Fort Hood suspect is now conscious

New York Times article

As a writer, one of the things that constantly rings out to me is awkward dialogue moments, because I find those to be the most interesting to write. When I read this article, all I could think about was awkward dialogue. Not because I could see it or hear it, but because I could imagine it.

Imagine the nurse or patient care specialist who first has to confront this guy who just went nuts and killed over a dozen of his fellow soldiers. How does this professional handle the conversation that is certainly to emerge from the alleged criminal's first conscious moments? How do you handle a conversation with someone that you probably would never hold a conversation with on your own ever because of the horrific nature of what he just did? Yet, this person who is there when the criminal wakes up is required to give adequate service to this patient. As a human, I can't imagine ever wanting to have that conversation. I mean, how awkward would that be? But as a writer, I would want to be a fly on the wall just to hear how it would emerge, just to know how do people handle intense moments like these? As a writer, I can only imagine and try to reproduce such moments, but in the real world they happen.

I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to be the participant.

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