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10 B.S. Medical Tropes that Need to Die TODAY: ...and What to Do Instead
These Tropes Must Die. Written by a paramedic and writer with a decade of experience, 10 BS Medical Tropes covers exactly clichéd and inaccurate tropes that not only ruin books, they have the potential to hurt real people in the real world. In this book, you’ll discover why these ten clichés make readers throw their books across the room and their remotes at their TVs, from the ever-present “gunshot to the shoulder” to the ubiquitous “knocking out the henchmen.” You’ll learn why they’re so incorrect, with easy-to-read medical explanations that may just spark your creativity. But more importantly, you’ll be inspired about what to write instead, to solve the same plot point challenges in more believable—and interesting—ways! Download 10 BS Medical Tropes that Need to Die… TODAY!
58 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2017
105 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Keel
3 books12 followersSamantha Keel is a veteran paramedic and author of nonfiction and LGBT speculative fiction.
In October of 2016 her passions collided into a new blog called ScriptMedic, where writers can go to find medical information specifically geared towards them. She's since cranked out or curated over 2,000 blog posts and helped over 12,000 writers craft better stories with more realistic injuries, illnesses, plots, and characters.
When she's not writing about her medical passion, she's spinning her own tales. Her upcoming works include science fiction that orbits around strong female characters and LGBT content, but she has a strong interest in most kinds of speculative fiction.
She lives in ███████, ██, USA with her wife and imaginary pit bull, Steve.
In October of 2016 her passions collided into a new blog called ScriptMedic, where writers can go to find medical information specifically geared towards them. She's since cranked out or curated over 2,000 blog posts and helped over 12,000 writers craft better stories with more realistic injuries, illnesses, plots, and characters.
When she's not writing about her medical passion, she's spinning her own tales. Her upcoming works include science fiction that orbits around strong female characters and LGBT content, but she has a strong interest in most kinds of speculative fiction.
She lives in ███████, ██, USA with her wife and imaginary pit bull, Steve.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 14, 2019
This book is written in an engaging way, although sometimes a bit too graphic for my liking. I'm still glad I read it, though, as I now know more about medicine that I did before reading the book. The author gives nice examples and alternatives to help potential writers avoid the tropes she discusses. However, I feel like this book made me want to avoid writing about medical situations in my fiction!
I also felt like the book was a bit too short, and this is a tendency I noticed with the rise of free Kindle books on Amazon. The short books are often used to gain popularity among audiences and advertise yourself as an author. There's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that you get this good idea for a book which ends up being shorter than it would've been in the past. Then again, would I have paid for this book were it not a free Kindle? Probably not.
I also felt like the book was a bit too short, and this is a tendency I noticed with the rise of free Kindle books on Amazon. The short books are often used to gain popularity among audiences and advertise yourself as an author. There's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that you get this good idea for a book which ends up being shorter than it would've been in the past. Then again, would I have paid for this book were it not a free Kindle? Probably not.
January 23, 2019
This was very informative and written in a breezy, likeable way. I did feel that it was a bit short and could have used more depth in some areas, but I suppose the next books in the series will rectify that. And one can't really complain when it's free lol
July 23, 2020
This was a nice, quick read that managed to be both short and informative. While I tend to do most of my writing in the fantasy and science fiction genres where it's possible to do a lot of hand-waving with regard to what it's possible to recover from and how, it's still good to have a baseline for what the human body can withstand and what's necessary to make a recovery even when the interventions themselves are different from what's available in today's reality.
Some of the tropes here I was already aware of (the ubiquitous "tap on the head" being by far the most egregious), whereas some were completely new and some had me saying out loud "Wait, what? That's actually a thing?" (i.e. the one where someone who's been declared dead after every attempt to resuscitate them with the best available technology has failed is somehow magically brought back to life by a passionate bystander screaming at them to breathe).
I liked the emphasis that the main problem with all of these tropes is the double whammy of lazy writing shortcuts and perpetuating misinformation that does real harm in real life. (When every work of fiction that someone has ever read or watched tells them that giving someone a good whack on the back of the head will just knock them unconscious for a few hours after which they'll wake up with maybe a headache and otherwise no harm done, and they then try to emulate that behavior in real life, the consequences tend to be tragic.) I also liked the suggestions for alternative writing choices if you need to bench a character or give them a dramatic injury: either pick something that has the same net effect and doesn't perpetuate medical misinformation, or actually show what it looks like to recover after coming out of a coma or the tragic consequences of hitting a hapless minion over the head.
