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Welcome to WritersInkLink
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A Page dedicated to authors and the perfection of their craft.
Written by award winning novelist Diane J. Newton Click here bio and books
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Get inspired! Secrets, Fact or Fiction?a nine-author anthology has just been released.
Compiled and edited by Diane J. Newton, this exciting collection was written to lure new readers and is in use funding literacy programs across North America. A Midwest Book Review is in.
Read more about this innovative work, its purpose and its authors. click here.
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Determine where you are now in your writing career...
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In the Beginning
Whether you're writing short stories or novels; if you want to write for publication, the first step is having your work professionally evaluated. Pay an editor, find an experienced mentor (one with tangible, verifiable, credentials) or send a sizable, representative sample of your work to a reputable editing service. If your work passes muster, good for you, start writing. If it doesn't pass, don't defend your weaknesses as if they are virtues, get the help you need. Take classes, study and dissect the work of established authors you admire or hire a professional writing coach. Then, while you're practicing, find a progressive writer's group with solid, ongoing learning habits and an evenhanded, standardized approach to critique. Always remember: writing is a craft that no one ever masters!
Okay, your writing is on track and you've carefully crafted a story. What's Next? Research your market. This is an ongoing process. Read what established authors are writing. Dissect that work to see why it's selling. Keep track of agents and publishers.
Evaluation/Exposure
For short stories or articles begin to submit to appropriate publications. Enclose a post card, ask for feedback and put it to use. Upon acceptance, start a 'brag file' for your bio.
For novels, Authorlink.com is a great place to start. A panel of published authors will evaluate your manuscript and one of three things will happen:
1.) Rejection: Yes, they are that picky, but they are also kind enough to explain what's wrong.
2.) An Emerging Author status will be assigned. This listing is for authors whose work shows promise, but is in need of some editorial assistance. Specifics will be given and recommendations made. An author can go forward with this listing, but of it had been assigned to Unusual Destiny, I would have done the following: At this point the author is allowed to pull the novel, accomplished the necessary work, then resubmit. A wise choice because we want our book to be in the next category.
3.) A Showcase Listing will be assigned. This means the author and the work are ready for publication. Consistent high standards have paid off for Authorlink and for us. This category is currently up to a sixty-percent publication rate! Recently a three to five star rating system was instituted to further assist interested editors and agents.
Recognition
Whether you're writing poetry, articles, short stories or novels, if you've done your homework and know you have a great piece on your hands, it's time to enter it competition. Surf the web or peruse trade magazines for big contests, preferable cosponsored by high profile writer associations or conferences that are judged by a mix of working 'name brand' editors, agents and established authors. I can't say this enough: With Preparation All Things Are Possible. These accomplishments will go into an attention grabbing author bio.
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Diane J. Newton
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Unusual Destiny
A Year 2000 New Author Award Winner
Cosponsored by
The Harriet Austin Writer's Conference,
University of Georgia
Other Current Suspense Titles...
Children of the Sun &
Paradigm new in 2005
Aventine Press LLC
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Secrets, Fact or Fiction
A Nine-Author Anthology
It's All About Secrets!
Join Our Reader Contest
ISBN: 0-97372805-6
Oxcart Press April 2005
Compiled and Edited by
Award Winning Suspense Author
Diane J. Newton
"Unique, imaginative."--
Midwest Book Review
Funding Literacy Councils
Across North America
Classroom & Book Club Discounts
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Online Exercise
Dissecting the work of established authors is a good way to learn how to better craft our own.
Following this paragraph you will find the openings for Chapters 1 and 2 of Unusual Destiny. Use the Elements at the left to formulate your own objective critique, then compare the two openings for differences in character voice, setting and mood. How many chapter questions are posed in each opening?
