William Hammett

I was contacted by a prominent physician who traveled the world to provide medical care for the poorest of the poor. He wanted me to write his memoir based on blog entries he'd made while traveling to Africa, Haiti, India, and Southeast Asia.

I looked at the blogs and thought they were extremely compelling. I decided to edit them and use them in what is called an epistolary format, which uses diaries, letters, or any kind of regular correspondence as the narrative structure of a book. They just weren't coming together, however.

My client and I decided to make the blog entries into a regular narrative using chapters. I edited the blogs for grammar, provided transitional phrasing, arranged the entries chronologically, and deleted a few that were light on content. The language remained that of the client.

The result was Border Crossings by Dr. David Beyda. It is a poignant memoir of Dr. Beyda's journeys around the world to treat those who have little in the way of food, clothing, medicine, shelter, or hope. While the book describes heartbreak and misery, Border Crossings nevertheless allows Dr. Beyda's hope and faith to shine through its pages in one of the most inspirational stories I had the privilege to edit.

You may read more about it at Recent Projects.