Guest post by Dr. Jim Bailey, author of 'The End of Healing'
After studying the great books at St.
John’s College I dreamed of writing the next great American novel. I enrolled
in a graduate program, where my fiction-writing teacher said to write what I
knew. At that point I didn’t know much of anything – medical school seemed like the easier
option. Twenty years later, I began The
End of Healing as a work of narrative non-fiction. When my spouse, who is
also my editor, said it was fiction—and suggested I’d better stop because it
would take forever—I denied it. I assured her it was creative non-fiction. As
usual, she was right. A full year later I admitted it was fiction—and it filled
me with terror. I couldn’t write
fiction. That had already been determined. But it was a compulsion for me. I
wrote nearly daily from 2004 until publication. I wrote and wrote and edited
and edited and learned the art of storytelling over a decade because I had to. The End
of Healing had to be told. What have I learned about the writing process
that might help others who have a story to share?
My initial
writing was stream of consciousness, but early on I developed a good story
structure. Numerous scenes in my mind were crystal clear from the start, and I
had a vague sense of how they might fit into the arc of the bigger story. I
began to piece those scenes together and after about six months of serious
writing my wife, Sharon, —who had not realized she would serve as my primary
editor—insisted I create a detailed outline. I assembled character notes and personality
grids to make sure each character was consistent. Eventually, my characters
revealed themselves more fully and were ultimately responsible for the arc The End of Healing took.
It helps to write wherever you can and
whenever inspiration strikes you, but also to have a regular writing schedule,
time, and place. Whenever I get inspired with a perfect phrase I write it down.
I’ve scribbled notes in many places – on beaches, balconies, in lectures, in
church. My favorite writing place was in the small rooftop study of our
apartment in Italy. It looked out over the tiled rooftops of Florence. During
the day it could really heat up in there, so my favorite time was in the
morning, when a cool breeze blew through the open windows.
Writing fiction
is difficult. Early in my writing of The
End of Healing I told a good friend and mentor of my deep concern I might
never finish the book. I still remember his advice. Just write a little bit
every day. Set a schedule. Fit a little writing into each day’s work and in
time your effort will add up. I followed his advice. Almost every day for a decade
I got up early while the rest of the house was asleep and wrote for at least thirty
minutes, but most often for an hour or two. And lo and behold, I discovered
that my dear friend—who has since passed on—was right. The writing did add up.
Some people
think stories shouldn’t have a point or purpose, or that you shouldn’t write
with a purpose in mind. For me that was all wrong. My purpose drove the
writing. I wanted to open the eyes, minds, and hearts of readers and encourage
them to wake up and see where and how their health is traded for profit. I
wanted to help others identify the potential pitfalls of modern medicine, ask
the right questions, and effectively advocate for themselves and their families.
I wanted to fascinate and empower my readers. I hope that The End of Healing arms them with the understanding they need to
pass safely through the maze of modern medicine, take charge of their own
health, demand the health care they deserve, and help remake our broken
healthcare system. Sometimes, purpose can strengthen a story. No one likes a
fable or a myth without a lesson or moral to be learned. Whether authors like
to admit it or not, every story has a purpose, a reason for telling. Conscious or unconscious, purpose is there.
Even though my protagonist struggles with his identity and seems lost, he is
purposeful and determined to find a way to serve his patients.
So in writing,
as in life, it helps to have a purpose, a reason for writing. It needs to be a
purpose you care deeply about. I was able to write The End of Healing because it grew out of my own experience and was
a story I needed to tell. Whether you are writing a PhD dissertation or a poem,
great writing begins with careful choice of your subject. Unless you write
about something you care about, it won’t resonate and you won’t finish. You
will struggle to keep your focus and dedication to the task unless it is something
that matters. Look for the story that matters most to you. That’s the story you
should aim to share.
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Title: The End of Healing
Genre: Suspense
Author: Dr. Jim Bailey
Website: www.endofhealing.com
Publisher: The Healthy City
Purchase on Amazon
SUMMARY:
Dr. Don Newman, a resident physician at the renowned University Hospital, awakens in a windowless call room in the middle of the night to the screams of his pager. As he runs to a dark ward to attend to a dying woman strapped to a bed, Don realizes that despite having worked long and hard to become a doctor—and having sworn to do no harm—harm has become his business.
So begins Dr. Newman’s quest to become a healer in a system that puts profits ahead of patients. Abandoning his plans to become a cardiologist, Dr. Newman enrolls in an Ivy League graduate program in health system science, where an unorthodox professor promises to guide him ever deeper into the dark secrets of the healthcare industry. Along with fellow students Frances Hunt, a sharp and alluring nurse practitioner, and Bruce Markum, a cocky, well-connected surgeon, Dr. Newman begins a journey into the medical underworld.
When Dr. Newman unearths evidence of a conspiracy stretching from the halls of Congress to Wall Street and even to his small campus, his harmless course of study becomes deadly serious. Will he be silenced? Or will he find a way to save his patients and others from needless torture? One thing is certain: the path to healing is fraught with danger. Will this path lead Don to a dead end?
About the Author:
Jim Bailey is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and professor of medicine and preventive medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, where he directs the Center for Health Systems Improvement, cares for the sick, and teaches doctors in training. His research appears in many peer-reviewed medical journals, including AMA, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Annals of Internal Medicine. Dr. Bailey has an abiding passion for the classics, medical history, and ethics, and believes that sharing our stories can heal.The End of Healingis his first novel.
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