Some of the tropes here I was already aware of (the ubiquitous "tap on the head" being by far the most egregious), whereas some were completely new and some had me saying out loud "Wait, what? That's actually a thing?" (i.e. the one where someone who's been declared dead after every attempt to resuscitate them with the best available technology has failed is somehow magically brought back to life by a passionate bystander screaming at them to breathe).
I liked the emphasis that the main problem with all of these tropes is the double whammy of lazy writing shortcuts and perpetuating misinformation that does real harm in real life. (When every work of fiction that someone has ever read or watched tells them that giving someone a good whack on the back of the head will just knock them unconscious for a few hours after which they'll wake up with maybe a headache and otherwise no harm done, and they then try to emulate that behavior in real life, the consequences tend to be tragic.) I also liked the suggestions for alternative writing choices if you need to bench a character or give them a dramatic injury: either pick something that has the same net effect and doesn't perpetuate medical misinformation, or actually show what it looks like to recover after coming out of a coma or the tragic consequences of hitting a hapless minion over the head.
June 11, 2017
A well written book with great information!
First, let me say that it is a pleasure to read a book that has been properly edited. It really is hard to find books where as much care and attention has been given to the proofreading as to the content. I did see two small errors, but 99.9% of the book contained proper spelling and grammar. Thank you (it really is frustrating to have try to figure out what an author is trying to say, so I truly appreciate when I find books like this one where I only have to concentrate on what the author is saying rather than why they are not saying it well)!
Second, and more importantly, the book contains great advice. It's clear Ms. Keel knows what she's writing about, and she does it with good humor and convincing authority. Her advice for writers to research the injuries and illnesses they write into their stories is really just common sense. Bravo, Ms. Keel!
First, let me say that it is a pleasure to read a book that has been properly edited. It really is hard to find books where as much care and attention has been given to the proofreading as to the content. I did see two small errors, but 99.9% of the book contained proper spelling and grammar. Thank you (it really is frustrating to have try to figure out what an author is trying to say, so I truly appreciate when I find books like this one where I only have to concentrate on what the author is saying rather than why they are not saying it well)!
Second, and more importantly, the book contains great advice. It's clear Ms. Keel knows what she's writing about, and she does it with good humor and convincing authority. Her advice for writers to research the injuries and illnesses they write into their stories is really just common sense. Bravo, Ms. Keel!
June 27, 2017
Fun and witty writing style explains why a lot of what we read in books and see on TV is medical BS ... and Samantha Keel is pretty decent at setting the record straight in this quick, easy-to-read ebook. I would definitely recommend this one.
October 15, 2021
Short, mostly to the point, reasonably informative. As a writer myself, I wondered if I should place any bets before reading about which of the ten I've already used incorrectly myself--and the answer ended up being, one, sort of. I did use an mTBI (that's mild Traumatic Brain Injury) to knock an antagonist unconscious, briefly, once. I don't feel particularly guilty for doing it, as he was trying to kill my protagonists at the time, and this wasn't the action-hero, "I don't kill them I just knock them out" version of the trope. And yeah, my unconscious dude may have suffered some sort of long-lasting repercussions from that injury, only he never shows up in the story again so it doesn't matter!
I tell this story not to pat myself on the back (much) but to demonstrate that this is a really basic, bare-bones take on the subject, containing lots of information that any given person might already know. I already know amnesia, shock, and comas, for instance, are nothing like how they're portrayed in media. I already know that knocking people out as an alternative to straight-up killing them is much more dangerous than how it's usually portrayed (despite resorting to that myself, the once.) I know CPR is far less successful in real life than it is on TV. I know most of the time, it's a bad idea to try to remove a bullet from someone's body, you'll do more harm than good.
And even the stuff I didn't know, I don't feel like was covered in great enough depth to be useful to me beyond the basic idea of "avoid this trope."
Which isn't to say this isn't a valuable or useful (free) resource for writers less experienced overall, or in the field of medicine particularly. And I've read some novels that definitely would have benefited if the authors had read this, or something very much like it, beforehand.
But it's a jumping-off point, not a comprehensive guide, because the "...what to do instead" parts of the book are full of suggestions that would all need further research to make viable if someone actually wanted to implement them. And this guide does say "do your research!" at several opportune points.
