One of the most important first choices every author must make before beginning to write is to choose the point of view (POV) that the story will be told from. There are many mistakes that can be made in writing solely down to not understanding this concept, but once mastered, it will save many hours of trawling through a manuscript trying to correct. Believe me, I speak from experience.
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Point of view is literally the character's perspective from which the tale will be told. You need to think:
Will the main character tell the story from his or her own eyes?
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Will there be more than one main character? Who is best to tell which parts of the story?
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Will the narrator do all the describing?
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Below is a list of the possible POV choices and a brief description.
· First Person - This type of story is told through the eyes of the main character. The phrasing used will be: I did this, or I did that.
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· Second Person - A weird and strange way of telling a story with the phrasing: You did this, or you did that. Usually used in fighting fantasy, roll a die type books.
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· Third Person - These stories are told as if from a moving camera, which goes to all the action, wherever it happens. A limited third person is my personal preference, which is where in any single scene, the story is told from one character.
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· Mixed First and Third Person - Some excellent books have been written by mixing these two perspectives. I refer to the thriller genre here, because authors like Harlan Coben do it so well.
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· Omniscient - Stories told from this point of view are difficult to make credible. Similar to third person, but the narrator describes what is happening from any characters mind and how each character is feeling. This can get confusing if not done properly.
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Most authors go for either first or third person, or even a mixture of the two. To stray away from these tried and tested formulas is a very brave decision, but one that may ultimately fail.
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Problems with POV
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One of the major problems of point of view is head hopping. I first learned of the horrors this when I joined a critique group and got slaughtered for it. It is literally when you are telling the story from one characters viewpoint, but then say what another is thinking, feeling or seeing etc. Obviously YOU don't know what someone else is truly thinking, and so it is for the characters.
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In first person writing it is difficult to come up with a way of describing the main character. YOU never describe yourself in exquisite detail, so neither would the character. Using a mirror is a definite no, no.
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With third person, if you are changing the character whose point of view the reader is following, make sure you add some visual clue. You could use a chapter break, a couple of stars or maybe just two or three blank lines. Whatever you decide, something is better than nothing.
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Critique Groups
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As mentioned earlier, I learned a great deal from joining a critique group. It may be hard to take the criticism, but I'd rather it come from another writer than from an editor, or the many rejection letters you will no doubt receive.
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Remember you are all there for the same reason: you all want to improve your own work. So make sure you give critiques as well as receive them. Be honest, but tactful.
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If something stinks, just stick to giving comments on the technical stuff and steer clear of the storyline. You never know, other people may love it.
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I always preferred line by line critiques. These may take a long time to do, but point you right to the problem. If you do critiques line by line, then others should return the favour by doing the same. People are more likely to spend more time on your work, if it is obvious you have spent time on theirs.
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Remember writing is supposed to be fun, it's the editing that sucks.
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Paul
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