[stylist] Plot input.

[James Canaday M.A. N6YR]

Alan,
before you get too deep, think about how much detail of the medicine 
you want in your story.  think about how the readers view it.
it strikes me, at least from my perspective, that the medical 
explanation to give some realism/plausibility can be almost 
incidental since your focus, as you first wrote the idea, has more to 
do with the emotional experience of trading hearts, that trading 
hearts changed their relationship.

oh, in real medicine there's lots and lots of examples of a sibling 
donating, for example, one kidney.  parents or even spouses too.  if 
you look around you can find some discussion of how this effected the 
relationship.
ride this story idea.
jc
Jim Canaday M.A.
Lawrence, KS

At 04:16 AM 9/3/2009, you wrote:
>Him,
>Thank you for this.  This is the first tme in my attempts at writing 
>that an idea I've had isn't so far fetched that I have given up on 
>it.  So, I am not giving up on this idea at all. I have some 
>research ahead of me, and am starting to wonder if this is too much 
>for a short story and maybe better as a book, what with medical 
>detail involved?  I don't want to be seen as glossing over details.
>
>Now I just need the patience and fortitude to see this idea through 
>and not move on to something else, as I ted to do.  I think, to 
>borow from Richard Bach, this idea has me by the throat and doesn't 
>want to release me until I have put it down on paper.
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "James Canaday M.A. N6YR" 
><n6yr at sunflower.com>
>To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 12:18 AM
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Plot input.
>
>
>>Dear Alan,
>>Amy  beat me to it, but the scenario of two people having an 
>>autoimmune heart condition and both needing transplants isn't so far fetched.
>>without involvement of diabetes, if instead they as a couple 
>>traveled to a part of the world with a Scarlet fever outbreak, and 
>>both contracted it. later, they were both found to have heart valve 
>>problems and an autoimmune rejection process going on.  now, a 
>>little less plausible is that they would actually be able to be 
>>donors for each other's hearts.
>>but here's a good intro on the Rheumatic fever issue:
>>http://www.illness-disease.com/rec/364-Rheumatic-fever/
>>
>>for the two of them to be potential heart donors to each other and 
>>make it a bit more plausible, they need to have the same blood 
>>type, be generally the same size, and there are a couple 
>>dozen  titers in blood matching. but some of that could be covered 
>>by maybe putting them both into a religious/ethnic minority together I think.
>>
>>Alan, I'm recovering from congestive heart failure, my heart 
>>literally pumps twice what it did five years ago.  back then, I was 
>>a few months away from living in the hospital and waiting for transplant.
>>
>>in my case, and I think in most, docs try hard to save the heart 
>>rather than going quickly to transplant.  transplant has a lot of risks.
>>
>>now, as to your plot, it is a great one and don't let anybody talk 
>>you out of it!  there are good reasons why even ancient greeks 
>>thought that the heart was the seat of all emotion.
>>jc
>>
>>Jim Canaday M.A.
>>Lawrence, KS
>>
>>
>>At 04:48 AM 8/31/2009, you wrote:
>>>I have an idea for a short story I want to write, but I want input 
>>>on the strength of the overall idea.  Is it plausible, or am I 
>>>asking the reader to suspend disbelief too much?
>>>
>>>Here's the idea, a couple (I haven't determined married or just 
>>>lovers) is struggling with communicating with and understanding 
>>>each other.  In a strange twist of fate, one (or both) have a 
>>>heart condition that allows them to participate in an experimental 
>>>surgery to literally swap hearts. The procedure is a success, but 
>>>as they go the recovery from the surgery, they disover that they 
>>>now more deeply understand each other.  Granted, yes, I know, 
>>>something of a fairy tale, but isn't that what some literature is meant to be?
>>>
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>>
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>
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