Specialist in Sports Medicine, Book Author, and Accomplished Writer
Dear readers and writers, welcome to my new interview story, which introduces another book author and an accomplished writer whose writing impressed me a lot. I enjoy interacting with people from diverse cultures, countries, and professional backgrounds. I have been interviewing professionals for a long time. I am writing this from my secondary account to find new readers for these interviews. For those unfamiliar, my main account is Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Newsletter).
On this platform, I specifically enjoy interviewing writers. Each writer’s interview is special to me as each person is unique. My goal is to introduce them to my audience so that they can meet another interesting/relatable person on this planet and explore their work. I discussed the Importance and Remarkable Benefits of Interviews in My Professional and Personal Life.
In this interview, I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite authors Timothy Agnew whom I have known for a while as a contributor to my publications like ILLUMINATION. I learned more about Timothy, when our senior editors, Mike Broadly, DHSc featured him in a story titled “Why I Like Hidden Gem Timothy Agnew and Why You Should Explore His Writing.”
Mike’s story helped me learn more about his background and helped me explore his remarkable stories and published books. As I am deeply involved in holistic health, his book Kinesiology for Manual Therapies gave me valuable insights into our bodies, which also affect our minds.
Meet Timothy Agnew
Hi Timothy, Tell us a bit about your background.
Hi Dr Yildiz, yes, I’d be happy to do that. I’m originally from Clarence, New York, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the early seventies. I began my academic career at Ringling School of Design in Sarasota, Florida, majoring in graphic design and illustration.
After my second year, I accepted a big corporate job with defense contractor Rockwell International and spent two years illustrating GBU-15 missiles blowing stuff up. It was big business in the 80s and 90s, but it was not for me — but not bad for a 21-year-old kid.
I returned to college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, graduating with degrees in English/writing and kinesiology. Rooted in my academic dualism was always writing (in high school, my English teacher enrolled me in a national creative writing contest — and I won it).
I spent 25 years in sports medicine as a director of my own clinic. My writing was always present. I wrote exercise protocol manuals for my patients and published them myself.
Later, I wrote, directed, and animated my sports medicine video series. The videos were widely popular globally, and I sold thousands of copies of the book (you can still find old copies of both the book and videos on Amazon today).
In all my success, I was burning out. The medical field was changing because of the pandemic, and, once again, writing called to me. During the pandemic, I divorced, spent four days in the hospital with salmonella poisoning (you can read about it here), and gave up my clinic. It was time to reinvent myself and I began writing full time.
What are your hobbies or what excites or entertains you?
Well, I’m endlessly curious. I trained and taught the Japanese martial art, Aikido, for over thirty years. I still train, but I left the cult mindset of it all years ago. My focus now is internal martial arts (see my story here).
I love dance and movement — and I’m suffering gently with salsa dance. I worked with the dancers of the Pittsburgh Ballet, so ballet is something I’ve always admired. I’m currently involved as a writer with a fitness-movement startup called IGIA and it’s been fascinating to watch how fast it’s growing. The program focuses on the aging population and classes are now offered in Pittsburgh, and soon, in other states.
I’m an avid reader, lifelong learner, and a big believer in apprenticeship — in which I’ve had many. I was fortunate to study with Octavia Butler before she passed — she told me to always keep a notebook and I’ve never forgotten her advice.
I went skydiving a few years ago and plan to do it again. Hiking and nature are my meditations. I recently invested in a medicinal mushroom startup, so my hobby now is identifying mushrooms in the forest.
What are the top three books that affected your life?
The Brothers Karamazov: I first read this book in college, and I must have read it three times. It changed how I looked at the world and at the human condition. The dialogue and characters are masterful. I still have my first edition marked up in black ink.
The Laws of Human Nature: I’ve read all of Robert Green’s books and I think every aspiring writer should read him. Writing is understanding human nature. To create sympathetic characters, you must learn to become astute at reading body language and studying the way people talk.
The Catcher in The Rye: Salinger’s dialogue and crisp, concise style is universal. This book inspired me to study voices like Raymond Carver, Joseph Hellar, and Elmore Lenard — and discover hidden gems like Larry Brown (do read him).
Why do you write on Medium?
