April 2, 2005
I'll try this blogging thing and see how it goes. It was pointed out to me that I had tried this elsewhere, but no reader comments were allowed, so I thought I'd try JournalScape.

My name is Mark Terry and I'm a full-time freelance writer. I write just about anything that people will pay me for, though mostly I write about health and medicine and biotechnology, which is a pretty large category, when you think about it. I've also published a collection of novellas, Catfish Guru, and a novel, Dirty Deeds. My regular website is www.mark-terry.com and you're invited to drop in, check it out and say howdy.

For anybody interested, I'm going to focus this blog on writing. The mindset of the professional writer, marketing issues, keeping your energy up, whatever. I'm happy to answer questions if I can.

I'm currently waiting for my agent to give me the thumb's up or thumb's down on a manuscript I sent her called Serpent's Kiss. She absolutely loved it the first time I sent it to her--until the end. She was disappointed by the motive of the villan. I rewrote it and do feel it's better, sent it off to her and she promptly went on vacation, leaving me to stew, awaiting her return and comments. Obsessive? You bet.

So while I'm stewing, I'm actually not working on any fiction ... sort of. I'm trying to consider follow-ups to Serpent's Kiss and I have a few good ideas involving that character and the kind of story he finds himself in. I'm also looking at a few stand-alones. There are elements I'm looking for in the story--some sort of ticking clock, increasing suspense, a kind of "largeness" of plot, lots of action. We'll see what happens and I'll keep you updated as I go along. Which reminds me a bit of the best writing advice I've ever been given, second only to: write every day. Ben Camardi, an agent with the Harold Matson Company, and formerly my agent once said: Think more, write less. Good advice in a way. I think even better would be: Think more, writer better.

Meanwhile, I've got some other work to do--book reviews, articles about Medicare reform and genetics and biotechnology and cancer research. The bread and butter of my daily life.
Best,
Mark Terry