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How to Describe a Hospital Room in a Story

By Brittany Kuhn

Image of hospital ward and title of post which is how to describe a hospital in a story.

Is a hospital room a setting in your book? If you’re wondering how to describe a hospital room in a story, we’ve put together 10 words and short pieces of narrative making use them for you below.

1. Clinical

Relating to a hospital patient.
Methodical or calmly detached.
With exact precision.

“Even the posters on the wall were more clinical than comforting. It was less a room and more a doctor’s office with a bed.”

“The clinical instruments crowded around the bed made her look less human and more like a robot.”

How it Adds Description

Describing a hospital room as clinical suggests your character feels the hospital doesn’t see them as a person, only a job. Clinical makes the room feel more like a laboratory for research than a place of healing and adds a sense of dread to the scene.

Completely cleaned of all life or micro-organisms.

“He hated how sterile his hospital room felt; even the smell of the cleaning liquid echoed how completely lifeless it was.”

“I looked around and immediately noticed how sterile and void of life the room felt; how could my mother hope to fight for her life here?”

Sterile is a natural word to use when describing a hospital room because it suggests a lack of germs or dirt, things to avoid if you don’t want to cause an infection. However, sterile also implies a place completely empty of personality or variety, which you could use to echo your character’s feelings of hopelessness about being there in the first place.

Without coverings; exposed.
Without superfluous additions, just the necessities .

“The room was bare apart from a bed, a sink, and a singular uncomfortable chair.”

“She started adding her own touches to the bare hospital room. If she was going to be there a while, might as well make it hers.”

Use bare to describe the hospital room to give your reader some specific insight into how the character is feeling about the situation. Having your character describe the room as bare shows the character is feeling as empty and disconnected as the room physically seems.

Oppressive feeling of being closed in .

“With no fan or window to open, the hospital room began to feel increasingly stuffy and stifling.”

“He had been lying in the hospital bed for so long the air around him felt stuffier with every breath.”

If you really want to hammer home how trapped your patient feels, have them describe the hospital room as stuffy . A stuffy hospital room implies a mood of panic and anxiety hanging in the air and gives a negative impression of whatever procedures might be taking place there.

5. Comfortable

Providing a sense of safety and relaxation.
Without doubt or worry.

“Her mom added some soft bits from home to help the room feel more comfortable for the long haul.”

“The nurses have added little touches, like fresh flowers and personal notes on the whiteboard, to make the room more comfortable compared to the rest of the hospital.”

Alternately, someone who has come to terms with the situation or a more advanced or wealthy hospital might have more comfortable rooms. Using more positive language like comfortable shows the reader that this hospital likely leads to more successful outcomes.

For single or restricted use.

“When they wheeled me into my own private room, I didn’t know whether to rejoice from the privacy or be worried at the special treatment.”

“We always knew the patient was terminal when they got moved to the private , secluded room on the third floor.”

Describing your character’s hospital room as private, shows the reader that they need more specific and specialized medical attention. A private room also suggests the character is unlikely to be leaving the hospital anytime soon.

Small and tightly packed.

“All the life-saving instruments he needed to stay alive made the room seem cramped and crowded.”

“Even though there was only a bed and a bedside table, the cramped hospital room felt fit to burst.”

Cramped suggests a claustrophobic atmosphere for a character, caused by not knowing when they will ever leave the hospital room again. Cramped can also highlight how small the room is if you are commenting on the poor state of the hospital or care.

Lacking in color or vibrancy, such as snow or a bright light.

“She was practically blinded by how white the hospital room was; it was like she’d died and gone to the pearly gates.”

“The dark red of the patient’s blood seemed even more alien splattered all over the white walls of the hospital room.

Making a point of how white the hospital room looks will highlight for the reader just how empty of color and life the room feels. This also suggests feelings of death, like when those who have died for a few minutes say they saw a white light. The reader will feel anxious for the character in the hospital because the whiteness of it all will feel too much like the character is about to die.

Without sound or movement.

“It was eerie how quiet and empty the hospital room was in the middle of the night.”

“The hospital room was surprising quiet once they turned off the machines keeping him alive.”

Hospitals are loud places: there are alarms going off, people rushing around, doctors barking orders. Describing a hospital room as quiet shows that something has gone wrong and will make the reader sit up and pay attention to whatever is happening.

10. Overwhelming

Crushing sense of being overpowered .

“The layers of noise from all the alarms and instruments made the room feel overwhelming .”

“The overwhelming hospital room was bursting with activity.”

Because overwhelming suggests a loss of power or control, describe the room as overwhelming to show the reader your character is struggling to come to terms with brought them to the hospital in the first place.

Search for creative inspiration

19,903 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,965 themes

hospital room - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

a hospital hallway
a hospital patient
a psychiatric nurse
a psychiatric ward
a seclusion room
delivery room
Riverview hospital
the ideology emergency room

This hospital room is a chrysalis in the worst of ways, for here I am melted down to liquid and reformed into the butterfly, conscious and feeling the process at work.

Though the room is unfamiliar as we enter, in that hospital bed is a soul that has been woven into my own for as long as I can recall.

Our time in the hospital room is the time we have to lift his spirits, to wrap him in a cocoon of our love.

What matters most in the hospital room is not the surroundings, though they can bring a sense of calmness or even joy, it is that she feels loved, that she matters and is cherished.

The hospital room is soon warmed by the emotions we bring, by the love we tell in these bright floral blooms.

The hospital room is more like a garden, how much things have changed in the past thirty years. The roof is clear giving an impression of being outside and once in a while a butterfly will alight on a nearby leaf. The beds are still metal underneath, but technology has come so far. To the touch and to the eye they appear to be bamboo, warm and rustic. There was so much talk of expense when the first pilot hospital did this, but the results speak for themselves. Stays are shorter, healing faster, depression negligible. Turns out we're animals after all and our "habitat" matters, that our mental and physical health are too intertwined to separate.

Seeing the room Geo is to take I immediately understand why people take flowers to hospital rooms. Despite our technological lives there is something in our natures that requires natural beauty as part of the healing process. We aren't robots, we aren't "units" to be fixed; Geo isn't here for a quick oil and filter change. In their efforts not to offend they succeed in not inspiring or lifting the spirit. I know every place is on a budget but is a cheerier shade of paint really that much more?

For the first time in our lives we can afford to go private. I expected to be eaten up by guilt, knowing how bad the other system is. But being in this room is like walking into an expensive New York coffee shop. There are flowers, beautiful paintings, leather chairs and soft music. On the wall is a plasma screen and the bed looks so comfortable. Just one foot in the door and I'm as relaxed as I would be in a hotel.

Eight beds, even patients, Parker shuffles toward what must be his. Already his mind drifts back to his uncluttered home, everything pale with clean lines, elegant and calming. Home, where he can draw the blinds and pour his favourite spirit, listen to soft Jazz and browse the recordings he has't yet seen. Here he is a unit in an institution, a bed number, a problem to be fixed on the world's slowest moving assembly line. He lets his hand fall to the cotton sheets, clean, stiff, functional. It is a place to lie and not a bed. "Bed" means soft sheets with a lavender perfume"; it means somewhere he feels as safe as a bear in his winter den; it means comfort and privacy. This room as nothing of those things and so he mentally labels it a "trolley" instead, after all, it does have wheels and collapsable sides.

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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Setting Description: Emergency Waiting Room

June 5, 2010 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Automatic sliding doors, beat-up chairs (filled with people who have: broken limbs, cuts, red noses, bruising, scrapes, holding garbage bins to throw up in, are wearing surgical masks, are crying, have been beaten, are holding onto the person next to them for support, reading magazines, books, clutching at purses or holding tight to jackets slung over an arm, leaning back in their chair asleep), overflowing garbage bins, half finished coffee containers

Whispering, crying, uneven or distressed breathing, the sound of someone throwing up, moaning, groaning, whimpering, pleasing, praying, newspapers rattling, arguing, magazine pages flipping, the papery slide of a book page being turned, the pop and fizz of a pop can being opened, static-y police & security radios

Antiseptic, cleaning products, hand sanitizer, vomit, BO, sweat, booze breath, coffee, taco chips, perfume, hair products, cough drops, air conditioned & filtered air

Coffee in a container, pop, juice and water from a container, snack foods from a vending machine, mints, gum, nicorette. Most people try hard not to eat in the waiting room because of the risk of exposure to airborne and surface contaminants.

Thin padded or plastic seats offering little comfort or room, metal arm rails digging into forearms, making oneself ‘small’ and holding self straight to avoid touching those to either side, twisting the admittance band on wrist, rolling shoulders, crossing and recrossing legs, twisting a wedding band, rubbing eyes, pinching bridge of the nose, rubbing arms and shaking self in an attempt to stay awake

Helpful hints:

–The words you choose can convey atmosphere and mood.

I stared down at my hands, twisting and knotting them as if doing so would hold back the turmoil inside me. Despair roamed the room, expelled on the breath of worriers like me and those doing their best to bite down on the pain that brought them here.

–Similes and metaphors create strong imagery when used sparingly.

Example 1: (Simile)

After the symphony of coughing, hacking and wheezing that greeted Becky in the ER waiting room, she found the closest antibacterial hand dispenser and starting working it like a gambling addict hitting up a VLT machine.

Think beyond what a character sees, and provide a sensory feast for readers!

Setting is much more than just a backdrop, which is why choosing the right one and describing it well is so important. To help with this, we have expanded and integrated this thesaurus into our online library at One Stop For Writers . Each entry has been enhanced to include possible sources of conflict , people commonly found in these locales , and setting-specific notes and tips , and the collection itself has been augmented to include a whopping 230 entries—all of which have been cross-referenced with our other thesauruses for easy searchability. So if you’re interested in seeing a free sample of this powerful Setting Thesaurus, head on over and register at One Stop.

On the other hand, if you prefer your references in book form, we’ve got you covered, too. The Urban Setting Thesaurus and The Rural Setting Thesaurus are available for purchase in digital and print copies. In addition to the entries, each book contains instructional front matter to help you maximize your settings. With advice on topics like making your setting do double duty and using figurative language to bring them to life, these books offer ample information to help you maximize your settings and write them effectively.

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers , a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

Reader Interactions

June 7, 2010 at 10:50 pm

Great job, Angela!

Having spent more time with my late husband in the ER than I care to remember, I’d add:

Triage area Casting room (for broken bones) X-Rays/CAT Scan IV’s Blood pressure cuffs Isolation room for those with lowered immune system (there’s a name for it, but I can’t recall what it is). Heart monitors Admissions clerks taking information with computers on portable carts.

I could probably come up with more, but it’s late. 🙂

Blessings, Susan

June 7, 2010 at 6:31 pm

Since I’ve spent too much time in too many emergency rooms, your post struck a true chord with me.

It seems you’re fond of zombies. I found a new author site that details a zombie I don’t think I ever before read about : http://fictitiousflashes.blogspot.com/

Not mine. That would be too tacky. But blog just starting out. Lena shows great promise, and I thought it might be nice for all of us to pop in and surprise her with a warm, friendly hello. Roland

June 7, 2010 at 2:19 pm

The whiff of hand sanitizer hangs heavy over this post, Angela. In fact, I feel a cough coming on. I hope I’m not catching something. Or worse, getting MRSA!!!! AHHHH!!!

Hope your hubby is feeling better and life is getting back on an even keel.

June 7, 2010 at 1:31 pm

Great post! I’ve recently learned to do this…to close my eyes and take each sense at a time. To actually put myself there in the moment and write it. Not on the first draft, necessarily, but certainly on the revision. I’ve been there in the ER, and you put me right there again while sitting at my work desk!

June 7, 2010 at 1:42 am

wow angela, i’m always blown away by your attention to detail! another great post!!

June 6, 2010 at 6:05 pm

Thanks everyone for sharing and commenting. Sladly yes, this one os personal experience, although my waiting time was closer to ten fun-filled hours. Still, I filled the time looking at the room and the people, knowing it was a perfect setting to blog about. It helped pass the time a bit.

