by Jason Joyner | Jan 12, 2012 | Blog, medical, unforseen delays, writing, Writing Wednesday
Our regularly scheduled programming was delayed due to the family stomach flu making its presence known. After a day of being wiped out and generally useless, I figured it was time to talk about medical issues in writing.
If it hasn’t come out before, I work as a physician assistant. No, I’m not still working on finishing medical school as some people ask. Being a PA is its own profession. We just were saddled with an unfortunate title when we started. Some people want us to be physician associates(?), but I digress.
Obviously it is easy for me to write medically in my fiction, and it is a great way to introduce conflict, tension, or roadblocks to my characters. For those who aren’t in the medical field and want to make a medical condition a part of their book, it takes good research to make it believable. That’s true for everything, but there’s plenty that can go wrong in medical research. I read a novel with an astronaut who was hiding multiple sclerosis. No way would she have been able to hide such a thing, and it always bugged me when it came into play in the plot.
There’s plenty to be found on the internet these days, but you do have to be careful of your sources. Someone came to me today asking about “liver stones.” Google can be an enemy as much as a friend here!
I would suggest reading from reputable sources first of all. WebMD, CDC, your professional organizations like the American Heart Association – all of these would be good primary sources. If you want to address a controversial issue, look for those as well, but make sure you understand the foundation of the issue and both sides if you can.
Don’t just rely on the web. Most health care providers I know would be happy to give you some advice. I would be fine answering questions, and I have asked specialists at conferences about issues that were out of my field of practice. Be respectful of their busy schedules, and I am sure you can find someone who can help you out.
One person who has a specific blog for this is Jordyn Redwood’s
“Redwood’s Medical Edge.” She is a nurse with lots of emergency and pediatric experience, and she provides regular content on medical issues, from historical medicine to current issues. Want to know how fast someone would bleed to death?
She’s got the info for you!If I have one pet peeve, it is characters’ getting hurt in some way, and the author forgets about it. Mary Sue just leaped from her second story window to escape the Big Bad Guy, and hurt her ankle – but she still runs away a few pages later with nary a limp. Keep it real, people!
This is a quick discussion of medical issues in fiction. There are so many avenues to explore here. If there are specific topics anyone would like me to discuss, leave them in the comments and we can have fun with those.
Just remember to wash your hands people!
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by Jason Joyner | Jan 12, 2012 | Blog, medical, unforseen delays, writing, Writing Wednesday
Our regularly scheduled programming was delayed due to the family stomach flu making its presence known. After a day of being wiped out and generally useless, I figured it was time to talk about medical issues in writing.
If it hasn’t come out before, I work as a physician assistant. No, I’m not still working on finishing medical school as some people ask. Being a PA is its own profession. We just were saddled with an unfortunate title when we started. Some people want us to be physician associates(?), but I digress.
Obviously it is easy for me to write medically in my fiction, and it is a great way to introduce conflict, tension, or roadblocks to my characters. For those who aren’t in the medical field and want to make a medical condition a part of their book, it takes good research to make it believable. That’s true for everything, but there’s plenty that can go wrong in medical research. I read a novel with an astronaut who was hiding multiple sclerosis. No way would she have been able to hide such a thing, and it always bugged me when it came into play in the plot.
There’s plenty to be found on the internet these days, but you do have to be careful of your sources. Someone came to me today asking about “liver stones.” Google can be an enemy as much as a friend here!
I would suggest reading from reputable sources first of all. WebMD, CDC, your professional organizations like the American Heart Association – all of these would be good primary sources. If you want to address a controversial issue, look for those as well, but make sure you understand the foundation of the issue and both sides if you can.
Don’t just rely on the web. Most health care providers I know would be happy to give you some advice. I would be fine answering questions, and I have asked specialists at conferences about issues that were out of my field of practice. Be respectful of their busy schedules, and I am sure you can find someone who can help you out.
One person who has a specific blog for this is Jordyn Redwood’s
“Redwood’s Medical Edge.” She is a nurse with lots of emergency and pediatric experience, and she provides regular content on medical issues, from historical medicine to current issues. Want to know how fast someone would bleed to death?
