6 Rules for Writing a Medical Thriller
John Burley, author of the acclaimed medical thriller debut ABSENCE OF MERCY, explains 6 tips on how to write a medical thriller readers will enjoy.
So you’ve decided to write a medical thriller. Your hopes are high. If Robin Cook, Michael Palmer, and Tess Gerritsen could do it, why can’t you? The answer is: you can. Medical thrillers appeal to a wide audience, and many literary agents and editors are looking for the next fresh voice in the genre. So go for it! See if you’ve got what it takes. But first, here are six helpful rules to keep in mind.
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1) Know what you’re talking about. The three hugely successful authors listed above have at least one thing in common: they were all doctors. Robin Cook was a surgeon and ophthalmologist. Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen were internists. They knew about the world of medicine—not just the technical aspects, but the training, culture, and politics—before they became authors. Such first-hand experience gives their stories credibility and makes them both believable and compelling. Writing a medical thriller when you don’t know anything about medicine is like teaching a cooking class when the only thing you know how to make is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It just doesn’t work. Do you have to be a doctor? No. But it does help to have some medical knowledge. You need to know what you’re talking about.
2) Understand your audience. Some of the people reading your book will be from the medical profession, but most will have little or no medical background. Why is this important? Because you don’t want to talk over their heads. Tell them what they need to know about the medical aspects of your story without telling them more than they need to know. Don’t get so technical that your reader’s eyes begin to gloss over. Remember: you’re writing a medical thriller, not giving a lecture to a bunch of medical students. Resist the urge to over-explain beyond what is necessary for the story.
3) Keep the story moving. There’s nothing worse than a thriller that fails to thrill. The story should be fast-paced and gripping. If you lose your reader by Chapter 4, it doesn’t matter if Chapter 10 is amazing. You’ve got to pull them in and keep them riveted from beginning to end. Every time the story starts to slow down or gets boring, you’re at risk of having your reader close the book and move on to something else.
4) Populate your story with characters the reader will care about. Even the fastest-paced thriller becomes boring if you don’t care about the characters. Give your characters some texture, some background, some qualities that make them likeable (or despicable). Your reader should become emotionally involved in the fates of the people in your book. If a likeable character dies, the reader should feel a sense of grief. If someone triumphs, they should want to cheer. Every story is enhanced by great characters, and the ability to bring your characters to life will make your book worth reading.
5) Explore uncharted territory. The world of medicine is a continuous frontier. Many of today’s commonplace treatments were unfathomable eighty years ago. Cloning, stem cell research, and genetic diagnosis and manipulation are all areas of medicine whose applications and consequences are only now coming to light. A medical thriller is a great venue to explore the what-ifs in medicine. Pick something interesting and run with it. It’ll keep your audience thinking and talking about your book long after the final page is devoured.
6) Have fun. Writing is great fun. It’s the only reason why most writers continue to do what they do. If you’re focused mostly on landing a book deal or receiving a literary award, then a career in writing may not be the best choice for you. Those things can and do happen—at least for some writers—but the only way to sustain the vast amount of time and energy required for the creation of a novel is to have fun doing it. Ask yourself: If the only thing that comes of this endeavor is that I have a great time and I feel a sense of accomplishment at the end, is that enough? If the answer is yes, then you’ve come to the craft for the right reasons and you’re more likely to be successful. If you find the process tedious and you just want to sell a bunch of books so you can retire on an island in the South Pacific, then you’re in for a lot of disappointment. So, have fun. Be creative. Write with reckless abandon and lose yourself in the story. Take joy in bringing something to life. Your novel will be that much better because of it.
John Burley worked as a paramedic and firefighter before attending medical school in Chicago and completing an emergency medicine residency at University of Maryland Medical Center and Shock Trauma in Baltimore. His debut novel, THE ABSENCE OF MERCY (William Morrow, Nov 2013), received the National Black Ribbon Award, which recognizes a novelist who brings a fresh voice to suspense writing. Connect with him on Twitter.
