synopsis | THE WRITE PLACE...

Here’s the short synopsis and chapter titles that I promised you. Whew! Just in time for tomorrow’s start of Camp NaNoWriMo.

My Virtual Camp NaNoWriMo

Draft of short SYNOPSIS for The Patient Patient Advocate

Memoir series, Souvenirs from My Heart, centers on debut author, Patti Hall’s, year long battle for her husband’s life. She chronicles Paul’s brave and humble struggle through Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant, and Graft Vs Host Disease. The first book in the series, The Patient Patient Advocate, bridges the topics of love and loss, from the other two books in the memoir series. This book offers sage advice for those who find themselves in the role of caregiver/advocate for someone they love. It is the story that the author and her husband worked on while he was hospitalized; the story Paul wanted her to finish. From diagnoses to hope to hospice, Hall grabs the reader by the hand and heart. She takes them with her along the couple’s unforgettable journey through the often frustrating healthcare system, with humor and heart wrenching honesty.

Draft of CHAPTER TITLES for The Patient Patient Advocate

*Our Story: Pre-diagnosis to Hospice

*The Bad News First…Hey, Where’s the Good News?

*Hospital Staff; Nothing Uniform About Them

*Patient Care: Body, Mind and Heart

*Camping Out In Hospitals; No S’mores Allowed

*Tools of the Trade; When A Hammer’s Not Enough

*Paperwork Jungle; Before, During and After

*What We Did For Love; A Closet Full of Hats

Okay, everyone, there it is. This is my pet project for the next 30 days in the virtual writing Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). One of my virtual buddies, Marie Bailey is a cabin mate, and our friend, Ellespeth (Liz) is signing up to be in our cabin too. Looks like the other roomies are four teen authors-to-be. Marie will have to be our leader, because she has done this before:>) Don’t tell her I said so. Wink Wink.

Notice that both items above are DRAFTS. That means I’m still open to community input, comments, questions and critiques. Jump in and tell me what you think.

Wish me luck,

Patti

Preparation for writing the first book in my memoir series at the online Camp NaNoWriMo is moving along. So am I. A few months ago I downsized my writing space to make a room for company, and to ultimately, remodel the room when the damn rain stopped. With this month-long 1600-words-a-day challenge coming up in a week, I decided to return the room to it’s former use as my writing space. There’s just no comparison between the dark 3′ X 5′ area I was using and this heaven with 3 windows and about 8′ X 8′ of open space. I know, still a laughably small space, but I also know how to count my blessings where they hatch!

With the move out of the way, I now have the memoir series title, the titles of all three books, a draft of the synopsis of the first book, and working titles for all the chapters in that book. This is huge. Every step forward is worth a celebration in my mind, though. Being the wild loner that I am, I celebrate by writing you an update. I really need to calm the hell down.

I will post the synopsis and titles in the next few days, maybe even tonight if I have time. Meanwhile, I need to finish reading a friend’s preview copy of her book, and writing up my notes about it. I may get really nutty and do some laundry and house cleaning. Nah, I’ll give it another day. I have awesome priorities. I should write a book about them.

Here’s my pitiful plea for you to stop long enough to add a comment, and please…”like” me. Isn’t that pathetic?

Peace,

Patti