The Key to writing: Remove your “stuff” from its boxes and lay the whole thing out. I had to spend three decades to create my book; Broken Justice. A True Story of Race, Sex and Revenge inside a Boston Courtroom recounts my criminal trial in Boston for the control of manslaughter within the death of the fetus throughout a legal abortion.
I was the main resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston City Hospital along with October 1973 I performed an abortion over a 17 yr old high school senior, in the request of the young girl and her mother. The abortion happened nearly 10 months following your Top Court, in its decision in Roe v. Wade, struck down all restrictive abortion laws. Regardless of this I had been indicted using a secret Grand Jury and went to trial for manslaughter. Towards the end in the six-week trial I had been found guilty, but 1 year along with a half later the verdict was overturned because of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. They entered their own verdict of “not guilty”.
I knew that someday I’d write a book regarding this experience therefore i collected and saved every document, note, memo, legal brief, letter, news clipping as well as the entire printed transcript from the 6 weeks in the trial. I packed all this “stuff” in boxes plus they moved with me each and every time I moved.
My first attempt to create my book was immediately following the trial having a professional writer – a “ghost” writer – but our styles and personalities didn’t mesh and that relationship ended after many months. Several years passed during which time I used to be appointed Chairman in the Department of Ob/Gyn at BU School of Medicine. I was due a sabbatical and decided I will utilize it to create my book. By the end of the six month sabbatical I’d an overview for my book and a few chapters. With the aid of Gloria Steinem I got my proposal in front of an editor at Little Brown. She liked it, however the editorial board turned it down. I used to be crushed, and so i packed-up my “stuff”, and put it back over a shelf within the basement.
In the years to come I will occasionally write a paragraph, page or chapter. Quite often I would get “stuck”, close this area of “stuff” I’d opened, and stopped writing.
Six years back, I decided I used to be planning to try writing once more. I used to be nearing retirement and didn’t want this unfinished project hanging over my head around my retirement years. I was either likely to complete my book now or give up the dream forever.
I started out by wanting to discover how other writers started and finished their books. I read every book I really could find about writing. I subscribed to writers’ magazines. I explored writing internet sites. I even attended a writers’ conference for physicians. I learned, not only regarding the craft of writing, but additionally around the business of writing and publishing. (I’ll describe this inside a later blog).
In the spare bedroom I setup my workspace, opened up my boxes of “stuff”, and laid all of it out chronologically for the large table. As I just read through everything memories were jogged, details were remembered, emotions were dredged-up and gaps were filled-in. This 30 years old story came alive. I began to write. I wrote about my residency leading to the patients I had taken care of – especially that 17 yr old girl. I re-read and re-wrote the transcript within the trail and attempted to change it originating from a dull, bland collection of questions, answers and rulings with the judge, to some living, exciting, dramatic document while being faithful to the meanings within the words.
Simultaneously, I’d to explore how I was planning to get my book published. I found that, first, I needed an agent and he or she would find a publisher for my book. I sent greater than 50 Query Letters to agents describing my book. I received a rash of rejection letters along with a few that wanted more information. In the end I couldn’t find an agent to represent me. I then investigated the way to self-publish my book and selected a company which helped me to do that. (I’ll write about self-publishing in the upcoming post.)
In the summer of 2007 I self-published my book Broken Justice. A True Story of Race, Sex and Revenge in the Boston Courtroom. It turned out a wonderful and satisfying accomplishment. My book received very reviews that are positive in a number of major publications and I was invited to communicate in bookstores as well as other venues throughout the country. The experience continues to be everything I needed it to be and much more. Read much more about my book and its particular reviews by likely to www.brokenjustice.com
About: Kenneth C. Edelin, M.D. is Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University where he was Chairman within the Department for eleven years.
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