A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Anyone ever thought of trying to write a book

Posted: Dec 12, 2013

It's crossed my mind many times, but haven't actually done anything about it yet. Wondering how others may have gotten started, suggestions of how to choose a story line, etc., just any experience anyone would like to share. TIA

;

Just today - Alice

[ In Reply To ..]
Hi,
Yes, I've often thought about writing a book. In fact, I have even taken some "writing" courses. At one point, I thought of writing a murder mystery where the victim is a doctor who is plainly rude when it comes to his dictation techniques and the murderer is an MT who just couldn't take it anymore and finally snapped.

Just today, I received an interesting piece of snail mail. There were 2 old pennies attached to the first page. It goes on to explain how I can earn $8750 for finding real estate property for a company. A web site is cited where I can go to find out more. I have not yet checked it out, but I suspect they will explain how I need to purchase some expensive starter/education package.

In the meantime, I have been thinking ...wouldn't it make an interesting book/story to expand this experience? Consider the story of a poor widowed MT with one child who lives in a rural area of the country, owns an old car, has very few clothes that fit, has lost 30 pounds over the past 4 months after losing a big account at her current MT job, is living in poverty, can hardly afford to eat, wonders how she is going to pay for basic food and shelter, not to mention the DSL and increased electricity/heat costs during the coldest winter that she has experienced in years, when, BEHOLD...A Christmas miracle. She receives, in the mail, 2 pennies that are rare and worth thousands of dollars, if not millions.

Well, I thought it would at least make a great fictional story..

Those real estate finding offers are useless. - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
It turns out that the person who's running this big moneymaking scam has ads all over the country, advertising in "YOUR local area only!"

What it is, you may find properties but it has to be worth something to the advertiser, which they decide, and you are in competition with however many other people in your area are doing the same thing and may have already reported and claimed credit for that property. It's a first come, first served kind of thing. I'd personally worry about the ad poster contacting the property owner behind my back to cut a deal that cut me out.

You've got to be out and about all over town constantly scouting properties, and if you really want to make money you need to travel to nearby towns and counties and hope nobody's got to those properties before you did.

Kind of like that Avon or Mary Kay crap; how many of those pushy broads can one territory support?

I think she was being sarcastic... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
LOL

But I see where you're going with this. I once fell for that ad of stuffing envelopes from home (MANY years ago). I sent a $15 money order to a FL address to get a "starter kit" thinking I would get boxes of flyers and envelopes to just stuff, lick, mail out, and get paid. NOPE. It's just a scam ad. All I got was a letter from FL saying put this same ad in your local paper (where I already saw the ad). It was just an ad to get $15 from people. That was so stupid! That was the last I ever heard anything and so just brushed it off as a lesson learned.

Oh, and don't forget that key attached to the postcard where you can come on down to the car lot and try your key in the lock and if it fits, you win a car! I'll race you down there! LOL

What has this world come to? I feel bad for anyone who gets suckered into that. Especially nowadays when they know people are broke and desperate for money.

And don't even get me started on timeshare condos...

Reminds me - Of 30 years ago

[ In Reply To ..]
Oh, I won't get off topic until later in the paragraph. I think you should write a book, at least for a wonderful hobby and to get stuff off your chest. We've all be sooo stressed for sooo long.

Okay, now I can get to the envelope thing. I did that 30 years ago, way before there was computer stuff. I sent money, thinking they were going to send me envelopes to stuff with letters, and all I got was a list of corporations who needed people to do mailings. Yeesh, I went no further with it.

Do not fall for any of this crud. It's all only bad!

writing - Effie

[ In Reply To ..]
Tons of people think they can write a book. Lots of people actually try writing the book. Very few actually make any money doing it.

My brother-in-law sold his IT company and devoted three years to writing a book living off the profits of selling his company... after three years and lots of rejections, he went to work at Apple. A colleague of my sister took a year off to write a book, he actually got it published and I am one of about hundred people who actually bought a copy..

But of course, some people DO write and publish books and make a living doing it. Maybe you could be one of those.. you will never know if you don't try.

I always think I will write a book about the psychiatric patients that come and out of our hospital.. I mean, their stories are amazing..but writing is hard work and when it comes down to it, I don't think I will ever "write" the book. LOL.

book topic - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
Wouldn't it be unethical to write about patients in a hospital? Isn't it also illegal?

You are right. - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
That is why there has never been a book written about hospitals or patients or, indeed, anything medical whatsoever. Nor has there ever been a television show or movie of any kind at any time that was set in a hospital or mentioned the word patient or doctor or even acknowledged that patients and hospitals exist or event mentioned the word "anatomy". There are not even any hospital-related reality shows called, just as a possible example, "Trauma, Life in the ER" or "True Stories of the ER." It would be illegal and unethical and everyone involved would go to jail.

lol! - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Your post cracked me up. It's HIPAA madness.

What? - ??

[ In Reply To ..]
I just reread your post and realized you were making a joke. It's late and I'm tired.

medical info private - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
Strongly disagree with you. I don't think anyone's medical information should be used for the entertainment industry unless that person chooses to share it.

Did you even read the post? - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
She clearly did not believe the real estate finder pitch. Her remarks were thinly veiled sarcasm, actually pretty well crafted, though apparently the veil was not quite thin enough for some readers.

Good start Alice!! I would read your book & your - blog..sm

[ In Reply To ..]
just those 3 paragraphs of your post had me going for a minute there & I'm not even a reader.

Writing a book - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
My local library has free author support sessions/groups. Might be something to look into at yours, too! Good luck!

I was more inspired by the two pennies - Alice

[ In Reply To ..]
Referring to my earlier post in this thread, No, I am not going to fall for that real estate thing. I'm not even going to visit the website that was mentioned in their snail mail (along with a personal password). I'm afraid there could be a security threat there. At the very least, I'm sure there is a required purchase needed to work that "program."

I don't think I'll ever write a book, either. I dream about it, but I've been dreaming about it for at least 30 years now. Maybe I'll just write a memoir/diary for my future kin. I wish one of my ancestors had done that...

Thank you all for your comments. It is very interesting, and often inspiring, to share ideas with you all.

I have a horror story I've been kicking around in my mind - the main character is an MT - but......

[ In Reply To ..]
(no not a real life sob story about how poor we all are LOL). This is a really freaky scary story I've been thinking about, but every time I start thinking about how I want the story to develop and the characters, etc I get really scared and have to think of something happy or funny to get me mind off of it. Also, every time I think about the story I start to see things out of the corners of my eyes. So too scared to even begin because I'm afraid it will happen to me. LOL.

I did start a romance novel years and years ago, but I just found it very boring to write. Thinking about a story in my mind is one thing, actually writing it is another.

And... - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
...the thing about writing an MT story is, first we'd have to explain what medical transcription is. Believe it or not, most people don't have a clue what it is. I don't explain if nobody asks, but I have found that they assume I'm doing medical billing or something to do with insurance billing.

I have a friend I've had for 10 years. I figured she knew what medical transcription was, because she always asked how work was, I told her, she never asked for details on what exactly I do.

Anyway, she's a family and marriage therapist, and out of the blue one day she asked me what code to use for something she had to put on some paperwork. I told her that I don't do coding, that I do run into code numbers once in a blue moon, but I couldn't be helpful. She sounded shocked.

I have another friend who keeps asking me why their medical insurance company wouldn't pay for this or that, and I said I don't work in insurance. The list goes on.

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