Tell us about yourself.
I have spent 40 years teaching and using process improvement, Lean Six Sigma, and simulation to improve outcomes and processes in healthcare organizations. Before I started my consulting practice, I spent 11 years as the Vice President of Performance and Process Improvement at Universal Health Services. I was responsible for operational process improvement at 27 Acute Care Hospitals, applying simulation to enhance operations. I was also provided corporate leadership to the Emergency Department, Surgery, Radiology, Laboratory, Rehab Services, and Pharmacy.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, in the heart of the Appalachians. The tradition of mountain story telling offered a rich background to my early years and I believe influenced me to want to tell my own stories.
What was your journey to getting published like?
Even though we had an offer from a major publisher, we went a different route. Mainly to have more control over the schedule. Both my co-author and I experienced a shift into a caregiver role with our spouses, and that change in focus made our writing efforts much more difficult. Fortunately, we had excellent help from Endeavour Ink and Printed Page Studios in doing the heavy lifting on the publication side. I thought the writing would be the most difficult piece, but getting published and all of the details that had to be managed were even more challenging for first-time authors.
What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received?
Start small.
Try to write and publish, even if it is just in LinkedIn, eight to ten 2,000-word pieces on your basic chapter ideas. If you can't accomplish that, you have no hope of writing 50,000 to 80,000 words in a book.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Start with an outline. Even if it is basic, and then you go from there to seat-of-the-pants writing, you'll have a map of where you are going.
What’s a fun fact about you that your readers might not know?
I've spent time in 48 of the 50 states, only missing Montana and Vermont.
What’s your guilty pleasure book or genre?
Mysteries in general and I have to admit that I'm a fan of the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods as a guilty pleasure.
What’s your favorite quote about writing?
{While not exactly about writing, this quote inspired me: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you’re not writing, how do you like to spend your time?
I have another vocation as a consultant, so I'm often busy helping hospitals and healthcare organizations improve processes and patient flow. In my off time, I like to travel, scuba dive and golf.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I don't remember the first story. When I was in the 3rd grade, my teacher, Mrs. Horn, introduced me to reading, and it was one of the best things that ever happened. I have been an avid reader ever since. While I don't remember the first story, at a young age I was a big fan of the Hardy Boys mysteries.
What has inspired you and your writing style?
Reading The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu Goldratt early in my career inspired me to consider writing a book about process improvement, a topic I love, and that it doesn't have to be boring.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
I try to take away any nuggets that will make my writing better and let the rest roll off.
How do you connect with your readers?
I both attend and speak at conferences, and I listen to the attendees, who are often my readers or target audience.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on my next book, which is a more general work on the essentials of process improvement and the overlooked nuances that can make practitioners successful.
How do you approach writing dialogue for your characters?
Since my work is technical, the dialogue tends to be based on events that have actually happened.
If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be?
Never stop learning!
Chuck DeBusk’s Author Websites and Profiles
Website
Chuck DeBusk’s Social Media Links
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.