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Picking a point of view for a story is both really easy, and really difficult. Much like writing in general.

One challenge is that point of view slips happen because writers need to show some action, or some emotion from someone other than their protagonist. When you jump in and out of character’s heads it can pull the reader out of the story. As the writer you want the reader to get on board your story and take the ride of their lives until you let them off at the end, breathless and desperate to get back on the train.

One rule of writing that I think is golden is – you can only break the rules when you know how to follow them (Okay maybe I made that rule up). So, let’s have a look at three different points of view and how best to use them.

Omniscient – Okay, I’ll be honest, I don’t think you should use this. The omniscient POV is out of fashion, mainly because it distances us from the characters and actions. If you imagine yourself in a room where the story is being acted out, the omniscient POV is told by the director, someone who can see everything and know everything. The challenge with this one is that if you are not skilled in using it, it will look like you are a) point of view slipping and b) telling not showing. You should use it if the story demands it. If you are telling your story in the fashion of Dickens, you’ll need to use this POV.

First person- the favorite of detective stories and chicklit among others. In first person you talk for the main character – It’s all about I and Me. The reader only knows and feels what the main character knows and feels. It works for detective stories is because other people can lie to the detective and the reader will believe if the detective believes. The challenge for the writer is that you cannot change POV to another character easily. And, if you do, you can’t use first person for the other POV. Imagine a chicklit where suddenly your heroine’s roommate starts telling the story in first person – the reader won’t know who the I is. Use this POV when your story needs the reader to follow the protagonist through a puzzle, or a life change, or a major revelation.

Third person – this one comes in two flavors, limited and not so limited.
Limited
- remember that room where the story is being played out? The limited (or intimate) third person story is being told by someone sitting on the POV characters’ shoulders, plugged into their thoughts and feelings.
Not so limited
- this one is where the story is being told as though there was someone walking around with a camera and we see/hear what the POV character does, but we’re not privy to their thoughts or emotions.

Third person is probably the most common at this point in literary history. It’s flexible. You can change the POV character – usually when the scene or chapter changes, but if you are very skilled, in the middle of a scene.

It is important to know who your POV character is, and set your reader firmly into that POV. In each scene you need to understand who is most important and write from their POV. If your hero is about to be betrayed, the POV character is either your hero or the betrayer. If your villain is planning a dastardly deed, what better way to show dimension than to use his (or her) point of view and show us why they think they are doing the right thing.

Whatever POV you choose, stick with it (until you skillfully change it) and use it to engage the reader with the character and the conflict.

Happy writing

Perry

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I’ve learned in the process of getting a manuscript ready for submission that two things are true.

1. it’s never perfect but you need to get as close as possible
2. there will be changes when the editor reads your story

Getting close to perfect involves sharing and listening. First, when you have revised it a couple of time, it’s ready for critiquing. There are a number of ways to get a critique. Posting on-line to a writing and reading community. Finding an in-person writing group and inviting 4 or 5 people into a writing circle.

Writing circles generally share specific numbers of pages on a regular schedule. You provide and you get advice on structural issues, character development and description – the bigger items. A critique group can agree to do line editing so it’s important to understand the guidelines of the group. When you get critiques the rule is that you don’t argue – you can decide you don’t agree, but it’s not cool to try to bring people to your point of view – you are there to find things you can’t see in your writing.

Online groups can be useful if you keep in mind that you don’t know who will critique. There are lots of site out there, Sue posted some earlier today. My favorite is Authonomy a Harper Collins site. Your work needs to be at least 10,000 words to make public but once it is, people will give you comments and ask you to give them comments back. What makes this community great is that you get comments from readers and writers. You need to develop a professional attitude here, that’s a good thing, you’ll be a better author for it.

The key to success for critiquing – online or reality – is to participate. You give as much as you expect to get – and more.

Happy writing

Perry

No Comments | In: Submissions, Writing Tips | tags: How to Submit, Process, Writing Tips. | #

One of the challenges of being a writer, at least a fiction writer, is that you work alone when you write but you need to be steeped in life for the writing to be great.

It is a common belief that writers are introverts, after all we spend hours sitting at the keyboard, or scratching out words on paper. The expectation is that we like to be alone when we work and we do good work when we are alone.

I know more writers who do their work in coffee shops. We have two writing groups who meet weekly in public to write together. During NaNo last year, we wrote on public transit. Whether you are a solitary or social writer, you need to create believable characters. If you are writing about a world you created, you need to have social, political and religious structures that sound as true as the geographic description.

So, how do we do it?

I can speak for me, and I can tell you what I observe. Writing is not a solitary and introverted pastime. You need to interact with people, you need to understand how the world works and you need to translate the basic truths of reality to your fiction.

