Joseph Carrabis's Blog, page 17

Her Kingdom for a TV Remote

Sometimes The Wild reminds us that couch potatoes are a type of many, not just Two-Leggers. Here we have a prime example of couch potating(?). Here we have a prime example of couch potatoing(?). Here we have a prime example couching the potato… Okay, these are getting worse. Let’s return to something neat and clean. … Continue reading "Her Kingdom for a TV Remote"

My “Three Attempts to Get Wet” in Wilderness House Journal

Sometimes you just have to have fun. And I did with this A Swim in a Pond in the Rain review because I needed to reward myself after spending a year+ reading this book. Steve Glines, EIC at Wilderness House, told me he laughed out loud reading my review, and it reminded him why he … Continue reading "My “Three Attempts to Get Wet” in Wilderness House Journal"

An Experiment in Writing – Part 12: Overwriting, Toing and Froing

Overwriting: Putting more on the page than is necessary for the story to move forward. Toing and Froing: What happens when an author feels a need to move characters around in order to set up a scene rather than starting the reader at the point in the scene where the action (== interesting stuff) occurs. … Continue reading "An Experiment in Writing – Part 12: Overwriting, Toing and Froing"

Fains I (A John Chance Mystery) Chapter 2 – Get Real

Fains I (A John Chance Mystery) Chapter 2 – Get Real Monique Modine kept two vintage pink Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Converibles – a ’57 and a ’59 – up on blocks in her barn. She had a FWB mechanic in Albany come out the first day of each Spring, take them down, inspect them, give … Continue reading "Fains I (A John Chance Mystery) Chapter 2 – Get Real"

A Quiet Lunch

I mentioned in Family Photos about getting a new camera to record my interactions with the local wildlife. One element of new cameraness is recognizing when the mike isn’t on.  

An Experiment in Writing – Part 11: Language/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 … Continue reading "An Experiment in Writing – Part 11: Language/Word Choice"

An Example of the Experiments, 4 – Fains I – A John Chance Mystery

We left off in An Example of the Experiments, 2 – Fains I with the promise of sharing the original Fains I opening and the rewrite making use of multiple storycrafting techniques. I shared the original first ~900 words in An Example of the Experiments, 3 – Fains I and here I share the rewrite, … Continue reading "An Example of the Experiments, 4 – Fains I – A John Chance Mystery"

Nothing Quite Like Raccoon Butt

There are little tiny paw prints on my deck. I wonder who made them. Something raced… Something waddled towards me. And behold! Mystery solved.  

A Twelfth of Carrabis (Dec 2024 Newsletter)

(we’re doing something different. let me know what you think) Musings RoundTable 360° Zen Citizen Critique Group Call Carol’s Christmas and Quirky Christmas Stories Month Long Writers’ Workshop A Holiday Giveaway White Heron: A Creation Story I’m published here It is December and soon we will celebrate another turn around the sun. We are never … Continue reading "A Twelfth of Carrabis (Dec 2024 Newsletter)"

An Experiment in Writing – Part 10: ACTION SCENES! (finally)

Okay, you’ve all been waiting for this one… Or at least I’ve been promising it for a while… Pretty much everything covered here is in Writing Realistic Hand-to-Hand Combat Scenes.   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 … Continue reading "An Experiment in Writing – Part 10: ACTION SCENES! (finally)"