Empty Sky – Joseph Carrabis, Author Blog

An Experiment in Writing – Part 14: Exposition via Character Revelation via Deep POV

This experiment follows a thread/arc started in An Experiment in Writing – Part 12: Overwriting, Toing and Froing and continued in An Experiment in Writing – Part 13: Exposition via Dialogue, the latter being wherein I offered

Exposition – an ugly lump of glucky words authors plop into their work with the intention of getting information to the reader.

Usually because they’re either lazy or don’t know any better.

Especially if it’s glucky.

I use Deep POV a lot and suggest it for the very purpose I demonstrate here: to get necessary story information to the reader and reveal character simultaneously.

Efficient writing that, dual purposing a section to incapacitate two aerial habituators penecontemporaneously.

Yeah, I’m an author. Can you tell?

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of Empty Sky and follow along.

For that matter, pick up several dozen copies of all my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 13: Exposition via Dialogue

Exposition – an ugly lump of glucky words authors plop into their work with the intention of getting information to the reader.

Usually because they’re either lazy or don’t know any better.

Especially if it’s glucky.

Wow. Talk about having an opinion.

There’s not much I can suggest to the lazy author, both this experiment and the next offer some ways to for non-lazies to get information to the author in a way which keeps the reader engaged and the story moving forward.

Take part in a RoundTable 360°

Man and Boy; Tennessee, 1932

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Get copies of Empty Sky and follow along.

For that matter, pick up several dozen copies of all my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, and I need the money.

All Experiments

An Experiment in Writing – Part 11: Language and Word Choice

Language is much more than how you use verb tenses and what adverbs and adjectives do, and word choice is much more than using the right word versus the almost right word.

This experiment in writing explores how to create a reading rhythm which keeps your reader reading, and how to use language to emphasize what’s happening on the page.

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Pick up several dozen copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, and I need the money.

Or you can get copies of Empty Sky and The Book of The Wounded Healers and follow along.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 8: Worthy Antagonists

Problems worthy of attack, Prove their worth by fighting back. — Probably Piet Hein although some say Paul Erdős

Hello.

Transderivational, translational me that I am, I’ll apply the above quote to today’s topic.

Today’s experiment is about creating antagonists which are full characters, not stereotypes and more than two-dimensional.

And we also do a brief return to Empty Sky.

Enjoy.

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

Pick up a few dozen copies of my books. Share them with friends. Think they suck? Share them with enemies. I swear (a lot!) I won’t mind.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 7: Inciting Incidents

an interesting person in an interesting place doing an interesting thing

I’m reviewing a young writer’s work and, although nicely written, wasn’t engaged by it – at least not as engaged as I want to be to read a complete novel. This is (for me) the #1 reason I reject something as Senior Fiction Editor of Wilderness House – no inciting incident

What is an “inciting incident” and what makes a good one?

I’m reading this because…?

Traditionally, an “inciting incident” is the “why is this happening?” of a story, the one thing which must happen for the rest of the story to happen.

I broaden that out a bit. Inciting incidents answer the reader’s question “I’m reading this because…?” That question is answered with “Have an interesting person in an interesting place doing an interesting thing.” You can have two of the three and still have a good opening. You can have one but it’s got to be incredibly strong for the reader to continue.

Think I’m on to something? Take a class with me or schedule a critique of your work.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.

And go buy my books so you can follow along!