How Authors Can Put Their Characters in the Hospital (The Right Way) When writing about hospitalization, the top question I get from authors is: “I need this character in the hospital for seven days. Will this ______ (injury or disease) do that? I get the unfortunate task of telling them, “Sorry, no, they won’t even be admitted.” Most Americans don’t …
This time of year, people love to be out hiking in cooler weather or participating in winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and ice fishing. Normally, nothing bad happens. But what if someone is unexpectedly injured? Like you cross paths with a bear, or miss a step and break your ankle? When humans wander out of their normal …
Recently, author Deena Adams asked me to help with some characters in her novel who were injured in a fire and suffered severe burns. The situation was a younger man had run into a burning building to find an older fellow in his 50’s. The young man had very mild asthma. The older man was dying from lung cancer. He …
Updated 8/20/2025 Do you know how to write about heatstroke and heat-related illnesses? I have a new saying for Indiana: it’s a given the hottest day of the year will be your class reunion, with the second hottest being move-in day at college in a dorm with no AC nor elevator, and the third hottest will be the first day …
Updated 8/20/25 Do you know how to write about Hypothermia? Have you, as an author, committed “novel malpractice”? Can you write authentically about medical issues? Most writers without a medical background struggle with that. Writers, television shows, and movies often get it wrong. If the writing and story are good, readers may overlook mistakes, but I want to help you …