Writers find their inspiration in life, and they build vital compelling stories by observing and participating in life. The solitary part is different. Whether I’m at my desk, sitting on the couch with the TV muttering in the background, or sitting with a group in a coffee shop, I write best with focus.

That’s my advice for authors. Rub elbows with life and then write what you learn. The old saying, write what you know, doesn’t mean you have to be a serial killer to write a brutal complex murder mystery. It means learn about why someone would commit the crimes, then translate what you know about people – your family, friends, coworkers, and the couple you watched eating in the food court – and contrast the normality of their behaviour against your killer.

Get to know how people interact, get to know how people react. Then write that truth into your fiction.

Happy writing.

No Comments | In: Writing Tips | tags: writers, Writing Tips. | #

Yes, that’s the person who reads your work, not a device. Lately our author discussions have revolved around audience. Who is going to read your book and what can you do to make your book better for them?

It is clear when you are writing for YA or children, you use specific language – or more correctly, don’t use specific language. No sex!  Entertain, don’t Preach! And your themes need to connect with what your age group is focused on. Or, perhaps the next age group up.

When you write in a genre, you must work with the conventions of the genre. No mystery reader is going to buy your second book if you don’t solve the crime. Although the bad guy doesn’t need to get punished, but the reader needs to know who did it, and usually why. And, if they don’t get punished, if the detective walks away from the final closure, you have to have a compelling reason.

Science Fiction seems to get the most buzz about conventions in story – there’s that group of readers who put more emphasis on the Science and the group the places more emphasis on the Fiction. And the group in between who want a good story with some science.

What we advise our authors is to make sure they understand the conventions of their genre or age group. Then if they need to break them, do it skillfully and with purpose. If your reader thinks you’ve made a mistake in your writing, you’ve kicked them out of the story. If you are skillful in changing conventions, they will be intrigued and captured in the story.

How do you get to know your audience?

The best way is to read what they read. If you do that, you can see the conventions and you will ride the knowledge as you write.

The second best way is to buy and read a book about writing for the age group or genre.

My advice – do both. Start with a book on how to write for that audience to see what you should be including, then read books in the genre/age group so you can see how well it’s done, or how badly.

I wish you good writing.

Perry

No Comments | In: Industry, Writing Tips | tags: audience, writing, Writing Tips, Your reader. | #

Hi, Perry here. Along with over 150,000 writers worldwide, I’m taking part in the madness that is National Novel Writing Month. For those of you who haven’t heard of this, it’s a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

I’ve set myself the goal of 80,000 words because 50,000 is a bit short for a novel.

I first attempted this last year, and won, and that book is Off Track which is coming soon from PaperBox Books.

Yesterday I started the day 4,800 words behind my goal and ended the day 1,200 words over my goal. That was a marathon but I made myself do it without the great support available this month.

Why? Well, I wanted to see if I had the discipline to focus on my work without word wars and “you can do its” from the team. If I could, then maybe I could write a second book in 2010.

Here’s how I did it. I had a timer and I wrote for 15 minutes and counted up the words. I worked on another project for 15 minutes and came back to the writing. Truth be told, I also checked email and tidied my desk and did all the other things I do that eat into writing time. The only difference was, I only wrote in the 15 minutes of writing.

My success made me think of the writers I’ve talked to who struggle to get the first draft done. They try to squeeze the writing into busy schedules, or carve off a couple of hours to write at a time.

If this sounds like you, try taking a timer and writing for 15 minutes. I think you’ll be surprised at the number of words  you can get on the page. And, when you go back and read the words later, how good they really are.

So, turn off the editor and give it a try.

Good luck to all the other NaNoWriMo participants, and a shout out to our favourite MLs in Vancouver.

No Comments | In: Writing Tips | tags: NaNoWriMo, Writing Tips. | #

Short post today to let you know we’re open for submissions and not completely locked down with our own word counts.

Perry here. Taking a few minutes out of NaNo 2009 (word count 19,168 as of 2:30 pm) to update you on what’s happening at PaperBox Books.

It’s challenging right now to coordinate our time. We are both doing NaNoWriMo and have our responsibilities to our region (take that New Zealand). We had a fabulous write in at the main library in Vancouver on Thursday (30 writers all focused on their craft – it was magic).

Despite that, we’re meeting with authors and giving out  cards to people who might be interested. And reviewing the submissions that come in, we are determined to keep to our commitment of short turnaround.

Hmmm, wonder if I can count these words in my manuscript. No, darn the pretechnical society of my story.

Happy NaNo everyone.

Bonus tip for NaNo participants – to keep your word count up, there’s nothing like a word war.

No Comments | In: What's New with PBB, Writing Tips | tags: NaNoWriMo, publishing, writers. | #