July, fully into summer now and I still haven’t taken the USMLE. Many of my classmates have and are starting their first rotations. It’s hard to watch a preclinical class break into different groups. The process is especially pronounced here at Stanford where so many of us take years out to do research. Not that I regret my choices. Hard as the past month has been, I’ve managed to turn around the final edit of book one, outline in detail book two, and complete a scholarly article with my mentor Dr. Verghese. In between all that, I snuck in enough studying to be halfway through “First Aid for Step 1,” the study bible every second year lugs around. And after a number of practice exams and drills to increase my speed, I am now almost, mostly, pretty much, could-maybe-have-only-a-little-doubt-but-really-am sure that I’ll be able pass the exam without special accommodations. I’ll be dyslexic forever, but for the first time since I was six, I won’t be labeled as disabled. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve restricted this blog to fiction and medicine, or at least the corners of those vast disciplines about which I know a humbling little bit. But after reading a few op-eds online, I’m so upset I have to share the following thought. It’s been condensed to fit into a facebook update.

The media gives too much credit to Twitter, not enough to Iranians. True, technology enables political coordination, but look at the pictures. These protesters are determined, righteous, fighting to save their nation. They’d have changed history w/o Twitter. It’d be sexy if Twitter were a necessary catalyst; we could suppose the West somehow caused this. But the true credit belongs to those on the streets of Tehran.

Dearly Beloved Hivemind,

I need your help. And, I love you. We practically grew up together. Remember when I held your hand in the 90s when you were still so nebulous? Remember how I lent you my bicycle when we were in college? Remember when you drank a little too much and sent all that spam? Now that you’re so much larger and smarter, I wonder if you could help an old friend. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick catch up post now before diving back into metabolism. Most everything is submitted now for Spellwright. The writerly corner of my brain is off for a bit of R&R while the med-student sections have to get back into shape. Like most studying for the boards, I’ve started with biochem. I’m not sure why we this; it’s like choosing to start a marathon by sprinting up a steep, two mile ascent. Much of the material was not taught in med school, and reaching back to the undergrad, academic memories is a frustrating chore. Things went well until yesterday when I slammed up against metabolism. Generally, I have trouble caring about smaller things. If you’re a molecule, I probably don’t like you. If you’re a gene, I’m pretty bored with you. A cell might garner some interest: they have a semblance of character. Tissue very much has my attention, and organs are fascinating. People of course are the paragon of interesting. But glutamine-PRPP amidotransferase …not so much. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a blustery late spring day here, hopefully a good one for starting new things. I’m putting the final touches for a scene-by-scene outline for SPELLWRIGHT’S sequel, SPELLBOUND. That means, at long last, it’s time to start studying for the US Medical Licensing Exam. I did not get my accommodations. So when I take this test, it will be the first time since I was six that I’ll take a test without acknowledgment of my disability. I’m boiling with so many different emotions: hope that I can pull it off, fear that I can’t, excitement to pull the medical knowledge together, depression about the number of hours I’ll be spending in the library, and lots of revenant thoughts from that boy who rode the short buss to school.

But offsetting this daunting next phase of my quest to become a physician is some wonderful news. Read the rest of this entry »

Dearly Beloved You Guys:

First, apologies for the blog neglect. After finishing up the last med school classes of second year, my final line-edit for Tor came due. That has been followed by a flurry of PR related errands, which are not quite finished. However, we’ve recently received some wonderful quotations from some of the authors I admire most! In particular, it’s an honor to receive a blurb from Robin Hobb, whose books I would sneak into special ed study hall when I was teaching myself how to read. No less exciting are the blurbs from Toby Buckell and Sean Williams, both of whom I count among the most original fantasists writing today. Read the rest of this entry »

The night before my last medical school final, they arrive. It’s a strange, wonderful feeling to see one’s name on the spine of a book.

Quick update on my two current obsessions, the medical licensing exam and the release of Spellwright.

Though the amount of material yet-to-be-crammed is daunting, I took a few practice tests to gauge my speed. Sadly, my disability hasn’t gone anywhere. I’m slow…but not as slow as I had feared. It gives me hope that even if my appeal is denied, that I’ll be able to train myself to go fast enough. The sad part of that would be the months of summer wasted on multiple choice and speed stress. Keep all appendages crossed for me. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve tried to write this post several times. Life is rapidly oscillating between wonderful and overwhelming. I suspect this is true for many medical students. The forces determining our happiness are many, intertwined, often completely new to us. Many times it can be hard to identify them. However, since my last post, my life has been dominated by news relating to my writing or my disability. There’s been a lot of both.

Let’s start with the writing. It’s easier. I’m proud to announce that Stanford Medical School has given me a grant to write shot stories of medical science fiction. I’d like to thank everyone for the amazing feedback on the proposal essays I posted. I also want to apologize for not recognizing many of the fantastic authors who write medical SF. Read the rest of this entry »