Writing Excuses

19.01: Interview with Abraham Verghese

Jan 7, 2024

Author and physician Abraham Verghese discusses conveying technical information in fiction and making things feel real without overwhelming the reader. He shares his expertise in conveying the passing of time, discusses verisimilitude, translation, and revision. Verghese also gives a writing homework to explore how descriptions of the physical world can reflect the various moods of characters.

27:32

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Episode guests

Abraham Verghese

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Verghese emphasizes conveying crucial medical details without overwhelming the reader and using revision to refine the use of medical terminology.

Verghese discusses his approach to conveying the passing of time and connecting generations through focusing on geography, historical touchstones, and using spreadsheets for organization and authenticity.

Deep dives

Creating Verisimilitude in Writing Medicine

Abraham Verghese discusses the challenge of writing medical scenes in a way that feels fresh and different to readers who are familiar with medical operations through television. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing what is crucial and what matters in a scene and conveying it to the reader. Verghese also stresses on not overwhelming the reader with medical information, finding a balance between providing enough details to create a sense of reality and not pouring out excessive words to impress, and relying on the revision process to refine the use of medical terminology.

Introduction

2min

Creating Verisimilitude and Conveying Technical Information in Writing

3min

Finding the Right Amount of Detail

9min

Approaching Structure and Writing Processes

13min

Exploring Different Moods in Landscape Descriptions

2min

In our first episode of 2024, we interviewed author and physician Abraham Verghese, who most recently published "The Covenant of Water." We talked with Verghese about how to convey technical information in fiction.

Verghese explains how he shares medical and world-building details in the most engaging way. We also asked Verghese how to make things feel real without overwhelming your reader, and how he has mastered conveying the passing of time. We also discussed verisimilitude, translation, point of view, and revision (we love revision!).

Homework:

From Abraham Verghese: Write a landscape in three different moods. Imagine that someone dear to you has died and you are now gazing at the landscape. Describe it without any reference to this event in your life. The second time you write it as if you were experiencing a moment of great joy, and you're looking at that landscape. The third time, imagine you are in a terrible rage and you are describing this landscape. This allows you to explore how descriptions of the physical world can reflect the various moods of characters.

Thing of the Week:

"How To Draw A Novel" by Martín Solares (recommended by Abraham Verghese)

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. Our guest was Abraham Verghese. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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