was the next room—the Victorian house had a lot of small rooms—a place where she grew plants, both flowers and some vegetables.

She turned the corner in the small hallway and came face to face with the source of the crash. It was a man of perhaps forty, wearing breeches, stockings, brogans, and a brocaded cloak over a cambric shirt.

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, open-mouthed. The intruder was… different.

You make no sense. Finally, she found her voice and, absurdly, brandished the thermos. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?”

“I, I,” he began, in an upper class British accent, “I’m the man of your dreams.”

Say what? “Buddy, you have no idea what is in my dreams.”

“I, I still am. It is I, your, your dream.”

“I’m not interested in some reject from a Renfest. And how the hell did you get into my house in the first place?”

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways for A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults

I am not so thrilled with how I ended this one. It just kind of runs out of gas. But apart from that, I believe it works pretty well. Flora starts out a little like Sandra Bullock at the start of The Net. That is, she’s essentially alone.

I do like that this is one of the things that changes about her. But it’s not necessarily what a reader would expect.


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Self-Review – A Show for the Galaxy

Review – A Show for the Galaxy

A Show for the Galaxy takes place now or in the near future. When aliens challenge us, we expect a fight with soldiers, bombs, and guns.

But that’s not what the aliens have in mind at all.

I wrote this story during second quarter 2021. This was a year when I was writing every day, even when it wasn’t November.

Background

The Earth has two choices. Either participate in an interstellar arts competition, or lose an opportunity to join a huge intergalactic alliance. While it would not necessarily mean the end of the world, self-destruction would be inevitable without interstellar friendship.

Essentially, the fate of the world is going to be decided just like American Idol.

Plot

When the story opens, Charlotte (the narrator) describes the stakes and the production. A number of actors and behind the scenes people are chosen to represent the Earth in stagecraft.

There are other arts to represent the Earth, like sculpture and weaving. But the story is only concerned with treading the boards.

When the troupe is cut off from the grid, the cast falls into despair. They have no scripts! But then Charlotte pulls out her secret weapon—a small volume of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which she always carries around for luck.

Charlotte has gravitas. She was already a retiree when the alien challengers chose her. And so, she ends up in a director-type role. But it’s also because she has the script.

Characters

The characters start with narrator Charlotte, who is playing Portia. The man playing Brutus is Chase Marquis, who was born Chuck McKay. Charlotte refers to him as ‘an afternoon snack of a man’. He’s young enough to be her son.

And, of course, there are the other people in the production and those who work behind the scenes. Plus, there are people who represent other arts on our planet. But Charlotte never names them.

There’s also President Menosky, although we only see him at the very end.

Memorable Quotes

All the others are far younger than I am. And—horrors!—we were cut off from the grid.

With no way to access scripts, my fellow thespians started to panic. That is, until I pulled out my secret weapon.

See, it was a gift from when I first started out. My acting teacher gave it to me. Now I realize she was probably hitting on me. But no mind. I kept it because I’ve always loved this play. And now, it’s the only game in town.

I’ve got a paper book. It’s Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. And thank God we can create an entire production around this little, humble book.

I was in several productions, and I’ve always played Portia, so of course I am playing her again. My Brutus is an afternoon snack of a man—Chase Marquis. Or, as he was born, Chuck McKay.

I’ve taken on a kind of director role; and thank God they all listen to me. We’ll put on the best and greatest production of Julius Caesar in the history of whatever.

Or we’ll die trying.

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways for A Show for the Galaxy

I originally start to write Charlotte as almost a cougar. But then I decided she would drop anything frivolous and just concentrate on helping the troupe save the planet.

This story isn’t even 1500 words long, yet I feel it accomplishes its objective handily. I really should query this one!


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Self-Review – Mandy Goes to Aspen

A Look at Mandy Goes to Aspen

I like Mandy Goes to Aspen because the character is so matter of fact about everything. Even the fact that she’s been hurt pretty badly. But then again, it’s nothing compared to what happened to other people.

This story was written during first quarter 2021. The initial prompt was a single word: avalanche.

