Definitions: More Than Just a Novel Patient
August 17, 2010 in Academy, Adverse effect, Appointment, Arts, Awareness, Career, Chapter, Doctors, ER, Family, Fiction, Freedom, God, Lauren, Lauren Soffer, Life Issues, News, Novel Patient Posts, Online Writing, Writing, appointments, art, brief summary, center, child, child of god, chronic illness, coming of age, creative thinking, doctor, elevator, excerpt from, feeling, first draft, flickr, grandmother, hospital, illness, illnesses, life, many things, novel, novelist, pain, patient, populace, question, scrapbooker, script, sick girl, sister, soffer, ssi, story, symptom, time, title, type, walk, walker, walkers, web designer, weight, wheelchair, writing a novel by Novel Patient
There are many things that define me a Novel Patient, mainly my collection of unusual illnesses, symptoms and side effects. But one of them has nothing to do with being sick. If you recall last November, I started writing a novel. It’s working title is The Alone Elevator. It’s a coming of age story set in a dystopian future about the pains and trials of going up and the importance of the freedom to think for yourself. Here’s a brief summary:
Chosen to attend the prestigious Riddlebane Academy, Kylie Lockmore soon learns secrets that turn her world upside-down. From the drug her grandmother invented to control the populace to the missing sister she never knew she had, Kylie is forced to question the truth and decide where she stands.
As I’ve been writing this novel I’ve been thinking lately about how I define myself. So much of my life revolves around and is affected by my illness that it can sometimes feel that that is all I am. But that is not how I want to be defined. I am more than a sum of doctors appointments and hospital stays, symptoms and side effects, walkers and wheelchairs. There are so many other things that define me. And it occurs to me how important it is that I remember that. I am a creative thinking feeling being. I am a graphic and web designer, a scrapbooker, a novelist. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a child of God. I am so much more than just a “Novel Patient”.

But how do others see me? Do they see just a “sick girl” with a walker? Or do they see the real me? I think that the more I define myself as I want to be defined the more people will see the me I want them to see. If I focus on being a patient that is what will define me. But if I focus on being a Novel PERSON… well that is what I will be and radiate to the world.
Here is an excerpt from the first draft of my novel:
The Alone Elevator Chapter 1 Excerpt
Recent Comments:
- amanda commented on Scrapbooking My Illness Journey great idea! see my blog for my take on scrapbooking your illness, too!
{hugs} - Laura H. commented on Definitions: More Than Just a Novel Patient I've been thinking about what you've written here for a few days now, but I'm still s
- Selena commented on Scrapbooking My Illness Journey The story about your sister really touched my heart. I also love your scrapbook pages! Thanks or sha
- Nikki commented on Complaining About Complaining Sometimes a friend of mine will start to tell me of his or her physical afflictions or how they are
- Nikki commented on Complaining About Complaining Thanks for writing and posting this. When we are in heaven, Lauren, you and I 'will run and not
















Share
Related posts:
- Keeping The Faith Through my chronic illness, I have come to realize how crucial it is to have...
- Patience in the Hospital Though I am a Novel Patient, patience isn't my strong suit. But patience is what...
- A Place For Him Things have been emotionally rough and raw lately. Lot's of things are in transition. Relationships...












![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=89733b88-0d06-4221-bacc-bbd496f1edcf)



![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=00ac970d-c059-4ced-bae6-ec5f0565c0ac)

Meet and befriend other Novel Patients!
Share your novel experiences in a blog! (Choose from over
Join Groups with other novel patients like you!
Discuss and get inspired on the community forums!