Debra L. Butterfield's Blog, page 23
June 6, 2016
Editors, Rejection, and Attitude
Rejection in publishing is inevitable. In fact, if a writer told me he/she had never received a rejection letter, then I’d say he/she had never submitted any work. Yes, rejection is hard. Yes, it hurts. As writers, we must develop a tough skin so rejections don’t readily wound us. Further, we can’t let that rejection […]
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May 24, 2016
Nurture Your Heart
As I write this, I’m sitting in my son’s living room, located in beautiful Colorado Springs. This past weekend, I attended PenCon, a conference for editors. Yes, editors need conferences just like writers. I can’t say enough good things about this conference organized by Kathy Ide and members of The Christian Pen. I heard terrific […]
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May 20, 2016
Creating Your Story World
Jane M. Tucker’s debut book, Lottie’s Gift, released this week. Jane is a lifelong reader and writer who has a deep love for the art of storytelling. And that storytelling carries us along effortlessly in Lottie’s Gift. Jane hails from Kansas and blogs weekly at Postcards from the Heartland about her life in the Midwest. […]
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May 16, 2016
5 Places to Sell Your Devotional Articles
Writing a short devotional for a daily devotional magazine is a good way to bring in some $$. Many markets pay $20-$25 per devotional, and most devotionals run around 200-300 words. That’s not bad money for so few words. But writing devotionals is exacting. Requirements for devotional pieces vary widely and can be very detailed. […]
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May 10, 2016
Research: Why It Matters to Your Novel
CrossRiver Media recently accepted a second book (working title Where Destiny Awaits) from author Catherine Ulrich Brakefield. She and I connected last month at the Omaha Wordsowers writers conference, at which time she handed me a half-inch thick folder of research documents—complete with an official map of Tennessee, where her story takes place. I could […]
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May 2, 2016
The Conference Is Over, What Now?
This past weekend I was at the 2016 Wordsowers Christian Writers’ Conference where I taught on Scrivener, and also heard pitches from authors. During the opening session, the conference director, Kat Crawford, asked how many were attending their first writers conference. I was pleasantly surprised to see nearly half the attendees raise their hands. Kudos […]
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April 26, 2016
A Better, Easier Way to Create a Page Break
For the indie author, correctly formatting the elements of your manuscript, such as a page break, is essential (unless of course you pay someone else to do it). If you’re seeking traditional publication, all publishers have submission guidelines. Those guidelines often include such items as what font to use (e.g. Times New Roman), what font […]
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How to Create a Page Break the Right Way
For the indie author, correctly formatting the elements of your manuscript, such as a page break, is essential (unless of course you pay someone else to do it). If you’re seeking traditional publication, all publishers have submission guidelines. Those guidelines often include such items as what font to use (e.g. Times New Roman), what font […]
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April 18, 2016
3 Rules on Using Commas
There are those of you who prefer to let editors or proofreaders worry about commas, but if you’re hiring a freelance editor or proofreader, learning some punctuation basics will save you money because he/she will spend less time fixing your manuscript. I’ll be the first to say the rules governing the English language are confusing. I’ve often […]
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April 15, 2016
Fiction with Purpose
As I mentioned in Tuesday’s blog, many Christian authors write because we want to help others. Sally Meadows is a good example. Sally is a two-time Canadian national award-nominated inspirational singer/songwriter, author, and speaker. After three professional degrees and a diverse career path that included being an editor, children’s entertainer, and educator, Sally took the […]
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