It is the first of the short stories I wrote that year. My intention was to write every single day, and I followed through pretty well.

Background

These prompts were more or less random, and I had no plot or plan for this story. But I think it turned out pretty well. Still, the truth is, it did not start to truly come together until I changed Avalanche to A. Valanche.

And one of my favorite parts of this little story is the opening line:

Well, that sucked.

Plot

Somewhat ditzy and average-level talented Mandy Johnson goes to Aspen in order to schmooze with agents, acting coaches, directors, and other actors.

But things take a turn when Mandy is trapped in snow after an avalanche during skiing buries her.

With sardonic humor and a lot of very necessary ingenuity, this aspiring ingenue survives the big one.

Characters

The characters are Mandy (er, Amanda Catherine Johnson, to get technical) and Carol. I never give Carol a last name. There’s also Mandy’s agent, Arlene. But Mandy only mentions Arlene and we never see or hear her ‘on screen’, as it were.

There are also people in the lodge but again, Mandy only refers to them but the reader never sees them. Most of the story is more like a soliloquy.

Memorable Quotes

You know, those huge, slobbery dogs that I am totally afraid of? Those great big lumbering beasts. I hope they have tequila. Or is it brandy? Scotch? Can you tell them your preference?

I’d like a not too slobbery Saint Bernard. And put margaritas in that little keg thing they wear around their necks.

If I absolutely must sacrifice, then I suppose I will live without salt. So uncivilized.

Who am I kidding? I would kiss the first rescue dog I saw.

But not French; it’s not in my contract.

Rating for Mandy Goes to Aspen

The story has a K+ rating. After all, falling down the side of a mountain would make anyone swear.

Takeaways for Mandy Goes to Aspen

I like Mandy. She’s not only a survivor. She’s also self-aware enough to realize that she’s not going to win any prizes. Mandy would be lucky to get a part as Go-Go Dancer #3 in some screamfest. Most importantly, she can figure out how to solve a lot of her own problems.

I have no plans for a sequel or anything else. But I should probably clean this story up and submit it somewhere.


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Getting Inspiration from TV Shows

Let’s Look at Getting Inspiration from TV shows

TV shows can be a great source of inspiration. And they can go beyond TV Tropes and even into something (almost, let’s not kid ourselves, folks) profound. So, what do I mean?

TV Shows

Let’s set the news aside. For the most part, we see three kinds of television programs:

  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Nonfiction

And then they subdivide, e. g. comedy divides into sketch shows like Saturday Night Live, or sitcoms like Will and Grace, or most cartoons. And drama divides into genres such as police procedurals, westerns, etc. Furthermore, reality television is really drama, by the way.

And finally nonfiction comprises the news and documentaries. But it’s also educational programming for children. While a few potential outliers (such as music videos), or hybrid programs with both drama and comedy (e. g. Desperate Housewives) exist, most shows hit one of the big three categories.

Inspiration

Because everyone gets inspiration differently, consider how fan fiction grabs you. Very often, you watch a program but feel it’s incomplete. Or you might want a different ending or to gender swap the characters. By doing this with all television, and not just your own personal fandom, you can garner a ton of inspiration.

Naturally, you need to stay out of copyright infringement territory. However, there’s no copyright on basic ideas, just on their execution. Consider all the fish out of water comedies. Or think of the many episodes with people caught in a freezer. They exist because those situations work. And all the writers do is add a different spin on it all.

Authentic Experiences

In addition, consider the characters and their portrayers. Why is a character of African descent? Is it because they are having authentic experiences, or is it an attempt at diversity, or is it tokenism?

When Jewish characters (for example) are on the screen, does the audience get more than an occasion reference to Chanukah? Or do they just get a surname, or a trope? Or worse, do they get thinly-veiled anti-Semitic caricatures?

Are LGBTQ characters more than their sexuality, or are they stereotyped, or is it no big deal? Or are they killed off quickly, once they’re no longer useful to the plot, the show runners, or the network? And look at the smart characters, the dumb ones, and the evil ones. Do characters have any sort of depth at all?

