When writing, always conduct extensive research.

Undoubtedly, a lot of research is needed for those with no medical background. In this regard, assistance of someone in the field and or an expert on the subject is beneficial while writing a proposal and certainly during or after completion of the manuscript.

My novel “Have A Heart” deals with the intertwined lives of three individuals: Anna, a Russian ballerina who defects to America, develops heart failure, survives a cardiac arrest, and ultimately is in need of a heart transplant. Dr. Ali, the head of the heart transplant program at a New York Medical Center, and Nancy, Ali’s wife who dies on 9/11.

My experiences as a Cardiologist informed my medical fiction novel.

As a Cardiologist and a specialist in Heart Rhythm Disorders, I was well aware of the techniques of heart catheterization, the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders, the technique of implanting a defibrillator, as well as the technique of heart transplant firsthand. Moreover, I knew the complex histories of patients, their trials and tribulations dealing with their heart ailments, and the long and tedious journey, a road filled with cracks and crevices while awaiting a heart transplant and post-transplant. Thus, I did not have to do any research regarding these issues; however, for someone not in the cardiology field even if she or he is a doctor, this would be a most challenging task. Being an expert in the field also has its disadvantages when writing a novel. 

I wrote for the lay reader and not for the experts.

One has to carefully fine tune all the technical elements so that the writing is understood by the lay reader. I had to constantly remind myself that I am not writing for the professional, but for the reader who does not know about the complexities of heart disease and heart transplantation. This in itself is not an easy task and takes multiple revisions and re-revisions. 

For the novice my advice is that writing fiction of whatever genre comes down to re-writing until you get it all together and are ultimately satisfied with the product. It is also important to get feedback, not from friends or family members, but from writers. 

In this regard belonging to a writers workshop is useful. You will get many different opinions since impressions of fiction are after all subjective and not objective, unlike in the sciences. Ultimately, the author will have to decide on what advice he or she will take and what advice will be discarded. Before sending a manuscript to an agent or a publisher it is worthwhile to get a professional line editor to look at the manuscript.

 Most writers do a reasonable job in editing their own writing, but in the process they are apt to miss spelling mistakes, commas and the like for the simple reason that they have read the manuscript so often, perhaps a hundred times or more and therefore the mind is unable to recognize errors in writing and syntax.       

I researched a variety of topics outside of medical fiction.

It is noteworthy that my novel not only deals with medical issues, but also ballet, religion, culture, the political upheavals of our times, including 9/11 and its consequences, as well as the search for inner truth. 

I am not a ballet dancer, nor am I a critic of ballet, which is an art form I knew little about except for attending some performances. Thus, I had to do considerable research on ballet which included attending several ballet performances, and since Anna was a Russian ballerina, I visited St. Petersburg, Russia and attended the Mariinsky Theater and a performance by the Kirov Ballet. I also had to research the Islamic faith and Russian culture to better portray Ali’s and Anna’s character.

In conclusion:

Writing a novel is a complex undertaking that involves: the beginning, the middle, the end, the arc of the story, and the complexity of the characters. In this regard, one has to develop the characters and give them free reign to tell their stories and in the process create a storyline. In this novel the main protagonists: Anna, Ali, and Nancy, came from very different and diverse cultures. 

Indeed in literary fiction often and in particular my case, it is the characters (the main protagonists) that create the story. They take control of the writer while writing the story. For example I knew the beginning and also knew that the novel would be about heart transplant, where one of the main protagonists would suffer from a severe cardiac ailment known as cardiomyopathy that results in heart failure and cardiac arrest. I also knew that there had to be a doctor as a main character who would provide health care for Anna, but beyond that I had no idea where I was going. I did not know how the story would unfold and the role the characters would play in the story. 

I let the characters shape the story. And after the manuscript was complete, and the story unfolded, I took control of the characters during the revisions to better shape the story line. In this process, more narrative is added, some removed and a timeline is adhered to. 

Good luck and all the best in your writing.

Dr. J. Anthony Gomes MD, also Antonio Gomes (nome de plume) and commonly referred to as Tony, hails originally from Goa, India. He studied both English (in Mumbai) and Portuguese (in Goa). Besides English, he fluently speaks Portuguese, Spanish, Konkani (local Goan language) and understands French and Hindi. He immigrated to the US in 1970 after medical school.

His book Have a Heart (Serving House Books, September 2020) explores the intertwined romantic and professional lives of three individuals. It explores a torpid romance between a patient, Anna, and her doctor, Ali, the clash of cultures, the political upheavals of our times, the tribulations of waiting for a heart transplant, and the search for inner truth. Fans of dance and the performance arts, films like The Red Shoes and Black Swan, and shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy will love diving into this story. 