Sorry for everyone who is all too familiar with this one. Still I hope it helps anyone writing hospital ER room scenes (like the awesomo Lisa and Laura!)

June 6, 2010 at 4:55 pm

The crazies really do come out during a full moon. Can’t explain why, but working in an ER, I’ve experienced it!

June 5, 2010 at 11:47 pm

Excellent post – sounds like you were speaking from experience there 🙂

Shauna (murgatr)

June 5, 2010 at 11:41 pm

Great post! I write note like this every time I travel. 🙂

June 5, 2010 at 11:19 pm

The example with the simile made me laugh. I could perfectly visualize the gal working the sanitizer pump.

Actually they were all great. The sampling of senses have a wonderful amount of detail. Even though I hope none of us need to experience an ER visit personally.

June 5, 2010 at 10:12 pm

There’s part of our WIP set in a hospital and this post makes me itch to edit! Great work!

June 5, 2010 at 9:24 pm

Nice post. This is where I lack and it helps to think of it this way. Thanks,

June 5, 2010 at 2:22 pm

This is a place I know only too well. But at least the new Children’s Hospital ER is much nice than the old one.

June 5, 2010 at 12:20 pm

I’ve worked in quite a few hospitals and this is a good assessment. Though depending on the hospital (and the country), you could definitely work in even more smells!

June 5, 2010 at 12:18 pm

This is fantastic! It captured the feel of an ER room perfectly! Great inspiration, thanks!

June 5, 2010 at 11:13 am

Great stuff and timely for me considering how much time I have spent in hospitals recently. There is something about the combination of antiseptic smell and the ever present glare of white halogen lights that really destroys me when I am in a hospital, especially if I have to spend a long, cold night in an Emergency Room corridor with a grieving relative.

June 5, 2010 at 9:59 am

Great job evoking a place we’d rather not spend too much time in!

June 5, 2010 at 8:02 am

Angela, another extraordinary crafting post! Thanks for being so informative time and time again 🙂

How to Write Hospital Scenes (21 Best Tips + Examples)

Hospitals are places where life’s most poignant moments unfold, from the joy of birth to the sorrow of passing away.

As such, hospital scenes show up in a lot of stories.

Here is how to write hospital scenes:

Write hospital scenes by understanding the medical hierarchy, capturing authentic ambiance, using medical jargon sparingly, and emphasizing emotional dynamics. Consider the patient’s journey, relationships, and triumphs. Every element should enhance the realism and emotional depth of the scene.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to write hospital scenes.

1. Understand the Hospital Hierarchy

Digital Image of a hospital - How to Write Hospital Scenes

Table of Contents

Understanding the hospital hierarchy is crucial.

Hospitals aren’t just about doctors and nurses. They’re made up of an intricate web of professionals working cohesively.

Knowing the roles of various healthcare professionals adds depth to your scene.

Whether it’s an interaction between a resident and an attending physician, or between a nurse and a technician, understanding these dynamics can create tension or camaraderie in your writing.

As Dr. Smith entered the room, she nodded at the nurse. “How’s our patient today, Jane?” Jane, an experienced ICU nurse, responded, “Stable, but his oxygen levels dipped overnight. The respiratory therapist worked on it, and they’re improving now.”

2. Capture the Hospital Ambiance

The atmosphere in a hospital is unique.

The constant beep of monitors, the murmurs of visitors, and the distant announcements over the intercom form a backdrop to your scene.

A vivid atmosphere sets the mood.

Is it a quiet night or a bustling day? The ambiance can reflect the emotional tone of the scene.

The dimly lit hallway echoed with soft footsteps, punctuated by the occasional beep from a room further down. Somewhere, a baby cried, and a nurse’s voice softly tried to soothe.

3. Use Medical Jargon Judiciously

While it’s tempting to throw in medical terms to sound authentic, overusing them or using them incorrectly can confuse readers.

Medical jargon, when used correctly, lends authenticity.

But it’s crucial to ensure the reader can understand the context.

“We’ve started him on a course of IV antibiotics. His white blood cell count was high, indicating an infection.”

4. Show the Emotional Toll

Hospitals are places of healing, but they’re also where people face mortality, pain, and fear.

Capturing the emotional landscape provides depth to your characters and connects readers to the story.

Remember, not everyone in a hospital is a patient; families, visitors, and even healthcare professionals have their emotional journeys.

Nurse Daniels looked out the window for a moment, taking a deep breath to compose herself after the last patient’s passing. The weight of the day heavy on her shoulders.

5. Research Common Procedures

Researching common medical procedures can help you craft realistic scenarios.

Readers, especially those with some medical background, appreciate accuracy.

Getting the details right can boost your story’s credibility.

Sarah watched as the nurse prepared the IV line, ensuring all air bubbles were out before inserting it into her arm.

6. Distinguish between Different Wards

Not all hospital areas are the same.

An ICU differs from a maternity ward or a general patient room.

Distinguishing between different wards can help set the scene, tone, and pace. For instance, an emergency room scene will have a different urgency than a scene in a recovery ward.

The ER was a flurry of activity, with paramedics rushing in and doctors shouting orders. Two floors up, in the recovery ward, it was a different world. Here, the pace was slower, with patients resting and nurses moving quietly between rooms.

7. Remember the Role of Technology

Modern hospitals are technologically advanced.

From MRI machines to portable ECGs, technology is everywhere.

Incorporating technology not only adds realism but also can create tension or relief, depending on the situation.

The room was tense as everyone stared at the ultrasound monitor. A moment later, the unmistakable sound of a heartbeat filled the small space, bringing tears of relief to Maria’s eyes.

8. Understand the Patient Experience

Every individual’s journey through a hospital varies based on the reason for their visit, their past experiences, and their personal anxieties.

The emotional and physical state of a patient is central to their perspective.

They may be overwhelmed, scared, hopeful, or even indifferent.

A writer should consider these emotions when crafting their characters’ responses to treatments, their interactions with medical staff, and even their internal monologue.

Lying in the sterile room, Mark felt exposed. The cold sheets beneath him, the foreign sounds — everything made him uneasy.

9. Highlight Interpersonal Dynamics

Relationships and interactions are the lifeblood of any setting, and hospitals are no exception.

The professional and personal dynamics between staff members can add layers of complexity to a scene.

Perhaps two doctors have conflicting treatment philosophies, or a nurse and a patient share a poignant moment.

These relationships can be sources of both conflict and collaboration, driving the narrative forward and allowing for multifaceted character exploration.

Dr. Patel and Nurse Ramirez had a renowned partnership. Where one was, the other wasn’t far behind, their synchronized movements a testament to years of collaboration.

10. Address Ethical Dilemmas

The hospital setting is fertile ground for moral quandaries, given the life and death decisions made daily.

Ethical dilemmas force characters to confront their values and priorities.

This can range from debates about end-of-life care to the potential ramifications of experimental treatments.

Exploring these tough decisions can provide depth to your narrative and give characters opportunities to evolve and grow.

Faced with the choice of continuing treatment or opting for palliative care, Jenna’s family was divided, each member grappling with their convictions.

11. Don’t Forget the Waiting Rooms

While patient rooms are pivotal, waiting areas serve as intersections of myriad emotions and interactions.

Waiting rooms often encapsulate the anticipation, anxiety, and hope of families and friends.

They can serve as places of bonding between strangers, reflections on the past, or moments of unexpected news.

By delving into the microcosm of the waiting room, writers can unveil diverse human experiences and emotions.

As Sarah waited, she struck up a conversation with an older man, their shared worries forging an unexpected bond.

12. Include Flashbacks or Memories

Hospital environments, laden with emotions, can act as catalysts for characters to relive past experiences.

These flashbacks can be directly related to the current medical situation or completely tangential, offering insights into a character’s past traumas, joys, or significant life events.

Leveraging these memories can create juxtapositions with the present and highlight character growth or unresolved issues.

As the anesthesiologist spoke, Clara’s mind drifted back to her childhood accident — the reason for her phobia of hospitals.

13. Use Senses Beyond Sight

A multisensory approach makes a scene more immersive and vivid for the reader.

Hospitals are a cacophony of sounds, smells, and textures.

From the sterile scent of disinfectant to the soft hum of machines or the rough texture of a bandage, engaging multiple senses offers a comprehensive and engrossing portrayal of the environment, drawing readers into the scene.

The antiseptic smell was overpowering, the occasional distant cough and soft hum of machinery serving as a constant reminder of where she was.

14. Introduce Unexpected Humor

In the face of adversity, humor can act as a relief valve, revealing character resilience.

Moments of levity in tense or somber situations can humanize characters.

It can show their coping mechanisms or their attempts to uplift others.

This contrast can make the gravity of a situation even more poignant while offering readers moments of reprieve.

“You’d think after all these years, they’d find a gown that actually closes in the back,” mused John, earning a chuckle from the nurse.

15. Respect Cultural and Religious Sensitivities

Acknowledging the diverse tapestry of patient backgrounds enhances realism and inclusivity.

Medical decisions, comfort levels with treatments, and interactions with hospital staff can all be influenced by cultural or religious beliefs.

It’s important for writers to enrich their narrative with representation and respect for diverse perspectives.

Mrs. Khan hesitated, her cultural beliefs about modesty making her wary of the male doctor. Recognizing this, Nurse Garcia gently stepped in to mediate.

16. Show Fatigue and Stress among Healthcare Workers

Behind the clinical professionalism, healthcare workers grapple with the emotional and physical demands of their roles.

These professionals often bear witness to intense human experiences, from birth to death and everything in between.

Chronicling their exhaustion, moments of doubt, or instances of resilience can offer a balanced view of the hospital ecosystem.

Not only that but it can also emphasize the human element behind the medical expertise.

After a 16-hour shift, Dr. Lee’s steps were heavy. She paused for a moment, rubbing her temples, before moving on to the next patient.

17. Address the Financial Aspects

The economics of healthcare can be a significant concern for patients and families.

Financial worries can compound the stress of a medical situation.

Addressing these concerns — be it through the lens of insurance battles, out-of-pocket costs, or the broader healthcare debate — can root your story in real-world challenges, making it more relatable and timely.

The relief that her mother was recovering was overshadowed by the mounting medical bills that Amy now faced, a dilemma she hadn’t anticipated.

18. Highlight Moments of Triumph

Despite the challenges, hospitals are also spaces of recovery, healing, and miracles.

Emphasizing moments of success or relief, whether they’re medical breakthroughs or personal victories like a patient taking their first step post-surgery, can infuse your narrative with hope and inspiration.

These moments underscore the resilience of the human spirit and the dedication of medical professionals.

Against all odds, Mr. Rodriguez took his first steps after the accident, the entire ward cheering him on.

19. Include External Influences

The world outside doesn’t stop when one enters a hospital. External events can influence the internal dynamics of the setting.

By weaving in external influences, you can showcase the adaptability of the hospital environment and its staff.

Whether it’s a natural disaster leading to an influx of patients or a city-wide event affecting hospital operations, these external elements can add layers of complexity to your narrative.

As the city marathon was underway, the ER braced for a busy day, anticipating the influx of dehydration cases and potential injuries.

20. Detail Personal Keepsakes

Personal items offer glimpses into a patient’s world outside the hospital, grounding them in reality.

These keepsakes can act as symbols of hope, reminders of loved ones, or touchstones of normalcy in an otherwise clinical environment.

Detail these items and their significance to build deeper emotional connections between characters and readers.

Next to Mrs. Everett’s bed stood a framed photo of a young couple on their wedding day, a testament to a love that had weathered many storms.

21. Remember the Power of Touch

In an environment often dominated by machines and medical instruments, human touch stands out.

Touch, whether comforting or clinical, can convey a multitude of emotions.

A reassuring hand on a shoulder, a clinical examination, or a desperate grasp during a moment of fear can be powerful narrative tools, emphasizing human connection and vulnerability.

As the news settled in, James reached out, gently squeezing his sister’s hand. In that simple gesture, he conveyed the strength and support she desperately needed.

Check out this video about how NOT to write hospital scenes (Unless you’re going for pure comedy):

30 Words to Describe Hospital Scenes

The words you choose for your hospital scenes will alter the mood, tone, and entire reader experience.

