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David E. Meadows is a retired mustang U.S. Navy Captain and the author of numerous military thrillers such as Sixth Fleet, Seawolf, AMERICA, and Tomcat. His eighth novel, JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA, was released March 2005. He recently signed a 3-book contract with Penguin Group. His ninth novel, DARK PACIFIC, is due for release March 2006.
Meadows is recognized for his accuracy in showing what today's events mean for the future. Such noted authors as Stephen Coonts, Joe Buff, Robert Gandt, Victoria Taylor-Murray, and W.E.B. Griffin to the noted political figure and author Newt Gingrich have praised his writings. He has been a guest and lecturer at numerous professional and literary events.
During his Navy Career of 37-years, David Meadows spent nearly 10-years at-sea on a variety of warships where he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. Some of the ships included USS Gearing (DD-710), USS Perry (DD-844), USS Mispillion (AO-105), USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25), USS Spruance (DD-963), and flying off a variety of aircraft carriers. He has over 5000-flight hours with aircrew wings in three different reconnaissance aircraft (EC-121M, EA-3B, & EP-3E) and Naval Observer Wings in the EP-3E. He enlisted in the Navy in December 1967; made Chief Petty Officer in 1977; and was commissioned in 1980.
David E. Meadows has a Bachelor of Science degree in Arabic/Middle East Studies with a minor in French. He speaks neither language well as evident by the French offering him unlimited libation if he would never-ever speak their language again. He also has a MBA and a MS in National Resource Strategy. He has served ashore in Rota, Spain; Athens, Greece; Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico; Bureau of Naval Personnel; London, England; Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; Corry Station-Pensacola, Florida; the Joint Staff; and his last tour of duty was as the Deputy Commander of Naval Security Group Command.
He loves basketball, but the sport no longer loves him with many pickup games preferring to play five against four rather than have him come off the bench.
He is a native of Newnan and Coweta County Georgia, growing up in the small cotton mill of Sargent, Georgia. He and his wife live in Western Maryland. He is married to the amazing Felicity Bellis of Manchester, England, who has received many accolades for remaining with him all these years. Their daughter Sara and son Nicholas are grown and pursuing their own careers.
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August 4, 2005
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The first sentence and first paragraph are the most important parts for a writer. This is where the reader decides whether to give you a chance to entertain him or her, or to bypass your writing in favor of another. This is where you sell your book, article, or short story.
You must hook the reader in those first few words. If you are writing a book, the reader you want to hook is an agent or editor. If you are writing articles and short stories, then the reader, most times, will be the editor.
Think of agents and editors as picky readers with little time to waste reading. But, both make decisions on the few words he or she reads that determines whether your efforts are accepted, or are crammed back into the Self-Addressed Stamped-Envelope (SASE) you sent, along with some preformatted rejection slip for your collection. If you see your SASE envelope returned, then it's a rejection slip. If you see a nice envelope with the agent or editor's postage on it, then most likely it's a request to see your work. Finding someone who appreciates your writing, and is willing to see it published, is only the first step on a long road most times dotted with rejection.
If you have a hard time accepting rejection, then writing is probably not a career for you. It took me nine-years to have a book accepted for publication, and by then I had one of the greatest rejection slip collections in the nation. I was contemplating wallpapering a small bathroom in 1999 on the back porch of a house built in 1916 when Penguin accepted my first manuscript. It ended my hobby of collecting rejection slips.
So, you become one of the fortunate few with a letter or email from an editor or agent who loved your query letter and is now asking to see your writing? Congratulations. It's the first of many cuts along the way to becoming published. Don't go on a spending spree. Asking to see your work doesn't mean you'll get the article, story, or manuscript published. But, you are one step closer.
Editors and agents are business people who deal with writers. Agents weigh their impression of your works against their opportunities to sell it. Editors weigh your works against the opportunity of their publishing house making a profit on your works. You write because you enjoy doing it. They represent you, or buy your writings, because of a business case.
You have to increase the odds of them wanting to publish you. Begging and whining doesn't work against the dry facts of a business case. You can increase the odds of becoming a published writer by increasing the time they spend reading your stuff. The longer they read, the more they are enjoying something in your efforts that appeal to them personally -- this helps make a business case.
If an agent believes he or she can sell your writing, then you'll be represented. If an editor believes your writing will help increase the revenue stream for his or her publishing house, then you will be published.
Ernest Hemingway said the best advice he ever received on writing was when he was a fresh, young journalist and it was from his first editor, who told Hemingway:
- Use short sentences
- Make your paragraphs short
- Use vigorous English
- And, always be positive; never negative
There are other things a writer needs to know. Your writing has to be professional and your submissions must look professional. If you can't spell, then you need to know how to use “spell check” on your word processor and how a dictionary works.
For a dynamic, exciting writer, misspellings may be overlooked, but you will never be a dynamic, exciting writer unless you know grammar. Someone once said that knowing grammar was important for the writer, so the writer would know when it's acceptable to violate the rules.
Good luck. Keep writing. And, keep those emails coming. Remember, you can't get published if you ain't writing.
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© 2005 David Meadows. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.
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