And who’s writing these experiences? Are members of marginalized communities represented in the writers’ room?

Takeaways

You can get great inspiration from television viewing. Look at shows with a critical eye and consider how you’d improve or change them. Mash them up and make these ideas your own.

TV shows can inspire writing. But steer clear of fan fiction if you want to sell your work, and keep in mind that the structure and tropes of television differ from those for the written word.


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Complex Evil Characters

Complex Evil Characters

For complex evil characters to work, you’ve got to give them some screen time, as it were. Because a paragraph or two simply will not cut it.

Backstory

Since evil characters are a certain type of character, it pays to give them a backstory as deep and rich and meaningful as the ones you give to your hero characters. Hence, just as you do with your hero characters, think about where and when they were born. Do they have siblings? Do their parents still live?

Maybe there were early signs of trouble. Did they start small? Could they have been abused or neglected? Did they abuse weaker, younger siblings, or animals? Both of those signify deep mental disturbances. Perhaps there is trauma.

Motivation (Motive)

So, why is this particular character evil? What drives their behavior? Because real human beings don’t just do bad things for fun, what gives? Are they seeking vengeance for something? Did they lose their own true love, their fortune, their family, or their home? Maybe they were horribly humiliated.

Characters who are evil simply for the sake of being evil are boring and unrealistic. Humans just plain don’t work that way (because people who are evil for the sake of being evil tend to be psychopaths in real life).

And the same is true of characters who are evil merely to drive the plot. Your terrorists need a reason why they do what they do, no matter how odd.

Means

And for your complex evil characters to do their thing, they need some way of getting it done. Hence an impoverished character would need funds, probably. Or a disabled character might need someone else to be the muscle. And a famous character might simply pay someone else to do their dirty work. Or they might need to be in disguise.

Means for characters can potentially also be about weaponry. Your French medieval society would only have rudimentary use of gunpowder. For example, Joan of Arc lived during a time of gunpowder use but didn’t necessarily use it herself. However, your evil character might just be a jerk or a person who calls others names. If that’s the case, then you should know which slurs were used when.

And pay attention to age! Evil five-year-olds are very different from evil fifty-year-olds.

Opportunity

Your complex evil characters have limitations if they live far from your other characters, unless they have access to fast transportation. Furthermore, modern or future characters can attack in cyberspace or its equivalent. Or maybe they can attack over the phone or via letter if you go back in time far enough.

There’s got to be some ancient Roman who attacked with words written on stone tablets, or via messenger. And if there isn’t, write one!

Attacks in person mean your complex evil characters are at risk. The victim might hit back. Or there could be shrapnel flying around. Plus there’s always a possibility of police involvement. People for real “commit suicide by cop”. Maybe your evil characters do something like that.

Is a Comeuppance for Your Complex Evil Characters Necessary?

Not every character gets punished, just as not every real-life criminal is caught. How do you want your story end? Or do you maybe want to open up the possibility of a sequel?

Rehabilitation

And even in prison or under a doctor’s care, not everyone changes their ways.

There are also issues with imprisonment. During a lot of history, it was just barely this side of torture, if it was at all. Even the best-run prisons, with the least amount of corruption, have dirt and danger. Also, there’s the question of suicidal evil characters. Currently, the American prison system is supposed to have good safeguards. But suicides still happen. Or murders which look like suicides.

Revenge

Your complex evil characters might want to avenge, well, nearly anything. And even if you used that as their motivation before, it doesn’t mean you can’t use it again. It can still work.

Complex Evil Characters: Takeaways

There’s a reason why this post is divided into motive, means, and opportunity—just like in a police investigation. You may want to consider such steps in turn when writing. They will keep you focused and help you to address areas you might accidentally overlook or gloss over.

Complex evil characters can be memorable. Just ask Hannibal Lecter.

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Getting Inspiration From Sexism

Yes, You Can Still Get Inspiration from Instances of Sexism

Sexism remains an unpleasant reality in our world.

Since sexism is still with us today, you might see it, or even experience it yourself. However, even an unpleasant experience can inspire fiction writing. Because sometimes, you just want to write a villain. And maybe your villain can eventually see the light and change, too.

