YOU’RE NOT FINISHED

By Richard Mabry, M.D.

For many decades I practiced medicine, taught, wrote, doing my best to be a good person at all of those, while not neglecting my family. Then, about the time of my anticipated retirement from my position at the medical center, my wife of 40 years died. Needless to say, it was devastating. As part of the healing process, I committed my thoughts to paper, mainly as a personal catharsis. A friend, involved in a grief ministry in another state, read them and urged me to publish my journal as a book. Of course, I had no idea how to go about this. Finally, a sympathetic editor at a Christian publishing house suggested I attend a writer’s conference. My attendance gave me the background to rewrite, and eventually get published, The Tender Scar. Perhaps as important, though I didn’t realize it at the time, I was encouraged by a couple of recognized authors to “try my hand at fiction.”

I figured that would occupy my time during my retirement, so I accepted the challenge. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. I eventually wrote four novels over the next four years, and for these I received forty rejections. Discouraged, I decided to quit writing.

Nevertheless, despite leaving the writing world behind, I continued to follow a number of writing-related blogs, including that of Rachelle Gardner. She ran a contest for the best first line, and (to my surprise), I won with the line, “Things were going along just fine until the miracle fouled them up.” Through a series of circumstances that I’m convinced were divinely ordained, she became my agent and I resumed writing. It wasn’t long after that time that I got my first fiction contract. Since then, I’ve had eighteen novels and novellas published. All this after quitting writing. I wasn’t through—I just thought I was.

I’ve just published the novella that sprang from that first line I dashed off so long ago. I hadn’t planned on doing that, but the story kept growing in my mind, giving rise eventually to the novella, Bitter Pill. It went through a bunch of revisions, but I think the end result is pretty good. I hope you do, too.

What do I take from all this? It’s pretty simple. You may become discouraged. You may even be tempted to give up. You may—like me—say that you’re too old for all this. But don’t quit. Don’t give up because you’re discouraged. You’re not through yet.

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Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now writing “medical mystery with heart.” His novels have garnered critical acclaim and been finalists for ACFW’s Carol Award, both the Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year and Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and the Selah Award. He is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the International Thriller Writers, and Novelists Inc. Bitter Pill is his latest novella.He and his wife live in north Texas, where he writes, works on being the world’s greatest grandfather, and strives to improve his golf game. You can learn more about him at his website, and via his blog and Facebook page. He is also interviewed in the May-June issue of the Southern Writers Magazine.

Don't Just “Write What You Know”

By Dr. Richard Mabry

When I began writing (after what I thought was a successful career in medicine as a clinician, surgeon, lecturer, and writer), I was uncertain about a lot of things, but not of what I’d write. I kept hearing, “Write what you know,” and I certainly knew medicine. But a fellow scientist who was also an experienced writer set me straight pretty quickly. There was a difference between technical writing (to be read for knowledge) and fiction (to be read for entertainment). Writing what I knew wouldn’t do it. I had to make it interesting.

It finally came together for me at one of the first writer’s conferences I attended. I still remember sitting down with one of the teachers and telling him about the book I had planned. Writers are urged to practice what is known as an “elevator pitch,” a quick summation of the book that we could give to an interested agent or editor during an elevator ride. But after I’d finished my elevator pitch, the man said, “So what?”

Okay, maybe he needed something more. So, I began detailing the synopsis for the book. But every time I reached a stopping point and looked hopefully at my teacher, the response was the same. “So what?”

Eventually, I had run through the entire synopsis, with the same response each time. What more did I need? And then he explained it to me, and—just like algebra—what I had been trying to understand suddenly came clear. What was at stake? The “So what?” might be something happening…or not happening…to the protagonist or to someone he/she cared about. Was it falling in love, getting that new job, keeping a marriage together, saving a life, avoiding a lawsuit? Whatever was at stake was my “So what.”

Another of my early mentors says that during a novel every protagonist must face a death in some form—physical, mental, emotional, or professional. This is their “So what.” The book I was planning was about a physician who attended a baseball fantasy camp. It was interesting, and factual (based on my own experiences) But there was no “So what” in it. Then I added a washed-up player dependent on alcohol and going from relationship to relationship. I made the older player worry about the consequences of his lifestyle. In this case, he was concerned about long-term effects of alcohol, but it turned out to be even worse. This was the “So what” for both the player and the physician who worked to save him.

Write what you know? Yes, but write more than that. Don’t forget the “So what.” It’s what makes your novel worth reading.

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Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now writing “medical mystery with heart.” His novels have garnered critical acclaim and been finalists for ACFW’s Carol Award, both the Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year and Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and the Selah Award. He is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the International Thriller Writers, and Novelists Inc. Emergency Case is his latest novella. He and his wife live in north Texas, where he writes, works on being the world’s greatest grandfather, and strives to improve his golf game. You can learn more about him at his website, and via his blog and Facebook page.

DO IT YOURSELF?

By Dr. Richard Mabry

Publishing a book is now within reach of anyone with a computer and Internet connection. It takes some doing, but it’s possible. Because of that, some authors—especially those who, for one reason or another, have been unable to break through and catch the eye of an acquisition editor—have decided to publish their book without going through a traditional publisher. They have “gone indie.” Those who’ve had books released by publishers but also go indie are referred to as “hybrid” authors. Of the millions of books available on Amazon, many are now independently published. Is it possible? Yes. 

Is it easy? Not so much.

If you’re considering doing this, let me make a few suggestions, based on my own experience. The first is the same one I was given when I first started writing, and remains important for writers at all levels. Just because you’ve finished your story, you’re not done yet. I still recall the feeling of accomplishment I experienced when I completed my first novel. I had been given a contract, so why revise anything? Eleven published novels later, I can tell you that the individual who can write a book without revisions, both their work and that of an editor, is rare indeed. An editor can take a marginal book and make it good, and the right editor can take a good book and help make it great. Don’t ever neglect the value of an editor.

Traditionally published work may involve an acquisition editor, an independent editor who looks at the story arc, plus a copy-editor to catch misspellings and errors. The indie author must do all this himself, hire this done, or risk mistakes being pointed out by readers after publication. And they happen.

Then there’s the cover. The publisher generally takes care of this, but the author has to participate by giving the artist the basics of the story and characters. The writer then may or may not have input into the final product. For the indie author, it’s a matter of finding a cover designer and doing the same thing, but in this case the decision on the cover choice is up to the author. I’ve been fortunate enough to choose a good cover designer from the start, but that’s not always the case. You may not think the cover design is important, but it is.

Finally, the indie author can’t simply put the book out there and forget it. It’s necessary to market it. In this age of social media, there are a number of outlets for this activity, but let me remind you that the best advertising (in my opinion) is still word-of-mouth. This means distributing copies of your work to those who will read it, give an honest review, and then tell their friends.

As I said at the beginning of this piece, publishing is now within the reach of the average author. But it’s not a free trip to success.  

There’s work involved.

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Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel, finalists for the ACFW Carol Award, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice and Reviewer’s Choice Awards, and winner of the Selah Award. Surgeon’s Choice is his most recent novella. You can find more details at his web page and blog. He also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

WHEN THE WORDS WON’T COME

By Dr. Richard Mabry

Some writers recognize writers’ block as an occupational hazard. Others say there’s no such thing. I don’t know whether there is or not. What I do know from my own experience is there are some times when the words just won’t come. And every writer, whether “plotter” or “pantser,” novice or experienced, has to find a way to work through that. In my case, as I write medical mysteries, I’ve discovered a few things that help me get past those hang-ups. I’ll share three of them, hoping they’ll help the writers among us who read this blog.

Turn the boys in the basement loose. If I don’t know which way a story is going, what a character is going to say or do, or in general find that I’ve written myself into a corner, I stop worrying the problem like a kitten with a ball of yarn. Instead, I go for a walk, read for a bit, or do something that takes my mind away from writing. I might even put the problem aside and sleep on it. Stephen King calls this putting “the boys in the basement” to work. And I’ve found that it helps. Matter of fact, I went to sleep one evening, having stopped writing because I didn’t know what came next. I awoke the next morning with the story fully fleshed out in my mind.

