Debra L. Butterfield's Blog, page 16
July 25, 2017
The Major Plot Events of a Novel and When They Occur
This month’s last post on plotting concerns the major plot events, or building blocks, of your story. Most writers understand all fiction has a climatic scene, aka the climax. They also know it occurs very near the end of the story. However, many writers miss several other plot events essential to their story. What Is […]
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July 21, 2017
Capturing life events for your book ideas: an interview with Melody Schaefer
I’ve got children’s author Melody L. Schaefer here with me today. I met Melody at my local writers group, and we’ve had a good time getting to know each other. Besides writing her books, she does all her own illustrating. Melody’s newest release, Penny the Parakeet and the Solar Eclipse, is the perfect example of […]
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July 17, 2017
Story Premise: What it is and how to develop it
In last week’s “To Plot a Story,” guest Deborah Lyn Stanley stated, “A one-sentence premise is essential to a strong story.” Many writers may not understand what a premise is or how to arrive at that one-sentence, so let’s take a look at it today. In almost all of my books on the craft, discussion […]
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July 11, 2017
To Plot a Story – Guest Post by Deborah Lyn Stanley
Today’s guest post is from writer, artist, and editor Deborah Lyn Stanley. She is a retired project manager who now devotes her time to writing, art and care-giving mentally impaired seniors. She has published a collection of 24 artists’ interviews titled the Artists Interview Series. The series published as monthly articles for an online news […]
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July 3, 2017
Plotting: Finding a system that works for you
In recent months I’ve been stymied by my work in progress (WIP). Would I call it writer’s block? No. I was struggling to write because I simply didn’t know where the story was going. You see, I decided to take a short story I wrote for a college class a few years back and develop […]
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June 27, 2017
Ask the Editor: I’ve written a book, how do I get it published?
I question I get at least once or twice a month by email is “I’ve written book, how do I get it published?” or similar variations. It’s a question I covered on my Facebook page live “Ask the Editor.” For those of you who don’t follow my FB page, I thought I’d offer it here. […]
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June 19, 2017
Backstory in Your Novel: Getting It Right
Two mistakes writers make when it comes to backstory are: Putting it in chapter one Using too much at a time What is backstory? Tim Tomlinson, in The Portable MFA in Creative Writing, tells us backstory is: “…information in the story’s or character’s past, and it can be parceled out effectively in the narration as […]
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June 13, 2017
Show don’t tell: Dissecting what it looks like
Show don’t tell. Does this piece of advice kink you up in knots? Writers hear it all the time from various angles—other writers, editors, and conference workshop instructors. When I first starting writing, I struggled with it, too. Too many of the blog posts I read only talked about it and never showed any examples. […]
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June 6, 2017
5 Tips to Snag a Publisher Free Webinar
Are you unsure where to start with your manuscript submission? Frustrated with boilerplate rejection letters? Then be sure to sign up for my free 5 Tips to Snag a Publisher webinar. It happens June 8, 12 p.m. Central Time.
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June 5, 2017
What to do when your motivation takes a vacation
Sometimes it takes all the willpower I can muster to put my butt in the chair and write. By day I’m a freelance editor/writer and by night an editor for CrossRiver Media. I’m single and my children are grown, but I still have all the household chores to do. Work, eat, sleep. Work, eat, sleep. […]
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