Perseverance Pays in Writing

My most recent medical thriller set partially in Cuba, MALIGNANCY, won first prize in the published novel category in the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA) annual writing contest.

During the last seven years, I've had four of my novels and a couple of short stories published. This is the first time I won in a writing contest. Here's my advice to other writers. I suppose it's presumptuous to give advice, but I may not have this opportunity to "speak from successful experience" again.

1) Write every day. My definition of writing includes: researching topics, composing text, editing, and publicizing the work. The advantage of writing even a few lines every day is you are forced to think about your plot, characters, and style frequently.

2) Organize your writing. I don't think you have to prepare a detailed outline before you write, but create a running list of characters as you write anything longer than flash fiction. Include a short profile of each character ion your list. This prevents a blue-eyed beauty, who never cries, from having tears well up in her brown eyes. A timeline is also helpful, especially during the editing process.


3) Edit. I know a few authors claim they only need to edit their work once; I'm not that good. I think there are three general categories of editing.  

These questions should be considered during a content edit . Are the scientific facts clear and correct? Are locations described vividly and accurately? Are the characters interesting and consistent? Do major character "grow" during the arc of the story? Is the timeline realistic?

 The style edit is hard to define but important. Novels are generally more interesting if dialogue, action sequences, and psychological development of characters are interspersed so that the pace of the novel varies.The point of view should be clear in each chapter or scene.

The edit for word choices, grammar, and typos often seems like an endless process. I try to reduce the use of "overused " words, replace weak verbs with action ones, tweak sentences to be active not passive, and check for spelling and grammar errors (which I euphemistically call typos) several times.

4) Hire a professional editor. I'm always amazed how much they discover after I finish my edits.

5) Try a variety of promotion techniques. Recognize when certain venues fail, and either fix the situation or move on to another format. Read criticism and less than glowing reviews several times. I usually learn more than I care to admit.  

6) Persevere.

Hopefully, you'll want to read MALIGNANCY and feel the tension as a woman scientist tries to escape the clutches of a drug lord in New Mexico and accepts a risky assignment in Cuba. Besides the excitement, you'll learn a bit about modern Cuba and new immunotherapy cancer drugs.

http://amzn.com/1610091779 Kindle: B00QG7SZ58

FIVE REASONS FOR READING Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight

I got my copy of my new medical mystery/suspense novel last Friday. Here’s why you want to read Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. 

You’ll feel like an “insider” not a patient in a hospital.

In this novel, you get a behind the scenes view of a medical schools – the excitement of scientific research, the quirkiness of at least some faculty members, and the infighting for limited resources.

Linda Almquist, who seldom even smiled, laughed.

Richard Varegos had done it again. He had arranged books and a computer on the front counter of the hospital pavilion for a photo shoot. In the resulting glossy, full-color flyer, he sat at his make-believe teak desk in his supposedly marble-walled office. She read the flyer’s title: THE DIET DOCTOR HAS ANSWERS FOR YOUR WEIGHT PROBLEMS.

Was there no end to his ego?

Maybe this intro doesn’t build confidence in this diet doctor, but don’t you want to know what he does next? So do Linda and the police after the other diet doctor is found dead.

You’ll learn a little science and smile a lot.

The “diet doctors” in this mystery are investigating whether they can help obese subject lose more weight and keep it off by altering their gut flora. Sounds strange? It is an active area of research on weight control. Check out Science, volume 328, pages 179-80 or Science, volume 332, pages 32-3. 

You’ll feel the pain of all the red tape that investigators face when trying to do their research. Or you may feel relief that there are controls on their activities. I guess it depends on your politics.

And then there’s the murder. The possibilities are endless in a medical school.

“Motive?” Hitchings (the lead police investigator) scanned the crowd and motioned Omar (medical examiner) back to him. “Omar, do we even have a murder? Looks like natural causes.”

“Can’t tell,” replied Omar.

“But no bullet or stab wounds? So natural causes are likely.”

“You’re in a medical school.” Omar walked closer to Hitchings and spoke more softly. “Everyone in this building probably knows how to kill someone without using a gun or knife. A complete tox screen will take weeks. And this woman was only in her thirties, pretty young to die suddenly.”

The suspense might help you lose weight.

The protagonist Linda Almquist of this mystery did, as she raced down the long corridors of the medical school after clues and lost her appetite when threatened again and again. It’s amazing how much weight you can lose it you eat less and exercise more. Of course you won’t have the same incentives (I hope) that Linda did.

The reviewers’ comments are good.

You do want read this medical mystery... Scary shenanigans in the medical research field, so possible. You could lose more than INCHES

Virginia Reaves, freelance writer

Linda and Sara are back, this time involved in a plot with plenty of twists and turns and a good deal of wry humor. A fun read, great believable characters and a real sense of place. Marilyn Olsen, President of Public Safety Writers Association

Murder:  A New Way To Lose Weight starts with a memorable title, followed by a unique crime, and continues with quirky, colorful characters, and snappy dialog.  A satisfying follow-up to Greger’s debut novel. Rob Kresge, author of the spy novel Saving Lincoln

Bug is back.

My own Japanese Chinn dog Bug is the only “non-fictional” character in this novel and it prequel Coming Flu. For more information on my books, Bug, and me, please check out my website (www.jlgreger.com).

Thanks for stopping by.

JL Greger 

IS WRITING A BLOG LIKE ENACTING LAWS?

 

Probably million of words are published daily on blogs. How many are read by anyone but the author and a few friends. Similarly millions of words appear in the Congressional Record each year. Have you ever read even a paragraph from the Congressional Record?

What impels you to take time and read a blog? Or for that matter anything?

Think about these questions as you read or write your next blog. And it you’re so inclined, please tell me what you think.

Yes  No  Maybe

__    __     __           I read blogs with catchy titles.

__    __     __           Does humor make a title interesting?

__    __     __           Do personal questions in the title draw you in?

__    __     __            I read blogs that provide me with useful info, i.e. I’m a writer and find writers’ blogs helpful.

__    __     __            I like blogs that mention science.

__    __     __            I like blogs that mention politics.

__    __     __            I like blogs that mention the paranormal.

__    __     __             It’s a habit. I generally read this blog.

__    __     __             I read blogs, which were cited elsewhere.

Maybe writing successful blogs is like writing legislation that is eventually enacted. Otto von Bismark is credited with saying: “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.”

In any case, I’m interested in your thoughts. Please make a comment.

JL Greger

Not knowing how to interest others in my blog bugs me.