For victims of abuse - Immortal Link - You hurt me, I'll hurt you MORE
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR MANUSCRIPT IS READY FOR PUBLISHING?
That is a good question, because as a self-published author, you don’t have a measuring stick like a traditionally published author has. If his work is accepted, he knows it’s pretty ready. As an indie writer, you need to decide that on your own. How do you know if the manuscript is good enough to be set in print, or if it’s still hovering near the bottom of your learning curve?
If you just started to write a year ago and now got the complete first draft done, think of it as a lump of clay that needs shaping. Rewrite, read the manuscript aloud, make corrections, let others read it, implement the changes you approve of. After all that, it might still only be fit to sit in your desk drawer. Forever.
I have four complete manuscripts in a filing cabinet. That time was not wasted. These are my practice novels that taught me how not to write a novel. I can recycle the characters and any scenes I wish to use in a future novel. Start over. Implement everything you learned so far about writing, character development, story arc, dialogue, show, don’t tell and so forth in a new book.
I am sure you don’t like to hear what I just said. But these are the steps even a traditionally published author has to go through before he can think about querying agents. If you have the patience, put the manuscript aside for awhile, read everything you can about bettering your craft, join a writers’ group, learn from others, and months or years later, look at that manuscript again. I can almost guarantee you will be relieved to call it your practice novel, instead of acting prematurely, turning away readers and ruining your name with a book that was nowhere near ready for print.
One day you will know in your heart that you’re working on a novel that will put you on the map, just like I felt about Immortal Link. After all the above mentioned steps, hire and pay a professional editor to put the final polishes on it. Query a couple agents just to be fair (ړײ), then go ahead and self-publish. Hit the submit button and never look back.
Self-publishing is a trend that was once used mainly by poets, memoir and short-story writers, but has now leveled the playing field for any serious writer. Agents and publishers can be slow in spotting and adapting trends. Well, e-publishing and indie publishing has made the decision for them. So long, Borders, right? And Barnes and Nobles is turning into a toy and game store. But there are still many beginning writers who go ahead and publish their very first work or everything they write without so much as proof reading, thereby giving self-publishing a bad name. Luckily for the diligent of us, cream rises to the top.
So, how do you know your manuscript is ready? You’ll never know for sure, or maybe years after it’s been printed. Or if it won a contest. Or if your readers tell you the manuscript is better than some of the traditionally published books they have read.
In the end, it’s a gut feeling.
Mrs. Uta Burke
My name is D. and I’m writing to you because I recently finished reading your book “Immortal Link.” I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed it very much. It not only took my mind outside of these walls (he is incarcerated, both letter writers are) but also out of this state. As I continued to read, I could truly see myself walking the streets of a town I never even knew existed. Thanks to the knowledge that you gain through your research and all of the insightful info that you provided about Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, I would like to go there someday. I also like how you incorporated true life events with town legends/history. To have a child dig into her family’s past and learn about the lives of innocent men, taken by the powerful men of that time who feared them…I could keep going but I know that your life is still going on out there. So I’ll say that the best part, or one of them, is to have someone whose family may not have much, uses what little she has to bring to justice a man who thought he could get away with a crime because of who his family is and who hers is not…Once again thank you for taking me on a trip through your pages, and I hope that there will be many more. My best wishes, Quae-D
Uta,
Hi there, how are you? Good I hope. I’m doing pretty good despite my circumstances. I am writing for two different reasons -
1) IMMORTAL LINK – one word – PHENOMENAL!! I really enjoyed it, and I really really hope that you are composing more writings! By the way, you’re too good-hearted – I would’ve done a lot more personally to Sebastian than what the spirits did – I guess you could say that I have the mind like Charlie, if something like that happened to my sister or any female family member for that matter.
(In part two he goes on about family stuff)
PS: My friend Damian said he loved the book, he’s not much of a writer. My apologies. Yours truly, M
I had just turned thirteen when a friend’s uncle made a move on me, and I was in such a state of shock that my period stopped for several months. All I could think about was revenge. I only encountered him a couple times in the years that followed, but every time I did, I, the victim, felt embarrassed and ran the
other way, while he, the attacker, smirked at me. At that age I went through a lot of changes, trying to find out who I was and what I responded to. I acted out, wore weird clothes, made bad choices, and scared my parents. Some of it could be blamed on puberty, some on the rage I felt about the molesting incident. I wanted to do terrible things to him, avenge myself, hurt him in any way possible or at least ruin his life some. I blamed the incident of that afternoon for everything that went wrong during my teenage years. But I was too ashamed to tell or act.
There are children who get raped over and over and have to live with this all their lives. Ten years ago, a mother told me about her daughter who was raped in her bedroom by one of her older brothers’ friends when she was eleven years old. The brothers promised their sister to take care of her and together they kept this
horrible secret from the mother to protect her from a breakdown. Finally, years later, they told her what happened.
In March 2010, this story about rape and sibling bond broke through my subconscious and within four months I wrote the whole first draft of “Immortal Link.” It was written for all sexual abuse victims out there who are incapacitated by shame and hate, and who are plotting revenge instead of concentrating on healing.
Catholine Kennan in this YA novel did the job for you. She felt the same way you feel, watched how PTSD destroyed her brothers’ lives, how the aftermath turned her from a blossoming beauty into a hideous scarecrow, and how she overcame it all by finally breaking through the barrier of shame, finding retribution in a most unexpected place. Catholine took a fulfilling, satisfying mega-revenge, so that you who are still suffering from the effects of rape or molestation can live it through her, share in her victory without putting yourselves in harm’s way, and can step on the road of healing.
After I innocently chose the town of Jim Thorpe, PA for the setting of “Immortal Link,” the story turned paranormal and surprised the heck out of me. Here is what happened… “Immortal Link” is available on Amazon.com and Kindle.
Fifteen-year-old Catholine Kennan will satisfy your craving for total revenge in this YA paranormal novel, which was written for victims of sexual abuse.
One evening in March 2010, I sat down to write what became Chapter 3 of “Immortal Link.” It was like an urge to get the true story of a young girl who was raped in her bedroom by one of her brothers’ friends out in the open. I only knew that it happened and that the siblings never told anyone about it. Years later, the mother found out from a counselor, who said that the act of keeping such a traumatic event secret and to take care of their younger sister was superhuman.
Once the chapter was written I started thinking about a setting. The next evening I watched a documentary about the town of Jim Thorpe, PA and its Old Jail museum. When I heard about the famous handprint in cell# 17, I took notes. Further research got me hooked on the location and its incredible history. I had my setting. Since it was only a two-hour drive away, I went to visit to see it for myself. That’s when something crazy happened: The setting took over and completely changed the direction of my novel. Trusting the spirits of the Old Jail, I followed their leads which I discovered through research and oral stories. All I had to do was to write it down. When the first draft was finished, I knew I had a story so rich and incredible that I couldn’t have done it alone.
I am sure you will be as surprised as I was while reading “Immortal Link.” Let me know what you think.
You can reach me at utaburke@gmail.com.
For an excellent site about Jim Thorpe, the greatest athlete who ever lived: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/oklahoma_jim_thorpe.htm
Fifteen-year-old Catholine Kennan will satisfy your craving for total revenge in this YA paranormal … [Read More...]
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