Here are 30 words you can use to write hospital scenes:

Fluorescent
Reverberating
Crisp (as in uniforms)
Intermittent
Cold (as in touch)
Harsh (as in lights)
Labored (as in breathing)

30 Phrases to Write Hospital Scenes

Try these phrases when writing your hospital scenes.

Not all of the phrases will work for your story (or any story) but, hopefully, they will help you craft your own sentences.

“A symphony of monitors beeped in rhythm.”
“Whispers filled the corridor, punctuated by distant footsteps.”
“The scent of disinfectant was almost overpowering.”
“Nurses moved with practiced efficiency.”
“The weight of anticipation hung in the air.”
“A curtain rustled softly in the next bed.”
“Lights overhead cast stark shadows on the floor.”
“Intercom announcements broke the tense silence.”
“Machines whirred and clicked in the background.”
“Soft murmurs of comfort echoed.”
“Trolleys clattered past at regular intervals.”
“Gauzy curtains diffused the morning light.”
“A stifled sob broke the sterile calm.”
“The rhythmic pulse of the heart monitor filled the void.”
“The chill of the tiles was evident even through socks.”
“Hushed conversations ceased at the doctor’s arrival.”
“Labored breathing was the room’s only soundtrack.”
“A clipboard clattered to the ground, shattering the quiet.”
“The distant hum of an MRI machine grew louder.”
“The atmosphere was thick with a mix of hope and despair.”
“Patients lay in rows, separated by thin partitions.”
“The waiting area was a mosaic of emotions.”
“Doctors consulted charts with furrowed brows.”
“IV drips punctuated the silence with their steady rhythm.”
“A sudden rush of activity signaled an emergency.”
“Whirring fans attempted to combat the stifling heat.”
“Shadows played on the wall as the day waned.”
“The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, unceasing.”
“A lone wheelchair sat abandoned in the hall.”
“Gentle reassurances were whispered bedside.”

3 Full Examples of Writing Hospital Scenes

Here are three complete examples of how to write hospital scenes in different genres.

The hallway of St. Mercy’s was dimly lit, echoing with the soft murmurs of the night shift nurses.

Elizabeth walked slowly, her heels clicking on the tiles, each step feeling like an eternity as she approached room 309. The scent of antiseptics was faint but ever-present, reminding her of the weight of the place. As she pushed open the door, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor greeted her, and in the dim light, she saw her father, pale but stable.

Tears welled up, not out of sorrow, but of gratitude.

2. Mystery/Thriller

Detective Rowe entered the ICU, the atmosphere thick with tension.

The overhead lights cast a harsh glow on the room where the city’s mayor lay unconscious. A nurse, her uniform crisp and white, glanced up, her eyes betraying a mix of curiosity and wariness. Rowe noted the machines surrounding the bed — their mechanical hums and beeps creating a symphony of medical surveillance.

He needed answers, and everything about this sterile room was a potential clue.

3. Sci-fi/Fantasy

In the celestial infirmary of Aeloria, walls shimmered with iridescent lights, and the air pulsed with ancient magic.

Elara, the moon sorceress, lay on a floating bed, her aura flickering like a candle nearing its end.

Surrounding her were crystal devices, pulsating and humming in an ethereal dance. Lyric, her apprentice, whispered an incantation, her voice intertwining with the mystical ambiance, hoping to revive her mentor with a blend of ancient spells and cosmic medicine.

Final Thoughts: How to Write Hospital Scenes

Crafting a compelling hospital scene is an intricate dance of authenticity, emotion, and meticulous detail.

For more insights on writing stories, please check out the other articles on my website.

How to Write Flashback Scenes (21 Best Tips + Examples)
How to Foreshadow Death in Writing (21 Clever Ways)
How to Write Fast-Paced Scenes: 21 Tips to Keep Readers Glued
How to Describe Crying in Writing (21 Best Tips + Examples)

Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Setting Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

HELPFUL TIP:

Textures and sensations:, possible sources of conflict:, people commonly found in this setting:, setting notes and tips:, related settings that may tie in with this one:, setting description example:, techniques and devices used:, descriptive effects:.

Writing About
Tips For Writers

August 20, 2013

Writing about: hospitals.

This is a picture of . . . my arm when I was in the ER due to heart problems.

"Once you plant yourself on one of the pews, cushioned in that churchly color of maroon red, you almost forget about all of the illness and sickness residing merely footsteps away from the Chapel. The altar literally sits directly below the statue of the blessed Mother. The Chapel is always open for patients, visitors and associates. It is a place of scripture, worship and prayer from which comfort, grace and blessing flow into the halls and rooms of Lourdes. My favorite part about having the Chapel located right in the center of the hospital is if I need to take a walk or stretch my legs after sitting with my mother for several hours straight, I simply take a few strides to the heart of Lourdes, and reflect as I gather my thoughts in prayer. It truly serves as my gateway to a better understanding and affirmation that my mom's struggles will soon be lifted."

TIP: If you're like a fellow blogger who commented and you're writing a story set in the future, I can't really tell you what the medical field will be like, but I imagine people will still act the same so you can still use these tips for your characters. But if you follow this link: http://bit.ly/1bOrbDR you can see what a hospital room can look like.

16 comments:

Having spent yesterday in hospital while my son had an operation, your article was incredibly apt. What I noticed most yesterday were the people - staff, patients and families - and the smells.

Thank you, Fi! I was able to write this article based off a lot of experience. I really hope your son is doing okay after his operation! <3

I relate to your post on so many levels. Thankfully, I have never been a patient, but my mother and tragically, my aunt, both have. We lost my aunt last month to lung and breast cancer. And my mother has been in and out of the hospital for two years now due to liver failure and a transplant. I've become accustomed to all of the different staff members and their moods, as well as the various smells that you come across from one floor to the next. My favorite part of the hospital where my mom stays is the church. Its beauty and divinity bring me a sense of solace when I need to be by myself in prayer for my mother and the rest of the patients. Your post today is very helpful for writers who need to build a strong connection for the reader. And if anyone needs any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask me! You mentioned that you, too, have had experience within the hospital, Chrys. I hope nothing serious but would love to hear more about it. Sometimes, it's good to talk to someone about these things. Thanks for sharing!

I'm sorry for your loss, Gina! And I am praying for your mother! Your posts about what you and your mother are going through are so moving. I'm glad that you (and Fi) were able to relate to this post because it confirms that I did it correctly. I've never been inside a hospital's church/chapel before since I've always been a patient, but that could be another place a character can go in a hospital. If you would like to write a couple of small paragraphs about a hospital chapel, I will add it to this post, include your name and the link to your blog. It would be a great addition! The longest I was in the hospital was for five days for spine surgery. I included a link at the bottom of the post to a story I wrote about my experience. My story starts on page 5 (at the bottom). I've also had two other minor surgeries, so I've had quite a bit of experience as a patient. Thank you for your comment! I really appreciate it!

Your prayers mean so much to us and I can't say thank you enough. They are the greatest gift and act of kindness that someone can give to another human being. My mother always asks me to thank those who pray for her so I'm sending a BIG Thank You from her, Cecilia. I would love to write a few small paragraphs regarding the chapel inside of the church. As soon as I have this ready for you, I will email you. I would also love to hear more about your experience, but I can't find the link at the bottom. If you wouldn't mind sending it to me, I'd appreciate it! I just noticed your FB below so I'm heading over there now. It's my pleasure to come by here!

Praying is the least I can do. :) Tell your mom she's welcome, and that I hope she will be in tip-tip shape soon! <3 Your paragraphs will really add to this post. I'm excited to read what you write, so maybe when I write about a hospital again I can put one of my characters in a chapel. :) Here is my email: [email protected] And here is the link to my essay: http://www.thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org/images/Winter-Spring_2013_-_Our_Stories.pdf You will have to scroll down to the bottom of page five. It is titled "Woman of Steel". And thank you very much for visiting and liking my page. I am truly happy to build a friendship with you. :)

This is great. The story I am working on right now has a character that visits his mother in the hospital, only this is 40 years in the future. So, I have to somehow think up how hospitals will look like in 40 years.

Hello, KC! I am glad this post can assist you with your story. Writing about futuristic hospitals will be tricky. I went on a little hunt to help you out. Here is a link of a picture of what a hospital room could look like based off a design by the American Medical Association and the Apple Store: http://bit.ly/1bOrbDR And then I found this general outlook for what the world would be like in 2050-2059: http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/2050-2059.htm GOOD LUCK! :)

Thank you for sharing my post about the Chapel inside of Lady of Lourdes Hospital; that means so much to me, Chrys! The next time I go to there to visit my mom, I'm going to show her nurses and some of the doctors. They will love it! I never realized how much the hospital and Chapel affected me until spending so much time there. Your advice and techniques are going to help a lot of authors who need to create these kinds of settings. Especially when they have to search deeply enough to make the reader feel everything that the patient and other characters are going through.

Knowing that this post means a lot to you, and that you're going to show it to your mom's nurses and some doctors fills me with so much pleasure! Thank you for your kind words! Helping writers to write these sense authentically for patients (both real and fictional) was my goal, and having confirmation that it does makes me so happy. :) Give your mom a gentle hug for me. <3

Those are good points that will help writers to create the correct atmosphere with their descriptions.

Thank you! :)

Really helpful I'm writing a story where one of the characters falls off a balcony and ends up in the ICU, and that was really, really helpful.

Sounds like an interesting story. And yikes for your character! Good luck with your hospital scenes!

Please help me. My character was stabbed and was passed out in the hospital for three days. 1. Is a feeding tube necessary? 2. Is three days too long? Thanks!

Unconscious is a better term than "passed out." :) I'm not e medical professional. Usually the most during that time period they;d have is an IV and a catheter. It would be best if you did this research for yourself, though. You could probably find the answer on Google.

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SLAP HAPPY LARRY

Writing activity: describe medical rooms and hospitals.

William Simpson – One of the wards of the hospital at Scutari 1856

Medical rooms and hospitals are safe, infantalising, dangerous, creepy, life-saving, traumatising places, and I offer them here as examples of what Foucault called ‘ heterotopia ‘.

The hospital’s ambiguous relationship to everyday social space has long been a central theme of hospital ethnography. Often, hospitals are presented either as isolated “islands’ defined by biomedical regulation of space (and time) or as continuations and reflections of everyday social space that are very much a part of the “mainland.’ This polarization of the debate overlooks hospitals’ paradoxical capacity to be simultaneously bounded and permeable , both sites of social control and spaces where alternative and transgressive social orders emerge and are contested. We suggest that Foucault’s concept of heterotopia usefully captures the complex relationships between order and disorder, stability and instability that define the hospital as a modernist institution of knowledge, governance, and improvement . Heterotopia Studies

I followed [the psychiatrist] down a depressing hallway into a tiny windowless office that might have housed an accountant. In fact it reminded me a bit of Myron Axel’s closet, filled with piles of paper waiting to be filed, week-old cups of coffee turned into science experiments, and a litter of broken umbrellas nesting beneath the desk. I must have looked as surprised as I felt when I entered her office, for Rowena Adler looked at the utilitarian clutter about her and said, “I’m sorry about this mess. I’m so used to it. I forget how it looks.” Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron

The author may have enjoyed writing that description because at James Sveck’s next appointment they are in a different room.

Dr Adler’s downtown office was a pleasanter place than her space at the Medical Center, but it wasn’t the sun-filled haven I had imagined. It was a rather small dark office in a suite of what I assumed were several small dark offices on the ground floor of an old apartment building on Tenth Street. In addition to her desk and chair there was a divan, another chair, a ficus tree, and some folkloric-looking weavings on the wall. And a bookcase of dreary books. I could tell they were all nonfiction because they all had titles divided by colons: Blah Blah Blah: The Blah Blah Blah of Blah Blah Blah . There was one window that probably faced an airshaft because the rattan shade was lowered in a way that suggested it was never raised. The walls were painted a pale yellow, in an obvious (but unsuccessful) attempt to “brighten up” the room.

