Although I tried hard, I did not manage to get the first draft of 'Growing Love' completed yesterday. There are still another three chapters to be written before the draft is finished.
The good news, however, is that I have managed to write the first seven chapters of 'Diary of a Female GP' today, a total of 10327 words already. At the moment it is looking more like I won't be able to keep to the 50000 words rather than I won't be able to reach them. If I keep going like this, 50000 words will be reached within five days, not thirty.
But, it is still early days, and we never know what will happen. At the moment forty-three chapters are planned in this book, detailing seven days, one week in the life of one female GP. Today, I completed the first day, Monday.
Already I know that Tuesday is going to be an intensive day and it is unlikely I will be able to write the entire day down within one day. Chances are Tuesday will take more than 10000 words to complete.
But, we'll see how it goes. I have not kept track of editing while writing this time. Instead, I have simply written down the words to be edited at a later stage. That seems to be the thinking behind #NaNoWriMo, I gather.
Below is a small excerpt from the sixth chapter of the book. Remember, this is purely draft, no editing has taken place yet at all. I hope you enjoy it.
By now I am running fifteen minutes ahead of schedule and my next patient has not arrived yet. For just such occasions where there is time not filled with seeing patients, I bring my Kindle and I read for a moment while keeping an eye on the appointment screen. This only happens at my husband's work where I only see patients but am not involved with dealing with results, letters, routine prescriptions and tasks.
Five minutes before her scheduled appointment, my fourth patient arrives, a twenty-nine year old woman. As I walk to the waiting area to collect her, screaming kid's voices reach me from the waiting area.
Shelly is mother to three young children, Libby who is three months old, Bobby who is eighteen months old and Tilly who is five and currently in school. Her partner and the dad to her children left her two months ago for another woman and now she is left taking care of three active children. The pain of Sam's betrayal and the loss of the relationship weigh heavy on Shelly, who is depressed and cries a lot. As her parents have retired to Spain and her sister lives thirty miles away and is too busy with her own family and career, Shelly is rather isolated and lonely.
Sam's parents live around the corner from her and they help out where they can. However, they are not supportive and tell her she is a failure as a mother and should hand over custody of the children to their son.
Shelly cries the entire consultation and I listen and comfort as best I can while also keeping an eye on her eighteen month old. Bobby crawls through the room, under the desk and opens cupboards and drawers. Shelly is too distraught to notice and it is on me to keep him safe. Although she calls out to him at times, "Bobby, don't do that" and "That is naughty", he takes no notice of her.
"I'm just a failure doctor. Maybe Sam's parents are right and I should just let him have the kids. I'm no use as a mother to them."
Shelly's crying intensified again.
"What would you like to happen Shelly? Do you really believe they are better off with Sam?"
Tearful eyes meet mine, "I don't know doctor. But I don't want to lose my children. Before Sam left me, I was a good mum."
Again she dissolves in a flood of tears. Then she sits up a little straighter, "No, I'm not going to let this bring me down. I am a good mum and it was Sam who left us. But I do need some help, is there anything you can suggest?"
We discuss Shelly's symptoms a while longer and after ensuring the kids are safe in her presence and Shelly is not suicidal, I hand her a leaflet for self-referral to the local mental health services to receive counselling. She appears a little less depressed when she leaves and I ask her to come and see us to talk whenever she feels the need to.
Unfortunately this consultation has taken twenty minutes and I now run five minutes behind.
Joni.
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