Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!
We’re glad you’re here! It's the First Wednesday of the month;
when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a blog hop
featuring all of the members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.
Founded by author Alex
Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded associates,
IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news from our
perspective writing desks as we record our journeys. Check out the September
newsletter here
Our
awesome co-hosts this month are: Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Olga Godim, Michelle Wallace, and Louise - Fundy Blue!
Did
anyone (besides me) not know that revising your work after publication is acceptable in some cases?! You can cover your
astonishment by resting your chin in your hand. It worked for me.
Yet, I digress.
According to Mental
Floss.com at least five of the most iconic authors have revised and republished their work,
including Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), George Elliot (Middlemarch), and Joan
Lindsay (Picnic at Hanging Rock) to name a few.
I know what you’re thinking: “She’s doing it again. That
name-dropping thing.” Why, yes. It’s
what I do ;-)
As to this month’s Optional Question: “What genre would be the worst one for you
to tackle and why?”
I could never write in the medical thriller genre. I would
never even try. Why? Much as I enjoy a good medical mystery, they also scare me
half to death. Besides, can you imagine the amount of research it would take to
sound like you know what you’re talking about? I mean, what if an actual doctor
or nurse decided to read your book? Fiction (as opposed to reality) has to make
sense, right?
Truth is, most medical thriller authors do have a degree in
the medical field, and almost no one ever plans to write a book about the
profession. Writing is usually an afterthought and typically an aside.
For instance, Tess Gerritsen, a general
physician, began writing her first book while on maternity leave. An avid reader,
her first novels were romantic thrillers. Her breakout medical thriller “Harvest” was inspired by a conversation
with a retired detective and was followed by three more New York Times
bestselling novels before her first crime thriller “The Surgeon” led to a television series called Rizzoli and Isles.
At least a couple thrillers by Robin Cook depict fictional accounts of his experiences as a
medical intern.
Patricia Cornwell
may not have a medical degree (she does have a B.A. in English), but she was a
technical writer for the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia for six years in addition
to volunteering with the Richmond Police Department – and this was before her “Scarpetta”
series was ever published. Cornwell is also known as a capable cartoonist and a
talented athlete on the tennis court. Whew!
Do you know who else doesn’t have a medical degree? Me. And I’m
okay with that ;-)
What genre would be the worst for you to write in? What
genre would be the easiest for you to write in?
Be happy. Write well.
“Make the most of yourself. For
that is all there is of you.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
