You've Lived the Thrill . . . Now Write It
Who's the next Robin Cook? The next Michael Crichton? Who will be the John Grisham of medical Thrillers? Spend twelve sessions with a published medical novelist to master the organizational tools that build real medical thrillers. Join a small, collaborative writing seminar that will transform your medical expertise into a publishable novel.
  • Who: Hugh Culik, co-author with Ray Buck, M.D., The Master Cure. Chair, Department of English, University of Detroit Mercy.
  • Where:Traffic Jam and Snug (511 West Canfield, Detroit, MI) and/or alternate Grosse Pointe location.
  • When:12 sessions on Tuesday nights. Writers call for scheduling.
Contact Port of Saints at
313.884.7607 or 810.243.2033
or
editors@portofsaints.com

Writers are unpredictable, so the following schedule is likely to shift as the book takes shape. What's most important is the sequence of tasks because these are the core strategy for finishing a book. Different writers will use the strategies differently, but in one way or another, the tasks outlined here are crucial.

Note: individuals or sub-groups will often undertake various tasks for the entire group. If you're a control freak, this will disturb you, but because you're all adults, you'll set aside your customary behavior and discover that to write and to read is to participate in a complex experience.
 
Week 1: mapping the tasks
  • Essential features of the Medical Thriller
  • Site review, list serve, and online tools
  • The character-driven plot: why plot and character can't be separated
  • Selecting emblematic "techno"
  • Cruel facts: you sound better to yourself than to others, or collaborative planning
  • Ground rules for responding to others: courtesy, focus on strength
tasks for next session:
  • Determine common sources/readings for techno
  • Draft character lists (divide characters among group)
  • Read genre links and Master Cure

Week 2-12 Schedules Available at First Meeting: