You may be wondering why we’re featuring a young woman in our mag. After all, this venture is about doctors, and healthcare, and people within, who are moving and shaking the field. Well, young Ms. Maribelle Ganelis is more than just a young woman – she’s written a book! In fact, upon seeing that SoMeDocs was seeking out panelists for the upcoming second annual online #SoMeDocsWriters, on a panel entitled Pages of Wonder: Inspiring Young Minds with Children’s Book Creators, both her mother and she thought it would be a great idea for her to throw her hat in the ring.
Having written a children’s book herself, and at such a young age, we thought it would be fun to add her into the faculty lineup, from which our attendees could learn. She joins a number of other – adult – faculty members, there to teach. Virtually, of course.
We decided it would be wonderful to bring her in for an interview. So here goes.
What have you written? Tell us about it/give us an overview, before we dive in to your work and the writing process.
The *Door to Fairy Forest* is about a girl named Rebecca. She wants adventure more than anything, and that’s exactly what she gets when she and her best friend stumble upon a magical portal in their school’s garden. Transported to a wondrous Fairy Forest, they soon encounter strange food, unusual creatures, and adventure around every corner!
They have been summoned to save Fairy Forest and its inhabitants from the evil Queen Ellen. But the stakes are high, and their quest is fraught with danger. And that’s not all. Along the way, Rebecca falls in love with a fairy warrior she’s ordered to battle. Can the pair survive their fateful duel? Will the mysteries along the way ever be solved? Will order ever be restored to Fairy Forest? And will Rebecca survive Fairy cuisine?
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What inspired you to start writing alongside your medical career?
This began from just the prologue. I was writing it for an assignment, and then I thought, “well, I haven’t written any creative writing in a while, so might as well!” And here began the book. I decided to do fairies because that was what came to mind, and then the rest just came in the clacking of my keyboard.
Do you have a strict writing routine, or do you write whenever inspiration strikes—like between patient rounds?
I just find time. I’m pretty busy, but I try to squeeze an hour in the middle of my day and maybe procrastinate- just a bit. I often get ideas when I play ping pong, so I write them down and then come back later.
What’s your writing setup? Are we talking medical journals scattered across your desk, or are you more of a coffee shop, laptop, and noise-canceling headphones type?
I write anywhere. To me, it doesn’t really matter because when I write, I become engrossed in my writing and the other distractions are dismissed with ease. I can write on my laptop in a loud crowd or solitary in my office with my monitor, as long as nobody talks to me.
SoMeDocs is pleased to announce a virtual conference focusing on writing as a healthcare professional. Topics range from Book Publishing — Getting Started, to Writing Fiction: The Secret Sauce that Keeps Readers Turning Your Pages, and more.
Do you outline meticulously, or are you more of a “let’s see where this goes” kind of writer?
I am an absolute gardener writer! I for sure have future ideas, but there are sort of big gaps in between those parts. I guess I can say that I have a very loose outline, but my ideas mostly come to me over time.
What’s the weirdest or funniest thing you’ve Googled while researching for your writing?
I Googled a lot of strange things during writing, including shades and colors, flowers, plants, and weirdest of all, types of fish. In a scene of my book, there is an ice lake and under the ice are huge, piranha-like fish. I wanted it to be realistic, so I searched up what big and dangerous fish live in ice lakes, which, to be honest, was a bit hard! But I did find the Northern Pike were dangerous and large enough.
Tell us about your latest book/blog—what’s the heart of the message?
I want to show that behind a normal thing (like the door to the forest) is an adventure, and though it may seem.
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I Googled a lot of strange things during writing, including shades and colors, flowers, plants, and weirdest of all, types of fish.
Have any of your colleagues or patients reacted in surprising ways to your writing?
A lot of people randomly say “congratulations” when I never see it coming. Sometimes I start talking about my book and some people are very surprised and didn’t know.
If your book became a movie, who would play you in the film adaptation?
Me! I know exactly how to play and always wanted to be in a movie!
If you wrote a book, did you go the traditional, self-publishing, or hybrid route? How did you find the process?
I self-published. This was mostly because I am certain it would have taken forever to publish it and I just thought it was nice for a first book. I created a description for the cover which I sent to an artist. A week or so later, I had my cover!
Medicine handed us a script. Many healthcare professionals are writing something different. This curated resource helps you meet others building autonomy, redefining careers, and moving beyond the expected path.
What’s harder—writing a book or making it through a 24-hour hospital shift (if you’ve worked through one)? If you haven’t is there any other comparable activity?
Writing a book cannot be compared to something hard to me. I love to write and writing comes easy for me because I love doing it. The ideas that I have, the world that I make, it is sort of like a perfect world for me (except for all the bad fairies, but…) so who doesn’t want to envision themselves in a perfect world?
If you could have lunch with any author (living or dead), who would it be and why?
Jane Austen! I love Jane Austen, and though she writes very differently from me, I love her writing. Northanger Abbey had a twist of fantasy in it, and that one was perfect.
Can you share one piece of advice for healthcare professionals who secretly want to write but don’t know where to start?
Just write. Some people asked me what they should do in writer’s block and I just said to either not write for a few days or even weeks or just write. This is applicable for starting a book. If you have an idea but don’t know how to put it on the page, write it how you imagine it. It often turns out better than you would expect, and if it doesn’t, more ideas come as you write, so you can always change it and develop it.
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The ideas that I have, the world that I make, it is sort of like a perfect world for me (except for all the bad fairies, but...) so who doesn't want to envision themselves in a perfect world?