I’m still trying to figure out Medium. I’m new, but it’s a wonderful platform to keep me writing consistently. Since I make my living as a writer, Medium is not a monetary competition for me, but a way to expose my work. From what I see, Medium can be a competitive environment, with writers competing for the most ideal niches. None of that matters to me. I write my passion.
Do you write on other platforms like Substack? If so how do you find them?
I plan to explore Substack and also dabble in Quora. Part of my reluctance is PTSD from my previous ventures. I spent many hours and years on so many platforms, so I need to begin slowly while not compromising my work. I also publish on my personal site.
What are your values as a writer?
Empathy, integrity, and honesty. Writing must contain these elements to be effective. We must bear our souls and not fear failure. Writing is difficult — but it’s more so when we don’t respect the craft.
How do you connect with your readers?
I strive to draw readers in with good storytelling, whether it’s non-fiction or short stories. If you can draw readers in by touching on emotions, you have them. Writing anything is selling emotions. You must reach their souls.
One of my favorite openings is from Albert Camus’ The Stranger:
Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know. I had a telegram from the home: ‘Mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely.’ That doesn’t mean anything. It may have been yesterday.
Why did you join ILLUMINATION, and how do you find it so far?
Honestly, I was so new to Medium that one day the option appeared to join the publication. I enjoy the stories published there and I am grateful to have the venue to publish my work. I admire the many hours that go into the publication. Many editors are volunteering their time to help new and established writers find a voice. I appreciate that grassroots style. I’ve also met some amazing people from all over the globe, and I’ve helped a few along the way.
Who are some writers you follow on ILLUMINATION?
I follow many writers, just to mention a few apart from you, Dr. Julian Barkan, Dr. Nikita Singh, Lilliana Méndez-Soto, Pharm.D., Mario López-Goicoechea, and my Aussie bro Mike Broadly, DHSc, — and so many more!
What are your top five stories that you want to share with your audience and why?
Like selfies, which I loathe, I’m not great at choosing my work. But, not necessarily in this order:
Kicking the Lead Can Down the Road On Homelessness (Now What?): This is probably my most read piece. I’m deeply involved with homelessness advocacy and this piece resonated with many, yet I also received pushback from conservatives who view homelessness differently. Isn’t that what makes writing so interesting?
Juteland: I wrote a draft of this in one hour. I woke one day and had the characters, plot, and ideas in my head from a dream. The story is also a reflection of my time spent in Denmark and of summers with my grandparents in upstate New York.
The Fading of the Wally Byam Airstream Club: Dedicated to my mother, who has early dementia, this was therapeutic to write. Ironically, like many of my stories, I wrote a draft years ago, long before my mother’s diagnoses.
Goodnight, Pataki: This piece began as a character study focused on Southern dialogue. I love writing dialogue, and I must have written dozens of drafts. The father represents my dad and his resolution to stay in his house as he ages. And yes, the car washing fetish is all him.
My Mother Doesn’t Call Me Anymore: This was another popular piece that seemed to resonate with readers. I wrote this on Mother’s Day this year because I was missing her fiercely.
What are the success factors for you as a writer?
I love selling books, but most believe publishing is the ultimate success. People ask, “so, how many books did you sell”, or “do you get a cut?” I’d much rather hear “how are your reviews” or “what gave you the idea for the story,” but it never arrives.
Unfortunately, it’s sad that the literary world is so toxic. The publishing industry has some volatile algorithms. Book sales define success — and while that can be a reliable marker, I’d much rather read stellar reviews or take joy in an email from readers that tells me my book changed their life. There is no monetary value in that — it does not pay the rent, but it’s extremely refreshing.
When I co-wrote a higher education textbook, Kinesiology for Manual Therapies, for McGraw Hill, we learned quickly that it would never get the marketing attention it required because McGraw Hill had hundreds of competing books. Their marketing strategies were also lacking. To get out from the umbrella of a toxic publisher, we purchased the rights to the original text. Our second edition is out in November with a smaller and more efficient publisher, Handspring Publishing, in the UK. We’re excited about the new edition as Canadian artist Paul John Elliott illustrated the cover.
Ghostwriting books are a completely different beast. I often am not involved in how they publish or how it’s marketed, but it is a more liberating experience as a writer. Becoming the voice my client is seeking is not always easy. I once wrote for a CEO of a medical data company, and she hired me to write her weekly medical bulletins — in her voice. I pulled it off, but it required using her grammar (passive verbs and all).
