The ONE Way

When I was young, very young, I thought there was only ONE way. The RIGHT way. But an indication of maturity is when we finally realize there are many ONE ways, dependent on cultural background, education, and personal preference and experience.

This is true whether we consider the correct way to make scrambled eggs or ponder the identity of a higher power. Our way is not necessarily our neighbor's way.

In the last few months I've noticed an elitist attitude creeping into discussions about writing. This attitude has nothing to do with grammar or spelling or plot. No, it refers to Point Of View. One group will castigate writers who use first person. Another will vociferously protest third person omniscient. Some folks self-righteously proclaim all romances should be written in third person with no POV changes.

I just want clarity.

As long as I can tell who's saying what, I don't give a flying fig leaf how the writer conveys that information. Is the story interesting? Does it engage my heart and brain? If not, it could be the most meticulously written book of the year, but I WON'T FINISH IT.

AND I WON'T BUY ANOTHER ONE by that author.

Since I've been on sabbatical, I've paid close attention to the writing style of my favorite authors--authors I read over and over, even to the point of nearly knowing the stories by heart. And what I discovered is POV is not all that important.

I grant you, it's best not to leap around, paragraph to paragraph, but CLARITY is the thing. There is no ONE way to present the story. Writer after writer after writer has proven that. Many of those stories we all had to read in high school were written in a mish-mash of POV. They must have been doing something right. Right?

anny

In the First Person

From the day I started writing (a very long time ago), I've struggled with this odd notion of POV (point of view). Frankly, I don't see what the hollering and bellyachin' is about, but editors and publishers and some writers and readers seem to think it's a big deal so I've struggled mightily to figure it out.

I believe there are some people who are just plain POV blind just like there are people who can't see the color blue. Just when I think I have it right, someone (usually a long-suffering editor or critique partner) will point out that--no--I don't have it right.

A couple months ago I embarked on a new venture. I started a story in first person. And for the very first time, I could actually "see" the difference. "I" as the narrator can only know certain information. And everyone else cannot know or see what I perceive or know. That might seem like a simple concept.

Not so.

I'm writing a love scene. Can I just say it's very odd to write such a scene from a personal viewpoint? For some reason it brings an immediacy to the actions and thoughts of my female character that I've never experienced before as a writer.

No matter how...out there...erotic romance writers might appear to be, there's still a barrier between them and their characters when they're writing in third person. (By the way, is there a second person POV? If so, how does that work?) Anyway, moving along. In first person you can freely describe--or not--all the feelings, emotions, surroundings your character is experiencing. Generally, this is pretty tame stuff.

But what happens when you start describing sex? Average humans can barely acknowledge they even participate in the activity, let alone discuss what they're actually feeling or any fantasy they might want to try out. In first person, the writer is liberated in a truly scary fashion. It's kind of like writing a diary you intend to burn.

Write anything down you want and figure out whether you'll delete it later. I don't know what I'll keep. But I've learned a lot about POV. I suspect when I finish this story, someone will tell me--no--I still don't have it right. Heh. How will they know?

After all, it's all my point of view.

anny

Blocks...

Everyone has at least one particular thing they don't "get". For some people, it's numbers. For others it's a subset of numbers such as percents or fractions. Some people transpose letters. Some have trouble with verbs. For me...it's point of view. Hence the title of my blog.

Since I started writing with serious intent, I've been teased about my runaway switching of view points--otherwise known as head hopping. I understand the concept when it's explained to me. Really.

But if you hand me a couple pages of manuscript--anyone's manuscript--I can't pick out the instances when this occurs. As hard as I try, the darn thing is opaque for me until someone else high lights it. Even then, I may not be able to decipher who's viewpoint it is. Or why.

If you're a non-writer you may be shaking your head and saying, "So what?"

But if you're a writer, you know this is considered a serious flaw. Editors and publishers don't want to spend time marking up your manuscript for the zillion POV changes that need to be made. No matter how brilliant your story might be, no matter how many heart strings you tug, ultimately it isn't worth the time commitment required to correct it.

Yesterday I worked many hours on a section of my manuscript that was about three pages long. I slaved over it word by word before finally sending it off to a critique partner. And still in that short piece there were two POV issues. That was with two characters in the scene. Imagine what it must be like when I have more than two characters!

There are certain subjects that don't seem to be covered in writer's workshops. One is synopsis writing. Another is point of view. I'm sure there are others. In the meantime I read every article I can find on the two I mentioned, believing that the day will come when the light bulb flashes and I finally understand. So far, it's not happened, but I haven't given up.

I have to admit, though, that frustration sets in when I'm told understanding POV is simple. No--for me--it isn't. I don't pick up on the cues that would give me the information I need. Someday in the future that might be the case, but for now it's not. To some extent, I might as well be blind when trying to decipher whose POV a particular paragraph is.

I'm sure every writer has some issue that drives them insane. Writing is such a solitary profession. It's not like the writer can wander over to the next desk in the office and chat up a co-worker for help. Yes, I know we have critique partners and fellow writers and editors. But if y'all are honest, you'll admit that dealing with problems in the technical aspects of writing are the most difficult to share. Especially when there's a repetitive issue involved.

Surely I must not be the only one with a writer's block. Right? What's your particular problem?

anny