From Mundane to Marvelous. Day 23 of the Total Writer Transformation

Last week I had four doctor appointments. Three of them were rather painful. My team of doctors are trying to stay ahead of nerve and bone damage in my lower spine before it becomes so severe that I would be wheelchair bound. I'm still taking it easy and am extremely fortunate to have a wonderful caregiver, but when the pain is intense it dominates my every waking moment. My thoughts are even affected rather profoundly, which makes it difficult to work, write and even think. But today is a better day and I'd like to share something with you.

I was at the University of Washington's Medical School on Thursday, waiting for the nurse to call me back for my appointment and trying to distract myself from my discomfort. Sometimes I cannot move without sharp protests suddenly escaping my lips, and sometimes I must keep moving- albeit carefully- so as not to jolt innocent bystanders out of their quiet contemplation with an unexpected expletive. It was the latter that day, so I wandered about with no particular destination as I waited for my Doctor to be ready for me.

The University of Washington School of Medicine is one of the oldest public universities on the West Coast and the number one magnet school in North America due to their focus on cutting edge research and preventative care. They are so innovative that their dental department developed a "living cement" from shark cartilage for human teeth. Since sharks regrow lost teeth throughout their lifetime, and humans have the same tooth regeneration gene, this shark tooth cement brings us close to knowing how to activate our similar gene- great news for boxers everywhere! When my oldest son was in grade school he injured his front teeth in a skateboard accident, causing them to begin to fuse to his jawbone. Thanks to UW Medical School, his teeth were implanted with the shark cartilage and the fusing was reversed. He is one of only 220 people in the world with "shark teeth." :)

Because UW Medical Center is a teaching hospital even simple procedures take several hours in order to train dental and medical students on the correct procedures and technique. My son had five procedures, each lasting five hours. Because of this I now know my way around the hospital as well as the doctors, and even have access to a few rooms, passages, and elevators which are generally not accessible (or even known) to the public.

I became even more intimate with the hospital and her rhythms a couple years later when my middle son had multiple surgeries followed by a week in the ICU after being attacked by three attack-dog trained Bull Mastiffs. I stayed with him at the hospital but couldn't sleep much so I wandered the halls when he was taken to rooms where I was not allowed for surgeries and treatments. And in vain attempts to exhaust myself for much-needed rest in the hushed wee hours of the morning.

I hadn't spent time at the UWMC since then, so Thursday's visit brought back a lot of memories. Strangely, hardly anything in the hospital had changed!

For such an advanced school, UWMC has an extremely old looking interior. The off white walls are scuffed and aged, the linoleum lost its sheen decades ago, and the dents in the doors give you the feeling that the building is older than its 59 years. Hospitals are a buzz of activity in the daytime as patients head to appointments, visitors search for flowers and rooms, and staff rush to complete the neverending array of duties. During the day voices over the intercom constantly call this doctor or that nurse to a floor, voices and conversations between staff and patients flow and ebb, carts and gurneys roll and elevators chime. And interspaced through it all the heartwrenching wail of sirens crying out desperately for help on behalf of the frightened and broken humans inside.

But late at night the hospital turns down its volume as if it understands that the human patients who are spending the night need sleep in order to heal.

Passageways open and others close to condense flow after cafeterias and departments are closed for the day. Doors faithfully lock but for those with keys, and lights dim as the hospital lowers her heavy eyelids. You realize the electrical hum is no longer vibrating under your skin as all but the necessary computers have been switched off.

The hospital has a heartbeat. Staff and patients are the bloodcells bringing necessary nutrients to every corner; corridors are the veins by which they flow. The endochrine system is the physicians "reproducing" the doctors of tomorrow as they train interns and residents. They also regulate the hospital's metabolism and growth by how well they work. Security and reception is the integumentary system acting as the protective skin.

The hospital has a rhythm. Extremes of emotion are etched on her walls, from the relief of the surgeon who saved the mangled life to the devastation of the woman who will only begin to think of the bedroom as "hers" and not "theirs" many years from today. The walls echo the screams of the child who doesn't understand the pain and the exuberance of the researcher who finally found the cure. The windows do not look out onto the world; rather, they serve to shed the day's light to a thousand questions and to dry a million tears. And much like a living being the hospital must sleep and recuperate for a few hours late at night in order to stand strong in support for the broken souls who will need to lean on her walls tomorrow.

At first glance a hospital is a place where you go to be healed. The goings-on inside are apparent to those who look closer, and they then realize there is an awful lot done to make it efficient. Every one thing that happens in that hospital is mundane and many times dull- the receptionist answers the phone in the same manner a hundred times a day and the nurse checks dozens of temperatures per shift. Each one thing hardly seems worth mentioning. But combining every one of these little things makes an impressive total- in this case a university hospital! It's even more magnificent when you carefully choose the words you would use to describe these events.


At its heart, writing is about finding meaning in the mundane.

Sure the adventure about surviving a surprise blizzard while summiting Mount Everest is an epic tale. And the novel where the main characters overcome adversity in the midst of WWII is a legendary account. But when you strip the big things away you are left with a story filled with regular "mundane" day to day things that each and every one of us deal with.

The characters on Mt Everest are dealing with physical pain and exhaustion, something we have all been through, though not necessarily mirroring the types in the book. Many people can relate to the psychological and bodily experiences expressed. The characters in the WWII novel come from different backgrounds, social status, beliefs and race but they are in love. An impossible relationship made more insurmountable by the stresses and dangers of war. But anyone who has felt oppression due to race or gender can relate. And anyone who has been in love understands the yearning and comfort and even pain that can bring.

Both of these stories- in fact all good stories- have a common element: real life. Just like in real life, the characters think and feel. They do normal things like going to work and packing luggage and eating dinner. They talk with their friends and walk the dog and turn on lamps. These are all mundane things, nothing exciting or dramatic. But the way in which these things are written- the style and tone and words chosen- is what makes the story great.

Today's Challenge

Make mundane magnificent by describing a routine thing you did today.

Having dinner is an event you perform daily without much thought. But you can turn it into an entertaining story by describing how the savory food aromas dance through the air, the wonderful company and good conversation, and how pleasant and at home it feels to be around the dinner table sharing good food and great times with your loved ones.

A simple trip to work can be made stimulating to your readers by describing the different characters on the train, detailing how grateful the elderly lady looked when the tattoo covered thug gave her his seat.

Use carefully placed wording and descriptive language toturn routine tasks into exciting, noteworthy events!

Images via Pexels and UWMC

Be a Better Writer in Just One Month! Join the 31 Day Writing Challenge to transform your writing and your life!

Day 1 The Truth About Making Time For Writing
Day 2 How to Incorporate Ideas From Life in Your Writing
Day 3 Master the Art of Captivating Your Readers
Day 4 Banishing Distractions
Day 5 Get Your Writing Noticed!
Day 6 The Importance of Morning Pages
Day 7 Why You Should Write Even if You're Not a Writer
Day 8 How to Personify an Object
Day 9 How to Use Writing Prompts to Improve Your Skills
Day 10 Why You Need an Email List
Day 11 There is a Best Time to Write!
Day 12 Your Future Path
Day 13 Do You Know How to Eat an Elephant?
Day 14 Soliloquy Speaking: Bring Depth to Your Characters
Day 15 The Red String- You and Your Readers are Connected
Day 16 Pardon Me, What Did You Say?
Day 17 Make Dialogue Work For You
Day 18 Actions Speak
Day 19 Connect the Dots
Day 20 Begin with the End
Day 21 You Don't Need the Money!
Day 22 Lessons for Writers from Kurt Vonnegut

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