#ignatius and the swords of nostaw

[nanowrimo]

The Art of Writing During Tumultuous Times

As an Emergency Room physician of 40+ years, D.A. Mucci is no stranger to difficult, even life-threatening, situations. During the pandemic, he turned to writing fantasy, and wrote his debut novel, Ignatius and the Swords of Nostaw. Today, he shares some tips that helped him develop his writing process during particularly terrible times: 

Counselors often tell their patients to manage their stress and difficult situations by journaling their thoughts and ideas. While I’ve been faced with plenty of stress in my life as an emergency room physician, journaling was not part of what helped me relax. I did find that telling a story worked. The creative process helped alleviate my stress, consciously and subconsciously.

I turned to writing during the pandemic based on the phenomenal suggestion from my wife, Jeanne. She thought it would be a great way of channeling my nervous energy and concerns of dealing with a disease that killed quickly and indiscriminately. My wife knew that when I tell stories to family members and friends, I have a good time and feel in my element. She thought, correctly, that would be a great way of unwinding.

I’ve been asked how I focused during such tumultuous times, and how I was able to break away from the physical and emotional trauma of dealing with so many critical patients and death at one time. In the emergency room, we have to learn, quickly, how to compartmentalize our thoughts and decisions. There are times I could be taking care of as many as 12-14 patients at one time — easily, during covid, 4-5 critically ill patients. You have to train your mind to shift from patient to patient instantly, thus putting the last patient behind you, while having the ability to pull them back to the forefront in an instant. I used that skill to write, placing the stress of the daily shift into another room, another place in my mind. It was put away for the moment. Thus, I was able to focus on the story, the characters, and allow my mind to fantasize, wander, and relax.

When writing, I try to use typical conventions for the process, but I also don’t hold myself bound to strict writing norms. I like to tell a story, even if it goes a bit outside of how editors say a story should be told.

For years I’ve been asked by my friends and family in social settings to tell them about my latest and greatest unusual stories in the emergency room. So, I’ve been a storyteller for decades. I love embellishing a real-life story for the entertainment factor, making it even more interesting and fun. People who know me know that as I tell a story about the emergency room, and most anything in my life, there’s always the “Dave embellishment factor” that comes into play. I suppose this is why I chose to write fantasy and dream up an entire new world in the Kingdom of Skye.

And it has taken me a while to learn how to turn storytelling into the art of creating a manuscript. I’ve been fortunate to have lots of coaching along the way from editors and taking courses about writing as an author. This homework is all part of what I needed to do to become better at crafting not only a story but specifically a manuscript.

My advice to those who want to write and aren’t sure where to start is simple: Just go ahead and start. That is the only way to learn the craft. And don’t expect the first story or few to be perfect. The first two books I wrote were held back due to lack of knowledge of how to write a good story and trying to stay within the guidelines of literary rules. Those rules stifled my story, my style and limited my creativity. 

My book Ignatius and The Swords of Nostaw breaks a few rules. Some editors early on in the process didn’t want me to tell the story from multiple points of view. But if done properly, the reader will get a fuller picture and appreciate the depth of storytelling. I so enjoy hearing from readers how they were able to get inside the different characters and get to know and understand each better. So, remember to have fun writing, it’s ok to color outside of the lines a little, and enjoy connecting with readers who will be entertained by your unique story.

Being an Emergency Room physician for close to forty years, D.A. Mucci found that the pandemic brought forth new horrors in the ER. Writing his debut fantasy novel became an enjoyable escape for him from all that was happening in the real world. Ignatius and the Swords of Nostaw was featured on Good Morning America and is the start of a new series that introduces readers to the uncharted reaches of the Kingdom of Skye with fantastical creatures, daring escapades, and witty one-liners. Learn more about the author and Iggy's adventures at DAMucci.com.

#nanowrimo #writing #amwriting #writing advice #pandemic #fantasy #by nano guest #d.a. mucci #ignatius and the swords of nostaw

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