Andrew Papanikitas is Deputy Editor of the BJGP. He is on X: @gentlemedic and Bluesky @gentlemedic.bsky.social
Inspiring words…
…The sun is warming my face and Eliza Aria’s Wild Swans suite, drawn with gusto from the violin by Daniel Hope, wraps me in a noise-cancelled privacy bubble. The countryside rushes past my train. Grazing sheep chase solar farms, rivers and roads when I look up. Austerity, long clinical days and the spectre of geopolitical crisis seem distant…
I am, by a very circuitous route, on my way to the 2025 BJGP research and publishing conference in Manchester. Tonight I am making a case for history and philosophy in medicine to a board of trustees. Tomorrow, which may be yesterday, or several weeks ago by the time your read this, I am looking forward to a day of inspiring general practice writing, and hoping that some of it will grace our www.bjgplife.com page, and some of that find its way into the Life and Times Section of the journal. I can feel a ‘tingle’ of excitement, a pleasant shiver somewhere in the muscles that follow my cervical spine into my shoulders. This is helped by the music play list, which has now switched to James Horner’s epic theme from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Tomorrow, which may be yesterday, or several weeks ago by the time your read this, I am looking forward to a day of inspiring general practice writing, and hoping that some of it will grace our www.bjgplife.com page…
“So what?” Even the least cynical of readers may now be asking. Well… When I talk of ‘Inspiring’ writing I may be using ‘Inspiring’ as an adjective, a describing word, or as a a verb, something we hope to do. Sometimes the writing is already there, and only needs a home. Sometimes it needs an invitation to be written. By the way, the references to music also have some relevance here. Some people need silence to write, others need bustle, some need music without words, and sometimes we need inspiration from a song. Today (it varies) my playlist seems to be mainly soundtracks and classical.
What kinds of writing are we looking for?
We are looking for well written opinion pieces, essays, reviews (books etc!), discussions of medical ideas, discussions of the arts and humanities, as well as fiction and poetry. We ask that it is well written, and that it is relevant. If you look on www.bjgplife.com or read the Life and Times section you may see some recurring names. We have writers who work for or with us such as Nada Khan, Alex Burrell, Tim Senior and Saul Miller. We have others who have become regular through a combination of quality and volume of output: Ben Hoban, Terry Kemple, Richard Armitage, Paul McNamara, Hannah Milton and Elle Haussmann have recently lead this charge. We also draw the odd household name. That should not put you off, this is an inclusive community and new talent is very welcome.
Tips for writing
Just as listening is a strength of general practice, reading makes for a better writer. In suggest reading the Life webpages if you are thinking of submitting something to us. It also is a good way of checking what has already been covered. We try not to be too repetitive and generally will not review the same book twice unless there’s a compelling reason to do so. Please read the guidance at www.bjgplife.com/submit. A correctly formatted, interesting and coherent article is far more likely to be swiftly published. Think about the story you are trying to tell and consider (this does not always need to be explicit) what it is you are trying to say, why it matters and what we should all do about it.
If writing a factual article we look for factual accuracy and references. The references are partly to back up your facts and partly to give interested readers an opportunity to explore the topic. Anyone can have an opinion, but good writing offers opinion that is informed and persuasive – We looking for reasoned arguments wither this are factual or ethical in nature. With creative work we are looking more at quality in relation to style. All references to specific people, living or dead, that arise from professional practice are covered by a duty of confidentially and must be accompanied by written consent. Fictional patients broadly based on clinical experience are allowed. If you want to write about something topical, it needs to be a topic that might keep for at least two to three weeks for the blog or possibly several months for the journal. If submitting a Christmas themed article, please send it to us in October or early November at the latest (if you think it might be worthy of print). The same principle goes for International Womens’ Day, World AIDS Day etc. If it’s an as yet unformed idea you can pitch it. If the article is written and ready please submit it, being mindful that this should be considered ‘final’ unless editors come back to you.
Pitfalls
As a rule journals will reject articles that go nowhere. The fact you did or saw or felt a thing may not always speak for itself. Similarly, articles that are clearly interesting to the author without demonstrably audience specific relevance are not for a given journal (Incidentally it is now 11pm and after a cancelled train I am writing this on the last train Manchester. The music reinforcing my privacy bubble is ‘Countersight’ from James Newton Howard’s soundtrack to ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’). We are also loath to involve the journal in personal grievances and complaints, even when offered in the spirit of education or reflection. We will generally refuse descriptions of close family members, except where there is a clear educational benefit, no hint of a complaint about care and there is explicit written consent. If something is not your story to tell, and that story has not yet been shared with the world, consider whether you have a right to share it. We reserve the duty to disagree.
The BJGP is not the place for ad hominem attacks on individuals – reasoned critiques of a person’s stated views are not the same thing as name-calling. So I must not call a certain member of the UK parliament names starting with C, but it is fine to say that his description of Schwartz rounds as a bit of a wash up after nursing handover is a total misrepresentation of a very formal and emotionally powerful manner in which organisations learn from significant events.
There are so many great ideas, and I dare not upstage any aspiring writer by sharing them here. Write!
Medics love lists and mnemonics. I still like to amuse my students with GET SMASHED as a mnemonic for causes of pancreatitis. S is for scorpion venom, arguably irrelevant in most parts of the world but not in the Caribbean. Lists however make for dull articles. Consider what work is done by a list and think how bored you were as I listed all out regular contributors earlier! Rarely will a list be interesting or original enough to be published in a journal.
Please do not use Life/Life and times as the place to submit everything that has been rejected elsewhere or that you suspect will be. This is also not a back door for research publications, audits or patient involvement and participation descriptions. We are, however interested in what authors might have learned whilst undertaking such activities. Articles that should go though a full peer review process will be redirected elsewhere. Articles that are letters to the journal may also be forwarded to the relevant editor. Having said this a rejection from another journal does not of itself mean we would not consider an article – sometimes Life is a more suitable home. Sometimes it is not and sometimes more work is needed.
Write
At this point of writing, the conference is over and I am fizzing with ideas. The journey home is not lonely- I am accompanied by colleagues old and new and (on e-book) a complication of Jerry Seinfeld’s wry observations on life, (Is this anything?). The presentations have been inspiring (adjective and verb)! I have also been inspired twice over by the groups that attended the ‘Write for Life!’ Session. There are so many great ideas, and I dare not upstage any aspiring writer by sharing them here. Write! The best way to break through writers’ block is to write down ideas on a page whether you dictate into a phone, type into a keyboard or assemble words with a treasured fountain pen.
Dear ‘Writers for Life,’ I look forward to hearing from you (at www.bjgplife.com/submit)
eatured Photo by Roland Lösslein on Unsplash
