StoryCrafting – Joseph Carrabis, Author Blog

An Experiment in Writing – Part 28: Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone Teaches Writing

Today’s experiment comes from one of the greatest writing teachers ever to walk the planet.

Bold statement, huh?

And how parochial of me…

Oh, come on. Laugh!

Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone is better known as Saint Francis of Assisi. I recently read a quote attributed to him and my first thought was “That’s good advice about writing,” and because I like good advice about anything, I’m sharing it, first with myself then with you.

Enjoy.

And if not, blame Giovanni.

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 a copy of Empty Sky and follow along.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

All Experiments

An Experiment in Writing – Part 27: How to Read as an Author

I started taking writing classes and attended workshops – some recognizable and prestigious…or so they told me – since the 1970s.
In all that time – fifty years! – no teacher, instructor, writer, author, professor, wordsmithing professional gave me what I’m about to give you.

And boy did that piss me off.

I’m happy to learn I’m the village idiot and everybody else knew this, that what I’m about to share is intuitively obvious to the casual observer, except no author, writer, or wordsmither of any kind whom I’ve talked with knew this. It was revelatory to them.

So here it is, and I hope it helps.

Rita Mae Brown’s “Starting from Scratch”

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 my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

All Experiments

An Experiment in Writing – Part 26: World-Building via 1stP POV

A technique I love for involving the reader/listener AND providing necessary story information ASAP is world-building via 1stP POV.

I won’t get into how the term world-building is a glom for all sorts of other things writers need to know in order to write well, things like atmosphere, character, dialogue, storytelling, style, tone, conflict, description, exposition, …

No wonder they glom it all together into “world-building!”

I mean, it’s a lot easier to do one thing poorly than develop the skills so you can use some while developing others and constantly adding to your repertoire/took kit, right?

Harrumph!.

As mentioned in experiments 5, 14, 25, and in other experiments, 1stP POV is immediate and intimate. The narrator is talking directly to the reader/listener. Someone talking directly to you and being vulnerable (whenever anyone shares their take on something – be it the weather, politics, food, people, … – they are being vulnerable. Being vulnerable, by the way, is how confidence players do their thing) is a quick way to build rapport, and rapport equals readers’ increase interest in the story.

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 my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 25: Accidental POV Shifts

I’m critiquing one of Liz Tuckwell‘s alternate history pieces.

First thing, Liz is a gifted author (I enjoy her work) and a regular member of RoundTable 360° (a monthly meeting of creatives from all disciplines where we discuss challenges all creatives face and support each other).

Anyway, while critiquing Liz’s piece, I ran into something interesting, something craft-issueish, and because I’m anal-retentive about writing craft, it stopped me.

The interesting thing was a shift in POVs (viewpoints):

Tully found it hard to enjoy the food when he was tasting it for poison. Each mouthful of honeyed pork or spiced dove might be his last. That also applied to the excellent Jyptian wine he had to try. How he hated Tremulous for suggesting Tully could be his food taster.

Tully found it hard to enjoy the food when he was tasting it for poison. is a good line in 3rdPLO (third person, limited omniscient) POV
Each mouthful of honeyed pork or spiced dove might be his last. is also a good line but is it in 3rdPLO or 1stP POV (and possibly even Deep POV)?
One of the great things about speculative fiction writing (and which definitely separates it from other genres) is 1stP POV is a limited viewpoint by definition in other genres, not so in speculative fiction. The latter allows a the full range from the character only knowing about themselves (but not being honest with themselves hence not being honest with the reader – the unreliable witness character) to having god-like abilities and knowing what’s going on everywhere everywhen. Each has its benefits and detriments.
That also applied to the excellent Jyptian wine he had to try. How he hated Tremulous for suggesting Tully could be his food taster. are both in 3rdP Omniscient.
Going from 3rdPLO to 1stPDeep is fine because that’s how people think, but!!! the abrupt pullback can cause confusion. Usually the steps we take down a well (or into a character’s psyche) must equal the steps we take up a well (or a character’s psyche). We can run in either or both directions, and usually the steps have to be equal.

Join us on the RoundTable. Reserve your space.

Liz Tuckwell’s website.

Deep POV

Critique Groups

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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 my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.

An Experiment in Writing – Part 24: A Little More Into The Mythic, and The Rule of Three

First, many thanks to the people who read these experiments and email me, leave comments (okay, a few of you, and I do appreciate it), ask me questions, and make suggestions for future experiments.

I wrote long ago I do these for my benefit, to learn if I truly understand what I’m talking about or am like most of the mumbly mumbly folks out there claiming expertise and having none.

Not that I claim expertise, only that I’m questing for more understanding than I have at present.

Because isn’t that what life’s about anyway?

Experiment 23 was Into the Mythic. I found some great examples between then and now and share them at the top of this experiment, then it’s onto a subject near and dear to my writing craft; The Rule of Three.
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.

Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money.