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A Writer's Guide to Medicine: Volume 1: Setting & Character
From injuring your character to depicting scenes set in the morgue, let Natalie Dale, MD, be your guide to writing about medicine.
Medicine is a world unto itself; lives can be changed in an instant and decisions are truly life-or-death. But it's also a bizarre and alien world, full of unique settings, confusing acronyms, and a confounding array of different conditions. No wonder writers love to write about medicine. No wonder they get it wrong. In the Writer's Guide to Medicine , Dr. Dale shows you how to accurately depict the world of medicine in your writing and points out the most common clichés and medicine-related pitfalls.
In Volume 1: Setting & Character , you'll - How medical professionals approach an emergency - Key sensory details for unique medical settings - How to avoid medical clichés. - Facts about death and dying - Specifics about comas, consciousness, and the infamous "medically-induced coma" - The truth about hospital food - And more!
Medicine is a world unto itself; lives can be changed in an instant and decisions are truly life-or-death. But it's also a bizarre and alien world, full of unique settings, confusing acronyms, and a confounding array of different conditions. No wonder writers love to write about medicine. No wonder they get it wrong. In the Writer's Guide to Medicine , Dr. Dale shows you how to accurately depict the world of medicine in your writing and points out the most common clichés and medicine-related pitfalls.
In Volume 1: Setting & Character , you'll - How medical professionals approach an emergency - Key sensory details for unique medical settings - How to avoid medical clichés. - Facts about death and dying - Specifics about comas, consciousness, and the infamous "medically-induced coma" - The truth about hospital food - And more!
- GenresWritingNonfictionMedical
268 pages, Paperback
Published December 28, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 1, 2022
Cozy up to this before you kill another character.
Your protagonist just got shot or bonked on the head! What will happen? How can you save them? If you’d read this book, you’d know.
I became aware of Dr. Dale when I attended a talk she gave for a Sisters in Crime chapter. I was impressed and intrigued enough to buy her book. She’s so humble, it was a total undersell.
I was expecting good, but this book is awesome! And it’s not just for writers of crime fiction. If you have a character that needs to go into the hospital or is a medical professional, you need this book.
It is jam packed with information. Seriously, every single page contains valuable and interesting details about medical conditions and how people interact with our medical system. And it’s all written in a fun-to-read conversational tone, which adds levity to what could otherwise be either tedious or gruesome.
This volume has 3 parts: Setting (locations), Character (people), and “Medical Basics” - which is by no means basic.
The first section describes every area of a hospital – (and other types of facilities) and what happens in each location. So this would apply to anyone who ever might have to go to a hospital - so yeah, everyone.
But Dale does not stop there, but adds the level of detail writers crave to write authentic and compelling stories, from trauma protocols to operating music (patient awake - soft, patient asleep - blaring) to surgical smells (Ugh).
The second section defines the many medical professionals you might encounter at a hospital, clinic, or in an emergency situation. Want to know the difference between a PA, a NP, and a CRNA? What about who gets to wear a white coat and who gets scrubs? You can also find medical slang and stereotypes so you can either avoid or use Carl Hiassen style - with reckless abandon.
Medical Basics covers defining and treating all kinds of emergency situations that our characters are likely to cover. How to do CPR, the different kinds of shock…it’s all here.
Fun facts abound - Your characters can lose up to 30% of their blood without dying, but much more than that, they’re toast.
And, if your character is battling a long illness like cancer?... that’s coming in Volume 2..
I could go on and on, but at some point, you just need to buy the book. Go. Now.
Your protagonist just got shot or bonked on the head! What will happen? How can you save them? If you’d read this book, you’d know.
I became aware of Dr. Dale when I attended a talk she gave for a Sisters in Crime chapter. I was impressed and intrigued enough to buy her book. She’s so humble, it was a total undersell.
I was expecting good, but this book is awesome! And it’s not just for writers of crime fiction. If you have a character that needs to go into the hospital or is a medical professional, you need this book.
It is jam packed with information. Seriously, every single page contains valuable and interesting details about medical conditions and how people interact with our medical system. And it’s all written in a fun-to-read conversational tone, which adds levity to what could otherwise be either tedious or gruesome.
This volume has 3 parts: Setting (locations), Character (people), and “Medical Basics” - which is by no means basic.
The first section describes every area of a hospital – (and other types of facilities) and what happens in each location. So this would apply to anyone who ever might have to go to a hospital - so yeah, everyone.
But Dale does not stop there, but adds the level of detail writers crave to write authentic and compelling stories, from trauma protocols to operating music (patient awake - soft, patient asleep - blaring) to surgical smells (Ugh).
The second section defines the many medical professionals you might encounter at a hospital, clinic, or in an emergency situation. Want to know the difference between a PA, a NP, and a CRNA? What about who gets to wear a white coat and who gets scrubs? You can also find medical slang and stereotypes so you can either avoid or use Carl Hiassen style - with reckless abandon.
