Okay, yes, I know it is Monday, not Tuesday. But I have a special post all set for tomorrow so I thought I'd doing Tip Tuesday on Monday. LOL!
Today I am joined by talented author and teacher, Krissi Dallas. She is the author of WINDCHASER and WINDFALL - the first two books in the young adult fantasy Phantom Island series that just released nationally in December. The third installment, WATERCROSSING, will be released in the Spring. Like her fictional heroine, Krissi is also a gray-eyed Aerodorian from Texas with a ridiculous fish phobia. (Not sure what a Aerodorian is? Read her books to find out!) Krissi teaches junior high Advanced English and Language Arts and enjoys hanging out with her husband, Sam, the teens at Fusion Student Ministries, and her two wicked Yorkies. Her life is currently overrun with teenagers and she likes it that way. For more info, check out her website at www.KrissiDallas.com In the meantime, check out her fabulous post and POV and writing. Take it away Krissi:
Stick to the Point
(of View, that is)
If you were a middle school student sitting in my class
discussing literary terms, I would start off with a question like: “What is
‘point of view’ in a story?” You would probably then say something like, “how
the story is told” or “who tells the story.” And you wouldn’t be quite right,
but you’d be better than the kid who, when asked what a ‘protagonist’ was,
said, “Ooh, ooh! I know! That’s the character who waits until the last minute
to do everything!” (No, sweetie, that’s a procrastinator.
But good try.) We would then seek to better define the concept together in our
notes and I’d go with this one...
Point of View – the perspective
from which a story is told
I’m assuming that those of you reading this already know the
different points of view a story can be told in; however, please humor me as
the teacher in me needs to make sure I’m clear. Though there are many subcategories
of POV, I’ll stick with our major ones being 1st person (participant
point of view, using first person pronouns—I, me, my, etc.), 3rd
person limited (non-participant point of view, using third person pronouns—he,
she, they, etc.—limiting the inner thoughts and experiences to one or a few
main characters), and 3rd person omniscient (entering the minds and
experiences of all characters). I never formally teach 2nd person
POV in class, but am rethinking that now that I recently met Charles Benoit,
author of You, a YA novel told
completely and uniquely in 2nd person…all because his wife dared him
to do it (Check it out! He’s fabulous.)
But, really…choosing the right point of view for the novel
you’re writing is an important first step. I’ve noticed that writers (myself
included) tend to classify themselves into one category of POV writing. I think
of myself as a 1st person POV writer—and my Phantom Island series is
told in 1st person through Whitnee’s eyes. To be honest, I found
that writing Whitnee was almost like writing myself. So 1st person
in her voice (which is often like MY voice) came very easily. I never imagined
I’d want to write in any other point of view…until I got the Shiny New Novel
Idea. And as I considered the dynamics of writing the Shiny New Novel, I knew I
wanted some secrets revealed to my readers before one of my main characters
knew about them. I wanted to cast light and shadows in the plot in such a way
that I would have to be free to leave characters at specific times. Not only
that, but in Shiny New Novel, my characters have less of ME in them. Maybe that
accounted for this need to tell the story from an outside narration. Whatever
the case, if I stayed in 1st person POV, I’d be confined to one
character’s experiences and perceptions OR have to try switching 1st
person POV constantly among characters. Nope. The Shiny New Novel Idea is so
enticing to me that I have now forsaken my comfort zone and am attempting a
novel in 3rd person. EEK.
I’ve heard nightmare stories of writers who went back and
rewrote an ENTIRE NOVEL in a new point of view, because they realized what they
started with didn’t work for the story they wanted to tell. So how can we avoid
that? My advanced students and I threw around some thoughts in our class
discussion that you might consider (especially if you write YA)…
1st Person
POV
Positives:
--The art of writing suspense is really easy with 1st
POV, because the character is limited to what they can know or observe. This
means Unknown Plot Forces can be brewing and more easily surprise the
character, and thus the reader too.
--You can have a LOT of fun with voice in 1st
person. Your MC is telling the story, so they get their own unique voice and
tone. (Or you can lean at times on your OWN voice, which some of us unknowingly
do in our first projects.)
--Your reader gets to really know and understand your MC and
we all know that when a reader makes a connection with a character, the story
will resonate strongly with them.
Warnings:
--You are limited to only tell what your MC can observe and
experience. This makes it super important to write a main character that can carry
an entire story. That MC has to be where the action is and the world of the
story must usually revolve in some way around them.
--You have to be careful not to have your MC “notice” too
many obvious things without connecting the dots with the reader. This is when
MCs lose credibility with their readers because the reader saw something in the
plot that the MC should have seen too, but didn’t… even though the MC narrated
the observations.
--You have to write in a voice that will not “get old” or
annoying in the telling. I’ve heard the complaint that 1st person
narrators can come across arrogant or self-centered. Well… this is somewhat
true...in a way. They are the MC because they ARE in the center of what’s
happening. But if they’re not really a self-centered person, be careful how you
write their voice.
What My Students Say- “I like 1st person POV
books because…
“…it gives me a point of reference for what’s happening. I
don’t have to get confused by character names or who’s talking in the scene.”
“…it lets me see other characters through a real person’s
eyes-the same way I might see them in my own mind. It makes the minor
characters seem more real. Not the way an objective narrator wants me to see
them.”
“…I always feel closer to the main character when they tell
me their story. It’s like making a friend and hearing about their life.”
3rd Person
POV
Positives:
--You definitely have more freedom to explore other places,
people, and circumstances that your MC does not get to see.
--You can have multiple MCs that open up new perspectives
throughout the plot.
--It’s a lot easier to jump through, in, and around time as
you please. The sequence of events can be told in any order you think will
benefit the storytelling.
Warnings:
--Sometimes you sacrifice suspense in order to tell a bigger
story – this is usually seen more in 3rd person omniscient POVs.
--The story can feel more about the plot than the
characters, sacrificing someone’s ability to get truly close to one or two
characters.
--If not written carefully, sometimes readers can feel as
disconnected from the story as the fly on the wall who is narrating it.
What My Students Say- “I like 3rd person POV
books because…”
“…I like getting points of view from different characters and
seeing the conflicts from all angles.”
“…I like experiencing what’s happening through the person
it’s happening to, not through a main character who is trying to describe to me
what other characters are going through.”
Overall, in YA fiction, my students are openly more drawn to
1st person POV right now. That being said, I say choose the POV that
will make for the best storytelling. You know your story, you know your
characters, and hopefully you know at least a general structure of the plot
outline you’re following. Use those details, along with a self-assessment of
your writing strengths, and then go with the POV that you think will work best.
However, don’t be afraid to branch out and try a new POV style than just what
you’ve “always” done. I’m finding it strangely freeing to try 3rd
person POV in the Shiny New Novel Idea… Maybe one day I’ll even venture out
into different tenses…Ha. One step at a time, Dallas.
Now it’s your turn. If you’re a reader or a writer, what
point of view do you prefer and why? What positives or warnings would you add
to these lists?
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