Sexism At Work

In the United States, there are rather specific laws governing and prohibiting gender discrimination. However, that was not always the case. If you write historical fiction, things can differ considerably. Consider what gender discrimination means. It means judging a person’s characteristics or abilities based upon sex and often traditional gender roles.

Hence judges might see women as better parents in custody battles. Or men might get blue collar jobs more often due to perceived differences in physical strength. And this can happen even when physical strength does not factor into job performance.

Sometimes women lose out on promotions due to imagined differences in toughness. And men can find they are overly scrutinized in professions where they may be in the minority. These can be nursing or teaching or the like.

In Social Situations

Some instances of sexism have mild or semi-benevolent origins in what is gallantry behavior. Holding the door for someone is a nice thing to do. However, when a person only holds the door for women, that is move which treats the sexes differently.

Even a positive difference is a difference, particularly when it can be a vestige of not just gallantry. It can also be a vestige of behaving as if women are incapable of taking care of themselves.

Social sexism can also take the form of deciding who asks whom out, or who pays for a night out. Waitstaff can perpetuate this by asking for women’s food orders first, and also by giving the man the check. Teachers might perpetuate these behaviors by giving strength tasks to boys and praising the quietness or cooperation of girls.

When sex is an excuse for a snap decision about someone without taking specifics into consideration, then it’s sexism.

Casual Prejudging and Sexism

Whether you try to excuse it as locker room banter, or it appalls you, sometimes people indulge in this. And it can even happen almost inadvertently.

One area where this tends to happen is with apparel. It’s rare when boys or men receive judgment for what they wear. That is, unless it’s overly feminine, filthy, or completely inappropriate for the occasion or task at hand. Or it’s the wrong team’s jersey.

Women and girls are often judged by their clothes. It can be skirt or shorts length, the neckline of a blouse, or the height of their heels. And yes, sadly, that goes into the rape old trope. What was she wearing?

No matter what, we still hear it.

Sexism and Transgender Folks

As trans people become more common in our world, they, too, are often subject to sexism. But there is also a bit of it being self-inflicted. How does someone who is pre-surgery and even pre-hormones satisfy their need to be a gender they were not assigned to at birth?

It can be with some preconceived notions about the sexes. Transwomen may feel the need to wear a chic sweater set and pearls, and put on makeup. While women assigned female at birth knock around in jeans and sneakers.

And transmen may feel the need to grow facial hair (if they are able to). They may even embrace male pattern baldness if testosterone therapy turns that gene on in them. Contrast this with men assigned female at birth, who may use Rogaine or do anything to avoid a five o’clock shadow.

But Do They Experience Sexism?

You’d better believe they do. But with trans people, it’s likely to be wedded to transphobia or terfism. It’s even harder for minors who are trans.

Takeaways

Characters can remark on everything from who pays for dinner to who gets the right to vote. They can support sexist conventions by pulling out chairs for women and giving little boys toy trucks. They can upend those conventions by giving up seats on the subway to men. Or by giving little girls chemistry sets. Or by accepting trans folk wholeheartedly, and without reservation.

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Getting Inspiration from Music

Is it possible to get inspiration from music?

Why, of course it is! And, in fact, it can sometimes be hard not to be inspired by the music in our lives. And we may even, consciously or not, try to emulate videos in what we write.

Just don’t out and out steal, okay? But an homage? It should be fine.

Inspiration from Music

Music is a rather common pairing with writing. Some people cannot write without it. Others are inspired by it. Still others are haunted by it.

Lyrics

Sometimes, it’s the lyrics. For me, personally, I pay a lot of attention to lyrics. As a result, I have a lot of trouble listening to tunes while writing or even editing. I have to shut it off, as I am unable to concentrate.

But I do listen when I go outside or offline. For a fan fiction piece, I created a kind of bad girl character. However, she did not come to life until I listened to Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good.

It’s not just the words, though. And it isn’t just the video. The bass line did it, too. As a result, the character snapped into sharp focus. I could not stop listening to the song until I finished the piece.

