Early on in this journey, I said Character + Plot = Story. So we’ve talked about characters and as an adjunct to that, point of view, which is how the reader experiences the character. On to plot. There are some genres of fiction, notably literary fiction, in which you can …
Author: Kristen Stieffel
Kristen Stieffel is a writer and freelance editor specializing in speculative fiction. She's a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Christian Editor Connection, and American Christian Fiction Writers.
Ensure clear point of view transitions
We’re down to the last two items in the POV section of the Elements of Fiction Editing Checklist. ☐ If using deep POV, the narrative and interior monologue reflect the personality of the POV character(s) This goes back to avoiding generic narrator voice. The narrative in a deep POV novel …
Why second person doesn’t work in fiction
Last time we talked about first versus third person in light of this item on our checklist: ☐ The chosen grammatical person is suitable to the story and the POV characters. I glossed over second person, in which the reader is addressed as “you,” noting only that it is Not …
Grammatical person and viewpoint character
The next item on the Elements of Fiction Editing Checklist may seem a little odd: ☐ The chosen grammatical person is suitable to the story and the POV characters. What does that even mean?
Awards for Christian Speculative Fiction
In the run-up to the Realm Makers conference, the Christian SpecFic community has two awards programs going to celebrate our genre. Both awards will be presented at the conference. The Clive Staples Award is presented by a group of fans led by writer and editor Rebecca LuElla Miller. It is …
Psychic distance isn’t about mind-reading
I got a little distracted last week, but let’s return to the Elements of Fiction Editing Checklist. We were talking about point of view, or viewpoint. One aspect of viewpoint is psychic distance.
What is Speculative Fiction, anyway?
One of the great things about attending the Realm Makers conference is that when you say you write fantasy, people grin and say “cool, what kind of fantasy?” and then let you go on about whether you have dragons and magic or not. Because unlike other Christian writers conferences, this …
Inspirational must-read book for new writers
Writing in Obedience: A Primer for Christian Fiction Writers by Terry Burns and Linda Yezak My Rating: ★★★★★ This is a truly wonderful book that will help Christian writers, especially novelists, clarify their place in the market. It helps us sort out whether our writing is a calling or an …
Determine your most appropriate POV character
I’ve said that character is the most important element of fiction. Some editors disagree, and will say plot or point of view is more important. I’ve given my reasons for why I feel as I do about character. Here’s why I put viewpoint before plot on my list. Viewpoint, or …
Fiction Q&A: Concealing a character’s identity
Q: I saw what you wrote about not hiding the POV character’s identity. Isn’t there some way I can hide the villain’s identity, so the reader won’t figure out who it is until late in the story, when the hero does? Like, if he’s an evil mastermind, can I just …