Debra L. Butterfield's Blog, page 7

Pantsers, how do you do it?

What are pantsers? Writers who write by the seat of their pants—no outline. They just sit down and start to write. Or so, that’s what I’ve been told. Surely they have some kind of story idea, but maybe not. Pantsers, if you’re reading this post, I’d like to pick your brain. Ten years ago I […]

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How to Create Your Perfect Content Calendar

Here is part 2 of Savannah Cordova’s guest post on content calendars. Be sure to read last week’s post, “What Is a Content Calendar? A Beginner’s Guide” if you missed it. Savannah is a writer and content marketer with Reedsy, a platform that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. […]

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What Is a Content Calendar? The Beginner’s Guide

Today’s post comes from Savannah Cordova. Savannah is a writer and content marketer with Reedsy, a platform that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories. What Is a Content Calendar? The Beginner’s Guide If you’re a writer looking […]

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The Email List and Why You Should Develop One

Developing your own email list is the smartest marketing move with the greatest return on investment (ROI) you can make. Why? In 2017, 3.7 billion people used email. 269 billion business and consumer emails were sent and received per day — and that number is expected to continue to grow at an average annual rate […]

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Preparing for NaNoWriMo

Why am I talking about preparing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in September when it doesn’t take place until November? Because now is the time to begin preparing, especially if you work a day job and fit your writing in late at night or in the predawn hours of your day or are haphazard […]

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Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 5 Conflict

Conflict. In real life, most people try to avoid it, but a story without conflict is like a latte without coffee. In fact, if your story has no conflict, you haven’t got a story. Let’s first look at conflict from a big picture view: external and internal. External conflict comes from outside your character—the people, […]

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Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 4 Body Language

If you close your eyes during a meeting, what message are you sending your colleagues? Is that message universal? Body Language While there are several facial expressions universal to the world, the interpretation of body language varies from culture to culture. Misinterpreted body language opens the door to miscommunication. For the fiction writer, this means […]

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Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 3, Culture

Culture impacts your story more than you might realize. Distinct cultures exist even within the US, just as there are many dialects. A person’s name often indicates one’s heritage, and thus culture. Did you know the name Dobby, a character from the Harry Potter series, was a real word? I discovered quite by accident one […]

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Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 2, Temperament

We’ve all met them: Miss Sunshine, Mr. Easy Going, Mrs. Bossy, and Ms. Perfectionist. We often chalk it up to “that’s just who they are,” but these titles describe specific temperaments. If you’re not careful, they can become stereotypes. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Collegiate Dictionary defines temperament as “characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional […]

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Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 1

Without unforgettable characters in a story, do you lose interest? I do. But how do you create these characters? Today begins a series on that topic. Let’s get real, whether we do it consciously or unconsciously, we want to connect with story characters. We want to discover something about them that we share–their life goals, […]

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