His third book written for internists, medical students and the lay public in general is entitled: Rhythms of Broken Hearts due to be published in mid 2021.

The post Writing Medical Fiction appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I am so excited to have doctor and writer Robin Cook on the show!

Robin started his medical career as a general surgical resident and finished with an ophthalmology residency at Harvard. His literary career, however, began as he wrote his debut novel, The Year of the Intern, underwater inside a nuclear submarine.

He followed this up with his novel Coma, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and created the medical thriller genre. Robin is the author of thirty-four previous international bestselling novels, and is now back with his latest work Charlatans.

Listen in as we dive into Robin’s latest medical thriller, the genre itself, and get an inside look at how to turn firmly held beliefs of the medical profession on their heads.

In this episode Robin and I discuss:

• What makes a medical thriller.
• How to balance keeping an issue present without creating an issue-driven book.
• Why fiction is better at influencing public policy than nonfiction.
• Using little details to drag readers into the story from page one.
• Prologues, when you should use them and the reasons why.

Plus, Robin’s #1 tip for writers.

About Robin Cook

Robin Cook’s literary career began with his first novel, The Year of the Intern, which he wrote underwater while on board the nuclear submarine, Kamehameha. It was written to illustrate the less than salubrious psychological impact of graduate medical education on the psyche of young physicians. It was followed 5 years later in 1977 with Coma, which had been written at night while he was a senior ophthalmology resident and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. This novel created the genre of the medical thriller, and changed the public’s perception as well as the media’s portrayal of medicine.

To date Robin Cook is the author of thirty-four previous international bestsellers. Most all of Dr. Cook’s books have been written to elucidate various medical/biotech ethical and public policy issues. From his first novel on, it had been Dr. Cook’s intention to use entertainment as a method of doing this.

There have been almost a dozen theatrical movies, television movies, and mini-series made from Robin Cook’s work. In 2009 Robin Cook created and produced with Michael Eisner the world’s first full-length V-cast movie in 50 three-minute segments as a prequel to his book, Foreign Body. Recently Dr. Cook has teamed up with several successful businessmen to form Cook-Blackwood Productions to make feature movies and TV series from his work.

His most recent bestsellers include Host, Cell, Death Benefit, and Cure. Cook divides his time among Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. His latest medical thriller Charlatans is available now.

To connect with Robin check out his website at www.RobinCook.com.

Charlatans

It all begins with a relatively simple hernia operation. What should be an easy process goes devastatingly wrong, though, and the man dies on the operating table. How could it go so wrong, especially considering how many doctors—at the top of their fields—were in the room when the man expired?

Dr. William Mason, one of the most sought-after surgeons in Boston, forcefully shifts the blame to the anesthesiologist on the case, Dr. Ava London. Dr. London pushes back, pointing out the flaws in Dr. Mason’s technique and how he scheduled multiple surgeries all going on at the same time. The implication hangs in the air: Is this death the result of patients being treated like cattle, herded through a complicated medical system and processed as quickly as possible? Or is something even more sinister, more dangerous, more explosive going on?

For Dr. Noah Rothauser, nothing is clear. As the chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital—one of the best and most advanced medical institutes in the country—Rothauser is in charge not only of creating surgical schedules but also running the hospital’s M&Ms—the morbidity and mortality conferences held by the hospital to review cases that go wrong. It falls on him to investigate and lead the review for this deadly mishap, and to do his job, he’ll find himself between a rock and a hard place as the egotistical Dr. Mason threatens to ruin Dr. Rothauser’s career over the investigation, and Dr. London becomes a potential love interest.

As Dr. Rothauser proceeds with his analysis of the case, another death happens, and once again Dr. London was the anesthesiologist. Is it an unfortunate coincidence—or, once again, a sign of something more troubling? And while Dr. Rothauser’s heart is telling him to trust Dr. London, why is his gut compelling him to look into her background and find out if she truly is who she seems to be?

One thing is certain: To get to the truth behind what is happening at Boston Memorial Hospital, Dr. Noah Rothauser will have to go to dangerous lengths and put his own career—as well as his very life—on the line. Because something ominous is happening with the staff at BMU, and some dangerous people don’t want anyone getting to the bottom of it.

Charlatans is a top-notch mystery from the inventor—and undisputed master—of the medical thriller, as well as a bold step forward for the entire genre. It will surely become one of the hottest page-turners…and cause every patient to ask his or her doctor: Are you truly who you say you are?

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase DIY MFA makes a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 175

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 175: Crafting the Medical Thriller — Interview with Robin Cook appeared first on DIY MFA.