Writing advice and tips.
(Updated from a previous post) Are you writing your first book? Do you plan to indie-publish or seek an agent and traditional publisher? Have you started building your author platform? Maybe you’re not sure what an author platform is. I’ve heard many first-time writers say they want to finish their book first before they think…
When should I capitalize the word mom? What about sir or ma’am? Today, I want to address some of the most common capitalization errors I see in the manuscripts I edit. When you know the basic rule, capitalization becomes much easier. When to Capitalize Mom and Dad We all know that proper names are capitalized….
Updated October 12, 2020 Last time we looked at scenes and how to build them. Most writers don’t have trouble writing scenes, and moving from scene to scene can be accomplished with as simple a statement as “Later that day…” However, there are times when you want to provide your reader with more. The sequel…
Updated September 14, 2020. In my last post we looked at plot. Today we’ll look at working with scenes. What goes into a scene? All the same things that go into plot. Think of a scene like a mini plot. The character(s) has a goal, which represents a small step in achieving the story goal….
Updated August 2020 Many fiction writers struggle with what plot is and how to develop it, including me. We envision the end product and wonder how we’re going to get there. Some writers develop their plot through first writing outlines (called plotters); some write by the seat of their pants (called pantsers). But much like…
In my last post, I discussed bulk sales and how using printers outside of the KDP print-on-demand process can save you dollars (sometimes big dollars) with bulk sales. Essential to the bulk sales scenario is knowing about book specifications and understanding how a book is printed. While working at Focus on the Family I went…
As writers, we know it is important to attend conferences. It’s where we make connection with other writers, literary agents, and acquisitions editors. Several years back (2016, I think), I decided to attend an editors conference. I wanted and needed to connect with other editors. I don’t remember how I even heard about PENCON Editors…
Updated March 2020. Do you have a question for the Motivational Editor? Drop it in the comments below or email me at deb [at] DebraLButterfield.com. Once a quarter I’ll be dedicating a post to answering your questions. What are the different kinds of editing services normally provided and what can we expect from each?