I looked around her office. I know it sounds terrible, but I was discouraged by the ordinariness, the expectedness, of it. It was as if there was a catalog for therapists to order a complete office from: furniture, carpet, wall hangings, even the ficus tree seemed depressingly generic. Like one of those little paper pellets you put in water that puffs up and turns into a lotus blossom. This was like a puffed-up shrink’s office.

Hospitals are like the landscapes in recurring dreams: forgotten as though they’d never existed in the interims between visits, but instantly familiar once you return. As if they’ve been there all along, waiting for you while you’ve been away. The endlessly branching corridors sand circular nurses’ stations all look identical, like some infinite labyrinth in a Borges story. It takes a day or two to memorize the route from the lobby to your room. The innocuous landscape paintings that seem to have been specifically commissioned to leave no impression on the human brain are perversely seared into your long-term memory. You pass doorways through which you can occasionally see a bunch of Mylar balloons or a pair of pale, withered legs. Hospital beds are now just as science fiction predicted, with the patient’s vital signs digitally displayed overhead. Nurses no longer wear the white hose and red-cross caps of cartoons and pornography, but scrubs printed with patterns so relentlessly cheerful—hearts, teddy bears, suns and flowers and peace signs—they seem symptomatic of some Pollyannaish denial. The smell of hospitals is like small talk at a funeral—you know its function is to cover up something else. There’s a grim camaraderie in the hall and elevators. You don’t have to ask anybody how they’re doing. The fact that they’re there at all means the answer is: Could be better. I notice that no one who works in a hospital, whose responsibilities are matters of life and death, ever seems hurried or frantic, in contrast to all the freelance cartoonists and podcasters I know. Time moves differently in hospitals—both slower and faster. The minutes stand still, but the hours evaporate. The day is long and structureless, measured only by the taking of vital signs, the changing of IV bags, medication schedules, occasional tests, mealtimes, trips to the bathroom, walks in the corridor. Once a day an actual doctor appears for about four minutes, and what she says during this time can either leave you and your family in terrified confusion or so reassured and grateful that you want to write her a thank-you note she’ll have framed. You cadge six-ounce cans of ginger ale from the nurses’ station. You no longer need to look at the menu in the diner across the street. You substitute meat loaf for bacon with your eggs. Why not? Breakfast and lunch are diurnal conventions that no longer apply to you. Sometimes you run errands back home for a cell phone or extra clothes. Eventually you look at your watch and realize visiting hours are almost over, and feel relieved, and then guilty. Tim Kreider, “An Insult To The Brain”, We Learn Nothing

It’s a fact known throughout the universes that no matter how carefully the colours are chosen, institutional décor ends up either vomit green, unmentionable brown, nicotene yellow or surgical appliance pink. Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites

They are now the only two people in the upstairs waiting room of the dental clinic. The seats are a pale mint-green colour. Marianne leafs through an issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and explores her mouth with the tip of her tongue. Connell looks at the magazine cover, a photograph of a monkey with huge eyes. from “At The Clinic” by Sally Rooney

Every time I see a hospital in a horror movie or whatever, sometimes even an actual prison, I compare it to the one I went to and it always comes out looking worse. They are not relaxing places. They can leave you worse than you came in. Especially because the world outside, doesn’t actually stop while you are there? You’re usually there due to a crisis. Something unexpected. Did you take vacation pay before you started? Probably not, hey? Provided that you get that sort of thing at all. If you’re on welfare, you’re still have to fight for an exemption. Good luck if you can’t do that because you’re literally insane. You’ll still need to pay the rent and all your bills somehow in the background too. Oh, you got kicked out? That’s a shame. Here’s a pamphlet to a homeless shelter. Have a lovely trip. My stay did turn out a lot better than that, but it’s literally only because I had someone constantly advocating for me on the outside. Most people in psych wards don’t get that. And that’s not even touching on how nobody will listen to you in there, but everybody will assume all sorts of things about you. You’ll be open to both sexual and physical assault. Both happened to me on a number of occasions. I was blamed for everything, of course. You don’t even get uninterrupted sleep, do you know that? Nurses come and shine a torch in your face every fucking hour for a wellness check, or whatever. Which feels pretty shitty if you’re going through a paranoid psychosis. Anyway. I’d really like to see more empathy and awareness of the reality of all these sorts of places. They are horrible. They haven’t changed a lot since they were called asylums. They still use solitary confinement too, did you know that? Awful things. Mx Maddison Stoff @TheDescenters Sep 8, 2022

The Architecture of Madness

Elaborately conceived, grandly constructed insane asylums—ranging in appearance from classical temples to Gothic castles—were once a common sight looming on the outskirts of American towns and cities. Many of these buildings were razed long ago, and those that remain stand as grim reminders of an often cruel system. For much of the nineteenth century, however, these asylums epitomized the widely held belief among doctors and social reformers that insanity was a curable disease and that environment—architecture in particular—was the most effective means of treatment. In The Architecture of Madness: Insane Asylums in the United States (U Minnesota Press, 2007), Carla Yanni tells a compelling story of therapeutic design, from America’s earliest purpose—built institutions for the insane to the asylum construction frenzy in the second half of the century. At the center of Yanni’s inquiry is Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, a Pennsylvania-born Quaker, who in the 1840s devised a novel way to house the mentally diseased that emphasized segregation by severity of illness, ease of treatment and surveillance, and ventilation. After the Civil War, American architects designed Kirkbride-plan hospitals across the country. Before the end of the century, interest in the Kirkbride plan had begun to decline. Many of the asylums had deteriorated into human warehouses, strengthening arguments against the monolithic structures advocated by Kirkbride. At the same time, the medical profession began embracing a more neurological approach to mental disease that considered architecture as largely irrelevant to its treatment. Generously illustrated, The Architecture of Madness is a fresh and original look at the American medical establishment’s century-long preoccupation with therapeutic architecture as a way to cure social ills. interview at New Books Network

The Architecture of Good Behavior: Psychology and Modern Institutional Design in Postwar America

Inspired by the rise of environmental psychology and increasing support for behavioral research after the Second World War, new initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels looked to influence the human psyche through form, or elicit desired behaviors with environmental incentives, implementing what Joy Knoblauch calls “psychological functionalism.” Recruited by federal construction and research programs for institutional reform and expansion—which included hospitals, mental health centers, prisons, and public housing—architects theorized new ways to control behavior and make it more functional by exercising soft power, or power through persuasion, with their designs. In the 1960s –1970s era of anti-institutional sentiment, they hoped to offer an enlightened, palatable, more humane solution to larger social problems related to health, mental health, justice, and security of the population by applying psychological expertise to institutional design. In turn, Knoblauch argues, architects gained new roles as researchers, organizers, and writers while theories of confinement, territory, and surveillance proliferated. The Architecture of Good Behavior: Psychology and Modern Institutional Design in Postwar America (University of Pittsburgh Press) explores psychological functionalism as a political tool and the architectural projects funded by a postwar nation in its efforts to govern, exert control over, and ultimately pacify its patients, prisoners, and residents. interview at New Books Network

Header painting: William Simpson – One of the wards of the hospital at Scutari 1856

CONTEMPORARY FICTION SET IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (2023)

Now his beloved uncle has died. An intensifying fear manifests as health anxiety, with night terrors from a half-remembered early childhood event. To assuage the loneliness, Sam embarks on a Personal Happiness Project:

Writing Medical Scenes: Really Useful Links by Paul Anthony Shortt

Paul anthony shortt.

24 August 2017

Hospitals, injuries, and medical emergencies are common throughout multiple genres of fiction, and it’s easy to see why. When a character is hurt or sick, this creates instant tension and can have an impact on how the rest of the story goes. Everyone has experiences of injury and illness, whether directly or from a friend or loved one going through it. So we have an immediate connection once we see that a character needs medical help.

But, while everyone knows what it’s like to get hurt or be sick, only a select few of us have the knowledge, experience, and training to know how wounds are treated, what medical practices need to be followed, and how things operate behind the scenes in a hospital. Most of us will get our “knowledge” of this from television, which can frequently be wrong, as we’ve learned in previous articles.

So here are some places you can go to sharpen up your medical knowledge for your writing.

(Please note, none of the articles I’m sharing are intended to replace actual medical training; if you or anyone you know gets hurt or is seriously ill, please seek proper medical help.)

1: Dumbest Medical Mistakes – You can’t beat first-hand knowledge. Allnurses-Breakroom is an online community for nurses, and this discussion thread is a goldmine of little mistakes that you can avoid.

2: How to Write a Hospital Scene – Writethatscene.com offers structure and writing advice for a range of different scenes. In this article they break down the important elements that go into a hospital scene.

3: Not Quite Dead – If your character needs medical attention, what was the reason? You don’t just need to know how their injuries will be treated, you also need to know how their injuries will affect them, directly.

4: Infusing Medical Details Into Your Fiction – This guest post by retired physician Richard Mabry is littered with the kind of small details that help bring your writing to life, along with some good advice about how to present these details in a natural and accessible way.

That’s all for this week. Good luck!

About the author

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters; in ghosts and fairies, the creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.

Paul’s work includes the Memory Wars Trilogy and the Lady Raven Series . His short fiction has appeared in the Amazon #1 bestselling anthology, Sojourn Volume 2.

Website: http://w ww.paulanthonyshortt.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pashortt

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Write that Scene

May your writing spirit live on forever

How to Write a Hospital Scene

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In a rush? Skip to part three…..

There are two different types of hospitals. Mental Hospital and the regular hospital we’ve all been in. For this scene in particular I will be focusing on the latter.

» A. Explain to your audience why the character(s) is in the hospital and whether or not it’s for them or a friend/family member.

I. What does the character bring and how long do they wait? Is it in the ER which is for emergencies or is in the regular waiting room. Please note: if someone was shot or given birth or the like, this person would get priority treatment in the ER.

II. Kids under the age of 18 would likely be on a pediatric ward. There are exceptions, for instance if the injuries sustained were severe enough to be in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) or possibly the step down unit. If they had to be revived but had no other injuries, they probably wouldn’t even be admitted to the hospital.

III. What happens in the waiting room, if anything? Are confessions made, friends met, someone arrested, or nothing because the person goes straight to a room? Any complaints made out of frustration or anguish?

IV. How is (whatever they are experiencing) affecting them? Were the character(s) on a adrenaline high after breaking their arm from falling off a motorcycle but now is feeling the pain? If so, have them scream in pain, cry, hit something, bit their lip, breath in and out hard. Let’s say they have a disease, then maybe they are praying, holding the hand of their loved one tight, closing their eyes, rocking back and forth in their chair, etc. If they are waiting for someone then maybe they do the same things as mentioned above.

Example 1: (Coming Soon).

» B. What do the doctors/ surgeons have to say? Anything good or all bad news? .

Note: The following can occur-

The doctor would say everything is okay and nothing needs to be done. Patient accepts and walks out. Maybe something minor is done like a cast for a sprain or a scan to check if any bones are broken. Even then, the character is fine and walks out free.
The doctor tells the patient everything is fine but the patient doesn’t believe them. They demand a second opinion or to be rechecked.
Doctor finds something wrong with the patient and character needs to stay in order to be diagnosed. Or leaves out the hospital with pills, in a wheel chair, or surgery schedule for something major (if that has not already occurred in the ER).

I. If the doctor finds nothing wrong with the character and the character agrees you can add the following in order to progress your story along: maybe a family member demands a recheck; or another doctor comes in with bad news of their own and apologizes that the other doctor almost missed the problem; a hug between the doctor and patient is given; or another problem is diagnosed that is not related to what your character came in to the hospital for.

II. If the character doesn’t believe the doctor; you can add the following: character becomes uncontrollable and becomes an endangerment to everyone around; therefore they are taken to a mental hospital; character continues to argue with doctor and if character is educated discuss why the doctor is wrong; character goes through another checkup to make sure they are free of anything. Maybe the results come back with something wrong.

NOTE: To be admitted into psychiatric care one has to meet a certain criteria. So the character could then be admitted after being in the hospital and after being assessed by a professional.

