Under the heading of “don’t deceive your reader,” I want to file this piece of advice. When you’re telling your story, tell it directly, and don’t pretend it’s someone else’s. I see this a lot, and I don’t understand why authors do it. They launch into a tale about “someone” …
Tag: Point of View
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?
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.
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 …
Don’t hide the POV character’s identity
One of the most common point of view errors we see in amateur novels is what I call Hidden Identity Syndrome. This seems to be an attempt on the part of fiction writers to replicate something we see in movies: A nondescript figure walks into a darkened room, rifles the …
The difference between your voice and the character’s voice
Voice, like art, is one of those things that, being hard to define, often falls into the category of “I’ll know it when I see it.” It’s a quality that writers strive for and editors look for, precisely because it’s so hard to accomplish. There are two kinds of voice; …
Sorting out characters and narrators
Last time, I said there are two kinds of POV: Narrator POV and Character POV, and I mentioned that each has some subsets. Here they are. Narrator POV The omniscient narrator knows everything and can share everyone’s thoughts, but doesn’t have to. He can, and often does, make value judgments …