Turn to another writing project. A friend of mine says it doesn’t matter what you write—a non-fiction book, another novel, or a grocery list—just so long as you write. Turn away from whatever has caused you to stumble, but don’t turn away from writing. Close down that project, devote your time and energy to something else, but don’t let your writing muscles atrophy. When you do go back to the place where you’ve been stumped, you’ll often find that you can get right back into the flow of the story.

Consider starting over. Perhaps the reason you feel your work isn’t going anywhere is because it doesn’t have the right direction, the proper characters, or the correct underlying message. Read through what you have. Then consider rewriting the work. Don’t cut and paste—that’s cheating. Start fresh. Maybe there’s a spot where your story seems to go off the rails. Perhaps you need to start over at the beginning, despite what you’ve already invested in time and energy. I currently have four other versions of my next novel on my hard drive. It took me that many to figure out what I really wanted to say and the best way to say it. Now it seems to be moving on with no problem.

Those are some of the tricks that help me. If you’ve discovered things that help you, please pass them on. And whatever you do, don’t stop writing.

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Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now writing “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have garnered critical acclaim and been finalists for ACFW’s Carol Award, both the Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year and Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Inspirational Readers Choice, and the Selah Award. He is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the International Thriller Writers, the Faith-Hope-Love chapter of the Romance Writers of America, the Christian Authors Network, and Novelists Inc. Richard’s latest work is his novella, Doctor’s Dilemma. You can learn more about him on his home page, his blog, and via Twitter and Facebook.

TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING

By Dr. Richard Mabry

Tommy Duncan was the vocalist with the Bob Wills Band (and if you never heard of the King of Western Swing, I feel sorry for you). Tommy wrote and recorded a song titled, “Time Changes Everything.” As I prepared for the release of my tenth novel of medical suspense, Medical Judgment, I thought back to my first novel and realized that in this case, as in the romance Tommy Duncan sang about, time indeed does change everything.

When my first novel, Code Blue released just six short years ago, I arranged a “launch party” at a bookstore in the area. I even had a cake with CODE BLUE on top in blue frosting. I invited all my friends (and some people I barely knew). And when it was time to start, although I expected maybe a hundred people to be there, in actuality the area set aside for my talk contained perhaps a fifth that many persons. When I talked with management afterward, they told me that a New York Times best-selling author had been there to speak just a month earlier, and drew an even smaller crowd than mine.

After that experience, I soon stopped doing launch parties. Now I see some of my colleagues celebrating the release of their books in different ways, while others choose to stick with getting the word out via social media. For a while, it was popular to recruit a group of “influencers,” who would post reviews and tell others about the book. Now I see that groups called “street teams” are being formed. Some authors even have closed Facebook groups to which these special individuals are named. Truly, “time changes everything.”

My tenth book, Medical Judgment, released this month. I didn’t schedule a launch party. I did recruit about a dozen influencers, giving them a suggested list of things they can do to help. I set up a number of blog appearances (each one associated with giving a free copy of the book to a randomly selected commenter). I’m not sure what I’ll do to get the word out for my next novel after this one. After all, as Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changing.”

Yes, time changes everything. But the one thing in book publication that remains unchanged is the knowledge that the best tool for getting folks to read your books and come back for more is to write the best novel you can. That’s an immutable truth, and time hasn’t changed it.

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Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now writing “medical suspense with heart.” His previous novels have garnered critical acclaim and been recognized by programs including the ACFW’s Carol Award, the Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year, the Inspirational Readers Choice, and the Selah Award. He is a proud member of the ACFW, the International Thriller Writers, and the FHL chapter of the RWA. Medical Judgment is his tenth published novel. He can be found on most aspects of social media: website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook, to name just a few.

What's Next?

By Dr. Richard Mabry

The other day I was in a bookstore and saw my novels on display. You might be surprised to know that, rather than simple exhilaration, the experience generated mixed emotions. Sure, I’m thrilled that I’ve reached this point in my writing journey. I’ve made it to a place many of my fellow writers would love to occupy. But I’m also wondering, “What’s next?”