Medical Basics covers defining and treating all kinds of emergency situations that our characters are likely to cover. How to do CPR, the different kinds of shock…it’s all here.
Fun facts abound - Your characters can lose up to 30% of their blood without dying, but much more than that, they’re toast.
And, if your character is battling a long illness like cancer?... that’s coming in Volume 2..
I could go on and on, but at some point, you just need to buy the book. Go. Now.
July 8, 2022
Must Have
I recommend this book for any writers resource library. Chock full of information and details. I have it on Kindle but I just ordered the physical copy. This is the type of book you will refer to and highlight information in.
I recommend this book for any writers resource library. Chock full of information and details. I have it on Kindle but I just ordered the physical copy. This is the type of book you will refer to and highlight information in.
April 5, 2022
Very well written. By “coincidence” I read the chapter on death and dying just before a friend passed. It helped me understand what was happening.
A must read for any writer. A must have for anyone who is serious about being accurate.
A must read for any writer. A must have for anyone who is serious about being accurate.
May 21, 2023
Despite how good my knowledge of medicine already is, I am SOOO glad I read this book! Not only was it a great reference but also an even better refresher course of some of the stuff I already knew, except in greater detail, which I really, really appreciated. I read the first half of the book on my Kindle and the second half in book form, where I did a lot of highlighting. I figured I was going to buy it anyway and it's definitely something I will be going back to again and again whenever I'm writing one of my novels, especially since they're mostly centered on the medical setting and contain a lot of medical stuff. *coughcough*Ihaveafetish*coughcough*
Whether you know a little about medicine or you're a newbie, if you're a writer, you definitely need to get and read this book. It's the best reference there is out there and I can only imagine how much more I will learn reading the second installment about injuries and diseases. Definitely need to stock up on some new highlighters for that one.
Whether you know a little about medicine or you're a newbie, if you're a writer, you definitely need to get and read this book. It's the best reference there is out there and I can only imagine how much more I will learn reading the second installment about injuries and diseases. Definitely need to stock up on some new highlighters for that one.
August 5, 2025
A Writer’s Guide to Medicine is one of those rare craft books that doesn't just inform, it elevates. Natalie Dale, MD, offers insight that’s both medically precise and deeply human, bridging the gap between clinical fact and emotional truth in a way that feels essential for any serious storyteller.
What I appreciated most was how she doesn’t just tell you what’s medically accurate, she shows how setting and character are shaped by real-world medical realities. The book is full of vivid, practical details that bring authenticity to scenes most writers would otherwise guess at. But it’s also surprisingly reflective, reminding us that medicine isn’t just procedure, it’s people under pressure, facing mortality, grief, hope, and impossible choices.
It’s not just a reference book, it’s a guide to writing with more empathy, more truth, and fewer clichés. Every page made me think more carefully about how I write illness, trauma, and healing. A must-have for writers who want to get it right, and tell better stories because of it.
What I appreciated most was how she doesn’t just tell you what’s medically accurate, she shows how setting and character are shaped by real-world medical realities. The book is full of vivid, practical details that bring authenticity to scenes most writers would otherwise guess at. But it’s also surprisingly reflective, reminding us that medicine isn’t just procedure, it’s people under pressure, facing mortality, grief, hope, and impossible choices.
It’s not just a reference book, it’s a guide to writing with more empathy, more truth, and fewer clichés. Every page made me think more carefully about how I write illness, trauma, and healing. A must-have for writers who want to get it right, and tell better stories because of it.
July 27, 2022
If you want to include a medical emergency or a medical condition in your writing, I'd thoroughly recommend this guide. I love the chatty and informative style it's written in. It feels as if Natalie Dale is your personal adviser or friend, guiding you through the medical world to help you make the situations you're writing about feel authentic. Easy to understand, well set out and such a great idea - I'll definitely buy the next volume when it's released.
June 9, 2024
I bought this book two years ago after learning about it at a Writers Conference, and as my writing novel takes place in medical settings I knew I had to buy this book. Today when I read the book, I not only learned more than I could have imagined about what it's like to work in hospitals, but the book's jokes made me laugh and the stories to illustrate medical conditions made me cry. A must read as a writer, and I'll be reading Volume 2 soon.
December 15, 2022
An indispensable tool to have in your writer's toolbox. Chock full of good advice on how to accurately inflict pain and suffering on your characters. The author unpacks the mystery of hospital visits, ambulance rides, emergency treatment, and lances a few cliches in the process. Just what the doctor ordered.
August 23, 2026
Generally good overarching information.
Not sure I'd agree that it really helps with setting or characters overmuch.
Also a lot of the advice was less useful advice and more what seem to be the author's specific medical writing pet peeves.
Not sure I'd agree that it really helps with setting or characters overmuch.
Also a lot of the advice was less useful advice and more what seem to be the author's specific medical writing pet peeves.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews