Before I received any acceptance letters for my writing, I knew my work was missing something, but I wasn’t sure what. My characters were interesting. My prose was sufficient, even descriptive. My plots were engaging. So, what was wrong?
Everyone who read my work reacted with
mediocre praise. They agreed it was “good,” but something was missing. No one
could put their finger on it.
Luckily, as the rejection letters kept
coming (and my writing kept improving), a few editors started leaving
personalized feedback. A few of them mentioned that I needed to learn about
point of view. Like many inexperienced writers, I wrote in either first person
(which is naturally limited to that character’s perspective) or omniscient point
of view. I had never considered using third person limited, or switching by
scene.
After researching several sources on POV,
something finally clicked. I received my first acceptance letter, and before
long I had acceptances coming in multiple times per month. Now, when I work
with students, I ask them to consider point of view before they begin writing.
Here’s what to keep in mind:
1. Generally, a short story is told through only one point of view.
First person tends to be the easiest perspective to write in, since it
necessarily limits the narrative to one character’s perceptions. If a short
story isn’t working, I often rewrite it in a different point of view, and
sometimes, that was the missing element. Some characters might know too much;
others, too little. Some characters have a voice not suitable to tell the tale;
others change the way we perceive the tale. What about telling it from the
perspective of the villain? What about a character who doesn’t know as much and
thus would add a veil of mystery, forcing the details to reveal the story as it
unfolds? It’s more of an art than a science, so it’s important to consider
various perspectives and their influence on the tale.
2. No head-hopping. One of my first editors got on my case about this
one. I had finally “mastered” point of view (so I thought) and decided to use
third person limited, switching perspectives as needed. But I still didn’t get
it.
When using third person limited, it’s okay to switch perspectives by chapter or
scene, but each hop should have a purpose. More importantly, a writer needs to
be consistent in staying in one particular point of view for the scene. So if
my main protagonist is the point of view character for a chapter, she can only
speculate on what other characters might be thinking or what their motivations
might be. This is what adds tension to scenes: sometimes readers know (or
suspect) more than the point of view characters.
What this means is for each chapter a writer plans, s/he must careful consider
the most appropriate point of view, balancing voice, tone, style, and plot.
3. Everything should be intentional. Someone asked me if, when I read
books, I tend to re-read them, or simply read them once and move on. I told
them that as a teacher, I do re-read classics and modern classics as I teach
them. The reason? Each time I read, I find some different detail, a hidden gem
that helps add to the meaning of the work as a whole. I don’t tend to re-read
“beach reads” or genre fiction simply because it seems the biggest consideration
is plot. I don’t trust that the authors have put enough consideration into
their work to allow me more insight during an additional read. Whether you’re
writing an entire novel in first-person point of view or very carefully
switching perspectives by chapter, it’s important that you have carefully
considered how each choice will impact the reader. After all, there are so many
books out there that we can never assume a captive reader.
All writers go through their journey
differently. For me, point of view was the last step I had to master. But maybe
for you it’s characterization or plot. In any case, don’t wait to improve your
work. Seek articles on writing. See if there’s a creative writing class you can
take or coach you can work with. I have learned at least one important skill
from every single editor and teacher I’ve worked with, and those are the layers
that build up to provide a solid foundation to a life of writing.
Teacher, writer,
and editor, Val Muller grew up in haunted New England but now lives in the
warmer climes of Virginia
Val’s young adult
works include The Scarred Letter, The Man with the Crystal Ankh, and The Girl
Who Flew Away and feature her observations as a high school teacher as well as
her own haunted New England past. She blogs
weekly at www.ValMuller.com.
The Girl Who Flew
Away:
Free preview +
discount code http://barkingrainpress.org/girl-who-flew-away/
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Nook:
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The Man with the
Crystal Ankh:
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2iTMe1j
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