In a sleep-deprived state (thank you, little 3am vampire baby delivery), it occurred to me that the advice I give for medical care is pretty good. (The fact that only about 1.3% of patients listen to it is another thing entirely.) But then I got to thinking: what health behaviors do my characters portray? Am I sending the wrong message? Hmm. I give you: Things my characters do that I would never recommend. #10) Drive really fast. Ok, maybe if there’s a reason, fine, just be aware of surroundings and careful of other vehicles/pedestrians. #9) Drink far too much coffee. Which is funny, because I don’t like coffee. But my characters do. Don’t the women know that lots of coffee will increase fibrocystic breast changes? Don’t the guys know that it just makes them annoying as hell when they’re that peppy and talkative in the mornings? #8) Leave the Emergency Department AMA (Against Medical Advice) while not yet recovered from life-threatening injuries. Don’t give me this BS about how you're almost immortal. You need neuro checks and vitals q hour for overnight observation. #7) Walk around with a strange man you only met a few hours ago. Ok, fine, he’s hot, but really, what do you know about him? Nada. Except that he’s hot. So there’s that. At least have your pepper spray ready. Oh wait, you did have your pepper spray ready? Ok. #6) Jump off of tall buildings, like you don’t care. Sorry, what? You really don’t care if you live or die because you hate your existence? Oh, well. Hmm. #5) Have unprotected sex. Yes, that’s the biggie. The only time I would ever give a pass on using the big johnson wrapper is in paranormal, because you can suspend disbelief and push reality a smidge. So we’re going to say if you’re 400 years old and quick-healing, then it’s unlikely that you can A) get someone pregnant (but you never know…) or B) have STD’s. Those are the rules of the world I created. Now, in my contemporary suspenses? Condoms all day long. #4) Crawl into dark places like caves and tunnels without a helmet. How many times do you people have to get hit on the head to figure this one out? #3) Not dress properly for inclement weather. Like snow, frigid temperatures, molten lava. When will they learn? #2) For my female characters, stroll around the really bad parts of town. Ok, I get that you’re a badass nearly-immortal, but why take such chances? Oh, you don’t care if you live or die because you hate your existence? Ok, then. Got it. #1) Blindly sign bogus contracts with creepy, really old dudes. At least read the fine print, people. That’s what got you into this mess in the first place! Leave a Reply. |
Jillian DavidAuthor, daydreamer, and practitioner of trying very hard to duct tape folks together and help when I can. Archives
September 2024
May 2024
March 2024
October 2023
July 2023
June 2023
April 2023
December 2022
September 2022
August 2022
June 2022
May 2022
February 2022
January 2021
November 2020
August 2020
July 2020
May 2020
January 2020
November 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
March 2019
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
Categories
All
Adventures With Hubby
Airports
Author Interviews
Cats
Fastdrafting
Funny Medicine
Hell's Valley Series
Hell To Pay Series
Medicine
Potpourri
Star Trek
Top 10 Lists
Writing
Writing Vs Medicine
Yukon Valley Hospital
|