III. If something is found, then doctors may do even more checks with various devices such as MRI, ultrasound, EMG (for nerve tests), and so on. Be sure to identify the appropriate tests your character will take depending on their circumstance. Someone coming in for a cold will not need any scans unless the cold has lasted a month or several months. Maybe the patient has more symptoms than a cold and will get a test done. Don’t forget about blood tests.

Now, if something is found the doctor should tell the character how they will treat them and what are the next steps. Cancer has chemo therapy. Cysts and odd lumps has surgery and aspiration. Colds have medicine and a disease usually has pills. There is more to it than that, this is where you would have to do a bit more research.

Use this as a chance to bring multiple generations together. When a loved one is in crisis, usually their whole family unites, bringing a mix of personalities into the same place at the same time. The scene would flow naturally from there, based on the characters’ relationships to each other and primary motivations.

(Coming Soon).

» C.Emotions Cannot Be Ignored! !

I. It doesn’t matter what the doctor told your character, good or bad, what is your character feeling? As if a massive truck has been lifted from their shoulders when they found out their disease is curable.

II. If bad, what do they do, how are they feeling? Does the world stop, do they faint, do they become a statue. Now is the time to give you audience background about why your character took the news the way the did. Example:

III. What is promised to the character from the doctor? Usually a promise is made like, you will get better or it will not affect your work. Little promises that can mean a lot. So, have the doctor promise your character something that is important to your story. If your character is an athlete your doctor may promise him/her they will be able to play the sport again in a few short months. If your character is a singer and has laryngitis, the doctor may promise that even though their voice sounds like a pen scratching chalkboard now, she/her will be able to sing again. This promise is important because it gives the reader a since of the emotional aspect but also the technical aspect. Meaning, there is a cure for their problem. However, if the problem has no treatment then the doctor may promise them this: I will be with you along the way…. You still have a few short months to live… there is a cure being found in east Asia maybe in a few months they will allow me to use it on you.

Example 3: (Coming Soon).

Get into that atmosphere. Let it play a key roll in this scene. These examples will be primarily for the ER but can be used for others.

» A. Describe the room…

Low light on at all times, and there are cords hanging down for the nurses call button and the IV solutions.
An electronic machine sitting on a cart with odd wires leading from it,a privacy curtain hanging from a track on the ceiling.
The bedside table has several get well cards and a bouquet of flowers.
There is an aqua colored water glass with a bent straw in it, a half eaten tray of food with the big metal cover that was on the plate, and a telephone that doesn’t work.
Door is propped open, and nurses and orderlies walk by, their sensible shoes squeaking on the pristine tiles.
A TV hangs in the corner, tuned to the Reverend Bob H. Wells- who thinks you should write him a large check for a blessing- because the remote control is lost, and the TV is too high for the nurses to reach.
There are wires glued to the character’s chest and coming up through the neck of their hospital gown…the most embarrassing garment invented that has no back and lets every human know what the underwear look like.
The window has a mini blind on it, and a view of the roof of an adjoining building.
For those of you in a rush, here is some bits and pieces of What a Hospital Scene Will Contain:

» A. Entering the hospital:

Nurses trying to be helpful, directing you to where you would like to go.
The floor is shining clean, long corridors.
Signs in green saying EXIT.
Rooms with numbers on the doors.
Some doors are open and you can see the patient according to their situation, could be sleeping, visiting with a
relative, others with oxygen tubs applied at their noses.
At the Nurses Desk lots of laugh although the rule is of “Shhh”.
Nurses no longer wearing white starched uniforms neither white shoes or stocking go and come, many with dirty
tennis shoes, and instead of the uniform wear just regular half shirts .
The rooms could be private ( one patient in it) others could be semi-private ( two patients in one room)
Also it can be a Ward, meaning a long row of beds for a Charity Ward, this one is very sad to see.
If the doctors have the rounds they stop to check the chart of each patient.
When the person is bleeding or in with a heart attack they are taking immediately to the attention of the Physician on duty.
Describe the journey back home. Whether after a surgery or a general checkup.

» A. Leaving the doctors room, how does your character act?

I. Is their head hanging low from shame and sadness, head up high in pride and happiness? Hands clapped together for peace or in pockets for failure, remorse? Silent? Rejoicing to the high heavens?

II. Do they go home alone and if so where do they stop on the way? Are they so grateful for life that they say sorry to their mortal enemy. Do they go to a church to repent? Do they go home to do research on their problem? Do they call a friend? III. Maybe you can have the character speak to someone on the way out. Tell that person everything would be okay, or an update about their visit, or something to leave an imprint. Especially if a truck has been lifted off their shoulder. IV. Lastly, how is the news broken or given to their loved ones? In person? At the hospital where everyone gives a big hug of congratulations or sadness? Show who is important to your character and how they share the news with them. It will show a more-in-depth look at your character. The best way to understand anyone is when they are going through a crises. Show your audience who your character truly is and how they handle their news. Example 7: (No Example Added- but you can add one for your scene).

** !You might have to scroll down the textbox with your mouse!

coming soon

Chat Room [wise-chat]

6 thoughts on “ How to Write a Hospital Scene ”

I need this one to complete my book PLZ I need a outline

I will try to finish it by the end of this month, Amayah.

Hi! I can’t even begin to explain how AMAZINGLY HELPFUL this site is. I can use so many of these little pages; kidnaping for about 3-5 different stories of mine (also the starving one), the hospital one for the aftermath of the rescue. The “falling in love” one for young teenagers, and then the “first date” for two people who finally admit their feelings for each other.

I can use the funeral one for at least 2 stories. The dying, car crash, saying goodbye, flying, wedding, I mean this is like the best early Christmas present I’ve ever gotten. It’s all the help I need for my 12+ story in one place! I can’t believe I’ve only just now found this site, and I will DEFINITELY link it to my profile so my fellow readers can come and get help.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! Who’s ever idea this one to make this webpage is a genius! 🙂

Glad to be of help, Reagan! Happy Holidays 🙂

MMMM. That was nice. But it didn’t let me combine the test. Is okay tho, found this Super helpful!!! ten out of ten, will definitely use this again.

Very helpful. What about an example of paramedics bringing into the ER a seriously injured victim of, say, a car crash, where they have suffered multiple fractures and perhaps have some internal bleeding. What would be some of the things the paramedic would report to the ER team? Who would be present and what would they be doing and saying from the moment the paramedics roll the gurney into the ER, the handover to ER staff, and perhaps even the initial few minutes of care in the ER?

WHERE I WRITE #15: The Hospital Room

Erin lyndal martin.

August 3, 2011

Writing affirms life. I had been having a panic attack for 30 hours, had been shaking so hard that my spoon clanged against my teeth when I tried to have yogurt. I was at work that day, my hands clattering all over the keyboard, my head going so fast as I tried to slow down for the minutiae of my job. I left work early to go to the hospital. In the waiting room, my thoughts suddenly took on a direction, not merely speed but velocity. Now what mattered was the short story I was writing on. What job should my narrator have? Could she be a florist, a baker, a secretary? I made a list of possible ones, finally settling on tour guide , which I circled in my green notebook. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t had my notebook that day. Curled up on an ER cot, I listened to my iPod and jotted down details. I saw police bring in a handcuffed drunk. They cuffed him to the bed next to mine. I didn’t know why he was in cuffs; I just heard him threaten the Weymouth Police Department repeatedly at top volume. I was immediately not only curious but engrossed in his story, in the absurdity of the whole situation. I was so fascinated that I started recording him on my cell phone. I listened to him, letting his whiskey-inspired profanity and volume wash over me, drowning out my headphones. I heard him slowly sober up, heard the f-word gradually fall out of his vocabulary. He inevitably pulled back the curtain between us and asked what my name was. I told him it was Josephine, an in-joke I have with myself. For whatever span of time I was there, I was Josephine with the green notebook. I was listening. I was taking notes.

The last time I was in a hospital, the first thing I reached for was scrap paper from my purse. I was putting on a gown, and I started thinking how the only times we use the word gown , we mean either a hospital or a wedding, and that thought was fast becoming a poem. This gown was blue plaid. I have never worn a wedding gown. In the hospital, every detail is important.

“Physical pain has no voice, but when it at last finds a voice, it begins to tell a story,” writes Elaine Scarry in The Body in Pain. The voice of my physical pain was not a scream or a groan; it was me muttering to myself as I tried to find the perfect slant rhyme for gown. It was me remembering that I had once had a lover on Twin Flower Lane, me trying to write out all the details of an Independence Day we’d spent together in his bedroom studded with graphite cutouts of birds he’d made. Syllables fell along with every precious drop of morphine blissfully entering my bloodstream in an attempt to soothe the sharp scissoring in my abdomen. And when they took me to have an ultrasound of my belly, my pain was working on another story. In a short story I’ve been writing, I have a mermaid getting an ultrasound of a wound, and, having never had an ultrasound, I was so glad to finally have a chance to get the details right. There were pictures of palm trees on the ceiling to look at. The technician was playing pop radio, and Evanescence’s “Call Me When You’re Sober” was blaring when I was wheeled in. The ultrasound goo was surprisingly warm. The technician put a paper towel over my breasts so the goo wouldn’t cover them.

A housekeeper came in to change the linens and said, “So, I hear you’re getting your gall bladder out tomorrow.” The doctors hadn’t told me that yet. I was scared. I was lonely. I was grumpy. I was hungry. I was in love with the idea of being cut open. I was in love with the idea that they could use cameras to rearrange my insides. It mattered how many millimeters each incision was, how many there would be, and where. It mattered how, after the surgery, a huge bandage covered my belly button, and how I’d never before realized how important it was to be able to touch my belly button whenever I wanted to. After a liquid dinner and a dilaudid IV, I was able to think about the other things that mattered. I thought about how I was lying under a white sheet, and how in photographs we see white sheets covering dead bodies, not live, healing ones.

I didn’t write about the white sheets until the next time I was in the hospital, two weeks later, when my stomach started screaming at me again. I got reacquainted with dilaudid and opened my laptop. This was the day after the shootings in Oslo, the day after Amy Winehouse died, the day of too many photographs of white sheets, the day I’d, ironically, been reading Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others.

Elaine Scarry also writes that when “One hears about another person’s physical pain, the events happening within the interior of that person’s body may seem to have the remote character of some deep subterranean fact, belonging to an invisible geography that, however portentous, has no reality because it has not yet manifested itself on the visible surface of the earth.” My job as a patient is to describe my pain, to give it a visible geography by saying the right words, unearthing the truest facts of my condition via the precise adjectives: dull, upper left, an eight on a scale of one to ten. “People want the weight of witnessing without the taint of artistry,” Sontag writes. Doctors (and undertakers) are the ultimate witnesses of our bodies, understanding our own selves in ways we never could. Yet, they can never occupy our pain, or anyone else’s. In that way, doctors are just like the rest of us. All we have is witnessing. All we have is writing.

Erin Lyndal Martin is a creative writer, music journalist, and artist. Her work has recently appeared in Salon , No Depression , Gigantic Sequins , and Yalobusha Review .

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Blade New Member

Help describing hospital/someone dying.

Discussion in ' Setting Development ' started by Blade , Jan 26, 2013 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); Evening, I'm currently thinking about writing a new story and I want to start the story off as a flashback, A flashback to where the main character who is a billionaire is entering the hospital room in which his mother is in, getting ready to die from cancer. I mainly want to capture the emotion and the coldness that he felt in his heart, that would be the only time in his life that he truly cried. His father abused him as a child and only see's him as competition when it comes to their company. So you see his mother is the only one who picked him up when he was down, the only one who truly cared about him. I honestly wouldn't know where to start without making it seem blah. Some examples would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Michael Collins Senior Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I've been working as a nurse for the last three years now, so I could help you with the description of the technical, hospital and physiolocical part. But when it comes to feelngs, I really don't know how I could help, sorry.

Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); If you have no idea about how to approach this crucial emotional moment, it may not be the best choice for you to write at this time. The best such stories are written by people who have gone through similar emotional crises. It gives the story the ring of truth. Your alternative is to speak with one or more people who have had a family member go through something like this. At length.

jazzabel Agent Provocateur Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); One thing, was he already a billionaire when his mum was dying? Because rich people usually pay for the nurses, doctors and equipment so their family members can die at home. As far as feelings go, try to think about your favourite person in the whole wide world. Then think about watching them wither away in front of your eyes, and there's nothing you can do to help them get better. And think about how it would be to never see them again. That's one of the many emotions that goes through us when our loved ones are dying. I would also recommend that you also speak to someone who went through the experience of losing a loved one.

Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); How would you feel if your mother died? That's probably how you'd describe the emotion, I think. And yeah, speak to some people who have lost a loved one.

The Tourist Banned

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I have a death scene in my book. I found the crux was a strange dichotomy for those involved, and I made that the focus of the chapter. Medical staff desperately tried to save the character. The character, however, was utilizing the experience as a stepping stone, and actually wanted to go.

mg357 Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I have experienced a lot of family members death's in my life so I understand this subject well. The son enters his mom's room he goes to her beside and he sees that she is close to death and he just starts crying a lot i mean full blown buckets of tear pour out of him, because he knows that they only parent who cared about him and loved is about to die and he also wants to die because living without his mother would be so terrible he does not want to live without her So after her death he takes his own life.

Pheonix A Singer of Space Operas and The Fourth Mod of RP Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I had a stained relationship with my grandmother, she never really approved of me. And, while I thought that I would be sad when she died, I didn't think it would be that big of an event in my life. Well, we were all together at the hospital, and I said goodbye to her after she was taken off life support, I can't even begin to explain the feeling that came out of me. It was like all of a sudden I realized that she was going to die, and that was only a few minutes away, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it. The overwhelming sadness that hits a person when they are confronted with death is something that you can't really understand unless you've experienced it. And it affects different people differently. To write this out properly, I think that you'd either have had to experience it, or speak with people who have. And I don't mean on an internet forum, you need to be able to see the emotion that they feel, and how that emotion lingers after possible years. Of course, if you go that route and try interviewing someone, be ethical about it and don't pry to hard, it's a delicate subject, but something that most people have experienced in some way at least once.

evelon Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); There can also be a feeling of anger.

SocksFox Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2024 Contest Winner 2023

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I was there when my grandfather passed. Somehow, it almost didn't seem real, similar to a waking dream. It was cold, so still, a breathing ghost. Time slows, every detail around you, clear and sharp as glass, but incomprehensible. Reality has yet to set in. It is a moment when the world wheels chaotically about and you suddenly realize, 'I'm still here...', but things will never be the same again. The enormity of the change hasn't registered. It's disorienting, a foundation stone falling into the sea. Terror and a sense of relief at war, knowing it's over, but the uncertainty of where to begin.

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); There can also be feeling that throw you for a loop. Relief, for one, if that person has been a burden, despite any bond of love, because they are now in the doctor's hands. And with that can come guilt, resentment, all kinds of feelings that you'd never anticipate without having beemn here. All sorts of feelings long buried can rise to the surface, and handling them can be as chaotic as the fact of the other person's pending death. It's hard enough to make sense of it all if you've experienced it, so it's a far harder task to convey it if i is entirely outsde your experience. It's the deeply emotional experiences like this that have led to the often misunderstood advice, "Write what you know." It's bad advice when taken too literally, but when it comes to the deepest emotional crises, it makes perfect sense.

Teodor Pravický New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I think you should have to put a chapter before that, where will be several situations, where reader can appreciate this mother. If you want to rise an emotion, do it by gestures, not only by words, or you will find the situation stupid, instead of hearthbreaking. I suppose he walks there with flowers and bananas in the bag. Nervous about stuff, nurses are looking at him sadly, he gets nervous even more. Mother is smiling, not want to tell him rightaway, asking about his day, changing subjects. He loses his patience and BAM. Depends on the character if you want him to cry at front if his mother, I wouldn't do that. He might do it on the toilet, nurses knocking at him or something

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I appreciate all of the comments and advice. You gave me a lot of ideas to work with. Hurray for this site

seije New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); as others have said, writing the emotions of the scene is up to you, but if you are looking for the negative things to go with the tone of the scene, maybe i can help. i had cancer when i was seven, and spent a lot of time in hospitals. hospital rooms always seem so barren and sterile. Blankets were usually scratchy and uncomfortable, but i was spared that discomfort due to the sheets- that's more for the people visiting, if they were to lean or sit on the bed. the TVs seem too small, especially when compared to the blank wall to which they are attached. I recall a yellowish tint to the rooms due to the lighting which gives off a false sense of warmth- the rooms are almost always incredibly cold. The beds are raised far too high to enter and exit comfortably for me as a child, and probably for someone old and frail as well. most of the other negatives i remember are more as my experience as a patient. saline going into your veins from an IV is cold, and unsettling. you are restricted from moving around much due to the IV tubes. I recall medicines giving me a nasty taste in my mouth that would linger. laying in bed for extended periods of time makes getting up feel awkward, and messes with your balance a bit. I don't know if you can use that information, but it's there if you want it. I was treated at a children's hospital, so not all of the information will be relevant or current.

madhoca Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); In the past 5 years there have been 3 occasions when I've been around hospitals a lot because my husband was in a near fatal car accident, my daughter nearly died of septicemia when her appendix and part of her intestine ruptured, and my father-in-law died of cancer. Each time, there was tremendous unreality about the event, and then, even stranger, the routines took over--the early breakfast tray, tidy up for the doctor's round, the lab tests that day, visiting hours for the rest of the family etc etc. I have to say that there were periods of boredom as well even in times of extreme stress and emotional turmoil. The medical staff were great, but it was still just a day's work for them and I was very conscious that in order to do their jobs well they had to maintain a professional distance, although at one point I went into intensive care and saw the consultant, a woman, plaiting my daughter's hair and talking softly to her about whether or not Obama had won--the TV in the nurses' station was tuned in constantly to the news. The steady bip bip of the machines feeding in various stuff through the IV lines is something I'll always remember. Also, all around you there are arrivals and departures like an airport, people dying or being declared out of danger, which also add to the unreal feeling of watching a play or something. I think being in hospital with my daughter was the most intense experience of my life, and I would never have guessed what it could be like until I experienced it, not could I bear to write about it in detail. Just remembering the hair plaiting scene got me crying again, actually. But Jazz has a point that people who can afford it can be treated mostly at home. My family aren't billionaires, but both my grandparents had private nursing and died at home in their beds. My FIL was very ill with lung cancer but he was often treated as an outpatient and died one night at home.

BallerGamer Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); I was there at the hospital when my best friend died. I was crying a lot but inside I honestly didn't feel anything. And by that I wasn't being hollow about it, it just didn't feel like she passed away even though physically she was right in front of me lifeless. I felt like it was all some big joke and she was going to move a finger, blink, and tell me that she was alright. I guess you could say that I was in denial.

Trilby Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); It can be so painful to watch a loved one suffer that it can come as a relief once they have gone - that feeling of relief can turn into guilt. You may also, being unable to ease their pain, experience feelings of utter uselessness

Thumpalumpacus Alive in the Superunknown

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_009e7e7621dbb7c6c22882a2762b2b25'); }); Blade said: ↑ Evening, I'm currently thinking about writing a new story and I want to start the story off as a flashback, A flashback to where the main character who is a billionaire is entering the hospital room in which his mother is in, getting ready to die from cancer. I mainly want to capture the emotion and the coldness that he felt in his heart, that would be the only time in his life that he truly cried. His father abused him as a child and only see's him as competition when it comes to their company. So you see his mother is the only one who picked him up when he was down, the only one who truly cared about him. I honestly wouldn't know where to start without making it seem blah. Some examples would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Click to expand...

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Career Center

Teaching Literary and Creative Writing in Hospital Settings

Lisa Fink 07.25.16 Teaching Writing

This post was written by NCTE member Mindy Daniels.

While those of us teaching in hospitals are a relatively small group of teachers, we are nevertheless mandated to meet students’ needs the same as instructors teaching in conventional classrooms are.

The biggest challenges, especially for those teaching in acute hospital settings, are that our students may be enrolled for one day to thirty days; our class sizes can vary from one child to ten or eleven; since students are discharged and new ones admitted daily, we as teachers cannot prepare extended lesson plans.

Notwithstanding these exigencies, hospital teachers want and need to teach viable lessons that genuinely benefit, engage, and academically advance their students. Therein lies the rub and the purpose for this blog post.

For the past sixteen years I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work with hospitalized students of diverse SES backgrounds, learning abilities, and motivation, with mental health issues that necessitated they be admitted to an acute treatment facility for one to thirty days. The purpose of my blog posts will be to share the numerous “one-day,” authentic, hands-on lessons I have compiled from researchers and experience that engage students educationally and emotionally.

Though brief, these monthly lessons are designed to enhance students’ broad academic and critical thinking skills by teaching them such strategies as how to use vivid, descriptive language in their prose and poetry and to use active rather than passive voice. Since the lessons focus primarily on writing, students learn requisite technical skills that include vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, etc., as well as creative writing techniques. Finally, because as a teacher I must be an active writer/modeler, I too find myself exploring and enhancing my personal creativity. Please join me in an active discussion designed to uncover and discover students’ tacit creative ability via nonthreatening oral and written lessons.

Mindy Daniels has a PhD in instructional leadership. For the last sixteen years she has taught in the children’s psychiatric hospital at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. She is also the author of poetry and of a historical novel.

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Writing Discussion

How would you approach describing a hospital? (1 Viewer)

Thread starter Theglasshouse
Start date Dec 26, 2021

Theglasshouse

Dec 26, 2021

Do you watch YouTube videos? Can you explain it to me please as if I were a child which I am not? Do you watch movies and describe what is happening? The awakening the movie comes to mind. Do you read nonfiction such as autoethnography, autobiographies, journals? What would you do if you were faced to describe movement in a hospital, library, alley, and so forth? How do you know how to call hospital rooms? Where should I start my research? How would you do yours most importantly? It may take me some 4 hours to get back to this thread reply to all the advice.

Depends entirely on the headspace of the character.

I work in a hospital. Rooms are given numbers, the beginning number is often the floor. Fifth floor would usually be like 512. 517. If it is a big hospital then usually the floor means what kind of patients, like Cardiology patients are on Med-Surg floor 5, let’s say. That’s very common in the USA, anyway. Movement in a hospital? If you’re mobil, you are encouraged to walk around. If you need assistance to move to be safe, then the patient needs to call their nurse or nurses to get up. Some patients need certain safety equipment even then. During COVID visiting patients has been restricted, our hospital restricts it to 1 visitor per day during COVID surges. What specific questions do you have? What do you need to know? What kind of patient are you writing about? Are you asking to see how people study something they aren’t familiar with? If there is a place in a foreign country, I will use YouTube, Google earth, and the research area of this forum to see if I can pick someone’s brain. I wrote a piece about a certain library and spent several hours looking at pictures of it and googled events that happened there in the past. I wrote a story taking place in the Guggenheim in the 1970’s earlier this year and I have not been there, but I looked at tons of pictures and googled events there from the time period. I looked at pictures of the streets surrounding it and watched movies that had parts filmed at the Guggenheim and Central Park. I’m pretty proud because I can tell you what bakeries, beer gardens, cathedrals, shops and restaurants were on the streets in 1972 in the surrounding areas. I read tons of nostalgia blogs and a few articles in the New York Times about the area from that era or/and specifically about the exhibits and how they were received. I know what restaurants were serving and famous people who might frequent some of them. I didn’t just stop there. I know most of the free concerts going on at Central Park that year and I know the shows and poetry readings happening at National Bohemian Hall. I also watched tv shows from that year that weren’t in the area but gave me a feel for dress and talk— like the Mary Tyler Moore show. But I love my research, absolutely love it, and I didn’t want to be writing in the dark. I wanted to be able to walk around in my setting. Actually I ended up having to cut most of what I’d taken hours to write on setting, but getting the right flavor and understanding of setting can be inspiring. Let me know what you’re trying to do and I will help out if I can. I see both inpatients and outpatients so I know most areas of the hospital.

