A Writer's Guide to Medicine: Volume 2: Illness & Injury

by Natalie Dale

Medicine is hard. Writing about medicine doesn't have to be. Struggling to write your character's chronic illness? Need to injure a character but don't know how? Look no further! Let physician and author, Natalie Dale, MD, be your guide to writing about medicine. In Volume 1: Setting & Character , Dr. Dale navigated writers through the complex maze of hospital settings and medical professions. Now, the doctor is back, tackling one of fiction writers' biggest and most important how to believably injure, poison, sicken, maim, mutilate, disable, or otherwise cause harm to their beloved characters. In Volume 2: Illness & Injury , you'll - How to believably injure characters-and the treatment they'll need to survive. - Which life-threatening conditions might afflict your young, otherwise healthy character. - How to describe tough medical situations, such as suicide, miscarriage, and cancer. - How to avoid medical clichés and harmful misrepresentations. - And much, much more! Volume 2: Illness & Injury is packed with straightforward, practical, and sometimes hilarious advice that will transform your writing about medicine from a research nightmare to an enjoyable adventure. "Clear, concise, and filled with accessible and usable current medical facts that will add depth and credibility to any story, the A WRITER'S GUIDE TO MEDICINE series is a must-have for every writer's reference shelf." - DP Lyle, MD, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series. "An absolute must for any writer of fiction wanting to get their medical facts correct. Dr. Dale writes a compelling and informative book that should be required reading for anyone delving into the world of hospitals, medicine and trauma" - Neil Bradbury, PhD, author of "A Taste for Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them"

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Medicine, Reference

428 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2022

Reviews

[L.M. Whitaker]

Don’t pull out the knife!

This is the second book in the Writer's Guide to Medicine series by Dr. Natalie Dale, Volume 2: Illness and Injury.

Both books are packed with information and unique details that you can use to craft accurate and interesting characters and consequences. Both are written in a fun-to-read conversational tone, which adds levity to what could otherwise be either tedious or gruesome. 

Volume 1 covers Setting (locations), Character (people), and Medical Basics -which are by no means basic.  

Volume 2 gives us a detailed review of medical conditions: Medical Emergencies,Physical Injuries, and Chronic Diseases.

These books are not just for writers of crime fiction. If you just want some straight medical talk, you’d benefit from these books. If you have a character that needs to go into the hospital or is a medical professional, you need Volume 1. But if you have a character to want to kill, main, or just restrain for a few hours, you must buy Volume 2.

As writers, we want to be as realistic as possible. This book can tell you all those things other novel and screen writers get wrong. Dale dispels myths and confirms facts, such as:
* The Heimlich maneuver works
* Falling down can paralyze or even kill
* CPR has a success rate of 3% (except in the movies, where it’s more like
90%).

You can read through this entire book to find ideas or gain general knowledge. Or you can search for a particular malady to subdue your obnoxious Aunt Irma at Thanksgiving, kill off a character in a clever way…or both.

I recommend reading the book through. Along the way, while reading about each topic, you’ll get great ideas and finally answers to all those questions keeping you up at night.
* Do people really get amnesia?
* How about the overused hit to the head: Does it work? Will it cause brain damage? How long can the victim stay unconscious before serious damage occurs (hint: not long)
* If not a bump on the head, how can I knock out my boss—I mean my
character?

And lastly, it’s true, when a character is stabbed…DON’T PULL OUT THE KNIFE!

[Kathy Byrd]

This, and really all the volumes of this book, make for an excellent source when your writing calls for any type of illness or injury. It also breaks down things like the steps that occur when having a baby and all the possible emergencies that can come with it. It gives detail on all the different types of breathing issues, allergic reactions, etc. It gives details on chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, it goes into trauma and even breaks down the injuries and how they effect the different organs of the body. Even if you weren't using this book to write a believable scene, it is just an interesting read, in itself. I like that it packs in so much information, without feeling overwhelming.

[Gary Baysinger]

The second in a series of books on writing and medicine. If you are a writer and you want to accurately portray a character's illness or injury, get Natalie's book first, you won't regret it.

[Betsy]

writin' research!