Whether you submit with regularity or not, it’s important to track your submissions. How else will you follow up if you have no record of the magazines and editors (or agents/publishing houses) to whom you have submitted your work? I keep a simple Excel file with the following info: Date submitted Magazine name Editor’s name…
(Updated May 2026) As writers, we must continually seek to improve our skills. It is an ongoing process that can be accomplished in a number of ways to fit anyone’s budget. Here are several options: Participate in a critique group—it’s much easier to see someone else’s weak spots than your own. I’ve learned so much by critiquing…
Congratulations go to Amy Bovaird, our contest winner. She’ll receive a copy of Jeff Goins’ brand new book The In-Between. Email me at Deb@DebraLButterfield.com with your address and I’ll get it sent right out. As you can see, I spent my weekend, redesigning, and I hope, making improvements to my website. I still have some…
It’s the third Friday of the month, time for our debut author interview. This month I’m visiting with Kathy Nickerson, author of the Glory Circle Sisters series. I’ve had a delightful time. Kathy has a wonderful sense of humor, but also has conveyed meaty advice for writers. Enjoy. Kathy will be available today only to…
Today I host author Angela D. Meyer who shares about marketing. Welcome, Angela. Thank you for joining us and for sharing what you’ve learned along the way. Marketing with Purpose, by Angela D. Meyer I started on this publishing journey with a lot of passion. It is just a matter of writing a good story,…
Get past your fears, your doubts, your lack of expertise, your (you fill in the blank), about creating a writer/author website for yourself. As a writer you want to give readers and potential publishers and magazine editors a place to go and find out more about yourself. In fact, it’s a must. Your website is…
When I heard New York Times best-selling author Cecil Murphey (90 Minutes in Heaven) was doing a workshop for the writers group I belong to, I wasted no time in signing up. How better to learn about writing than to be taught by a multiple, best-selling author? During the day, he taught on dialog. Here’s part of…
In his book The Art of War for Writers, James Scott Bell says, [E]very character in every scene must have an objective, otherwise he shouldn’t be there. Replace him with a chair. Review your WIP. If you find a character(s) who is superfluous? Do as Bell suggests, rewrite the scene and cut the character. Now reread the…