Waking into a hospital is a highly sensory experience. (I work in one, too). I would really think about your 5 senses. For me, the scent is the first thing you notice. Recirculated, dry air (almost like a humidor), antiseptic chemicals and a tinge of an odor that I’ve never been able to identify. You can almost taste it. The sounds are distinct, from staff chatter to beeping monitors to patients calling the it (with their voices or their beepers)

got2write said: Waking into a hospital is a highly sensory experience. (I work in one, too). I would really think about your 5 senses. For me, the scent is the first thing you notice. Recirculated, dry air (almost like a humidor), antiseptic chemicals and a tinge of an odor that I’ve never been able to identify. You can almost taste it. The sounds are distinct, from staff chatter to beeping monitors to patients calling the it (with their voices or their beepers) Click to expand...

Agree! I’m not a nurse either - but they are the eyes and the ears of hospital medicine. Interviewing a nurse about their perception and description of life in the hospital would probably be one of the purest ways to understand it.

Joker said: Depends entirely on the headspace of the character. Click to expand...

I had a scene in a previous manuscript that dealt with a hospital. I drew on my own experiences going into hospitals, as well as having watched a couple episodes of the original Law & Order prior to starting the scene. In those episodes, there were a couple of scenes in a hospital. I used elements from both avenues during the writing process. -JJB

I'm a nurse, but i can't tell you anything as your character/narrator is the greater part of the equation. At the moment not enough context to advise. In the UK many places in hospitals are public spaces so have a wonder around. Or if you're really committed, volunteer on a ward. Try to see it through the character's eyes. Failing that, there are reality TV type shows that follow doctors/nurses through a shift that give a sense of it. Or just write what works for the story, then make sure a healthcare professional/hospital worker of some description gives it a beta read.

What specific questions do you have? What do you need to know? What kind of patient are you writing about? Click to expand...

I work in a hospital. Rooms are given numbers, the beginning number is often the floor. Fifth floor would usually be like 512. 517. If it is a big hospital then usually the floor means what kind of patients, like Cardiology patients are on Med-Surg floor 5, let’s say. That’s very common in the USA, anyway. Click to expand...

Movement in a hospital? If you’re mobil, you are encouraged to walk around. If you need assistance to move to be safe, then the patient needs to call their nurse or nurses to get up. Some patients need certain safety equipment even then. Click to expand...

During COVID visiting patients has been restricted, our hospital restricts it to 1 visitor per day during COVID surges. Click to expand...

Are you asking to see how people study something they aren’t familiar with? If there is a place in a foreign country, I will use YouTube, Google earth, and the research area of this forum to see if I can pick someone’s brain. I wrote a piece about a certain library and spent several hours looking at pictures of it and googled events that happened there in the past. Click to expand...

Learn Exactly What Happens in a Cardiac Care Unit

wrote a story taking place in the Guggenheim in the 1970’s earlier this year and I have not been there, but I looked at tons of pictures and googled events there from the time period. I looked at pictures of the streets surrounding it and watched movies that had parts filmed at the Guggenheim and Central Park. I’m pretty proud because I can tell you what bakeries, beer gardens, cathedrals, shops and restaurants were on the streets in 1972 in the surrounding areas. I read tons of nostalgia blogs and a few articles in the New York Times about the area from that era or/and specifically about the exhibits and how they were received. I know what restaurants were serving and famous people who might frequent some of them. I didn’t just stop there. I know most of the free concerts going on at Central Park that year and I know the shows and poetry readings happening at National Bohemian Hall. I also watched tv shows from that year that weren’t in the area but gave me a feel for dress and talk— like the Mary Tyler Moore show. But I love my research, absolutely love it, and I didn’t want to be writing in the dark. I wanted to be able to walk around in my setting. Actually I ended up having to cut most of what I’d taken hours to write on setting, but getting the right flavor and understanding of setting can be inspiring Click to expand...

Waking into a hospital is a highly sensory experience. (I work in one, too). I would really think about your 5 senses. For me, the scent is the first thing you notice. Recirculated, dry air (almost like a humidor), antiseptic chemicals and a tinge of an odor that I’ve never been able to identify. You can almost taste it. The sounds are distinct, from staff chatter to beeping monitors to patients calling the it (with their voices or their beepers) Click to expand...

Agree! I’m not a nurse either - but they are the eyes and the ears of hospital medicine. Interviewing a nurse about their perception and description of life in the hospital would probably be one of the purest ways to understand it. Click to expand...

Depends on whether the character is working there, visiting, or being wheeled in on a gurney. Click to expand...

I had a scene in a previous manuscript that dealt with a hospital. I drew on my own experiences going into hospitals, as well as having watched a couple episodes of the original Law & Order prior to starting the scene. In those episodes, there were a couple of scenes in a hospital. I used elements from both avenues during the writing process. Click to expand...

I'm a nurse, but i can't tell you anything as your character/narrator is the greater part of the equation. At the moment not enough context to advise. In the UK many places in hospitals are public spaces so have a wonder around. Or if you're really committed, volunteer on a ward. Try to see it through the character's eyes. Failing that, there are reality TV type shows that follow doctors/nurses through a shift that give a sense of it. Or just write what works for the story, then make sure a healthcare professional/hospital worker of some description gives it a beta read. Click to expand...

Dec 27, 2021

@Theglasshouse Usually heart transplants don’t go to people who have had heart attacks. I mean I’ve never heard of that. They might do a bypass after a heart-attack, depending. It is HARD to get a transplant organ. Heart transplants are rare, usually reserved for young people who are in every other way healthy, so that it has the biggest possibility of success. People with transplants usually need to take steroids so their body doesn’t reject the transplant and it is an extremely risky thing to try. It can be a waiting game to get a heart. Congenital heart defects might be the #1 reason to get on a transplant list. They never go to people who have had heart-attacks that I know of--- but you'll need to do this research. Heart attacks come from blocked arteries, usually, which is why if someone’s valves are very blocked (atherosclerosis) then they get by-pass surgery before the heart-attack hits, or stents, or oblation-- is the idea. Okay, tell us about your character. If they are young? Besides congenital defects, there are other things that can happen that make transplant something that doctors are looking at—- often a sudden virus that killed off part of the heart. Sometimes post-partum cardiomyopathy (if your character is female). Sometimes patients are on ventilators waiting for the transplant and time is of the essence, actually, I know a woman who died this way, waiting months for a transplant. Extremely sad with baby twins. Her husband raises them and became an advocate of transplants/body donation. A lot depends on how accurate you want the whole thing to be as well… there are plenty of popular books and shows out there that are not medically accurate at all. House is horrible, by the way, and Grey's Anatomy and ER . Scrubs , from the worker's standpoint is more accurate. I think what bothers me the most, usually, with shows and books not medically accurate is the lack of understanding about symptoms-- you know, people running around with nasal cannulas-- "terminal" yet not experiencing any symptoms even up until death. That seems to be a common theme with young characters in romance books...well Fault in Their Stars , anyway

@Theglasshouse . Doctors go on “rounds” or visit usually around the same time each day to update you how you are and give you a plan. I might find support websites for people with heart transplants. One of the most interesting things to me about heart transplants, specifically, is stories of people’s personalities changing due to them… I find this fascinating. It doesn’t reply happen to people with other types of transplants as far as I have researched. Research is the bomb imo! Very inspiring!

indianroads

I've written a few scenes set in a hospital (one in my WIP as well), and when describing the environment I fall back on prior experience. Everyone here has probably met with unfortunate circumstances and have visited that sterile blanched place, so remember and write. Also consider the dominant sense of your POV character. Although it doesn't apply to everyone, it's been my experience that in females, scent and temperature are more dominant than in men, so if your character is a woman give those descriptors greater precedence. The mood of your character will also color your description.

Deleted member 66445

Deleted member 66022.

I have been debating whether I should share a view and having deleted the first attempt i still feel it is right to offer a view. Personally, i see a setting around a hospital unsettling because it needs to be done right, not through book/online research but first hand experience. I feel that a hospital is a place where people share their most raw emotions, whether it is joy of a birth or utter desolation in seeing a love one struggle ... and die. I don't think any amount of 'off the hands' research can ever replicate true experience and it would pain me to read a work with poor constructed views based on tv or youtube or even what others think. I have experienced the highs with the birth of my 2 kids, the complications that came from their arrival, the admiration for the staff, to waiting hours ... watching doctors and nurses on the A&E wards standing and chatting to each other with patients filling up the waiting room. I have seen my mum battle cancer for 24 years, the trips of chemo, her fear of going back, the pain of her treatments, the wards, the drive, the smell, the white buildings, the blue outfits, the poorly people in their beds. I have given my absolute thanks to the doctors during covid, who battled so hard to save my mum and never did the setting of a hospital ever concern me. Like many, the character overrides the setting, because this is a place of 'on the edge' emotions and for me it would sit unwell reading someone's interpretation of fear or worry about injury or illness if they have not experienced it first hand. I have no right to say you shouldn't write about a hospital because of what i have held throughout my life but the worry of writing about this poorly made me need to point out the dangers. It is absolutely wrong of me ... and you can write about a stale atmosphere, stressed out workforce, routines and copy/use/have inspiration from scenes anywhere but it will not be the same as those who have first hand experience. Even on ward to a visitor the experiences are different but these are experiences and hold real value.

Sorry for the wait everyone. I am typing on a tablet. I will reply to the posts in more detail in 2 more days. I left my computer behind at my house and am vacationing. Those are some interesting replies. It's a shame I did not know all this before I wrote it. I will certainly strive to be more realistic and not rely rely on tv shows. It has been a complex area of research I have picked. My main character if I would imagine his age would be a father with a 8-10 year old girl to answer the most important question I have been asked. I get this is intimidating. To write about a heart transplant is complex but I am glad I got some answers. On the 30th I will answer the questions. I am using a kindle to type my responses.

Kent_Jacobs

Dec 28, 2021

KatPC said: I have been debating whether I should share a view and having deleted the first attempt i still feel it is right to offer a view. Click to expand...

KatPC said: Personally, i see a setting around a hospital unsettling because it needs to be done right, not through book/online research but first hand experience. I feel that a hospital is a place where people share their most raw emotions, whether it is joy of a birth or utter desolation in seeing a love one struggle ... and die. Click to expand...

PrairieHostage

Theglasshouse said: Do you watch YouTube videos? Can you explain it to me please as if I were a child which I am not? Do you watch movies and describe what is happening? The awakening the movie comes to mind. Do you read nonfiction such as autoethnography, autobiographies, journals? What would you do if you were faced to describe movement in a hospital, library, alley, and so forth? How do you know how to call hospital rooms? Where should I start my research? How would you do yours most importantly Click to expand...

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Horror story in a hospital: how to unsettle the reader?

I'm new and I hope to do this thing right, soo Hi!

I'm willing to write a short story about a girl who wakes up in a hospital and gradually discovers that the entire structure is under the influence of a "lovecraftian" being who also just awoke and drove all the people in the building insane. She has, of course, no grasp of what's going on and the more she descendes into the hospital's lower floors, the more the uneasiness, the hallucinations should be gruesome and feel real at the same time, until the final realization, which won't be a realizazion of course - this word is too... positive - but I'm still working on it.

My question is:

I'd like to create a setting that is unsettling - eh eh - due to its cleanliness. I'd like to recreate a feeling that I had reading Brave New World - I think it was - with those aseptic, lifeless halls.