And since the text both opens and closes with a call to sign up for a free email course with further information, honestly reading this felt a bit like I was being advertised to, in a much more blatant way than most books do. (I mean, they're all advertisements to read more by that author, right, if you liked them? But the core value should be the entertainment or information they provide.) Whereas this felt like a teaser for the (presumably) more in-depth email course, though as I haven't taken it, I can't be sure.
I tell this story not to pat myself on the back (much) but to demonstrate that this is a really basic, bare-bones take on the subject, containing lots of information that any given person might already know. I already know amnesia, shock, and comas, for instance, are nothing like how they're portrayed in media. I already know that knocking people out as an alternative to straight-up killing them is much more dangerous than how it's usually portrayed (despite resorting to that myself, the once.) I know CPR is far less successful in real life than it is on TV. I know most of the time, it's a bad idea to try to remove a bullet from someone's body, you'll do more harm than good.
And even the stuff I didn't know, I don't feel like was covered in great enough depth to be useful to me beyond the basic idea of "avoid this trope."
Which isn't to say this isn't a valuable or useful (free) resource for writers less experienced overall, or in the field of medicine particularly. And I've read some novels that definitely would have benefited if the authors had read this, or something very much like it, beforehand.
But it's a jumping-off point, not a comprehensive guide, because the "...what to do instead" parts of the book are full of suggestions that would all need further research to make viable if someone actually wanted to implement them. And this guide does say "do your research!" at several opportune points.
And since the text both opens and closes with a call to sign up for a free email course with further information, honestly reading this felt a bit like I was being advertised to, in a much more blatant way than most books do. (I mean, they're all advertisements to read more by that author, right, if you liked them? But the core value should be the entertainment or information they provide.) Whereas this felt like a teaser for the (presumably) more in-depth email course, though as I haven't taken it, I can't be sure.
February 21, 2020
This is a wonderful writing resource.
Explanations of injuries, permanent damage and recovery times are thorough. If you find your story injury idea no longer fits the injury you had in mind, suggestions for alternate injuries are included.
If I had to say something bad about this book, it's that it was a bit TOO intense for me. Having personally experienced one of the "top 10" problems, when I got to the part where I read the details I had to stop and walk away a bit - it was just too much for me to remember that experience.
However, please don't let this dissuade you from reading this - for others, it's actually a positive! I can confirm the author totally described exactly what happened and what the EMT had to do on-site because I likely wouldn't have made it to the hospital otherwise.
If you want a book with injuries that both have emotional impact AND are medically accurate, this is the book for you.
Two thumbs WAY up for a fantastic writing resource!
Explanations of injuries, permanent damage and recovery times are thorough. If you find your story injury idea no longer fits the injury you had in mind, suggestions for alternate injuries are included.
If I had to say something bad about this book, it's that it was a bit TOO intense for me. Having personally experienced one of the "top 10" problems, when I got to the part where I read the details I had to stop and walk away a bit - it was just too much for me to remember that experience.
However, please don't let this dissuade you from reading this - for others, it's actually a positive! I can confirm the author totally described exactly what happened and what the EMT had to do on-site because I likely wouldn't have made it to the hospital otherwise.
If you want a book with injuries that both have emotional impact AND are medically accurate, this is the book for you.
Two thumbs WAY up for a fantastic writing resource!
June 22, 2020
You learn something new
This was a short book but it had a lot to learn. There are a lot of thing that make me go what when I watch TV and read sometimes. Like how can a guy get knocked out and awake up in control of their faculties so fast. I mean come on this isn't real life. This book takes on these tropes and shows why they are wrong on some many levels. I did have one point of disagreement and that was on bullet removal. Today a bullet will still carry bits of fabric into a wound unless you happen to sho your target when they are naked as the day they were born. This is why they say the bullet hole in the shirt, jacket, or vest match the bullet hole in the body. So that calls for bullet removal to get out the threads in the wound. Now I might be wrong, but I don't think so. Still I did learn some good tips from this book. If you are thinking of writing an action thriller then check this book out. It was free when I got it and it is one I will hang on to.
This was a short book but it had a lot to learn. There are a lot of thing that make me go what when I watch TV and read sometimes. Like how can a guy get knocked out and awake up in control of their faculties so fast. I mean come on this isn't real life. This book takes on these tropes and shows why they are wrong on some many levels. I did have one point of disagreement and that was on bullet removal. Today a bullet will still carry bits of fabric into a wound unless you happen to sho your target when they are naked as the day they were born. This is why they say the bullet hole in the shirt, jacket, or vest match the bullet hole in the body. So that calls for bullet removal to get out the threads in the wound. Now I might be wrong, but I don't think so. Still I did learn some good tips from this book. If you are thinking of writing an action thriller then check this book out. It was free when I got it and it is one I will hang on to.
