Writing the Everyman Doctor
He's just trying to hold it together
Back in July, I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Authors on Mission podcast, hosted by Danielle Hutchinson. The video went live this week on YouTube. We talked about The Regression Strain, the writing process, self-publishing, and why I chose a cruise ship for the setting. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of her questions and her commentary on the topic of writing from a place of authority and confidence.
So whether you’re a healthcare professional, an engineer, a teacher, or whatever field you’re working in, you also have the unique experience and perspectives that the world needs to hear…The question isn’t whether you have something worth sharing, but whether you’ll take the first step to share it.
— host Danielle Hutchinson
The conversation covered how I started the novel after years of wanting to but not knowing where to start, why I eventually committed to the “write what you know” advice, and how self-publishing turned out to be a rewarding pathway for me.
One thing I emphasized was that self doesn’t mean alone. I worked with a developmental editor, copy editor, proofreader, cover designer, beta readers, and a writing group at The McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics right here at the medical school where I work. That saved the book. I had set the novel down for months, and it was only when I had to submit a scene for workshopping that I picked it back up. Feedback and encouragement from my colleagues were vital to continuing my journey.
I also described the protagonist, Dr. Peter Palma:
I wanted to write about a doctor who was really struggling with a lot of things and felt more like an everyman character rather than some super know-it-all, cocky type of hero. He's kind of on the younger side for being a doctor. He's only a couple years out from his family medicine residency. And so he knows a lot about medicine, but he also has basically some of the self-doubts that doctors have in in real life about about many things.
I also shared my two main pieces of advice for aspiring novelists.
First, if you’re writing in a genre where story structure is important, learn about the various structures and ways of getting the words on paper. Pick one method and try it out. If it works, stick with it, instead of trying to absorb every framework out there.
Second, be intentional about when and from whom you seek feedback. If you get it too early, from too many people, the resulting feedback might be overwhelming and conflicting. I had to learn how to select feedback to incorporate into my drafts.
You can watch the full episode on YouTube. (Note that Authors on Mission was renamed Authority On Demand.)
I recently finished The Examiner: A Novel by Janice Hallett. I went into it with only the knowledge that it was written in epistolary format and it featured art students. Quickly it became obvious that it was set in the UK, and I was unfamiliar with some of the terms, but not to the degree that it hampered my appreciation of the story. What blew me away were the twists and turns in the latter half of the book. It went from mildly interesting to bonkers, in a good way. I was also paying attention to how much I could dive into the interior lives of the characters, since there were no prose sections. Turns out, not so much, but the plot made up for it. Jem, with her absolute confidence of youth, was my favorite character.
—Kevin
Wisdom !!