A WRITERLY ADVENTURE By Rachel Dacus

A WRITERLY ADVENTURE 

By Rachel Dacus

Writers are always seeking time and space in which to create. We go to writers’ retreats to step away from our routines, but the last place I expected to gain time and inspiration was in a hospital bed. 

One day, while I was talking to a friend, the left side of my face stopped responding to my requests to smile. A little later, my husband drove me to the Emergency Department to be checked out.

The first thing that happens in a hospital is that you quickly meet many people. It’s traumatizing, even if you’re not in pain, which I was not. As you’re wheeled around, scanned, poked, and prodded, you leave your life behind. My symptoms were mild, but the doctors wanted tests to see if I was having a stroke. 

A stroke! Just the word sent chills through me. 

After a CT scan, they checked me in. Let’s just say, I was not a happy camper. To escape my fear, I decided to summon my writer-brain. A hospital is a great place to observe people. To my advantage, I used to work here, raising funds and writing about treatments. I spoke medical lingo, and I knew these people work very, very hard. Side-stepping fear, I engaged my curiosity and began conversations with a heartfelt thankyou for what they do. 

The nurses and techs enjoyed being appreciated! That got them talking. They all said they liked working here. I asked why they went into medicine, and they seemed pleasantly surprised to be asked. 

The first day, I had a good conversation with my night nurse, a young woman who turned out to be an avid reader. While taking a blood sample, when asked what book she’d like best this year, she named a Colleen Hoover thriller. She confessed she was new here, and it was hard to move from another city and start work in a new hospital. Charming and chatty, she seemed young. But when I remarked on her youth, she quipped, “Have you ever heard the expression ‘Asian don’t raisin’? I’m older than I look. l’ll probably stay smooth until I turn 99, and then I’ll get all my wrinkles at once!”

I gained courage enough to reveal myself as an author. Apparently, they don’t get many in the hospital, so I became a novelty. I handed out business cards and sold books. (Lesson: never be without your author business cards!) 

Soon, after more tests, things were looking better. I had a heart scan. When the radiology tech came in, I saw both his arms had colorful, big tattoos of intertwining leaves. I admired the art and asked how long he’d worked here. Ten years, he said, adding with a grin, “before that, I was a rockstar.“ He’d been the lead singer of a heavy metal band and even toured, but gave up that lifestyle and went into healthcare. He asked what I did, and when I confessed to being a novelist, he lit up. He reads science fiction and fantasy. 

My day nurse, Susana, had an interesting family situation. She and her siblings provide home care for their elderly mother. Mom stays with one of them for a few months. and then she rotates to the next home. Their round-robin gave me the idea to write about a middle-aged nurse caring for an elderly mother. I pitched the idea to Susana, who said she’d read that book. 

It would be a personal story too, as I’m helping my 99-year-old mother to age in place. I’ve wanted to write about the joys and difficulties of this phase of our lives together. My quirky, kind, obstinate, independent mom would make an interesting character. 

A few days after entering Emergency, I emerged with a good prognosis. My face was still drooping, but I hadn’t had a stroke. I had Bell’s Palsy, not life-threatening or neurological. After four weeks of making faces at myself in the mirror, it went away. I came home with a book idea and a sense of empowerment—to become more observant and connect with people as a writer. 

I learned from my hospital writers retreat that ideas for characters, settings, and situations abound, even at your grocery store, bus stop, school, and or on a neighborhood walk. I often struggle when I sit down to devise an outline, but then I’ll take a walk with my dog and meet an interesting stranger who likes animals. Last time, it was an Indian man from Africa who extolled the joys of living among free-roaming wildlife. That could be a whole book! 

Seeing through a writer’s eyes, I gain rich material. People love to talk about their lives. It helps them figure out their own stories, and as they make meaning of events, a writer can listen with compassion and curiosity. For me, those are the best tools for creative writing.   

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RACHEL DACUS writes about history, love, family, and art — with a touch of magic. Rachel is the author of both prose and poetry. When she’s not writing or reading, she listens to music and walks through the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her architect husband and a lively Silky Terrier. She blogs about books and the writing life.

Website: racheldacus.net.
Twitter: @Rachel_Dacus
Instagram: racheldacusauthor
Facebook: RachelDacusAuthor

JANE AUSTIN TIME TRAVELER

A romance writer revises her life by time-traveling (The Timegathering Series)

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Someone must save history and Jane Austen! When a stranger calls and claims to be an interested publisher, a desperate Jane agrees to go with him to his office. That office turns out to be in the future. And it’s not an office, but a bookstore in southern California in 2024 where fans of Jane Austen gather every month to discuss her works.

Jane greets the Jane Austen Superfan Club, only to find that superfans can be super picky. Discouraged by their critiques, Jane wants different adventures. Even deadly, dangerous ones. And oh, yes! Romantic ones.

Her “publisher” had hoped to inspire Jane’s writing by showing her a book club devoted to her writing. But when she meets a tall, handsome superfan, Jane decides to chart her own course. She disappears with her new friend, and history may have to save itself …

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips