Your 2011 resolution

Happy New Year from Stone Harbor, NJ
Photo by Ralph S. Pfeifer

Nurses sometimes feel intimidated by the thought of publishing their writing. You might feel better knowing that even the medical editors and writers I’ve worked with over the years did not plan on these disciplines as the primary focus of their work, even those with science or English degrees. They had to learn the ropes, like everyone who is new to a skill set. As an RN, you have what it takes to write for publication; 2011 can be your year to do it. Happy New Year!

A delayed Christmas gift

Stone Harbor beach path postblizzard 12/27
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

Here’s a fun site to visit when you want just the right word: Visual Thersaurus. It’s particularly good for those, well, visual thinkers out there. And the Double-Tongued Dictionary site will please anyone who wants to understand fringe English terminology. Have fun, and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

To all who celebrate, and to all who do not, here's some great writing:

I have always thought of Christmas time…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time in the long calendar of the year when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore...I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, "God bless it!"~from A Christmas Carol

Perks of letter writing

Clam Shell in Snow, Stone Harbor, NJ
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

One of the aims of getting nurses to write more is making colleagues aware of what is going on in health care and sparking conversation and debate. Public venues, like blogs, can also tell you what your patients think about certain issues.  A recent letter to The New York Times by a nurse asked the paper’s health blog writer to talk about how to address elderly patients by name. Take a look at the dialog she generated here. Then think about the issues that are important to you in your practice, and start writing.

Writing up your interview

Beach Sand, Stone Harbor, NJ
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

If you followed the suggestions in my previous posts on interviews, you already have a deck, introduction, or both, plus your questions. After the actual interview, you may find you raised additional questions and took down several quotes. These all provide the scaffolding for your written piece. Read over your notes, and begin filling in the narrative for the written interview based on how the questions were answered. If you have any additional questions for the interviewee, don’t hesitate to contact them for clarification. Set the piece aside for a day or so if you have the time and are not on a strict deadline, then reread and edit out anything that is irrelevant to the topic. Remember that you do not have to use every quote you got from the interview, just those that shed light on the topic. Be careful, however, not to omit anything that would skew the interview’s point of view away from what the expert and toward any bias of your own. You want the piece to be as objective as possible—the hallmark of good journalism. In general, publications do not want interviewees to review and approve the final product, to assure openness of information. In special cases, however, it may be okay to have the interviewee look at direct quotes for accuracy. You need to know the publication’s exact position on this issue before allowing your interviewee to review anything, including direct quotes. An excellent resource for detailed principles on reporting is the Association of Health Care Journalists. 

More support that nurses should write

Seagull Following Cape May-Lewes Ferry
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

In light of some recent news, I’m posting an aside that adds support to why I think nurses, who rarely consider medical editing and writing as a career, should at least write about what they do. Recent Gallup poll results show that Americans rank the ethics and honesty of nurses higher than several other professions; a result consistent for 9 years in a row. What you write will receive attention and consideration, particularly if you write informatively for a lay audience. Of course this faith in the profession mandates accuracy and clarity, but you can present your content that way—it just takes practice and commitment. So don't be afraid to take off and fly.