As most of you know, I recently finished writing Book #2 of my WWI trilogy. The setting for this story is a hospital in France during the Great War. With this setting, the word b-l-o-o-d inevitably came up.
Problem is, I can’t see, read, talk or even listen to stories involving blood without getting squeamish. To illustrate just how bad it is, a few weeks ago I attempted reading a Magic School Bus book to one of my kids. One of the students in the story had a cut and the class shrank in size, as they do, and went to explore her veins. I made it only a few pages before I had to stop reading the book altogether. It was making me sick just reading the scientific information about veins out loud!
Needless to say, it was a big feat for me to even describe blood in my book. There’s a scene where the heroine cuts her hand with a pair of scissors, and boy did it take great courage to “write” about even a little blood. Maybe I’m getting better, because a later scene with some references to blood weren’t as tough to write.
Then again, this whole post has me squirming over the topic! 🙂
Are you as squeamish as me?
Share with:
I'm actually not. There are times I've debated if I'd make a good nurse or doctor b/c of that.
My husband though, he would not make a good nurse or doctor. Epidural–he had to leave the room.
~ Wendy
I am not squeamish about blood, but I totally understood every bit of this because I'm every bit as squeamish about spiders. I seriously cannot touch a PICTURE of a spider. If I know a picture of a spider is in a book, I can't even hold the book where my fingers would be over or under the part of the book where the spider is. Yeah… Don't expect me to be writing about them anytime soon.
And yes, I fully understand how completely irrational that is.
I agree with Peggy. Spiders are seriously the creepiest and grossest ever. I have a problem with bees as well, but that's a whole other comment worth. Ha ha.
I often say I'm not squeamish, but I honestly think that's just because for most of my life, I've gotten away with not being around squeamish things. Haha! Even in junior high, I remember specifically asking the new boy in class if he liked dissecting things and he said yes and I promptly partnered up with him. We made a deal, he'd dissect the stuff, I'd write up the report. 🙂
Not about blood. But the other night me and my daughter were reading about the animals of the rain forest, and when I turned the page to find my fingers touching a gigantic snake, I actually threw the book across the room. No one was hurt luckily!
But I love the idea of your book set in France. My WIP is also set in France…modern day though. I served my mission there, so I've been meaning to get this story out for awhile! 🙂
Wendy – I wish I were like this. Maybe squeamishness about blood is something one can unlearn?
Peggy – LOL! I now know not to give you a spider book. 🙂
Chantele – I agree that bees are pretty bad too.
Melissa – What a great partnership! That was some clever thinking. 🙂
Jessie – Oui, France! 🙂 It was fun trying to pinpoint where I wanted my fictitious hospital and researching details about the country.
That's funny Stacy 🙂 Blood doesn't bother me but doctor shows where they use scalpels to cut people open make me want to faint.
Angela – I'm squirming just reading this! 🙂
I'm not squeamish about blood, but smells (puke, for instance) get to me. When I was in college, I was torn between going into nursing or going into teaching. Then I took a biology course with a lab that involved pulling out a pig in formaldehyde over a period of three weeks. As you can guess, teaching one out.
Elizabeth – Ooo – that sounds so unpleasant! 🙂