She’s got the info for you!If I have one pet peeve, it is characters’ getting hurt in some way, and the author forgets about it. Mary Sue just leaped from her second story window to escape the Big Bad Guy, and hurt her ankle – but she still runs away a few pages later with nary a limp. Keep it real, people!
This is a quick discussion of medical issues in fiction. There are so many avenues to explore here. If there are specific topics anyone would like me to discuss, leave them in the comments and we can have fun with those.
Just remember to wash your hands people!
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by Jason Joyner | Jan 9, 2012 | Blog, Mission Monday, missions, prayer, YWAM
Many people would like to pray for missions, other countries, and different prayer needs. Where can you find such information?
One tool I know about provides this and a whole lot more.
Youth With A Mission produces a Personal Prayer Diary each year. It comes in a nice day planner with areas for notes, calendars, articles about Kingdom issues, as well as information about every country and specific prayer highlights each month. The diary also has a Bible reading plan that takes one through the Old and New Testaments once and Psalms and Proverbs several times.
The diary also includes an encouragement to pray for the Seven Spheres of Influence that I’ve talked about before. Each day of the week is reserved to lift up concerns regarding Church and Religion, Family, Government and Law, Education, Science/Health/Environment, Business, and Media and the Arts.
I’ve used this for years, although often sporadically. This year I am committed to diligence in praying for the daily topics. I know many people are tied to their electronic devices, but this slim and durable book is a more than a planner – it has the potential to impact the world if people use it to pray for the nations.
Right now they’re only $11.89 at the World Christian store, and I’ve seen it listed on Amazon as well. Check it out if you’d like a simple way to make a difference!
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by Jason Joyner | Jan 9, 2012 | Blog, Mission Monday, missions, prayer, YWAM
Many people would like to pray for missions, other countries, and different prayer needs. Where can you find such information?
One tool I know about provides this and a whole lot more.
Youth With A Mission produces a Personal Prayer Diary each year. It comes in a nice day planner with areas for notes, calendars, articles about Kingdom issues, as well as information about every country and specific prayer highlights each month. The diary also has a Bible reading plan that takes one through the Old and New Testaments once and Psalms and Proverbs several times.
The diary also includes an encouragement to pray for the Seven Spheres of Influence that I’ve talked about before. Each day of the week is reserved to lift up concerns regarding Church and Religion, Family, Government and Law, Education, Science/Health/Environment, Business, and Media and the Arts.
I’ve used this for years, although often sporadically. This year I am committed to diligence in praying for the daily topics. I know many people are tied to their electronic devices, but this slim and durable book is a more than a planner – it has the potential to impact the world if people use it to pray for the nations.
Right now they’re only $11.89 at the World Christian store, and I’ve seen it listed on Amazon as well. Check it out if you’d like a simple way to make a difference!
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by Jason Joyner | Jan 6, 2012 | Blog, Free Friday, Gem, Girls Like Us, human trafficking, Rachel Lloyd
In my last post I listed my favorite fiction books of 2011. There was one other book that impacted me in such a way that, even though I focus on fiction, I have to highlight it for people.
Girls Like Us – by Rachel Lloyd.
It is the memoir of a young woman who had a rough upbringing, ended up being trapped in the world of sexual exploitation by a boyfriend who was also her john, and managed not only to escape the life but start a non-profit organization called GEMS that helps girls in similar situations.
It is a raw book because it is a raw topic. Rachel’s story, and the examples of the girls from her charity, are real and ugly. They are stories that need telling.
I was interested in supporting the fight against human trafficking before – this book sealed it. It is a powerful read, sometimes unsettling, but never boring. There is much in our culture that lends to the commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls. Pornography, the idolization of pimp culture in popular music, the ways that families and social services break down and leave children vulnerable.
I talked about the book in detail here. If you didn’t read it before, I hope you check out the post, but most of all the book. It is a wake-up call, and it is a significant marker in the battle against modern-day slavery.
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