So when a friend at the gym said “I want Stephen Sondheim to create one more masterpiece for me before he dies,” I was able to ignore the fatuousness of his fantasy since the man obviously had no idea what it takes to create a musical, much less a masterpiece. Nor did I have to worry about funding a marketing campaign, planning a book tour, or witnessing several years of blood, sweat, and tears end up on the remainder pile within weeks of publication. I did not have to worry about the long and tedious process of bringing a book to market, the relevant costs and disappointments accompanying the journey, or the fact that there may not even be an audience for the book I had in mind. When I started blogging, I realized that I had found the perfect format for my writing. Being able to finish a history and physical, surgical note, or discharge summary brought a moment of finality which allowed me to move on to the next project (in some cases, the ensuing sense of relief was similar to taking a huge dump). Since most dictations were less than five minutes long, it meant that I could convert more reports from speech to text in one day than if I had been editing a complex textbook. The years I spent transcribing medical reports taught me a very interesting lesson. Whereas some people enjoy the schmoozing that accompanies an association’s awards dinner, I wish the catering staff would bring out the dessert so I could go home and skip the long speeches. Whereas some people eagerly devour novels lasting 400–500 pages, I’m much more comfortable with short stories, opinion pieces, and news articles. It took me a long time to understand that my attention span was directly related to the amount of personal fulfillment I derived from a project.
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