Yet ghostwriting is rewarding when you discover the right client and subject. Invisible Parents: Hidden Secrets of Special Needs Parents, a Book of Hope is an enormous success — it’s been a five-star rated top seller for years. It’s now used in some Florida public schools as a guidebook for special needs parents. I get reviews and emails all the time from struggling parents telling me how the book changed their lives.
I make my living crafting stories and selling stuff. I get to travel and write around the world. If people read my stories to the end because they cannot put it down, that is success.
What do you recommend to the new writers?
Read, write, read, write — repeat, 360 days a year. And I don’t mean just books. Absorb everything — learn to study body language, clothes, the way people speak. Don’t worry about niche and don’t compare yourself to what others are doing.
Learn to edit and edit well. Read your work out loud — always. And no — there is no such thing as writer’s block. It’s an excuse not to write. When possible, write in cursive (where did that go?) for your research or important parts of your story. It’s labor intensive, but you are plugging your brain into hand-brain syncing, and, like magic, it changes what gets down on paper.
Finally, buck it up — accept criticism and learn from it. Revise. Revise. Revise.
What are your plans as a writer or as a professional?
The ideas and words are there. I just need more chalk. Unlike my previous career, marketing is different for my writing, and it’s also very different from how it was twenty years ago.
I cherish my creative writing time, and, because I have so many projects going at once, my plan is to strategize how to keep my flow going while marketing. That probably involves help eventually.
I have a book of fiction that I’d love to publish when it’s ready, but I believe short stories are one of the most difficult venues in writing — and that’s what I love about them. I plan on continuing to write things that interest me and, once again, continue to build a following. Perhaps my most important endeavor is to improve my craft.
Many thanks to Timothy for giving a glimpse of his interesting life. You can contact him on our Slack workspace and also find him on his website.
Quick Updates
Good news for writers: We made the rules much easier for writers of ILLUMINATION and former ILLUMINATION-Curated without compromising quality. I published the new submission guidelines earlier today. Please take a look and contribute to both ILLUMINATION and Curated Newsletters to benefit from the power of our great community.
Time to Prune the Branches of Our Big Oak Tree: ILLUMINATION’s Evolution to New Heights
From ILLUMINATION-Curated to Curated Newsletters: The Spirit Lives On, Stronger Than Ever
A Brief Intro to our Extending Community Bridging Medium with Substack in Innovative and Collaborative Ways
Now we have a great plan for our Substack Mastery of ILLUMINATION Community I drafted the plan on my website and look forward to your feedback and engagement.
ILLUMINATION Substack Community Support — Dr Mehmet Yildiz
This is a summary of 3-tier service offerings for creators, freelance writers, and content entrepreneurs on Substack…digitalmehmet.com
How I Architected a Charity Organization & Why I Will Run It Like a Business
Outline of my draft plan for creators, freelancers, and entrepreneurs empowered by the Substack networkmedium.com
I recently wrote a book titled Substack Mastery. It already became a best seller on Amazon. If you are interested, I decided to share the early version as one chapter a day for my beta readers. Here are the available chapters on this this platform which also provides free access to non-members.
Today I wrote about my monthly progress on eight different platforms to give an idea to fellow writers. It is an independent review and could be valuable for aspiring writers.
An In-Depth Performance Review of 8 Major Platforms I Contributed to This Month: Key Insights and…
Discover an independent and comprehensive analysis of my contributions and performance across multiple platforms…medium.com
Please explore some leading newsletters featured by ILLUMINATION-Curators in episode 11 released earlier today. It is an excellent collaboration tool for growing your Substack profile and newsletters.
Substack Mastery Featured Newsletters: Episode 11
Curated newsletters of writers contributing to the Substack Mastery publication on Medium for joyful collaboration and…medium.com
Links to Previous Interview Interviews
I interviewed other writers on this platform. The following links will allow you to easily access them. Follow the writers who resonate with you.
