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How should I deal with this?

edited December 2005 in - Writing Problems

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  • The main character in the novel I am writing is subjected to a sexual assault. Within days of the attack, she seeks advice from her local GUM clinic (Genito-Urinary Medicine), and will eventually find out she has the all clear. But I'm wondering whether to include her visit to the clinic, or just make mention of it i.e. she went there, and everything was okay.

    I have done some research on what happens when you visit one of these clinics, and I've printed it off for reference. So I'm just a bit unsure on how to write into the novel her visit to the clinic.

    Personally, I'd like to include the visit, but the main reason why I am unsure of doing so is because I don't know what a GUM clinic looks like. I may end up describing a place that in reality is completely different. Is the person who sees people at a GUM clinic simply referred to as a doctor? I could write the basics, but not much else.

    Incidentally, in the novel, my main character (Samantha) works as a GP in a hospital. So she could go to the clinic after she has finished her day. I could incorporate all that into the novel quite nicely.

    You might think this to be a bad idea her going to a GUM clinic that is located in the hospital she works at. On the surface I'd probably say it was, but her decision to be tested at the hospital might also show that the character's judgement is questionable. Could that give the character a different dimension, instead of her doing everything right all the time? As much as I like my main character, she does have faults, and this could be one of them.

    The amount of time she has to wait for the results is also important. It would be the waiting that would have the biggest impact on her, and not the actual visit.

    Any advice on this would be great. Thanks.
  • A GUM waiting room is usually no different from the conventional waiting room though often a bit down at heel. There are rows of chairs and piles of magazines. People are usually called by their first names and everyone is issued a hospital number. The atmosphere when in a consulting room is deliberately relaxed and informal (as far as I am aware). If your character has been assaulted by anyone working in the hospital or if she is trying to hide what has happened to her then perhaps she might not visit the clinic at her place of work but may go somewhere more annonymous (family planning, Well Woman etc.). Whatever the case it goes without saying that her privacy would be respected.
    I don't see why you wouldn't write up her visit, the waiting room could be a great place for some reflection, sitting in her own hospital, no longer one of the healers but one of the hurt.
    Of course I haven't read your story but it sounds a great premise to me. Naturally you could probably talk to an expert. Maybe you could ring/visit a Family Planning clinic and use that famous chat up line..."I'm researching a story" Hope this is of some help. Good luck
  • Thanks for your reply. I was looking on some website about GUM clinics, and one of them said that when you arrive, you are normally asked to register so that they can make a set of notes for you with a confidential number. By registering, do they mean that whilst you wait to be seen, you have to fill out some kind of form?
  • The location - although difficult to describe - is quite interesting. It is always a good thing when you can take the reader into an environment that is not amongst the "everyday familiars". You can easily get a visual impression yourself by visiting a similar place, or any large hospital. You don't need to include all the details - a few carefully selected ones will give enough impression of "reality".
    Also, the medical environment gives you a wider opportunity to make allusions and include comparisons on universal topics. Talking about "big issues" like life and death and destiny or the meaning of life can sound tacky, but with the medical environment any such musings will be quite proper! Use the chance to bring deeper thoughts into your narrative :)
  • Go for it, it will add to the story and as someone said, include her thoughts as well. Must dash now for a drink of the alcohol variety
  • I agree with a lot of what's been said, but one thing I would question, and it may need checking, is, would she be able to get seen within a few days? Late last year there was a news report about the difficulty in getting appointments, some were having to wait 6 weeks or more, and it was a general problem throughout the country. If she has reported the assault is there any fast track process? A long wait would add to her anxiety, another area of conflict. Check the BBC for past reports on their news website. Good luck.
  • Hi Carol,

    You raise a good point. I found the news story you talked about. I think this is the one:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4312784.stm

    It talks about how people have to wait longer to see somebody. Since I posted this topic, I decided to have her visit the clinic a week after the attack. I did this because I've read on the internet that people are advised to wait at least one week after an incident, so that if he or she has a problem, they have a better chance of detecting it. Basically, if you go only a couple of days after, they might not be able to detect if you have any STD’s.

    The news story says that a quarter of people in the UK have to wait more than two weeks to see somebody. I think having the appointment one week later would work well. Leaving it any later could make things a bit difficult. On her visit, she will have a variety of tests done, including an HIV blood test. The results for those apparently take 3 months to come back. So during that time, she would be challenged both mentally and emotionally. The climax to my story will involve her receiving the results, and that will tie in with a sub plot I have.
  • Glad the news report was of interest, and you have been able to use the info you had to work into the plot line.
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