Comments on: Perspective: POV Can Revive or Ruin a Story

By: authorguy

authorguy — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 01:50:38 +0000

The last two books of my fantasy series have used the first person POV with a very large number of characters having what I call the focus. This series has been a prime example of the concept of ‘iot takes a village to make a Hero’ since its inception, and the cast keeps ghetting larger with each book. Even in my third-person work I tend to shift the focus around, presenting the same situation as seen by each person who has it at that time. It’s a technique I developed right from the start because I didn’t like the way traditional perspectives worked and didn’t want to do them myself.

By: Rachel Thompson

Rachel Thompson — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 13:31:11 +0000

One thing I’ve noticed with writer friends who are stuck is that POV is what they usually get stuck with. I have often seen where 3ard person or first person would work better for a particular story and yet the writer would not experiment with switching POV. I don’t understand this resistance to exploring the possibility of change. In my mind the ideal is to serve the story, and in so doing, server the reader. Isn’t that the point? Maybe the writers ego is the issue? How would you explain this?

By: Kristen Lamb

Kristen Lamb — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:04:13 +0000

In reply to V.M.Sang. In fairness, second person a tough sell for 98% of all stories. It depends on how close you want the psychic distance. First-person is the most intimate, but it is also a bugger to write. I have two books going right now and both are in First Person but one is in past tense and the other in present perfect. Really easy to goof that up. I am thrilled this was a help and eager to hear how it goes!

By: V.M.Sang

V.M.Sang — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 15:42:30 +0000

This is exactly what I need.
I am writing a short story based on the fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, setting it in the 1950s. I was telling the tale from the POV of Beauty. Even I was getting bored with it! Then I realised, in my conception of the tale, all the conflict and character arc is with the ‘beast’.
I’m going to begin again in the ‘beast’s’ POV. I just need to decide if it should be first or third person. (I don’t think I have the skill to make it second person.)

By: Kristen Lamb

Kristen Lamb — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:27:38 +0000

In reply to Roger L Nay. Yeah I REALLY did NOT want to watch that movie. I figured it was going to be terrible, but Hubby wanted to see it and I can't always have my way, LOL. But, since I had to suffer through it, I figured I'd use that experience for good! LOL. Thanks so much! I am working on more Romi books, so y'all will be the first to know!

By: Roger L Nay

Roger L Nay — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 22:45:28 +0000

I always enjoy your thought provoking, educational, and entertaining posts. I agree with your observation on the movies, though I cannot bring myself to watch the Ralphie as adult, Christmas Story. Romi was a perfect MC, even if you secretly wanted a kick-ass special operator/Buffy the vampire slayer type main character. If you do a follow-up Romi novel, I’ll buy it.

By: Carl D'Agostino

Carl D'Agostino — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:16:59 +0000

POV is a tool I never considered but I see it can make characters into friends or enemies or merely contrast the characters in no particular dramatic ways so as not to distract the reader. I have read things where POV dominated the entire story so completely I lost interest. I suppose POV is like glitter for a crafts project in the sense of finding the “just right” look. As you know I do cartoons and am a not a writer in any sense of that but that’s my ponderings on this matter.