Mindfulness and writing

Sanderling on beach, Stone Harbor, NJ
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

I recently relearned the importance of mindfulness after carelessly slamming the car door—
on my thumb. While I wait for that injury to heal, I keep thinking about how important paying attention is to just about everything, including writing. I’ve even read a few good books on the topic. Here they are:

Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury (Available free online)

Wild Mind, by Natalie Goldberg

If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland

Enjoy reading them—and pay attention!

Read in order to write

I am in the middle of my second read of The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. Despite the mixed reviews of this book, from "literary masterpiece" to "disappointing," it is one of my favorites, and it seems to me that no one can dispute this writer’s skill at turning out beautiful phrases. One of my favorite lines, which is repeated throughout the book is this: “The most important part of the story is the part you don’t know.”

Wheel-thrown pot by Gail M. Pfeifer
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

Why bring up reading in a blog on writing for nurses? Because writing well grows out of reading great writers. Think about the books you’ve read that have held your interest. What were their characteristics? Were they page-turners, were they written about a topic you are passionate about, or were they simply new information you really needed to know about? Try to remember, and perhaps reread those books, because that’s the kind of writing you can emulate as you begin to tell your nursing stories. And the most important part of your story is the part we don’t know. So tell us.

Stories are everywhere

We visited our son, Patrick, in New York City recently, and strolled around the Village on our way back to his apartment. I happened to notice a Bowery building that was gated and covered with graffiti, but with striking architecture. “How sad that someone doesn’t do something with that building,” I said. With that, Pat’s girlfriend turned and said, “Someone lives there, they won’t sell it, and the inside is amazing.” I thought she might be pulling my leg until she sent me an article from New York Magazine, with slides of the interior. An artist and his family live inside the 72-room former Germania Bank, built in 1898—and it’s true—they won’t sell. The inside story is worth a read.

The smoke room at Monticello
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

So what’s the point for nurses? There is a story inside everything, particularly inside your work: What presents as an obvious diagnosis in one person can be something else entirely in another—and you have ferreted that out at times. What the physician prescribes today might not be best for your patient in the long run, based on your clinical observations and your knowledge of how much—or how little—family support the patient gets. What your colleagues view as a family that is “a pain in the neck” to the nursing staff, you see as close-knit kin under extreme stress—a treatable diagnosis. There is more, as you know. These inside stories are worth a read, and you should write them.  

Networking with other writers

Conch shell, Stone Harbor, NJ
Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer

Writing is a solitary activity; it helps to network with other writers, whether RNs or or local community members. Check out local writing groups at your local bookstore, community college, or vocational technical venue. Online sites, such as Linkedin, Writer’s Digest, etc, also have a selection of groups to peruse. And, of course, you can start one of your own. The tips and ideas you garner will be invaluable.

How to weather rejection

Sketch & photo by Gail Molnar Pfeifer

As you begin to submit your work for publication, you will receive acceptance and rejection letters from editors. 


If your proposal for an article is accepted, that’s great, but be prepared for rejection as well. And guard against taking any rejection letter personally—sometimes your idea just doesn’t match what the editors are looking for.

If you’re lucky, an editor might be kind enough—and have the time—to explain why your idea is not being accepted right now. If so, pay attention to the suggestions the editor gives you, and try again if you’ve been encouraged to do so.

Always have a second publication venue in mind for your ideas. If the rejection is in a form letter style, with no hint of interest from the first editor, immediately mail out the same query to your next targeted journal, newspaper, or other periodical. Keep this process going until you’ve hit the right publication and landed an acceptance. (Of course don’t forget to do your homework; read my October blog entries on the basics of querying an editor.)

Keep generating ideas and developing query letters over a period of a few months.

Once you have an idea accepted, be sure to read the author guidelines, and follow them carefully.

Listen to a writer

UVA dome room, Charlottesville, VA
Photo by Gail Molnar Pfeifer

When I first became serious about wanting to get published, I signed up for a local community college lecture on writing. Lucky for me, the instructor was Robert Santelli, and his advice was simple: start writing and don’t stop. He brought no notes, no handouts, and just spoke about his experience. Already a published author, he told us how his love of music and local history led him to become a freelance music journalist, and, eventually, to write The Big Book of Blues in 1993 (updated since then). He’s also written books on Bob Dylan, baseball, and travel topics. He went on to become an executive at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and he is now the executive director of the GRAMMY Museum.

So I’m glad I took his advice, and suggest the same to you: start writing and don’t stop. No handouts needed.  

A great month to start writing

Nelson House, Yorktown, VA
Photo by Gail Molnar Pfeifer

I used to think that we should find a way to wedge the month of February between November and December, to give us some leeway between that string of end-of-year holidays. But now I’m not so sure I want to give up the respite that February offers before the hurry of spring—it gives us a breather and an opportunity to fill our space (particularly that space away from work) with fresh activities. Here are some ideas:

• Catch up on the Oscar-nominated films
• Read a both-feet-on-the-floor-kind of book (The Lacuna, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Wonder and Terror of Science, etc.)
• Plan your garden
• Research an astronomy app for your computer or smart phone. (These apps identify constellations and outline them for you when you hold your device up to the night sky—and February is a great time to star gaze!)
• Write for publication!