The fact is... I'm unsure of the elements to insert in order to evoke fear and horror in an enviroment such as this. What hallucinations? What frightening events might shake the reader, giving him/her a sense of dread, the feeling of an ordinary reality that is crackling?

creative-writing
short-story

8 Welcome to the site! This is two questions, and they should be posted separately. The first one would be closed as off topic, because we don't make plot suggestions. The second question is something we're equipped to answer, though. – Arcanist Lupus Commented Aug 19, 2018 at 6:22
2 Hi Mord! Welcome to Writing.SE! We're a little different than other sites -- you can take our tour to get a sense of how we work and what kind of questions work well! And Arcanist is right -- I'll edit this question, with just the second part. I hope you'll get some great answers! – Standback Commented Aug 19, 2018 at 17:22
2 This is the kind of thing we writers learn by reading. How do your favorite horror authors unsettle you? What words and rhythms and pacing and... whatever do they use? Reading as a writer improves us as we pay attention to the techniques we see on the page. – Ken Mohnkern Commented Aug 20, 2018 at 16:00
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because This should go on WorldBuilding StackExchange – JP Chapleau Commented Jan 14, 2020 at 21:31

5 Answers 5

It's all psychological . You don't necessarily need hallucinations, or even anything supernatural at all, because it's not the specific details or events that make it scary, it's how your character perceives them. You can do this in several ways:

Direct: "The hospital was comfortingly clean" versus "The hospital was eerily sterile"
Subconscious : "Light glinted off the counter like sunshine on a knife"
Biographical : "Hospitals always reminded her of that terrible night..."

Remember, compelling details are never neutral, they always tell a story, and that story is always about your character's internal life, even with a third person POV. The movie Signs is a good case-study: Contrast how scary the first part of the movie is, just from small, seemingly innocuous details (and a group of people living in fear), with the ending, where you actually see the monsters in all their fearsome gruesomeness (and can hardly keep from laughing).

I'm focusing on the second question, which is related to setting and metaphysics more than it is on plot.

Allow me to quote from Tzvetan Todorov's The Fantastic in length, because it is useful in order to understand the dynamics involved.

In a world which is indeed our world, the one we know, a world without devils, sylphides, or vampires, there occurs an event which cannot be explained by the laws of the same familiar world. The person who experiences the event must opt for one of two possible solutions: either he is the victim of an illusion of the senses, of a product of the imagination – and laws of the world then remain what they are; or else the event has indeed taken place, it is an integral part of reality – but then this reality is controlled by laws unknown to us … The fantastic occupies the duration of this uncertainty. Once we choose one answer or the other, we leave the fantastic for a neighboring genre, the uncanny or the marvelous. (1973, 25)

What this means for your case, is that you need to understand the connection between genre and metaphysics involved.

Case A: there are demons, and the whole reality as we know it has to change (we're scared because there are demons and reality as we know it doesn't exist).
Case B: there are no demons, but we are losing our mind because we are seeing them in front of us (we're scared because we're going insane).
Case C: we don't know what's going on; there might be demons, we might be going mad (we're scared because we don't know what's going on).

If you want your story to be unambiguously supernatural in terms of affective power, then the horror elements must be presented as such. You did mention Lovecraft, but bear in mind that madness and ambiguity is a central element in at least some of his work.

Although this is a plot matter in that sense, I think that your best option would be to prolong ontological ambiguity as much as possible, balancing between opting for the one or the other Todorovian branches (supernatural explained or supernatural accepted, to use a Gothic term).

In relation to setting in particular, and if you want to focus on how clinical and aseptic it is, you should precisely try to take life out of everything. That is, remove grit (metaphorically speaking, of course) from where it would've normally been.

I expect that a large part of the problem is that you are trying to make cleanliness seem unsettling. This is difficult because it's usually the un clean that unsettles us. It would be easy to make the hospital unsettling by filling it with flies or by making the walls ever so slightly undulate like the lining of a stomach. But something overly clean and sterile is somehow less directly unsettling to us.

Some ideas:

Make the lead character extra uncomfortable Put her in a hospital gown. Spend plenty of time on describing her cold, bare feet. Let her pull an IV out of her arm that has been in far too long.
Increase the contrast with the hospital before the event It's difficult to make a hospital seem safe and and comfortable, but focus on warmth, many friendly nurses and doctors, warm light, and the safety of being taken care of by experts. Make mention of young parents picking up their newborn babies. Make sure the ailment is minor, so that the character knows she will soon be healthy again. Then after the event, draw on everything that is horrible about hospitals. The uncertainty, the loneliness, the fear and constant reminders of mortality. Muse at length on the cold maternity ward with its flickering lights and empty cribs.
Make other aspects of the hospital more directly unsettling Make it cold. Make it dark, or if the light must be bright (which does feel more sterile), make the light bright blue, like a staring into a spotlight when you have a migraine. Make it smell of bleach, as though the sterility is only there to hide something terrible.
Make the character feel sick and unclean Make her body the opposite of the overly clean hospital. Make her sweat and shiver. Make her nails split and her skin crawl. Give her small cuts on her hands and feet that burn with the antiseptic that seems to line the walls and floor. It's like the hospital considers her sick and unclean, like a foreign body that needs to be eliminated.
Make things sterile that shouldn't be Show brightly colored fruit and vegetables that are just slightly off. Fresh-looking broccoli that that is just a little teal in color. Apples that are juicy, but the juice hits your lungs like ammonia, and the skin sticks to the pulp like paper held on by glue.

I think the contrast between what is good and what is horrible about hospitals is an especially fruitful theme. You can delve into that for more inspiration. Put all the good before the event and all the bad after. You can even read about people's hospital experiences to give you inspiration.

Dude, you're a genius. I got unsettled just reading your answer. This is helping me out too – Tasch Commented Jan 18, 2020 at 3:35

I would recommend reading this article in full: The Psychology, Geography, and Architecture of Horror: How Places Creep Us Out . It's quite interesting, but the main point is that you need to create unpleasant features and unpleasant associations .

And a word on what makes "cosmic horror" stand out from normal horror, by Lovecraft himself:

Children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present ; and there must be a hint , expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain -- a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos -- from Supernatural horror in literature

In other words, ask yourself this: what would a malevolent God, with a sadistic wish to torture humanity, do, to make you feel dread, and make you question reality? Or, if you're not the sadistic type: recall your most vivid or disturbing nightmares, the ones that left an impression, that made you wake up in dread, and include elements from them. That's what Lovecraft did, from what I've heard.

Hostile environments that give the main character no chance to hide, and are easy to get lost in.

A hospital is perfect for this, they're often sprawling, hard to navigate, easy to get lost in, and while they offer many hiding spots for you, they offer your enemy just as many chances. And besides, Lovecraft has stated in the Cthulhu story that space/geometry makes no sense

Refuge means having a secure, protected place to hide where one can be sheltered from danger, while prospect refers to one’s clear, unobstructed view of the landscape. We love [...] places where “ you can see without being seen, and eat without being eaten ” Attractive places offer us a lot of prospect and a lot of refuge [...] the worst combination is very little prospect or refuge [...] [such places] are perceived as unsafe and dangerous Scary places may also lack what environmental psychologists refer to as “ legibility .” Legibility reflects the ease with which a place can be recognized , organized into a pattern and recalled—in other words, a place that we can wander around in without getting lost

Leverage creepiness (ambiguity of a threat's presence), horror (ambiguity of a threat's nature) and fear.

Keep these notions in mind while you're describing the environment and other characters. Patients who look or act strange can make you uncomfortable, because you don't know if they are a threat or not, and it's the uncertainty that creates anxiety. Want an example? Look at Charles Manson . You can tell that you can't "expect" him to behave normally. Well, at the end he makes his intentions pretty clear...

Creepiness is a response to the ambiguity of threat [...] we get creeped out by certain people because they behave in bizarre and unpredictable ways, violating the subtle social conventions that enable us to understand their intentions [...] they present us with an ambiguity as to whether or not they are someone to fear , and this ambiguity makes us very uncomfortable . Physical characteristics such as an unusually lean body type and unusual facial features , especially in the region of the eyes or teeth , predisposed their participants toward making a judgment of creepiness Places can creep us out for the very same reasons that people can, by presenting us with ambiguous information that makes it unclear if the place poses a threat to us or not Horror , on the other hand, is the growing awareness that we are indeed facing some sort of danger , although we may not yet exactly understand the nature of the threat or how best to deal with it. Fear is the clearest of the three emotions. It occurs when we clearly recognize the nature of the danger that we face and we concoct a strategy for dealing with it.

Being alone means you creep yourself out even more easily.

Kind of obvious, but if she is in a group, or finds allies, have them split up, or have the group fall prey to the Lovecraftian monster. Losing trusted allies, or even turning those allies against her would really take a toll on anyone's psyche.

Humans are a highly social species with a strong need for interaction with others, especially during times of stress; when we go through a trying ordeal alone, a lack of emotional support and comradeship can increase our anxiety and hinder our ability to cope. We rely on others to help us resolve ambiguity , and [...] cooperative defense against threat . However, monotonous or tedious stimulation from our surroundings may cause us to turn our attention inward—within ourselves —which most of us have much less experience handling. This may lead us to lose confidence in our understanding of what’s going on in our surroundings ; is that creaking sound upstairs just an old house pushing back against the wind, or is it something more sinister? [...] Without others with whom to share information and reactions, ambiguity becomes very hard to resolve. When this happens, our mind may quickly race to the darkest possible conclusions .

A place's history factors into its creepiness.

If a place has demonstrated a past proclivity for providing unfortunate outcomes for those who have visited it, we take that as a warning and resolve ambiguous feelings about the place by moving in the direction of caution. signs of life suddenly interrupted and frozen in time only amplify the fear factor ; remnants of a half-eaten meal on a kitchen table or clothing laid out on a bed waiting for a homeowner who has apparently vanished without warning create a frightening ambiguity about what may have taken place in the house .

Use negative associations, unpleasant/unhealthy places are inherently more creepy.

Unless you have some experience in medicine, chances are that you have no idea how you can handle tools and chemicals found in a hospital, but you know that they're pretty dangerous. There's menacing signs like "biohazard", "x-rays", "explosive", warning labels... you feel like you can't "read" the place, and that you should get out since being there is more likely to do you harm than good.

I've been admitted to an ER once, late at night. I passed out, and when I woke up, it was dark, I was in a room with a bunch of other patients, completely alone, I had a cannula stuck into my wrist... good thing I was too tired, but I seriously considered ripping that thing out and getting out of that room, just due to the uneasiness I felt in that moment.

places that isolate people without their consent such as prisons and insane asylums are often considered scary. I would take this one step further and propose that any institution that once housed any “troubled” population of people may become “contaminated” by this association [...] our brains take advantage of any information that will guide us to a conclusion about the costs or benefits associated with spending time in a place, and such places are very strongly associated with bad stuff [...] prisons, orphanages, and hospitals are ubiquitous on virtually every list of creepy places.

Death/decay/illness are extremely creepy.

Patients get progressively less sane, less responsive, less human as she sinks deeper and deeper. They are more ill, more mutilated, more deformed, with each floor. Maybe she witnesses the mutation of one of them into those monstrous beings. There's plenty of gruesome medical pictures and conditions, or sites that show pictures taken by EMTs, if you want some gruesome and realistic inspiration.

Death is inherently creepy to us because of its ambiguity , and ambiguity is the soil in which horror grows. Very few people know exactly when or how they will die, let alone what happens to them after their death

Just be ruthless with your adjectives. Look for ones that make you cringe (not in the Gen-Z type of cringe, but the actual cringe; wince, recoil, ect.). Describe things in detail and use metaphors. For me, when the character's descriptions go so far into the figurative that, as the reader, you almost don't know what is being said, it's unsettling. The novel Speak does this kind of thing and I really enjoy it.

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Muse at length on the cold maternity ward with its flickering lights and empty cribs. Make other aspects of the hospital more directly unsettling Make it cold. Make it dark, or if the light must be bright (which does feel more sterile), make the light bright blue, like a staring into a spotlight when you have a migraine.
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Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass, also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (Russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть) or Kuzbass (Кузба́сс), after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Kemerovo is the administrative center and largest city of the oblast. Kemerovo Oblast is one of Russia's most urbanized regions, with over 70% of the population living in its ...
Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Mezhdurechensk serves as the administrative center of Mezhdurechensky District, even though is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as Mezhdurechensk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with a status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the territories of ...
Kuzbass
Kuzbass is the industrial heart of Russia. It is a dynamically developing region located on 95 500 square kilometers, which is equal to 4% of Western Siberia, or 0,56% of Russia. Kuzbass is situated in the geographical center of Russia, between Moscow and Vladivostok. The region is known for it's rich deposits of useful minerals, but it's true ...