Debra L. Butterfield's Blog, page 15

Scrivener for Windows 9 quick tech tips for working faster

Many writers prefer to have a distraction-free screen as they write. For Scrivener users that means working with the binder and inspector closed. But when you need to do specific tasks that can often mean reopening either. Today, I’d like to show you some Scrivener shortcuts that will help you avoid that.  You can watch […]

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Writing Prompt Contest

Many writers are visual creators. In other words, they picture their scenes much like a movie, then write the text. It’s okay if you don’t create that way—neither do I. But we must be observers of life and then be able to relate those observances to our audience. To that end, I’m posting a picture […]

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Renee Reid says lay your marketing groundwork early

I’m interviewing author Renee Reid today. Her debut book, The Courageous Woman’s Guide to Recovering Life’s Joy: Using Your Spiritual Weapons to Reach out to God, releases September 25. No doubt, Renee is very excited and I’m glad to have her here today to help launch her book. Her mission is to help courageous, purpose-driven […]

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I have a message to share, but where do I start?

Many of us write because we believe we have a message God wants us to share. In fact, our first book is often about lessons learned from a personal experience that we believe will help others. We want to convey information that will help others navigate and conquer a similar problem. That was certainly the […]

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The 2 P’s Every Writer Needs: Patience and Perseverance

You submitted your manuscript to several publishers simultaneously. But that was 3 months ago and you haven’t heard a word. You submitted your book to a contest, but winners won’t be announced for another 6 months. Then after all that waiting you get nothing but rejection letters and your contest entry didn’t even make the […]

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How to Format Small Caps in MS Word and Scrivener

You’re quoting the Bible in your book and many of the verses use LORD in small caps. But you don’t know how to get those little capitals so you type LORD in your manuscript. Or maybe you missed the fact completely that Lord was in all caps. I see that often in the nonfiction manuscripts I edit. […]

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Using text stats to help with SEO

Search engine optimization. Otherwise known as SEO. If you’ve been writing for the web, more than likely you’ve heard this term even if you don’t understand it. I recently had my admin assistant do a Google search for several keywords, among them were editor and freelance editor. Ahhh! My website didn’t turn up anywhere in […]

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Leaning on God for His Direction for Your Book

Welcome to this month’s Friday Feature Author Interview. Today I’m visiting with Dr. Stephanie M. Carter. She is an author, bible teacher, ordained minister, and women’s life coach of a ministry called Grace to Live Coaching. Her journey of God’s direction in writing this book is inspiring. Grab your java or tea and then let’s […]

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Two Ways for Tracking Important Elements of Your Story

You’re writing your story in multiple point of view. How do you keep track of how many scenes you have in each POV? Your story has a specific time frame. How do you track your scenes to ensure you follow that timeline? Maybe your story takes place in 5 different cities. How can you ensure […]

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7 Ways to Overcome Discouragement

You want to get published. You want to get your book to the best seller lists. Maybe you’d just like to see your book sales adding up and receive a decent royalty check every month. But it isn’t happening. Instead you find yourself in a daily battle with the big D—discouragement. So what do you […]

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