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AKRON, Ohio (June 2010)

Warning! Don’t try this at home.

If you’re reading this article, odds are you have a book you’d like someone to publish. I once stood in your shoes. But after checking out the publishing industry, and not wanting to do the leg work involved in finding a publisher, I took off those shoes and put on the self-publishing hat.

I formed my own little company, found a local printer who happened to be a national distributor, educated myself about ISBN numbers, the Library of Congress, book fairs and book signings, and how to become a news-talk radio guest. I was tooling along, selling a few books here and there. I’d learned not to expect too much. After all, with millions of books for sale on Amazon, who would notice me, unless they were specifically looking?

But someone was looking. My topic was a timely one, in the news day after day. A New York publisher was checking out the market, looking to see what had been published. She came upon my book, ordered it, and best of all, she liked it.

One day I got an email. At first I didn’t recognize the importance of it. I was fairly content, selling a few books here and there, wetting my feet in the radio market, doing a few lectures and book signings. But at least I was smart enough to answer her inquiry about my book.

We emailed back and forth a few times, then talked on the phone. Yes, they were interested in publishing the book, but I had no platform. Who would buy my book? Would I start a blog? At first it sounded like too much work. Where would I find the time? But I learned a little about the blogging community and became a blogger myself. And the publisher loved it!

They made me an offer, and what’s more, put my book on the fast track – less than 8 months from initial contact to publication. The release date is only a few months away. Who knows where that will take me?

So I’m grateful, and honored, and still wondering how it all came to be. (My mom is so proud.)

Will this approach work for you? Like I said, don’t try this at home.

But if you want to give it a whirl, the best advice I can give is 1) choose a timely topic, and 2) do your homework. Learn all you can about the publishing industry. Learn about the importance of platform building and consider what you can do to promote yourself. If you do snag a publisher you’ll need to know all you can about book marketing anyway. If you self-publish, make sure your contact information is included in the book, including an email where you can be reached day or night.

And if this approach to being published works for you, look me up and tell me your story.

Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, M.D.

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Writing an article a day in your spare time is quite a challenge. Writing 400 words in half an hour is even more of one. That’s a word every 4 seconds or so. It doesn’t give you much time to think in between.

Therefore, you must start with something you already know well. Forget about looking anything up, even spelling. Use words you don’t have to check in the dictionary, unless your computer is doing spell-check for you.

Get a brief outline in your head to start with, but don’t take more than a minute or two to think it out. As a physician, I write many articles about common health problems, those that I see every day. Writing an article is a lot like seeing a patient. First I determine what the purpose of the visit is. Then I take a more complete history. This is followed by a physical exam, after which we discuss a course of action.

To write an article, first clarify your topic or the question you’re aiming to answer. Consider re-stating the question or goal in two or three ways, or identify one or two secondary questions. You may want to mention your experience and why you are a good candidate for answering the question in the first place.

Next, describe the problem further. What sort of issues have other people encountered? What benefit will your reader derive from finding an answer? What solutions have been offered by other experts, and what are the pros and cons of each?

In the following paragraph describe your answer to the problem as briefly and accurately as possible. Don’t use fancy words – just aim for clarity. Medical literature for patients is written at the 5th to 10th grade level. Your goal is for people to understand, not to think you’re a genius. People are looking for what’s in it for them, not how talented you may be.

Compare your solution to others that you’ve already mentioned, or describe them here. Explain why your answer is superior. Focus on the benefits, but don’t fail to mention potential drawbacks. People want to know the good, but they don’t want to be surprised with problems they should have been warned about.

Finally, a summary paragraph will reaffirm what you’ve already said, but in just a few sentences. In 400 words you can’t make more than one major point, two at most. Focus on the single idea you want your reader to remember. 

Time’s up. I wrote this article in 20 minutes and used 450 words. It helps to type fast! In summation: write about what you know well, write in simple terms, and aim to convey only one major idea. That’s it. Good luck!

Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, M.D.

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Writing a novel is not for sissies. Sure, anyone can tell a story, but can you do it without putting your reader to sleep? Storytelling dates back to the dawn of humankind. When you ask someone what they did today, you’re looking for a story, not a statistical analysis of the day’s activities. Who did you meet? What happened at work? Why do you care? Characters, plot, motivation – all reasons we like a good story. Don’t forget this when you’re writing your book.

So far I’ve completed one novel and written half of another, and another, and another. It’s much easier to begin than to finish.

Here’s what I’ve learned from finishing the novel that is now under contract with an agent:

1. Choose a topic you’re passionate about. You’ll be spending weeks, months, years at the task. If you’re not passionate about your story you may lose interest before you finish – and when you think you’re done, you won’t be.

2. Write quickly. It won’t be perfect, so just don’t worry about that. When I finished my first manuscript, I thought it was perfect. I’m a member of Mensa after all! Wrong! Step #3 is as important as any other.

3. Put your manuscript away and don’t look at it. Take a break for a month or two. Reward yourself with a vacation or something else fun. You won’t be able to look at your manuscript objectively until you’ve been away from it for at least several weeks. Get it out of your head so you can approach it fresh when it’s time for step #4.