Unusual Destiny: from Chapter 1, page 1
Emma Frankyn pressed the letter to her aging heart, closed her eyes and gave timid thanks to her master, an entity so darkly dangerous she dared not speak his name. She turned, began to walk, an unfamiliar slipstream of exuberance pushing her through shadow filled corridors. Body thrumming, senses alive for the first time in longer than she cared to remember, she saw the filth, felt the dampness and smelled the rot that had gradually claimed her once proud home. Suddenly, she was ashamed of herself, of her clan. She realized the squalor, the deterioration, and corruption that surrounded her wasn’t an inevitable consequence of old age and the passage of time. It was rooted in neglect and indifference, caused by a pervasive apathy that had sapped the strength and nearly paralyzed a family steeped in servitude. Thwarted, they had become slowly, bitterly, resigned to defeat.
But no more!
Unusual Destiny: from Chapter 2
Anna Freeman looked at George Jenkins, the editor of the Port Hayes Gazette, and asked in disbelief, “You want me to do what?”
“There’s a ghost-chaser coming into town and I want you to attach yourself to him,”--George pointed at her emphatically-- "like glue.”
Anna’s shoulders slumped. “Look, George, I know I’m still in the doghouse over that slightly harsh interview with Congress-woman Kent, but make the punishment fit the crime. I’m an investigative reporter, dammit. I deal in fact not fantasy.”
Obviously ignoring Anna’s protest, George said, “Here’s the deal, Freeman. A young couple, Charles and Barbara Dubois, just bought the old Beal place. It’s a big, spooky-looking old dump that’s been abandoned for twenty-six years. It’s east of the Heights on Old Hickory Road. There’s supposed to be some unexplained phenomena going on out there, and this guy, Hank Moore, is coming in to help the new owners figure out what’s going on.” George’s face turned stony and his eyes filled with resolve. “You’re all over it, and you’re all over Moore. He’s expecting you to meet him at the airport at six o’clock. Got it?” George held out a thin file folder.
Anna gritted her teeth and snatched the file. “When I win my Pulitzer, I’m gonna remember this, George.”
The Finer Points
Writing:
What part did word choices play in determining voice?
Style? What do those differences tell you?
Character Development:
Line by Line, what did you learn about each character?
What emotions were conveyed? Did those change?
Make a list of what you learned about environments.
How was that information conveyed in 1? In 2?
Conflict = Plot:
A property in Port Hayes is mentioned in 1 & 2
How does each character react to this?
What conclusions can you draw from that?
About He said/She said (Chapter 2 only)
We need them but… can we often do more?
List all the information gleaned from alternatives.
Was the information offered useful? Why?
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Pretend you are one who evaluates the work of writers, an editor, a literary agent or perhaps a judge in a writing competition. What specifics would you look for? Here are a few suggestions.
Objective Critique Elements
Writing: Has the author displayed:
A) Command of language?
B) Solid word, grammar and punctuation choices.
C) Discernible and pleasing authorial voice?
D) Discernible character voices?
Setting Mood: Did the author adequately convey:
A) Surroundings.
B) Environment factors, including sensory input?
C) A place in time?
D) An overall feeling or tone in scene and in sequel?
Character Development: Did the author adequately convey:
A) Personality differentiation?
B) Response, physical and emotional?
C) Desires, motives, plans etc.?
D) Consistency?
Plot Development: Did the author adequately convey:
A) Some action of immediate or future consequence?
B) Impact and reaction leading to or affecting the next scene?
C) Conflict arising from action and reaction?
D) Chapter or story questions that kindle curiosity, What, Why, Who, How?
Final Questions
Overall were these various elements compelling?
Were many of these elements unique and original?
Were all story questions posed by this author adequately answered?
IS THERE A MARKET FOR THIS WORK?
We've assumed that in this submission package an enclosed query letter has caught your interest, that the manuscript is in the proper format and that it has reached the right desk. In other words, at first blush, it met your expectations so you're willing to go forward.
Note: The reference to scene and sequel is brilliantly discussed in Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham.
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