The Sound of Music (The Von Trapp Family and Others)

For a genius character addled with ADHD, I wanted his mind to be going about a thousand miles an hour. The best way to do this was to listen to fast-moving songs. Therefore, this one was a must.

The song itself is kind of silly. The words are somewhat nonsensical. But the beat is fast. It’s not rap, although speed rap could have worked as well. Either way, the sound was discordant. And that was the idea. With so much clanging going on his head, the character was simply incapable of concentrating.

A Constant Companion

So, when I was writing Untrustworthy, Pompeii by the group Bastille was in very heavy rotation on a local college station that my husband and I listen to a lot. That song embedded itself into my mind and it became the song for that book. And to this day, I can’t hear this song without thinking of the book. And, for the most part, vice versa.

When Things Go Wrong

With the character of Peri Martin, a lot of her essence came to life when I started to listen to an older song I love—When Things Go Wrong, by Robin Lane and the Chartbusters. But for the romance, it was Squeeze’s Take Me, I’m Yours.

So for the successor Time Addicts trilogy, most of the playlist was songs about time. But two of them stand out: Time Waits for No One by the Rolling Stones and Got the Time by Anthrax (a cover of the Joe Jackson tune).

The Funky Ceilidh

Of course, Ceilidh O’Malley had to have this song by Black 47. In 2022, when I was writing a prequel to Real Hub of the Universe, I also listened to a lot of Irish music. But the song that really brings me back to her is always Pure by the Lightning Seeds.

The Whole Shebang

For Mettle, I saw the separate point of view chapters as episodes in a series or miniseries on television. And much like the TV show Murphy Brown used a lot of different music, I fell in love with the idea of giving each chapter or at least each character their own tune. But since the book mostly takes place in Boston, the characters would have their own song with some form of Boston connection.

So, here’s how that shook out.

This list is set up by character, song title, and artist.

  • Eleanor Braverman – I Do – J Geils Band (I may change this one)
  • Noah Braverman – Roadrunner – Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
  • Craig Firenze – Shipping Up to Boston – The Dropkick Murphys
  • Dez Hunter – It’s a Shame About Ray – The Lemonheads
  • Elise Jeffries – When Things Go Wrong – Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
  • Kitty Kowalski – The Queen of Suffolk County – The Dropkick Murphys
  • Minka Lopez – My Best Friend’s Girl – The Cars
  • Nell Murphy – The Wanderer – Donna Summer
  • Olga Nicolaev – Train Kept Rollin’ – Aerosmith (I may change this one)
  • Mei-Lin Quan – Voices Carry – ‘Til Tuesday

So then, for the love scene, it would be Boston’s More Than a Feeling. Of course, there are a thousand others I could add.

Because, do I want to leave out State Radio’s Counting All Crows? Or The Pixies’ Monkey Gone to Heaven? But at some point, you have to put a bow on it and say, “That’s it. I’m done.”

Enigmans and Others

So, I don’t tend to use a playlist for short stories. And The Enigman Cave never really got a song attached to it, either.

Creation

For those who need songs to write, playlists are a must. And you can find several on YouTube by searching on writing playlist. However, that might not work for a lot of people. Because writing is a personal thing, just like musical taste is. If I prefer disco, and you prefer country, we’re both right, so long as we keep writing.

So one great thing about YouTube is the ability to create private playlists. If your inspirational music of choice is BTS or the Bee Gees or Britney Spears or Beethoven or The Beatles or Bobby Darin—then that’s fantastic! And no one need be the wiser.

Music and Writing: Takeaways

If you need it, then by all means listen to tunes while writing or editing. If you don’t, then don’t. And don’t let anyone tell you their way is somehow better. It’s hard to find anything more subjective than this.

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Getting Inspiration from Injuries and Medical Care

For everyone who has ever received medical care (which would likely be all of us), the idea of putting it into fiction should be a natural. After all, not all of us have careers or families. But virtually everyone has gotten some form of medical care, even if it was just someone putting a bandage on a skinned knee.