4. Have fun with editing. Laugh at your mistakes. Don’t get too attached to specific words or phrases. There’s a million ways to tell the same story, and odds are, you haven’t found the best one on the first go-around. Eliminate anything that interferes with the flow. Read it out loud and see how you like the sound. Be ruthless with adverbs and flowery language. Simplicity is always best.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4. Going over your work once will result in dramatic improvement. Doing it twice is the icing on the cake. Even twice may not be enough. You learn as you go, after all, and by the time you get to the end you may have a different opinion of the beginning. But don’t edit your book to death. Unless it’s a classic that will stand the test of time, when you’re sick of editing, move on. Your next novel may be better yet.

 

That’s it. Nothing magical. Just perseverance and elimination of ego. If you get this far, finding an agent and publisher should be a piece of cake. 

Copyright 2010 MD Books USA

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For a number of reasons authors may choose to write a number of articles quickly, yet this runs the risk of excessive typos. If you’re a bit obsessive-compulsive, you’ll find the experience frustrating. Of course, spell-check is the obvious answer, but spell-check does not pick up many misspelled words.

 

Here are 7 tips to better spelling and fewer typos:

1. Improve your own spelling skills. If you think this is hopeless, then make a list of words you misspell frequently, and keep them in a handy notebook or computer file. Is it embarassing or embarrassing? Or embarrasing? Put the correct spelling on a list for quick reference. You may want to buy a spelling reference as well, and refresh your memory regarding basic spelling skills. (Remember “i after e, except after c, or when sounded as a, as in neighbor or weigh”?)

2. Type your articles in a word processor then paste to the internet. Your word processor can be set to correct your spelling as you go, or alert you to questionable spellings. Seeing your words in a different font with different spacings helps as well, so your eye doesn’t skip past familiar phrases or words.

3. Be aware of common words used incorrectly. As you’re composing in your mind, words that sound the same may end up being typed incorrectly, and spell-check will miss this. Pay close attention to their and they’re, your and you’re, you and your, your and yours, right and write, bare and bear, peak and peek, brake and break.

4. Don’t submit your articles immediately. Before submitting an article, write another perhaps, then go back later and re-read the first, when you’re not so close to the material you’ve written. Your eye is much more likely to catch an obvious error. Re-read your articles at least twice, preferably in different settings. Also, watch out for duplicate letters such as i and l – they’re hard to see, therefore easily missed. I just had to correct ‘settiings’ myself.

5. Take a break periodically. The mind becomes numb to errors when you write too long. You may be able to compose more efficiently if you take a 5-10 minute break between articles.

6. Improve your typing skills. Touch-typing is surely the fastest way to compose, and may be learned with conscientious effort. In as little as a few months you can improve from 20 wpm (words per minute) to at least 50. Make yourself type correctly. Slower practice with fewer errors will eventually lead to faster, accurate typing. Sloppy typing will lead to sloppy spelling.

7. Write about what you know. If you’re always having to look things up, more errors will creep in. Don’t use words you aren’t sure of – this will inevitably slow you down and lead to mistakes.

The above is what I do to write articles quickly. If I don’t have to research what I’m writing, a 400 word article may be completed in 30-40 minutes. That’s only 10-15 words per minute, allowing a little time to think between words. I type in spurts, finishing one thought, then pausing until the next is formed in my mind. I try to have at least an entire phrase in my mind before I begin typing a sentence, so I don’t have to go back and correct words. It also allows more flexibility to change your mind without having to go back and correct something. 

Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, M.D.

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It wasn’t until after I’d completed my novel that I heard that a first novel is always autobiographical.

Not mine, I thought vainly. Of course, I’d written the book after suffering a loss, just like the main character. That much I would admit, no more. But now that I’m less sensitive about my writing, I can see how things really are: my life is plastered all over that story. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, perhaps just inevitable. More importantly, it’s valuable information you can use to write your own story.

Here are 5 autobiographical ‘P’s to consider when writing:

1. Premise. Why write a book at all? Certainly it must be about something in which you have a personal interest – a particular situation, or problem, or something that’s captured your imagination, not just that of your characters. Have you identified what it is?

2. People. From the beginning my main character was a reflection of myself, how I might react in certain situations, how I wanted to explain life. Not until later did I see that I was a large part of every character in my story, even those I’d based on other people. After pondering it off and on over several months, I realized that I was everybody. When they spoke, it was what I would say – or what I thought my characters would say. When they reacted to a situation, it was how I would react, or how I thought they would react. Writing as an individual, this may be inescapable, but it’s at least something of which a writer should be aware.

3. Pain. Every book deals with some sort of problem, some degree of pain. Is your story to explain how you dealt with a difficult problem, or your way of working through a deep-seated pain? Is it about how you wished you would have reacted, or perhaps the tale of someone you’ve admired? Whether your recognize it or not, your writing reflects your personal life.

4. Plot. Since you’re the one writing the book, the story can’t help but be about what you would do or about what you think others would do. There’s no way around it. You only have your own brain to think with, and your thoughts are what will come through in your writing.

5. Place. Though you set your story on the moon, your description and vision will be what you see, even if through your characters eyes. And what you see consists of details, colors, images, that you hope to convey to your readers. Look closely to allow your readers to see your world more clearly.If you’ve already completed your manuscript, think back on how your own life lives in your story. It may help you in the re-writing process or in your next writing project. If you are in the process of writing or about to begin, consider how you can use these elements effectively to bring your own story to life.

If you’ve already completed your manuscript, think back on how your own life lives in your story. It may help you in the re-writing process or in your next writing project. If you are in the process of writing or about to begin, consider how you can use these elements effectively to bring your own story to life.

Copyright © 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, MD