April 12, 2021
Wow! The whole truth and nothing but!
The writer of this book is a licensed practicing paramedic, willing to share technical expertise to help us become better, less lazy, writers.
So read this book and get to work! Use it to improve your writing! Or read it because you don't like James Bond because he's a narcissist, or Jack Reacher because he's bugnuts crazy! Either one works, and in this case having your prejuidices az a writer confirmed will be good for you. As you smugly write a better book than those guys', you'll have Samantha Keel to thank. So thank her by tucking a copy of this book into the technical section of your writer's bookcase. She's written other books you should read, too.
The writer of this book is a licensed practicing paramedic, willing to share technical expertise to help us become better, less lazy, writers.
So read this book and get to work! Use it to improve your writing! Or read it because you don't like James Bond because he's a narcissist, or Jack Reacher because he's bugnuts crazy! Either one works, and in this case having your prejuidices az a writer confirmed will be good for you. As you smugly write a better book than those guys', you'll have Samantha Keel to thank. So thank her by tucking a copy of this book into the technical section of your writer's bookcase. She's written other books you should read, too.
June 7, 2017
I loved this book.
And not just because the author does such a stellar job shooting down some unrealistic medical scenarios that frequently crop up in works of fiction, either. Also not because she offers writers viable alternative scenarios to those "darlings" that are actually fact-based.
Don't get me wrong. Those things most assuredly make this book a worthwhile tool for writers, but what raised the book to a higher level for me is the author's voice. She's funny, clever, and a very smooth writer. Reading her book was like listening to a smart gal pal around the kitchen table.
I highly recommend this book for any writer.
And not just because the author does such a stellar job shooting down some unrealistic medical scenarios that frequently crop up in works of fiction, either. Also not because she offers writers viable alternative scenarios to those "darlings" that are actually fact-based.
Don't get me wrong. Those things most assuredly make this book a worthwhile tool for writers, but what raised the book to a higher level for me is the author's voice. She's funny, clever, and a very smooth writer. Reading her book was like listening to a smart gal pal around the kitchen table.
I highly recommend this book for any writer.
December 19, 2017
This was a great, quick read to help me in my writing. I really respect the writers who can not only write a good story, but make it believable, and, in this case, sound in the actual practices and effects behind it. Keel reminded me that even the smallest bits an author may throw in during the heat of a battle can actually be an incredibly damaging event, which may lead to that character's death, even though we have seen these tropes in books and on TV hundreds of time. She uses her background of a decade working as an EMT to show that the little things can matter a lot, when experienced in the real world. Good job, Aunt Scripty!
May 21, 2022
Aunt Scripty rocks. I can feel the frustration and eye-rolling with every word.
One of the many good points in this short book: media isn't real life.
The Good Guy hitting baddies over the head to temporarily disable them teaches people that this is without consequence, and acceptable. Not so. A hit over the head is a brain injury, and can easily lead to very crappy outcomes, up to and including death.
If you're creating any kind of media in which you want to injure your character(s), please do your research. And start with Aunt Scripty.
One of the many good points in this short book: media isn't real life.
The Good Guy hitting baddies over the head to temporarily disable them teaches people that this is without consequence, and acceptable. Not so. A hit over the head is a brain injury, and can easily lead to very crappy outcomes, up to and including death.
If you're creating any kind of media in which you want to injure your character(s), please do your research. And start with Aunt Scripty.
November 14, 2017
Good to Know
I'm definitely not a medical person. This little ebook covers ten common gaffes that show up in both writing & tv/movies that a lot of don't realize simply aren't realistic. I like the way Samantha offers alternate suggestions for certain injuries and explains the medical terms. It's straight forward. I'm looking forward to reading her other books and checking out her blog.
I'm definitely not a medical person. This little ebook covers ten common gaffes that show up in both writing & tv/movies that a lot of don't realize simply aren't realistic. I like the way Samantha offers alternate suggestions for certain injuries and explains the medical terms. It's straight forward. I'm looking forward to reading her other books and checking out her blog.
July 30, 2018
Fantastic, quick read for any writer looking to get a bit of info about medical issues. It's not comprehensive, but it does cover some of the big tropes you see in books and movies so that writers can avoid making the same mistakes. Definitely something I would suggest reading for any author, and I'll be looking to this author's other nonfiction books. I would say this is a must-read for authors, especially since it's a freebie!
