CARRIE KARNES-FANNIN
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ONCE A HOUSE

10/1/2021

55 Comments

 
For the third year, literary agent/author Kaitlyn Sanchez and author Lydia Lukidis are nudging 100s of writers to create Fall themed stories with the Fall Writing Frenzy contest.

​This year, Ameerah Holliday, junior agent from Serendipity Literary Agency, is joining as a guest judge. Welcome, Ameerah!

The contest is open to entries from October 1-3, so you still have time to participate.
​
Entry form here.
lydialukidis.wordpress.com/2021/09/30/fall-writing-frenzy-entry-form-2021/

Once again, we have a 200 word limit and 12 photos to choose among for story prompts. I love the range of these images! There are SO many beautiful options--take a look:

lydialukidis.wordpress.com/fallwritingfrenzy-2021-rules/

If you're on Twitter, check out the hashtag #FallWritingFrenzy to keep up with the fun. It's a fast moving, active event--you'll love it.
​
To the right is the prompt that inspired my poem. I hope you enjoy it.
Picture
Photo credit: Julia Solonina / Unsplash ****** A reverse search on this image reveals the building is the chapel at Berg Eltz, an 850+ year old castle in Germany. The age of the property and location were two of the sparks for my poem. Read more about the castle's fascinating history here: https://burg-eltz.de/en/eltz-castle-the-attractions/castle-tour.html
Once a House 
by Carrie Karnes-Fannin
(177 words)
 
She'd once been a house,
but that was long ago. She remembered
what it was like.
 
seasons
stacked memories,
piled like cordwood ahead of winter snows
 
For at her heart
were the trees.
 
timbers
people called them,
turning the black forest
into boards and rafters

 
And trees
never forget
those they’ve sheltered.
 
Chicks under the eaves
with broken shells clinging
to their damp heads.
 
Mice and their hidden highways
between golden paneled walls.
 
A girl’s laughter ringing in the hall,
and through the years.
 
she’d loved them all
 
But,
the wood reclaimed her
as its own,
while
 
time dripped down
slowly slowly
 
leafy crowns bathed by crystal rains
fed the tender roots
that coursed through cracks

twisting turning tasting
 
and drank deep from her well
of memories.
 
A thousand dappled suns
kissed her ruined walls,
casting shadows
among the saplings.
 
she loved them still
 
Now
under a frosty blanket,
her bones slept
 
yellow orange red
drifting falling dreaming
 
as the
once-and-future girl climbed,
ascending
echoes
 
of
the house
who used to be a home,
and would always
remember.

55 Comments
Rosanna Montanaro link
10/1/2021 07:25:42 am

Beautiful writing, Carrie. I love this so much! Congrats on this piece! Good luck. Rosanna

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:53:14 pm

Thank you, Rosanna! Good luck with your piece as well.

Reply
Melisa Wrex link
10/1/2021 08:27:37 am

What a stunning work, Carrie. I hope this ends up in print somewhere. I really enjoyed your word choice, just lovely.

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:52:45 pm

Thank you, Melisa! Wouldn't it be wonderful to see it published?

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Sara L Kruger link
10/1/2021 08:31:16 am

This is stunning. What beautiful language. Well done.

Reply
Allison Strick
10/1/2021 08:40:10 am

This is just gorgeously written, Carrie. The judges will love this one!

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 01:02:28 pm

Thank you!! Here's hoping...

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Katie link
10/1/2021 08:40:15 am

Your writing is absolutely beautiful, it flows and begs the reads to come along.

Reply
Catrine Kyster
10/1/2021 09:02:07 am

Beautiful writing - and thank you for sharing the info about the chapel too!

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:54:39 pm

The chapel & castle have SO much interesting history behind them. They're kind of a treasure trove for more stories.

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Melissa J Miles link
10/1/2021 09:02:33 am

I love your word choice and use of language.

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Christiana Doucette link
10/1/2021 09:42:30 am

Gorgeous writing! I especially loved this stanza:

And trees
never forget
those they’ve sheltered.

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:55:26 pm

Thank you! That image of the trees & their never forgetting was one of the earliest sparks in finding the story.

Reply
Danielle
10/1/2021 09:52:23 am

I love that you found the origins of this picture! That adds so much! Beautiful story!

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 01:02:03 pm

Reading about the history behind the photo took me down quite a rabbit hole of research! It was hard to pull out of as I *really* wanted to make this a non-fiction piece.

But that opening line was stubborn and wouldn't go away. Sometimes you just have to follow the words.

Reply
Mariana Llanos
10/1/2021 09:55:48 am

This is so beautiful, Carrie! I'm blown away.

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:56:00 pm

Thank you, Mariana! That means a lot coming from a talented writer like yourself.

Reply
Jackie link
10/1/2021 09:56:21 am

This is absolutely beautiful!

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Erika Romero link
10/1/2021 10:02:40 am

I really love the cadence of this piece. Great job!

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:59:57 pm

Thank you, Erica! (And I want to tell you that I love the word "cadence." It is delicious to say out loud.)

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Carmela McCain Simmons link
10/1/2021 10:31:03 am

This tender story evoked so many of my own lost memories and moved me to tears. A fitting ode to the fall season!

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:57:46 pm

Aww, Carmela...I don't know what to say. Now my eyes are leaking.

Thank you for reading & commenting. Your support means a lot to me.

Reply
Annette Y Hashitate
10/1/2021 10:44:58 am

Your poetry always moves me - lovely!

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Bonnie Kelso link
10/1/2021 12:52:20 pm

Gorgeous, Carrie! I especially melted at "A thousand dappled suns
kissed her ruined walls." You are so talented. :)

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 12:59:01 pm

Thank you, Bonnie! Don't you love the afternoon sun hitting the trees, especially during fall? <3 I'm glad that you enjoyed the poem.

Reply
Elayne Crain link
10/1/2021 01:12:45 pm

So beautiful, Carrie! You really nailed the beauty and nostalgia of ruins.

Reply
Melanie Singer
10/1/2021 02:10:32 pm

Gorgeous writing, Carrie. Love your use of language. Good luck!

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Sarah Meade link
10/1/2021 05:09:12 pm

Beautiful! Love how the reverse lookup inspired your lovely piece.

Reply
Jill Lambert
10/1/2021 05:45:03 pm

I love the way the history of the building inspired you, Carrie. Your diction is fantastic and soothing to read. An exquisite piece of writing!

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 06:54:21 pm

Thank you so much!

Reply
Stephanie Maksymiw
10/1/2021 06:20:15 pm

This is such a beautiful poem. Personifying the house makes it feel so personal to me.

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Dena Davis link
10/1/2021 07:10:29 pm

"Time dripped down, slowly, slowly." This line stopped me in my tracks. Such beautiful imagery painted with beautiful language. Thank you.

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/1/2021 07:28:24 pm

Thank you for reading & taking the time to comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. I loved the images that bubbled up in my mind with this prompt.

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Charlotte Dixon link
10/1/2021 07:41:08 pm

Lovely, lyrical word imagery. It was strange to read your story as it's so akin to my present thoughts of my childhood home. You've created a mood and it spoke to me. Good luck!

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Anne Lipton
10/2/2021 12:24:05 am

The exquisite imagery and finely honed details of this poignant lyrical piece evoke a timeless sense of place.

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/3/2021 07:39:32 pm

What a beautiful compliment! I'm glad you enjoyed it, Anne.

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Sandhya link
10/2/2021 07:07:03 am

What a beautiful piece! The imagery is stunning and the pacing was done just right

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/2/2021 01:30:00 pm

Thank you, Sandhya!

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Shannon Nelsen
10/2/2021 07:33:16 am

Gorgeous, evocative language, Carrie and unique perspective. The formatting adds to the mystical feel.

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Delia Black link
10/2/2021 10:22:27 am

Beautiful piece of writing! Lovely lyrical imagery. Good luck!

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Molly
10/2/2021 08:15:40 pm

Wow! Love your beautiful language! So very poetic! Good luck to you!

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/3/2021 07:38:47 pm

Thank you, Molly!

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Melissa-Jane Nguyen link
10/2/2021 08:55:03 pm

So beautifully told, Carrie! I love that the style forced me to slow in my reading and really soak up the gorgeous storytelling <3

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/6/2021 05:35:05 pm

Thank you, Melissa.

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Melissa Rotert link
10/4/2021 11:44:20 am

What wonderful imagery!

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Susan Mannix link
10/4/2021 11:47:43 am

Beautiful, evocative language! Well done!

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Karen Pickrell link
10/5/2021 01:36:18 pm

Beautifully written. I always look forward to reading your contest entry. Good luck!

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/6/2021 05:34:39 pm

Awww...that's such a wonderful compliment. Thank you, Karen!

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Amy Flynn link
10/5/2021 02:18:33 pm

I love reading the other entries with the same photo. Amazing that yours can be so beautiful and mine can be most definitely creepily ugly!

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/6/2021 05:34:02 pm

It's definitely been interesting to read the wildly different directions so many went with the exact same prompt. Love seeing how people's minds work.

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Carrie Boone
10/11/2021 09:16:07 am

Beautiful writing! I love how you delved deeper into the history behind the picture and shared it, too. Your story - while stylistically different - reminded me of one of my all-time favorites: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. Thanks for evoking a happy memory and creating a lovely new one!

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Erin Matzen
10/13/2021 02:20:27 pm

Beautiful piece, Carrie! This has great cadence and I loved your passage of time. Well done! Erin

@MatzenErin (Twitter)

Reply
Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/18/2021 05:05:55 am

Time is one of those tricky elements to get "just so" in a story, so I really appreciate hearing that, Erin.

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Stephanie Rondeau link
10/17/2021 10:08:43 pm

Oh my goodness, this is just gorgeous!!! There are too many lines that I love to quote one here. Amazing!

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Carrie Karnes-Fannin
10/18/2021 05:03:34 am

Thank you, Stephanie!

Reply



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