Is it Possible to Get Inspiration from Injuries and Medical Care?

Of course it is!

Medical care matters in our lives, so it should matter in fiction, too. Because unless your setting is a magical one, somehow, some way, any hurt characters will need healing. And they may even need it in a magical setting as well.

Injuries and Medical care

Medical care might not seem like an inspiring subject. However, doctors and nurses naturally witness drama on most days. And some of the most compelling stories can be about that, such as Coma.

Injuries

So, have you ever broken a bone, or suffered a sprain? And if either of those things happened to you, what happened next? Did you faint? Or seek medical attention? Was it fast? Or maybe did your injury linger, even with an infection or complications. Did you need to have surgery?

And even if you were not the injured party, maybe a friend or a family member was. Surely, somewhere in your past, you signed someone’s cast, yes?

Illnesses

So we all know that illnesses, of course, can run the gamut. They can be mild colds or HIV. And they can be chronic, like diabetes is considered to be today, or a death sentence, such as Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is even more compelling and heartbreaking due to its gradual theft of the self.

And then there are pandemics, like Covid-19. What happens when medical care is rationed, or people just plain believe conspiracy theories which end up hurting—or even killing—them?

We may think of cancer as the worst of all possible diseases, yet treatments are better now than they ever have been. However, if you are writing historical fiction, that was not the case, even as recently as the 1970s or so. And if you aren’t squeamish, look up the treatment for breast cancer for John Adams’s daughter. Yes, that John Adams.

Childbirth

Of course these days only women and transmen give birth (although medical science may change that someday!). However, anyone can always witness it, not only the actual event but also everything leading up to it.

And don’t forget about how it can even be a bitter fight as to who gets to be in the delivery room. Mothers in law, I am looking at you.

Death

Of course death comes along with the territory. Consider the impact not only on the patient and their family, but on the caregiver(s). How do home health aides feel? And what about doctors, or even researchers trying an experimental treatment? Losing a patient is tragic, yes, but researchers can learn a lot from that.

Plus, naturally, the end can bring with it an autopsy. Or maybe the organs are recovered, for transplants or for medical research.

Malpractice

Let’s face it, it exists and it is troubling. How does it affect the patient’s family? Or the medical professional(s) who screwed up? Lawsuits and sorrow and guilt can all happen. Does anyone apologize?

Medical Care: Takeaways

Characters slip and fall, or they get battle injuries or just a cough. The medical care they receive matters.

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Getting Inspiration From Science

Are YOU Getting Inspiration from Science?

Science is one of the cornerstones of our existence. So are your characters scientific? Do they f’ing love science? And even if they don’t, it can still inform what they say and do.

Discoveries and Science

First of all, there is an enormous amount of inherent drama in trying to discover a cure for a disease. However, sometimes things go another way, where a seemingly serious breakthrough ends up having a rather different application. So consider minoxidil, which is used to treat baldness. Its original development was to be a drug to treat high blood pressure.

And research, with all its successes and failures, can spark drama.

Chemistry and Physics

So chemist characters can do everything from creating potions on the edge of magic to working in pharmacies. And your physicist characters can study the cosmos. Or maybe they build nuclear weapons, and experience all sorts of doubts and moral crises due to that. Furthermore, any of these characters can teach at the high school or collegiate (or graduate school) levels.

Biology and Geology

Maybe a biologist character could unleash a plague or study alien creatures. And a geologist character could warn of an impending volcano eruption (this would be a vulcanologist, actually), or maybe help find fossil fuels.

The Art and Science of Medicine

Beyond finding cures, doctors also handle people at their most vulnerable. And they see the weak, the sick, the dying, and the naked. So some physicians find humor in the absurd, like in M*A*S*H. Psychiatrists can work with the insane or just the troubled. And that can spill over into marriage counseling, or helping people figure out how to come out of the closet.

And, of course, there is caring for people who (currently) have an incurable disease, such as Alzheimer’s.

Takeaways

So whether your characters are blinded with science or just need to get a sprain treated, scientific observations and pursuits can often inspire great writing.

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