You’re probably shaking your head, saying, “You’ve got it made. A published author has a leg up on all the rest of us.” At one time, I thought that was true. Like most of you, I’d heard that published authors had some advantages. You don’t need a completed manuscript—the publishers know you can do it. You’re a known quantity. You have name recognition. You understand the industry. But, as Gershwin so eloquently put it, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

Let’s start with the manuscript. Your published works demonstrate your ability to put the words together. They show that you can finish a book. But you still must produce a sample of your next book. Along with that, an editor wants to know the story arc you have planned. In other words, they want a synopsis, and everyone—even a published author—has to write one. My best description of a synopsis is a single-spaced, three- to five-page outline of plot that writers hate to write and editors may not read. But try putting together a proposal that doesn’t contain a synopsis, and see how far you get.

How about being a known quantity as a published author? That’s true, but whether that quantity is good or bad depends on your sales figures. A few authors are an instant success, but most of us build a readership over time, and if the sales numbers for the first book are low, there may not be an opportunity for the second or third book to serve as stepping-stones to increasing readership. Good sales numbers are a definite plus, but bad sales numbers are harder to overcome than a garlic sandwich before a first date.

As for name recognition, that hardly ever comes from one or even two or three published books. There are other factors involved, and they all require work on the author’s part. We must have a presence on the Internet and social media. Nowadays, editors want to know about the traffic our website and blog generate. They are interested in how many Facebook followers we have. We must have a “platform,” and publication doesn’t guarantee one.

What about knowing the industry? True, the experience of being published shows us a lot about the publishing industry. But sometimes what we learn makes us even more doubtful that anyone will give us another contract. The industry is constantly changing, no one really knows what effect e-books will have in the future, and self-publication continues to sing its siren song. Yes, a published author knows the industry, but sometimes it’s a matter of “the more you know, the unsure you are.”

Despite my concerns, I’m continuing to write my next novel. I’ll have three books coming out from a recognized publisher over the next year and a half. After that, I’m not sure what will happen. But no matter what happens, I suspect one day I’ll stand in a bookstore, look at my books, and wonder, “Now what?”

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Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now the author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel; finalists for the Carol Award, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award; and winner of the Selah Award. His next published novel, his eighth, is Fatal Trauma, which will release in May 2015. You can follow Richard on his blog, on Twitter, and his Facebook fan page.

Put Yourself Into Your Writing

Dr. Richard Mabry

Writers are often told to “write what you know.” Initially, most of us may respond to that with, “Well, I’m pretty dull.” But once we begin writing, feelings and emotions often percolate to the surface, infusing our material with authenticity.

Let me give you an example. When I began my first novel, Code Blue, I decided to set it in a fictional town–an amalgam of the small city where I grew up and the somewhat larger one that was home to the college I attended. I had an idea about the plot I wanted to pursue, but as I wrote, the phrase that kept coming back to me was, “Small towns have long memories.” So, based on things I’d heard and observed during my formative years, I wrote about grudges and vendettas that were designed to keep the reader turning pages. I wasn’t aware of it when I started, but I ended up writing what I know.

For my latest novel, Heart Failure, I did not intend to utilize my experience as a high school baseball player and subsequently a volunteer coach when my sons were playing, but midway through the book, inspiration struck. I thought of an emergency on a baseball field that could be used to heighten tension at that point in the story, one that would also come into play in the denouement of the novel. I didn’t set out to do it, but I was writing what I knew.

Many of us, me included, tend to put aside our memories of younger days, especially if they’re unpleasant ones. I encountered many difficult patients in my years as a physician. At the time, I did my best to forget those experiences. Now I find myself letting my mind free wheel as I call

up memories of those people. They’re some of my best character

That’s why I say this to all the authors out there that are struggling to bring life to your novel: Put yourself into your writing. Your readers will appreciate it.

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Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice-President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and the author of six published novels of medical suspense. His books have been finalists in competitions including ACFW’s Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year. His novel, Lethal Remedy, won a 2012 Selah Award from the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. His medical thriller, Stress Test (Thomas Nelson), garnered rave reviews from Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. Richard’s latest novel is Heart Failure. You can learn more about Richard at his website: rmabry.com. He can be found as RichardMabry on GoodReads and Twitter, and his Facebook fan page is “rmabrybooks.”