Interview Biswanath Datta,Interview Veronica Llorca-Smith,Interview James King, Interview Lauren Grawert, MD,InterviewJerry Keszka, Interview Davor Katusic,Interview David Gerken,Interview Claudio D’Andrea, Interview William Spivey,Interview James Boylan, Interview Ruby Noir, Interview Brother Bhunru, Interview Joshua Mason, Interview Michelle Mariscal, Interview Tim Denning, Interview Wendi Gordon, Interview Elle, Interview Waleed Mahmud Tariq, Interview Bill Petro, Interview Sylvain Zyssman, Interview Matthew Bamberg, Interview Øivind H. Solheim, Interview Abhishek Biswas, Interview Payal Koul, Interview Matt Lillywhite, Interview Genius Turner, Interview Shirley Willett, Interview David Mokotoff, MD, Interview Martin D. Hirsch, Interview Gill McCulloch, Interview Adelia Ritchie, PhD, Interview Dr. Lutz Kraushaar, Interview Tim Denning, Interview Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD, Interview Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D., Interview Pernoste & Dahl, Interview Luay Rahil, Interview Melissa Kalt, MD, Interview Ayodeji Awosika, Interview Dr. Preeti Singh, Interview Dr. ADAM TABRIZ, Interview Dr John Frederick Rose, Interview Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD), Interview Hakima T A N T R I K A, Interview Mark Sanford, Ph.D, Interview Raymond M.E. Aguirre, Interview Keri Mangis, Interview John D. Leavy, Interview Sinem Günel, Interview Toni Koraza, Interview Annelise Lords, Interview, Mike Zillo, Interview Aurora Eliam, CMP, Interview Charles Roast, Interview Libby Mitchell, Interview Timothy Key, Interview, Christopher D. Connors, Interview Desiree Driesenaar, Interview Jill Ebstein, Interview Bill Abbate, Interview Anita Lesko, Interview John Cousins, Interview Ali Qutmiera, Interview Roxanna Azimy, Interview Karen Madej, Interview Celtic Chameleon, Interview Maïa Belart, Interview Kevin Buddaeus, Interview Rasheed Hooda, Interview Julia E Hubbel, Interview Suntonu Bhadra, Interview Aisha Yusuf, Interview Sharon Hurley Hall, Interview Angel Joy, Interview Tim Maudlin, Interview Mallika Vasak, Interview Yannis Dokos, Interview Lawson Wallace, Interview Chelsea Renee MAT, Interview Earnest Painter, Interview MaryJo Wagner, PhD, Interview Phil Truman, Interview Martine Weber, Interview Michael Patanella, Interview Tree Langdon, Interview Holly Jahangiri, Interview Aric D Mayer, Interview Chris Hedges , Interview Paroma Sen, Interview Jeff Hanlon, Interview Chowa Sekai, Interview Marianna Saver, Interview Annelise Lords, Interview Amy Cottreau, Interview Sabana Grande, Interview, Agnes Laurens, Interview P.G. Barnett, Interview Liam Ireland, Interview Jith
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you are a new reader, you may check out some of my topics, including the brain, mental health, cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, including 100+ Insightful Life Lessons from My Circles for the Last 50+ Years.
I publish my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIA and share distilled versions on SUBSTACK. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 31K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. You can contact me via my website. I also have another profile to write and curate tech stories. Friend Links to My Sample Boosted Stories for Non-Members of Medium. Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
This story was originally published at DigitalMehmet.com blogs for free access.
If you are a writer, blogger, YouTuber, or a Podcasters you can join my site as guess creators. I can amplify your voice using my vast network globally. Here is he application form.
Guidance to Guest Bloggers on Digitalmehmet — Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Digitalmehmet.com now offers guest blogging service to Substack writers and storytellers from Medium.com. This service…digitalmehmet.com
Our media coordinator and film maker Aiden (Owner of Illumination Gaming) also re-branded our YouTube channel to support Substack Mastery community better.
How to Use the ILLUMINATION Substack Mastery YouTube Channel to Grow Your Audience
Practical tips to upload your videos to our community channel as writers on Medium, Substack, and other platformsmedium.com
You are welcome to join the ILLUMINATION Community on Medium and Substack. And join our Substack Mastery to build your audience.
Get an email whenever Dr Mehmet Yildiz publishes. He is a top writer and editor on Medium.
dr-mehmet-yildiz.medium.com
A Substack version of this interview is ready now.
Leave a Reply