Sunday, January 19, 2014

A Candid Writing Moment with Linda Carroll-Bradd

"Early in my writing career, I read lots of "how-to" books on the craft of writing. I usually gleaned at least one solid tip from each. But from Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird, I adopted several. When I'm stuck and not exactly sure where to do next with a scene, I use her 1" picture frame hint. She advises writers not to be overwhelmed by the enormity of writing a 15-page scene. Instead focus on what the point of view character can see within the confines of that frame. If held close, the character might see a layer of papers on her desk but her gaze is caught by a letter written in flowing handwriting peeking out from the bottom. The letter is pulled out and something in the script reminds the character of a shared event and the writer is off and typing away.

OR the frame is held so the character sees through his or her window to the outside world. The writer describes the thin white clouds in the grayish sky, or the layer of dry leaves over the sidewalks or the rusty bicycle discarded in the neighbor's yard. Of course, the hope is the writer's imagination is sparked and a tie-in to the current story is established and the writer moves past the block. If not, at least some nice description has been written that can be saved for a future story. The point is the writer has put down words on the page or typed into a computer file. Progress has been made."Linda Carroll-Bradd

HAPPY 100,000 VIEWS!
It’s been two years since I started my blog. Wow, it’s been a blast!
When I first began posting items, it was to highlight my writing. I thought it was something amazing when I had five people per day glance over blog. That May I was over the moon when my total blog visits added up to 500.

Everything changed when I hitched my blog wagon to Prism Book Group’s wonderful team of writers and editors. Without their help, I’d still be struggling to gain a readership. However, through their generosity of time and sharing info that I post, my online reach has far surpassed my expectations.

I can’t thank everyone enough. You’ve taken the time to stop by to read what I’ve posted, left comments, and joined the site. My blog is still in the baby years; it has some growing and maturing to do but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

So, to celebrate my upcoming 100,000 views, I’m throwing a Blog Hop Party and it wouldn’t be right not to include my friends from Prism Book Group. Join the party by clicking on each participating PBG author’s name (in the Linky link up above), and enter to win some wonderful prizes!

PRIZES:
Book Lovers Gift Pack from Prism Book Group! Includes a print copy of Sarah: Mission of Love by Gay N. Lewis, a print copy of The Last Detail by Lisa J Lickel, and three Prism eBook downloads of choice!

18 comments:

  1. The heartiest of congratulations, Jacqueline. What a great achievement. Best wishes with constant success.

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    1. Thank you, Lisa. Here's to a great new year for all PBG writers and the PBG company.

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  2. Congratulations, Jacqueline! Your blog is always entertaining. It's no surprise you have so many loyal followers!.

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    1. Thank you, Carlene. If it wasn't for you and other PBG writers, my blog wouldn't be half as entertaining.

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  3. Kudos on your blog's success and thanks for inviting me along on the hop.

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    1. Thanks, Linda. It wouldn't be right if you weren't part of this celebration. Everyone knows PBG writers are the BEST! And if they don't know, I'm doing my best to spread the word ;)

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  4. Congratulations. I appreciate all your support and your milestone is well deserved.

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    1. Thank you, Kim. If there weren't such FANTASTIC PBG books to showcase, there wouldn't be any reason to blog.

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  5. Thanks for including us in your celebration. Your hard work has paid off. Keep it up!

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    1. Thank you so much for cheering me on, Paula. I appreciate it so much to have a wonderful support system--PBG writers and editors.

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  6. Congrats, Jacqueline, and may 2014 be a great year for you!

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    1. Thanks, Lynn. As long as there are fabulous PBG writers like you I'll always have something to post on my blog. Hoping for that same wish for you, too

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  7. Congratulations and keep up the good work. I love your posts. Always very informative.

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    1. Kimberly, thank you! I'm always open to suggestions.

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  8. Congratulations and keep this blog on fire! Hope 2014 is a great year. We authors at PBG appreciate all you do.

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    1. Thanks, Gay. I'm going to do my best to keep my blog roaring well into 2014. I appreciate PBG authors and their support. I also appreciate Sarah zipping in and out of my blog every once in a while, leaving a comment here and there. She's adorable. (For anyone who doesn't know who Sarah is, she's the dyslexic angel of the Sarah series by Gay N. Lewis--who's books just so happen to be on Amazon's top 100 list).

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  9. Wow! What an achievement. Wish I had one-half of your skills.

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    1. Thanks, Bonnie. When I started I pretty much knew nothing. It's taken hours of research to figure out how to do the smallest tasks. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.

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