With every Christmas card...
...I write
Merry and Bright
Hello, Doctor! It’s that time of year to update the friends and fam on everything that happened in the last twelve months and everything you’re looking forward to in the year ahead.
In 2026, I’ll be at the junction of chapters. My daughter graduates from high school, and we’ll be sending her off to college. I’m sure I will miss her, but I’m also excited for all the things life has in store for her.
In addition, with a quiet house, I’m optimistic for more time to write.
What made your list of significant events this year? Are there any that would make a good story?
Express. Influence. Inspire.
~~~
I’m happy to help you with your writing project. Get in touch and we’ll make it happen.
Indulge your holiday writing dreams in this newsletter. There’s lots to unwrap.
In This Issue
Silver Bell
Retreat Reprise
A Well of Intel
Handling What’s Hard
Sub Account
Getting Acquainted
Your End-of-Year Feedback
A Long Winter’s Nap
Silver Bell
My fiction has won an award!
The second book in the Tweet Hearts series, Twitter Flames, was awarded a SILVER MEDAL in the category of “Book Series — Romance” in the Fall 2025 BookFest Awards! I released this book in three parts this year: Part I, Home; Part II, London, and Part III, Nebraska.
Thanks to everyone who has read it, supported my work, and encouraged me through all the peaks and valleys. Thank you, too, to the BookFest Awards.
Retreat Reprise
How does breakfast AND WRITING in bed sound? There will be plenty of that at the Ironed Words Writing Retreat, reprising in January.
What’s offered: Uninterrupted writing time, group meetings with other writers, and meet-and-greets with local Pittsburgh authors. Accommodations are included with registration.
Location: The Washington, Pennsylvania location is drivable from many nearby cities. The HQ hotel is near shopping outlets and a casino for your relaxation before and after the retreat.
Dates: Wednesday, January 21 to Friday, January 23. It’s the perfect way to finish out the holiday week.
(BTW and FYI — the November retreat was a huge success! I wrote two chapters, finished a short story, and started another. My retreat mate edited ten chapters of her book.)
Group is capped at FIVE. Learn more here: https://www.ironedwordsproductions.com/winter-2026-ironed-words-writing-retreat-by-iwp
A Well of Intel
In the December issue of DocWriteRx™, read pediatrician Dr. Sudha Prasad’s op-ed on a doctor’s true intelligence. It will come to your inbox on December 9th.
Subscribe for full access.
Handling What’s Hard
New in the primer: even more tips for writing about pain, suffering, and death.
Subscribe for full access to Writing & Storytelling in Healthcare: the Primer.
Sub Account
Get your words in an upcoming issue of DocWriteRx™!
Please write 100 to 500 words on one of these topics…
Which subject in medical school would you want to teach and why?
What was the most challenging procedure you’ve ever done?
How did you pick your specialty?
Experiment with format and style. Have fun with your words.
Upon publication, authors receive a free premium subscription of Healing Ink™ for one year, an $80 value. That includes all paywalled material and future bonuses in that year.
Click on the button below to submit.
Getting Acquainted
In college for an honors art appreciation class, I had to write a paper about a painting in a museum. I chose The Voyage of Life, painted in 1840 by the American artist, Thomas Cole. I made a special visit to view the four-paneled work at the National Gallery in Washington, DC.
The first panel is Childhood, featuring a toddler in a boat gliding in a tranquil stream at the first light of dawn.
The second is Youth. A teen boy sails in bright daylight among lush green banks as the stream widens into a river. Dreams and fantasies appear as apparitions on the horizon.
The third is Manhood. A grown man with a beard navigates the turbulent rapids. His hands are clenched in supplication. Rocks and jagged edges dominate the shoreline. The clouds in the fiery heavens subtly form angry, harsh faces.
The fourth and final panel is Old Age. The waters are again calm. The man is now aged. The clouds part, and rays of light stream down upon him. An angel floats next to him, pointing to the brilliant opening in the billowing gray gloom.
As a practical matter, I chose this work because it lent itself to a term paper. However, on another level, it was intriguing to think about where I was on this continuum.
At the time of the assignment, I was in the second panel, Youth. Though in my mind, with the trials and tribulations of college, I wondered whether I was in Manhood.
Now that I’m in my early fourth quarter, I can look back with more insight. I was indeed in Youth back then.
And where am I now?
I find myself in the wall space between the third and fourth panels, somewhere in the murkiness between Manhood and Old Age. Certain storms are behind me, the unknown of growing older ahead, with more tempests likely to come.
The piece as a whole has provided a lifetime of contemplation. My view of the work has changed as I’ve moved through the seasons of my life. Even now, I still think about The Voyage of Life. I am grateful to have learned about it early in my own voyage.
Your End-of-Year Feedback
If you would share your thoughts on this monthly newsletter and the offerings I put forth for doctors who write, it would be an awesome holiday gift.
And I’ll have a gift for you, too. Let me know when you’ve completed the survey and I’ll send you 30 Motivation Hacks for Doctors Who Write.
Thank you for your steadfast support throughout the past year. Looking forward to our writing journey together into the future.
A Long Winter’s Nap
“Winter is the season of recovery and preparation.”
See you next month for the next dose of Healing Ink™.
Check out our sister publication on Substack, Hot Off the Iron.
— Maria Simbra, MD, MA, MPH, Director and Principal of Ironed Words Productions, LLC