June 8, 2017
Absolutely amazing source, useful for writers, as well as movie fans. It provides medically backed up advices and real life examples, as well as movie examples. It's so easy to follow, with its light, funny undertone, that you can finish it in one sitting. Thank you, Ms. Keel, for offering us aspiring authors this handy guide.
November 1, 2017
This is a fantastic read for any writer, regardless of the genre you're writing in. It not only dispenses important knowledge about why these common medical tropes are full of it, it also challenges the writer to be more creative and produce better, less lazy work.
I highly recommend this book to any aspiring writer.
I highly recommend this book to any aspiring writer.
March 29, 2019
This short little book is a great rundown of what actually happens in real life. If you use certain cliches (Like hitting someone's head to knock them out) and gives suggestions to be a bit more original and accurate so those friends or family members who know something about medicine won't internally scream at you.
January 4, 2024
Very helpful overview of the issues with medical inaccuracies in fiction writing of all types. Written in an almost conversational way, making it easy for a non-medical layperson to understand how injuries need to have consequences in fiction and need to be carefully researched so they're used effectively.
April 21, 2025
Educational for Writers!
Written by a Paramedic, it explains why a medical injury and after math *really* work in a medical way, and an easy to understand way.
The writing was well done, matter of fact with some humor.
I'd buy a whole encyclopedia written like this for writers!
Written by a Paramedic, it explains why a medical injury and after math *really* work in a medical way, and an easy to understand way.
The writing was well done, matter of fact with some humor.
I'd buy a whole encyclopedia written like this for writers!
November 7, 2017
a must-read for authors- these tropes are so common that we think they're fine, but including them undermines the effectiveness of your work. #10 is especially important. Many thanks to Aunt Scripty for making such practical medical knowledge available where we most need it!
November 21, 2017
Made for writers
I liked the author's voice,but since I'm not planning on writing a book myself, I was just reading this for fun; I think an aspiring author would definitely get more out of it.
I liked the author's voice,but since I'm not planning on writing a book myself, I was just reading this for fun; I think an aspiring author would definitely get more out of it.
August 5, 2019
This short book provides a very good explanation of the numerous ways movies/books don't have it quite right. Interesting, entertaining read - and not just for writers! Readers - and watchers - or anyone considering coshing someone over the head for that matter - will get a lot out of it as well.
June 13, 2020
Really interesting!
As someone who likes to write I found this both invaluable and very interesting! She has a great sense of humor and she writes in a way that’s easy to understand and inviting. I look forward to reading her other books!
As someone who likes to write I found this both invaluable and very interesting! She has a great sense of humor and she writes in a way that’s easy to understand and inviting. I look forward to reading her other books!
September 7, 2021
disasters. Cart, We Need a Crash Cart!!!
Very interesting. I kind of thought most medical injuries shown in movies & on t.v. were on the fake side...now I know for sure. You know what? I'll still .watch these movies & t.v. programs. Now if someone will write about natural diasters.
Very interesting. I kind of thought most medical injuries shown in movies & on t.v. were on the fake side...now I know for sure. You know what? I'll still .watch these movies & t.v. programs. Now if someone will write about natural diasters.
September 22, 2021
Well done
This addresses the most common and egregious medical errors writers commit. The kind of thing that makes medical professionals curl their lips and insist their SO turn it off because no character is worth wading through this level of shlock.
This addresses the most common and egregious medical errors writers commit. The kind of thing that makes medical professionals curl their lips and insist their SO turn it off because no character is worth wading through this level of shlock.
July 29, 2023
A quick but informative read that covers a variety of bad medical tropes. I really enjoyed the book has a focus on why each was incorrect and what to do instead rather than just saying Hey, Don't Do This! It was quite helpful.
June 4, 2017
Quite a good and brief guide of medical cliches and tropes to avoid. Food for thought
June 24, 2017
Short and to the point. Some good ideas to consider.
July 6, 2017
Aunt Scripty trenchantly and lucidly skewers medical situations from script after script which Everybody Knows, and about which Everybody is dead wrong. I hope more scriptwriters will make use of this book, but I am not betting on it.
July 17, 2017
Good stuff!
It is really amazing to think how most of those action movie heroes and protagonist would have really ended up!!
It is really amazing to think how most of those action movie heroes and protagonist would have really ended up!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews