StoryTelling – Joseph Carrabis, Author Blog

An Experiment in Writing – Part 32: Let the Characters Do the Work

Consider this experiment the end of an arc beginning with An Experiment in Writing – Part 30: What Happens Next? and continuing with An Experiment in Writing – Part 31: Who Haven’t I Written About Lately? (see how I numbered them sequentially? That’s a clue so I can remember them).

“Let the characters do the work” means (to me) the characters often know better what’s suppose to happen in a story than the author does. This isn’t a Plotter v Pantser (is it “s” or “z” in “Pantzser”?) thing, and in this experiment I even name it as a tool to use with bitch chapters, those chapters which you know what’s going on and it’s not coming out as it should.

Yep, still writing this because the technique helped with with Fains I, specifically Chapter 4 – What We Do in the Shadows (which has had four major rewrites so far).

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me, schedule a critique of your work, or buy me a coffee.
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 31: Who Haven’t I Written About Lately?

This experiment follows up An Experiment in Writing – Part 30: What Happens Next? as it can be used as a second step (kicking it up a notch?) if “What Happens Next?” fails you.

“Who Haven’t I Written About Lately?” is an expansion of something Cozy and Thriller author Donna Huston Murray gave me in conversation long ago.

When you can’t figure out what to write about next, write about what the antagonist is doing.

Excellent advice in the Cozy/Thriller/Mystery world which my mind expanded beyond all reason and probably because my novels (currently anyway) are thickly charactered. There’s always somebody waiting in the wings to come on stage.

Yep, I’m writing this because the technique helped with with Fains I.

Donna’s one of those smarter, wiser people I mentioned in Part 30.

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me, schedule a critique of your work, or buy me a coffee.
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 30: What Happens Next?

As notes in previous experiments, these missals are for my benefit and it’s great if you also benefit, and I’m doing them really to remind/teach myself how to write better.

Case in point, this one.

I got stuck – note, stuck, not blocked. To me, getting stuck and getting blocked are two entirely different things, and there’ll be an experiment about them soon – in Fains I and couldn’t get beyond where I got stuck.

Fortunately, I’ve studied with smarter and wiser people than I and learned from them.

They may disagree with the latter.

This experiment may help both Plotters and Pantzers. Let me know.

Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me, schedule a critique of your work, or buy me a coffee.
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 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.