Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-9041013-20180615171904/@comment-9041013-20180616090738

DrBobSmith wrote: BloodySpghetti wrote:

Ah thank you, I was actually aluding to him having Melanoma, that's why I mentioned him having a birth mark at the same spot. Also, I'm not sure, but I doubt Bubous are small enough to be classified as tiny even to begin with. As for the rest, it's a combination of both overtaxation due to stress and some sort of mind over matter where his brain tries to force him to get himself checked. ​​​​ BloodySpghetti,

I see three things wrong with your alluding to a melanoma. The first is that people without a medical background won't know anything about a melanoma. It will go right over their head, whoosh. Second, it is too easy to interpret as something originating from the plague doctor hallucinations. As a very distant third, a melanoma is not usually associated with a mark someone has had since birth but more likely a mole that has grown over time. Also, armpits aren't a common area for them as armpits aren't given nearly the same exposure to the sun as a man's back or a woman's legs. I think you are underesteemating the readers a tad bit.

Anyway, I don't really mind if people think this is the plague on him, since the end result is the same - he stands before a painful (albeit treatable with high success) fate if he does nothing. That's the whole beauty of literature, you don't have to paint a clear message for it to be a good one.

"
 * Melanoma in the mouth, digestive tract, urinary tract or vagina. Mucosal melanoma develops in the mucous membrane that lines the nose, mouth, esophagus, anus, urinary tract and vagina. Mucosal melanomas are especially difficult to detect because they can easily be mistaken for other far more common conditions." - I never knew.

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