Thread: Beat Up Nurse Turned Writer

My name is Theresa. I was working as a registered nurse in critical care when I got beat up by my combative elderly patient. She was a girl too. She was quite feisty. Anyways, I have always loved writing and must always be doing something, so after months of wallowing in self pity on disability I started to write again.

I have written one novel and am searching for an editor (and a mentor) and am not sure if I will go the epub or traditional publishing route. I would love to hear more from you all. For more information you are welcome to visit my website on my profile.

I am only 22 and when it comes to the literary world I need all the advice I can get. It doesn't look like I will be getting back to work anytime soon, but in the meantime I want to continue writing, regardless of whether I get published or not. Writing brings me joy and keeps me from depression and restlessness. I will keep doing it so long as it keeps bringing me that joy.

Just wanted to introduce myself. I look forward to hearing from you all and interacting with your community.

Respectfully,
Theresa

How awful! And of course if had been able to fight her off, she'd have accused you of abuse and you'd be without a job now anyway. Is your novel about this experience?

Originally Posted by theresarn

I have written one novel and am searching for an editor (and a mentor) and am not sure if I will go the epub or traditional publishing route.

First off, a big howdy.

Now, choosing an editor is a subject for debate. The consensus here is that you're better off having some literate friends look your manuscript over vis a vis paying someone (I paid and I like what I got). You can post snippets in the appropriate forum. The Writer's Workshop is limited to WF members only, and can give you some peace of mind regarding poachers. Anyway, usually someone will read and critique your work. It's free advice, and worth much more than you paid for it.

My take on the 'e-publish' thing: It has it's place.
If you aren't trying to sell a popular genre (YA, pop fiction, most non-fiction), agents won't give you the time of day. It's rough economically out there, and the publishing industry will only try to sell what they can make money on. It matters not how good your work is. So, if you wrote a niche' story (in my case, sci-fi) your best bet is self-publishing. At least someone may see your work and enjoy it.

There are plenty of forums that cover these issues. Just seek and you will find.
Keep writing. See you around the forums.

Hello there Theresa, and welcome to the forums. Sorry to hear about what happened to you, and I hope you'll soon be fit again. As to finding an editor, actually there is no need for one. If your manuscript gets accepted by a publisher, you'll be appointed an editor and he or she will work with you.

Hi Theresa. Welcome to WF.

Welcome to WF Theresa

I am so sorry to hear about what happened to you. I wish you all the success with your writing endeavors and hope that you enjoy your time here with us.

Thank you so much to everyone for your positive feedback and welcoming!

The book I have completed is about 75,000 words give or take depending on how much more I hack at it or add to it. I've rewritten it dozens of times but I think it's time for me to just say it's done already. I guess the reason I have been looking for and editor is probably because I just want to pay someone to tell me my writing is ready

No, I did not write about my patient attacking me. It happens all the time (this is just the first time I got disabled from it) and I could sum it up in a sentence or two. I have a bigger point to get across then the injustice of nursing and hey the lady was sick, right?

My book would probably fit more into contemporary main stream fiction. The theme of the book is quality of life, inspired by seeing so much brain death, vegetative patients, and just plain old death in my line of work and by witnessing how all of this affects family members, patients and the caregivers. It sounds morbid, but I told the story through the eyes of three different medical professionals in a lively setting and get my point across with the help of a love triangle, real characters, and a lot of humor.

I really love the characters I have created. For example, my villain seemed so evil at first but by the end of the book I love him the most. I made him human enough that I can empathize with who he is and why he became the way he is. He came so alive that I had to go back and beef up my other characters so they didnt pale in comparison.

And this is no soap opera crap. There is some romance, but there is a lot of dark humor and a lot of discussion about life and death through different fictional patient situations. I know I am young, but I have seen so much already and I have been able to immerse myself in the culture of healthcare in such a critical setting so that I really enjoyed creating characters whose voices are often not told by those who truly understand.

One problem I am concerned about is the use of medical verbage. I did scrub it out quite a bit, but I still had to give the characters integrity. My concern is that the reader wont wade through the obligatory dredge of science.And since I am telling the stories in alternating first person POV it really doesnt make sense for Dr. Neurosurgeon to explain what a ventriculostomy is when he knows what it is already. That is a problem for me.

I have had some "beta readers" comb through it and a really hypercritical best friend go through it so I have had a lot of feedback and have combed a lot of the medical terms now, but now I want feedback from writers. There's also the fact that people love to watch House and Grey's Anatomy even though they have no idea what some of the junk they are talking about is.

I will definitely be sharing with you some excerpts and would love to see yours as well. Due to my OCD, I am combing through a tad more before I share parts of it with you. Thank's to my back, I have ten hours of mindless light duty in the basement of the hospital where I will write and converse with you all more.

Thanks so much again for the warm welcome!

Hi Theresa, welcome.